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.
The Red Telephone
Love Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watching all the people die
I'll feel much better on the other side
I'll thumb a ride
I believe in magic
Why because it is so quick
I don't need power when I'm hypnotized
What are you seeing (I see)
How do you feel?
I feel real phony when my name is Phil
Or was that Bill?
Life goes on here
Day after day
I don't know if I'm living or if I'm supposed to be
Sometimes my life is so eerie
And if you think I'm happy paint me (white) (yellow)
I've been here once
I've been here twice
I don't know if the third's the fourth or if the
The fifth's to fix
Sometimes I deal with numbers
And if you wanna count me
Count me out
I don't need the times of day
Anytime with me's okay
I just don't want you using up my time
'Cause that's not right
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it'll be tomorrow, you or me?
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it'll be tomorrow, you or me?
They're locking them up today
They're throwing away the key
I wonder who it'll be tomorrow, you or me?
We're all normal and we want our freedom
Freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, I want my freedom
The Red Telephone by Love is a song that comments on the societal unrest that was prevalent during the 60s. The lyrics portray the feelings of alienation and disconnection that many people felt during this time of war and social change. The opening lines “Sitting on a hillside, Watching all the people die” create an image of detachment from a violent world in which an individual finds themselves powerless by simply observing from afar.
The singer seeks solace in magic, stating that they believe in it because it is quick, suggesting that the world is changing so fast they can barely keep up. They further claim that they don't need power when hypnotized, which could be interpreted as an escape from reality. The line “I feel real phony when my name is Phil or was that Bill?” can be interpreted as a representation of the confusion and barriers of identity that existed during this era.
The chorus of “They're locking them up today, They're throwing away the key, I wonder who it'll be tomorrow, you, or me?” paints the picture of a society built on fear and paranoia where the authority system could imprison anyone for any reason. The recurring chant of “Freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, I want my freedom” highlights the frustration and desire for liberty that was so prevalent during this time.
Line by Line Meaning
Sitting on a hillside
I am observing people pass away from afar.
Watching all the people die
I am witnessing a lot of death around me.
I'll feel much better on the other side
I know that after death, I will feel a sense of relief.
I'll thumb a ride
I will hitchhike to wherever I need to go.
I believe in magic
I trust and have faith in the inexplicable unknown.
Why because it is so quick
Its quickness is one of the reasons I hold magic so high.
I don't need power when I'm hypnotized
When hypnotized, I become powerless and vulnerable.
Look in my eyes
I want you to gaze into my eyes and feel the connection we share.
What are you seeing (I see)
What do my eyes make you think or feel?
How do you feel?
What are you feeling inside while looking at my hypnosis?
I feel real phony when my name is Phil
I feel like a fraud when I am called Phil.
Or was that Bill?
I am unsure if the name Phil is correct and if it should be Bill.
Life goes on here
Time moves swiftly.
Day after day
Each sunrise brings a new day, and we carry on.
I don't know if I'm living or if I'm supposed to be
I am not certain if I am meant to exist in this world.
Sometimes my life is so eerie
Sometimes my everyday life feels inexplicable and ghostly.
And if you think I'm happy paint me (white) (yellow)
If you think that I am content, depict me as white or yellow.
I've been here once
I have already existed once before.
I've been here twice
I have lived in this world more than once.
I don't know if the third's the fourth or if the
I am uncertain whether the third time I have lived is the fourth or change to a new beginning.
The fifth's to fix
My fifth life, if it exists, is to correct what I missed or did wrong.
Sometimes I deal with numbers
Numbers often simplify the concepts and explanations rather than with words.
And if you wanna count me
If you want to classify or summarize my existence.
Count me out
Do not consider me part of it.
I don't need the times of day
I am unbothered with the clock and its increments of time.
Anytime with me's okay
Spending time with me is always well and good, no matter when it is.
I just don't want you using up my time
I do not want anyone taking advantage of the moments we have by filling them with inconsequential activities and void talk.
'Cause that's not right
I do not believe that wasting time is right or fair.
They're locking them up today
The authorities are incarcerating people today.
They're throwing away the key
The jailers are throwing away the key to those who are imprisoned.
I wonder who it'll be tomorrow, you or me?
Who should be afraid of going to jail tomorrow, you or me?
We're all normal and we want our freedom
We are ordinary people, but we all desire to be free.
Freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, freedom, I want my freedom
I wish to attain and maintain my personal freedom.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ARTHUR LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind