Love grew out of the Los Angeles garage band The Grass Roots, changing their name in 1965 to avoid confusion with the P.F. Sloan-managed band of the same name. The band lived communally in Bela Lugosi's former LA residence The Castle, and the house forms the background to the cover of their first two album sleeves.
Love released their eponymous début album in July 1966. This was followed later the same month by the single "Seven and Seven Is/No. Fourteen", neither side of which was included on the album, and which gave the band their only U.S. Billboard top 40 hit.
Love's second album Da Capo was released in January 1967. The album is split between a more conventional first side, featuring 6 tracks (including Seven and Seven is) and a second side featuring just one near twenty-minute track, Revelation.
The band's critical reputation far exceeds the limited success they experienced: their second album to be released in 1967, Forever Changes, is consistently cited by critics as one of the most outstanding albums in the history of rock music. The album features full and complex orchestration throughout, accompanying Lee and MacLean's increasingly elaborate song writing. The album sold poorly in the U.S., reaching #154 on the Billboard charts, although it performed better in some European territories.
Although the band continued to record after Forever Changes, subsequent releases saw frequent large-scale personnel changes, and a move away from the more baroque style of that album towards traditional rock and latterly to soul and funk.
Of the later albums, 1970's False Start is notable for featuring a guest appearance by Jimi Hendrix from one of his last recording sessions.
Lee continued the band until 1975, having lost all the other members to drug problems. He formed other bands called Love (sometimes with former band mate Echols) through the 1990s.
2. Love is also an R'n'B musician based in Manchester, United Kingdom, with Zimbabwean and Malawian roots. His début singles, 'In My Tee' and '3' b/w 'Black Coffee' were released in 2018.
3. The alter ego of Japanese pop singer Ai Otsuka (大塚愛).
4. Former lead singer of disbanded CORE OF SOUL, Fukiko Nakamura's solo work's alias.
5. Love is a Japanese pop/R&B vocal duo, produced by Hiro of Exile's production agency, LDH. They debuted in 2009 with the single "First Love: Love Letter." Their song "Tada Hitotsu no Negai Sae" was certified gold by the RIAJ for 100,000 full-length cellphone downloads.
The band's name comes from the first word in their production company (LDH)'s non-acronym name (Love Dance Happiness).
The band was formed in 2008 by former Paradise Go!! Go!! member Misaki Matsumoto, and quarter Italian Stephanie. The pair met through production agency LDH, when they were given the roles of the two vocalists in a dance performance group called Real Force. When the plans for this unit fell through, the duo formed Love. Both members had been in the entertainment industry for over ten years.
The group's first activity together was releasing a cover of Zone's "Secret Base (Kimi ga Kureta Mono)" as a ringtone (as well as releasing the full version in a special CD attached to the August issue of Gekkan Exile magazine). A year later, the group released their debut single, "First Love: Love Letter," with this cover as a B-side.
The group's songs have been popular through digital markets, with all lead tracks from their singles reaching the top 5 on the RIAJ Digital Track Chart (including "Taisetsu na Kimochi" from their debut album Taisetsu na Kimochi which was not released as a physical single).
The duo have had two collaborations with Exile twice: once before their debut on the song "Love, Dream & Happiness" on Exile's compilation album Exile Ballad Best in 2008, and in 2009 Misaki recorded background vocals for Exile's song "If (I Know)" on their album Aisubeki Mirai e.
Softly to Me
Love Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'd sit around all day just crying happy tears
[Chorus]
To dance and sing my life away (life away)
And laughing with you, my darling, softly to me
Orange, sugar, chocolate, hot cinnamon and lovely things and you
And my darling you will never know how elegant
You'll always be to me
And my darling I was so in love it was evident for anyone
To see, and I suppose they already do
And how come so suddenly everything depends on you
And if I kissed you once I'd probably do it again
But then that's not so inconceivable, my friend
The lyrics to Love's song, "Softly to Me," express an intense and enduring love that the singer has for their significant other. The opening line sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer expressing that they could love their partner more and more each day for a million years. This line shows that the love between them is ever-growing and unconditional. The next line, "And I'd sit around all day just crying happy tears," depicts the overwhelming joy that the singer feels in their love for their partner.
The chorus, "To dance and sing my life away, and laughing with you, my darling, softly to me," highlights how the singer finds solace and happiness in being with their partner. The use of the phrase "softly to me" suggests that their partner's presence brings a sense of calmness and comfort to them, and this is further emphasized in the verses that follow.
The second verse describes how the singer believes that their love for their partner is a natural and inevitable occurrence. The use of sensory imagery such as "orange, sugar, chocolate, hot cinnamon, and lovely things" and how they are directly linked to their partner underlines trust and comfort in vulnerability with their partner. The lines "And how come so suddenly everything depends on you / And if I kissed you once I'd probably do it again" display the newfound dependence on their partner that the singer experiences through their love.
Overall, the lyrics of "Softly to Me" portray an unwavering, all-consuming love that brings a sense of joy and comfort to the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
I could love you more and more each day for a million years
My love for you is infinite and would only continue to grow as time passes
And I'd sit around all day just crying happy tears
The happiness and love I feel for you overwhelms me to the point of tears
To dance and sing my life away (life away)
Being with you fills me with so much joy that I feel like dancing and singing forever
And laughing with you, my darling, softly to me
Having lighthearted, joyous moments with you is one of my favorite things in life
Orange, sugar, chocolate, hot cinnamon and lovely things and you
You are like a sweet and warm blend of fragrances and flavors that bring me immense joy
And darling, you know there was really nothing else that I could do
I am so captivated and in love with you that there was no other choice for me
And my darling you will never know how elegant
Your grace and beauty are treasures that I appreciate and admire deeply
You'll always be to me
My love and adoration for you will always be steadfast
And my darling I was so in love it was evident for anyone to see, and I suppose they already do
My love for you is so strong that it is noticeable to others who see us together
And how come so suddenly everything depends on you
You have become such an important part of my life that everything seems to revolve around you
And if I kissed you once I'd probably do it again
Kissing you is a beautiful and addictive experience that I would never tire of
But then that's not so inconceivable, my friend
This feeling of intense love and desire for you is not impossible to imagine, my dear
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: BRYAN MACLEAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind