Beginnings 1962—1963
The Mann-Hugg Blues Brothers (as the band were originally called) were formed in London in December 1962 by keyboard player Manfred Mann and drummer/vibes player Mike Hugg. Born out of the British blues boom then sweeping London's clubs (which also spawned such luminaries as The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds), the band were completed by Mike Vickers on lead guitar, Dave Richmond on bass, and Paul Jones fronting as lead vocalist and harmonica player. Gigging constantly throughout late 1962 and early 1963, the band soon attracted attention for their distinctive sound propelled by Mann's keyboards, Jones' soulful vocals and an occasional horn section.
Manfred Mann's Cock-A-Hoop (1964)
The group signed to HMV Records in March 1963 after a change of name to Manfred Mann (at the suggestion of their label's producer), and debuted in July of that year with the jazzy instrumental single "Why Should We Not?", which failed to chart, as did the follow up (with vocals this time), "Cock-A-Hoop"
Early success 1964—1965
Groovin' with Manfred Mann EP (1964)
In 1964 the group were asked to provide a new theme tune for the ITV pop music TV series Ready Steady Go!. They responded with the energetic "5-4-3-2-1" which, with the help of weekly TV exposure, rose to No.5 in the UK charts. It was shortly after "5-4-3-2-1" was recorded that Richmond left the band, being replaced by Tom McGuinness - the first of many line-up changes. After a further self-penned hit ("Hubble Bubble (Toil And Trouble)") the band struck gold with "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", a cover of a minor hit earlier that year by The Exciters. The track, which showcased Jones' powerful singing, reached the top of both the UK and US charts (The Exciters version had only charted #78 in the US).
During 1965 the group continued to have hits with both self-penned and cover material, their sound increasingly moving away from the blues-based music of their early years to a highly successful pop-soul hybrid. Notably the group began to have success with interpretations of Bob Dylan songs, including "With God On Our Side" as a track on a best-selling EP.
The One In the Middle EP (1965)
They also reached No.2 in the UK with the controversial "If You Gotta Go, Go Now", which was banned or edited by a number of TV and radio stations. Prior to this latter release, Paul Jones announced his intention to quit the band for a solo career once a replacement could be found.
The Mike d'Abo years 1966—1969
Jones stayed with the band for one more year, during which time Mike Vickers was replaced by Jack Bruce of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (long enough to play bass on the band's second UK No.1 single "Pretty Flamingo"). Jones was eventually replaced by Mike d'Abo - among those on the shortlist was Rod Stewart - and this was one of the few occasions when a band has successfully swapped lead singers and remained at the top. Jack Bruce left to form Cream and was replaced by Klaus Voorman (a longtime Beatles associate), with McGuinness moving to guitar. To complete the changes, the group switched labels to Fontana Records.
With d'Abo as vocalist, the group pursued a softer acoustic pop sound, with a tinge of Dylanesque social comment and surrealism in the lyrics. Their first Fontana Records single was in fact a Dylan cover, "Just Like A Woman", and the group went on to score their biggest hit for two years with a cover of his "Mighty Quinn".
Frustrated with the limitations and image of being seen purely as a hit singles band (their last two albums failed to chart), the group split in 1969.
1970s and on— Manfred Mann's Earth Band
Mann went on to write advertising jingles after the group's demise, but still continued to work in the group format. Initially he formed Manfred Mann Chapter Three (with Mike Hugg), an experimental jazz rock band, described by Mann as an over reaction to the hit factory of the Manfred Mann group. This was, however, short lived and by 1971 they had disbanded and Mann had formed a new group, Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
For further details, see Manfred Mann's Earth Band.
5-4-3-2-1 The Manfreds (1998)
1990s and on—The Manfreds
In the 1990s, most of the original 1960s line-up reformed as The Manfreds, minus Manfred Mann himself (hence the name), playing most of the old 1960s hits and a few jazz instrumentals, sometimes with both Paul Jones and Mike d'Abo fronting the line-up.
At the same time Jones and Tom McGuinness (McGuinness formed McGuinness Flint in 1970, but they disbanded in 1975) have been mainstays of The Blues Band (which they helped form in 1978).
