Lou Rawls, who learned of gospel music through his grandmother in Chicago, became a successful singer, primarily from the 1950s through the 1980s. He was a high school classmate of music giant Sam Cooke, and they sang together in the Teenage Kings of Harmony, a '50s gospel group.
After graduating from Chicago's Dunbar Vocational High School, he sang briefly with Cooke in the Teenage Kings of Harmony, a local gospel group, and then with the Holy Wonders. In 1951, Rawls replaced Cooke in the Highway QC's after Cooke departed to join The Soul Stirrers in Los Angeles. Rawls was soon recruited by the Chosen Gospel Singers and himself moved to Los Angeles, where he subsequently joined the Pilgrim Travelers
After graduating from Chicago's Dunbar Vocational Career Academy, Rawls enlisted in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He left the "All-Americans" three years later as a sergeant, and hooked up with The Pilgrim Travelers as he traveled to Los Angeles. In 1958, while touring the South with the Travelers and Sam Cooke, Rawls was in a serious car crash. Rawls was pronounced dead before arriving at the hospital, where he stayed in a coma for five and a half days. It took him months to regain his memory, and a year to fully recuperate. Rawls considered the event to be life-changing.
Alongside Dick Clark as master of ceremonies, Rawls was recovered enough by 1959 to be able to perform at the Hollywood Bowl. He was signed to Capitol Records in 1962, the same year he sang the soulful background vocals on the Sam Cooke recording of "Bring it on Home to Me." Rawls himself charted with a cover of the song in 1970 (with the title shortened to "Bring It On Home").
Rawls' first Capitol solo release was Stormy Monday (a.k.a. I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water), a jazz album. On August 21, 1966, he opened for The Beatles at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.
Though his 1966 album Live! went gold, Rawls would not have a star-making hit until he made a proper soul album, appropriately named Soulin', later that same year. The album contained his first R&B #1 single, "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing". In 1967 Rawls won his first Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance, for the single "Dead End Street."
In 1969, the singer was co-host of NBC's summer replacement series for the Dean Martin Show along with Martin's daughter, singer Gail Martin.
After leaving Capitol in 1971, Rawls joined MGM, at which juncture he released his Grammy-winning single "Natural Man." He had a brief stint with Bell Records in 1974, where he recorded a cover of Hall & Oates' "She's Gone." In 1976, Rawls signed with Philadelphia International Records, where he had his greatest album success with the million-selling All Things in Time. The album produced his most successful single, "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine", which topped the R&B and Adult Contemporary charts and went to number two on the pop side, becoming Rawls' only certified million-selling single in the process.
Subsequent albums, such as 1977's When You've Heard Lou, You've Heard It All yielded such hit singles as "Lady Love". Other releases in the 1970s included the classic album Sit Down And Talk To Me.
In 1982, Rawls received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
On the night of September 29, 1977, Rawls performed the national anthem of the United States prior to the Earnie Shavers-Muhammad Ali title fight at Madison Square Garden. He would be requested to sing the anthem many times over the next 28 years, and his final performance of it came on October 23, 2005. The crowd at that performance may not have known that Rawls was extremely ill with cancer, but he reportedly delivered an electrifying performance to kick off Game Two of the 2005 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros.
In 1980, Rawls began the "Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telethon" which benefits the United Negro College Fund. The annual event, known since 1998 as "An Evening of Stars: A Celebration of Educational Excellence", consists of stories of successful African-American students who have benefited from and/or graduated from one of the many historically black colleges and universities who receive support from the UNCF, along with musical performances from various recording artists in support of the UNCF's and Rawls' efforts. The event has raised over US$200 million in 27 shows for the fund through 2006.
In January 2004, Rawls was honored by the United Negro College Fund for his more than 25 years of charity work with the organization. Instead of hosting and performing as he usually did, Rawls was given the seat of honor and celebrated by his performing colleagues, including Stevie Wonder, The O'Jays, Gerald Levert, Ashanti, and many others. His final television performance occurred during the 2005-2006 edition of the telethon, honoring Stevie Wonder in September 2005, just months before entering the hospital and after having been diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year. This program, aired in January, 2006, contains his final public television performance, where he performed two classics, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," and a final ode to Frank Sinatra with, "It Was A Very Good Year."
