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).
Groovin'
Manfred Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bet you my baby's comin' back
Soon as she gets back to me
We're gonna raise a family
And we're gonna groove, yeah, groove
We're all groove, oh, groove
And we're gonna love, love, love, love
One of these mornings and it won't be long
You'll look for me and I'll be gone
Goin' back to where I'll belong
Where please means please and come means come
And we're gonna groove, yeah, groove
We're gonna groove, oh, groove
And we're gonna love, love
Love, love, love, Until the break of dawn
Let's groove some
Sweet as sweet as sweet can be
You don't know what you child do to me
You had set my soul on fire
Let me say you're my one desire
And we're gonna groove, yeah, groove
We're gonna groove, now, groove
And we're gonna love, love
Love, love, love, love
Until the break of dawn
Yes, I'm groovin', woah, groovin'
We're gonna groove, yeah, groove
And we're gonna love, love
Love, love, love, Until the break of dawn
Come on, babe hey, babe
Hey, babe hey, babe
Come on, babe come on, babe
The lyrics of Manfred Mann's song "Groovin'" depicts the excitement of a man who is waiting for his beloved to return. The first verse indicates the man's confidence that his lover is coming back to him, and that they are going to start a new family. He seems to have a desire to settle down and create a stable life with his partner. The chorus, "We're gonna groove, yeah, groove, We're all groove, oh, groove, And we're gonna love, love, love, love, Until the break of dawn you don't had me," suggests that their love and commitment to each other is going to continue to grow and influence the way they live their lives.
The second verse is more reflective and talks about a potential end to their relationship. The man implies that he may have to leave because things are not going well, and he does not feel heard or understood in the relationship. The line "Going back to where I'll belong, Where please means please and come means come" may refer to him returning to his old way of living, where he felt a better sense of control and agency.
The final verse talks about the woman's impact on the man's life. Her sweet attitude and presence have transformed his spirit and made him feel alive. He tells her that he wants her to know that she is his one true love. The song ends with a repetition of the hook, suggesting the importance of "groovin'" and "loving" as a way to cope with the ups and downs of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
See my baby coming down the track
I see my partner on the way
Bet you my baby's comin' back
I am confident that my partner will return
Soon as she gets back to me
As soon as my partner arrives
We're gonna raise a family
We plan on starting a family together
And we're gonna groove, yeah, groove
We will dance and have fun together
We're all groove, oh, groove
We enjoy grooving and moving our bodies
And we're gonna love, love, love, love
We are deeply in love with each other
Until the break of dawn you don't had me
We will love each other all night long
One of these mornings and it won't be long
Soon, things will change
You'll look for me and I'll be gone
I will leave someday
Goin' back to where I'll belong
Going back to where I feel comfortable
Where please means please and come means come
Going back to a simpler time
And we're gonna groove, yeah, groove
We will dance and have fun together
We're gonna groove, oh, groove
We enjoy grooving and moving our bodies
And we're gonna love, love
We are deeply in love with each other
Love, love, love, love, Until the break of dawn
We will love each other all night long
Let's groove some
Let's dance some more
Sweet as sweet as sweet can be
My partner is incredibly sweet
You don't know what you child do to me
My partner has a powerful effect on me
You had set my soul on fire
My partner ignites a passion in me
Let me say you're my one desire
I only desire my partner
And we're gonna groove, yeah, groove
We will dance and have fun together
We're gonna groove, now, groove
We enjoy grooving and moving our bodies
And we're gonna love, love
We are deeply in love with each other
Love, love, love, love, Until the break of dawn
We will love each other all night long
Yes, I'm groovin', woah, groovin'
I am dancing right now
And we're gonna groove, yeah, groove
We will dance and have fun together
And we're gonna love, love
We are deeply in love with each other
Love, love, love, love, Until the break of dawn
We will love each other all night long
Come on, babe hey, babe
Come here, my dear
Hey, babe hey, babe
My dear, my dear
Come on, babe come on, babe
Come here, my love
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
juha vesanen
It lasted only about 3.40 minutes, not over 5 minutes, but quite good stuff with Manfreds jamming...
MrRatherino
tell yo mama tell yo pa gonna send you back to Arkansas-so great!
sfdog1369
Nice Thx!!