Come Tomorrow
Manfred Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Could replace my wrong word
Then my dear, that's the song I would borrow
And tonight you would hear
The saddest song of the year
And you'd be mine once again come tomorrow
Could reveal my sorrow
Then my dear, he would sing just for you
And tonight you would hear
The saddest song of the year
And you'd be mine once again come tomorrow
Just tonight, while in flight
On your windowsill they lie
To tell you all of my tears
And tonight you would hear
The saddest song of the year
And you'd be mine once again come tomorrow
If the song of the swallow
Could reveal my sorrow
Then my dear, he would sing, he would sing just for you
And tonight, tonight you would hear
The saddest song, oh, of the year
And you'd be mine once again come tomorrow
Oh, yes, tonight, tonight you'd hear
The saddest song of the year
And you'd be mine, you'd be mine once again come tomorrow
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, Mr. Songbird
Come on and sing just once, little swallow
And make her mine once again come tomorrow
The lyrics of Manfred Mann's "Come Tomorrow" express a deep yearning and sorrowful longing for a lost love. The singer imagines that if only he could borrow the song of a songbird or a swallow, whose melodies have the power to evoke emotions and memories, he could communicate his sorrow and regrets to his beloved. He imagines that if his love could hear the saddest song of the year, she might be moved to forgive him and return to him again. The desperation and hopefulness in the lyrics are palpable, as the singer struggles to regain the affections of his beloved.
One possible interpretation of the lyrics is that they reflect the human desire to communicate and connect with others through the medium of music. Music has the ability to capture and express emotions that words alone cannot convey, and the singer in the song is grappling with the frustration of being unable to find the right words to convey his feelings. There is a sense of urgency in the lyrics, as the singer implores the birds to sing and make his plea to his love on his behalf. Overall, the song is a poignant reminder of the power of music to move us and bring us closer to one another.
Line by Line Meaning
If the song of the songbird
The singer wishes he had the ability to express himself through music, and if he did, it would be with the songbird's voice.
Could replace my wrong word
He wishes he could take back words he said that caused problems.
Then my dear, that's the song I would borrow
He wishes he could use the songbird's voice to express his love and sorrow.
And tonight you would hear
The woman he loves would hear his expression through the birds's voice.
The saddest song of the year
He would convey his emotions through a very sad, moving song.
And you'd be mine once again come tomorrow
He hopes she would forgive him and be with him again.
If the song of the swallow
He continues to express his wish to have the bird's ability to convey his feelings.
Could reveal my sorrow
He wishes he could convey how much he is suffering.
Then my dear, he would sing just for you
He wishes the bird could sing a song about his love, but also how much he is hurting.
Just tonight, while in flight
The bird he wishes could convey his feelings is spending time near the singer's home.
On your windowsill they lie
They're perched on the woman's windowsill.
To tell you all of my tears
He wishes the bird could convey his feelings of sadness and sorrow to the woman.
And tonight you would hear
The woman would hear the birds conveying his emotions.
The saddest song of the year
He hopes she can hear and understand the depth of his emotions.
And you'd be mine once again come tomorrow
He still hopes she can hear his feelings and considers being with him again.
Oh, yes, tonight, tonight you'd hear
He repeats that he wishes the woman could hear his feelings conveyed through the bird's song.
The saddest song of the year
His feelings are incredibly sad and the song would reflect that.
And you'd be mine, you'd be mine once again come tomorrow
He still hopes for reconciliation despite his mistakes.
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing, Mr. Songbird
He implores the songbird to help him convey his emotions to the woman.
Come on and sing just once, little swallow
He urges the swallow to help convey his love and regret to the woman.
And make her mine once again come tomorrow
He hopes his message gets through and she will want to be with him again.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB ELGIN, DOLORES PHILLIPS, FRANK AUGUSTUS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anthony White
One of the best voices of the 60s .without doubt in my opinion
Baskerville22
Hardly in the company of Tom Jones, Englebert Humperdinck, Gary Puckett, Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, Brook Benton, Gene Pitney, Matt Monro and at least 50 others I could name
Annie Cullen Perkins
Mine too…he had it all…voice smile looks…ticks all the boxes…😊
Steve Sweatman
Anyone watching this in 2020 and thinking that after more than 50 years its still just as fresh, cool, and brilliant as it was way back then.
Marlene Sullivan
2022. STILL A GREAT HIT
MrWarrenhudson
Hell yes and it’s now 2022
Tony D
Still great!
Marlene Sullivan
@Tony D I still visit
Marlene Sullivan
@MrWarrenhudson A EVERLASTING SONG
Mike
I love this song. Underrated and underappreciated 60s group.