At the time of Rawls' death, news and UNCF figures noted the significance of Rawls' final performance, "It Was a Very Good Year." The song is a retrospective of one's life and its lyrics include, "When I was seventeen, it was a very good year. It was a very good year for small town girls and soft summer nights...And now those days grow short, it is the autumn of years, and now I think about life as vintage wine from fine old kegs, from the brim to the dregs, it pours sweet and clear, it was a very good year."
Rawls appeared in a segment of the first season of Sesame Street, to sing the alphabet. He dismissed the concept of using cue cards for the performance, but reversed such decision when he forgot the order of the letters.
Throughout Rawls' singing career, he had the opportunity to appear in many films, television shows, and commercials. He can be seen in such films as Leaving Las Vegas, Blues Brothers 2000, and Angel, Angel, Down We Go. He had a supporting role in the Baywatch spin-off, Baywatch Nights. He also appeared in the western television series, Big Valley, (starring legend Barbara Stanwyck, along with Lee Majors and Linda Evans) where he played a hired hand. Here, he delivered the memorial line: "Ain't a horse that can't be rode; ain't a man that can't be throwed".
Rawls lent his rich baritone voice to many cartoons, including Hey Arnold! as the voice of Harvey The Mailman, Garfield, and The Proud Family. For many of the Film Roman Garfield specials, Rawls would often compose songs for them, which he would then sing usually doing a duet with Desiree Goyette. He also was famously in American sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.
For many years, he was a spokesperson for the Colonial Penn Life Insurance Company. He was also a spokesman for Budweiser, helping promote the brand on radio and TV to African-American markets much as Ed McMahon did for the white audience. Budweiser was a key sponsor for the Rawls telethon and UNCF.
Rawls was also a regular guest host on "Jazz Central", a program aired on the BET Jazz cable channel.
He appears as "Dr. Rawls" in a dream on an episode My Wife and Kids, where he breaks into a parody version of "You'll Never Find", which a frightened Damon Wayans is afraid of having a colonoscopy the following day. Rawls uses the scope as a microphone in the scene. Rawls appears as a commentator in the second half of the unrated commentary of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.
Rawls was also a guest star during the second season of The Muppet Show. He also made a brief appearance on the series finale of Martin. (The show's character Tommy is excited to see Lou Rawls at Nipsey's and mentioned that his favorite song is "Natural Man." Lou replied that he received a letter from a female claiming that she and her boyfriend broke up because of the song. This eludes to the episode where Tommy and Pam decide to move in together, but winded up fighting and ultimately breaking up because Tommy played the song "Natural Man" so much that it drove Pam crazy.)
The following is a list of Lou Rawls singles that made the top 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. His first Hot 100 entry was "Three O'Clock in the Morning" in 1965, and his final was "Wind Beneath My Wings" in 1983. In addition to those two, nine other singles peaked at positions below the top 50 on the Hot 100, and additional singles reached the R&B, Adult Contemporary and Bubbling Under charts.
* "Love Is a Hurtin' Thing" - 1966, #13 (also #1 R&B)
* "Dead End Street" - 1967, #29
* "Show Business" - 1967, #45
* "Your Good Thing (Is About to End)" - 1969, #18
* "A Natural Man" - 1971, #17
* "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" - 1976, #2 (also #1 R&B and #1 Adult Contemporary); certified Gold for sales of one million copies
* "Lady Love" - 1978, #24
One More Time
Lou Rawls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To you my love that might be the way it seems
But I love the way
That you carry yourself
I even love I love I love I love
The way you wear your hair
Ain't that lovin' you
For more reasons than one, well
Somehow my love you been misled
By a lot of things that some other men said
But I love you
For what you are
I even love you I love you I love you I love you
For what you may become
Ain't that lovin' you my baby
Ain't that lovin' you for more reasons than one
Well did it ever occur to you
Why I do all the things I do
Just to keep a little smile upon your face
'Cause I love you I love you I love you
I love you in so many ways
Some how my love you been misled
By a lot of things a whole lot of things, other men have said
But I love you for what you are
I even love you I love you I love you I love you
For what you may become
Aint that lovin' you baby
Ain't that lovin' you for more reasons than one
Well, well, well
I love you for the way that you walk
I love you for the way you talk
I really love you darlin' for the way you understand
I love you when you hold my hand
Why do you think I work so hard for you woman?
Why do I get up so early in the mornin'
'Cause I love you
Lou Rawls's song Ain't That Loving You is a soulful ballad about expressing love and appreciation for someone beyond just their physical attributes. The opening lines, "So you think I love you for just one thing, to you my love that might be the way it seems," address the assumption that the love is based solely on physical attraction. However, the chorus of "Ain't that lovin' you for more reasons than one" conveys that there are multiple reasons for the love and admiration the singer has for their partner.
The verses highlight a deep appreciation for the partner's character traits as well as potential growth. The lyrics "But I love you for what you are, I even love you for what you may become" allude to the singer's belief in their partner's potential and the desire to support them in their growth. The bridge emphasizes the extent of the singer's love, describing the various ways they love their partner, including the way they walk, talk, and understand.
The song ultimately conveys the message that true love goes beyond just physical attraction and is based on a deep appreciation for someone's character and potential. The lyrics are a testament to the importance of loving someone for who they are and supporting them in their growth, making it a timeless message that resounds with audiences.
Line by Line Meaning
So you think I love you for just one thing
You may believe that my love for you is shallow and focused on just one aspect of you.
To you my love that might be the way it seems
It might appear to you that my love is one-dimensional, when in reality it runs deeper than that.
But I love the way
There are many different elements about you that I truly appreciate and admire, such as
That you carry yourself
the way you hold yourself with confidence and poise.
I even love I love I love I love
I am so enamored with you that I can’t help but repeat
The way you wear your hair
the particular style and manner in which you wear your hair.
Ain't that lovin' you
Isn't that a true expression of my deep and multifaceted love for you?
For more reasons than one, well
There are many reasons why I love you that go far beyond just one or two specific things.
Somehow my love you been misled
I get the sense that you may have been swayed or misguided by others who have not been as genuine or sincere in their love as I am.
By a lot of things that some other men said
Perhaps you have been influenced by the negative comments or opinions of other men.
But I love you
Regardless of what anyone else may say or think about you, I truly and deeply love you for who you are.
For what you are
I love you just the way you are, with all your strengths and flaws, and I accept you unconditionally.
I even love you I love you I love you I love you
My love for you is so strong and intense that I cannot express it enough.
For what you may become
I am excited to see where life takes you and how you will continue to grow and evolve as a person, and I love you for the potential I see in you.
Ain't that lovin' you my baby
Isn't that the highest and purest form of love that I can offer you, my beloved?
Well did it ever occur to you
Have you ever stopped to consider
Why I do all the things I do
why I go out of my way to do things for you, big and small.
Just to keep a little smile upon your face
It brings me pure joy and happiness to see you happy and content, even if it's just for a moment.
'Cause I love you I love you I love you
My love for you is an endless source of happiness and fulfillment for me.
I love you in so many ways
My love for you is multidimensional and encompasses so many different aspects of you and our relationship.
A whole lot of things, other men have said
It's possible that the negative influence of other men on your life has extended beyond just one or two individuals.
I love you for what you may become
I see so much potential in you and your future, and that's part of what makes me love you so much.
Ain't that lovin' you baby
Isn't that the mark of a true, deep, and abiding love, my darling?
Ain't that lovin' you for more reasons than one
I love you so much for so many different reasons that it's impossible to even list them all.
I love you for the way that you walk
I find your gait and movement to be so graceful and filled with poise and beauty.
I love you for the way you talk
your voice is like music to my ears and your way of speaking is so engaging and thoughtful.
I really love you darlin' for the way you understand
You have a way of empathizing with me and truly trying to see things from my perspective that I find so incredibly endearing and loving.
I love you when you hold my hand
Simple acts of physical connection like holding hands mean so much to me and remind me just how much I care for you.
Why do you think I work so hard for you woman?
I do everything in my power to make your life easier and more fulfilling because of how deeply I love and care for you.
Why do I get up so early in the mornin'
Every morning, I wake up driven to make your day better and to be a light in your life, simply because of how much you mean to me.
'Cause I love you
In the end, it all boils down to the simple fact that I love you more than I can put into words.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Homer Banks, Allen Alvoid Jones, Jr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind