Shaw's first musical influences were her uncle and grandmother, who loved to sing and play gospel music on the family’s hi-fi record player. As a young girl, Shaw was also involved with numerous gospel singing groups. Her first experience singing before a large audience was with her uncle, who played trumpet and exposed her to the music of jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie. At only 10 years old, Shaw performed with her uncle at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and they were asked to return for the next week's show. As she recalls, her uncle got booked elsewhere on the same night, and a young Shaw had to take the stage solo at the Apollo for the second show.
Shaw's professional aspirations were rejuvenated after she was married and living on an Air Force base near Springfield, Massachusetts. Encouraged by friends, she auditioned and got gigs near the base, then made a demo tape in the garage of Charlie Parent, a local drummer. The tape eventually landed her a regular gig at the Concord, a resort hotel in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York.
Shaw's big break was an invitation to sing with the Count Basie Orchestra. Basie’s accountant heard her at the New York Playboy club. Basie was sent a copy of one of her records, while Shaw met with Basie alumnus and trumpeter Frank Foster to arrange charts of some of her numbers. The next thing she knew, she was flown out to meet the whole band at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas.
She met with representatives of the Chess Records music label, and soon signed with them. She released her first two albums on their subsidiary Cadet Records. A 1969 album track "California Soul", a funk-soul tune written by Ashford & Simpson and originally issued as a single by American pop quintet The 5th Dimension, later became a staple of the UK rare groove scene. This song has appeared in television commercials for Dockers, KFC[3] and Dodge Ram trucks. Unable to find her own style at Chess, she moved to the jazz-oriented Blue Note Records in 1972.
In 1977 she released an LP Sweet Beginnings on Columbia that contained: "Yu Ma / Go Away Little Boy", a medley containing the old Goffin and Carole King standard, originally recorded by Nancy Wilson. The album also contained the track Look at Me, Look at You, popular on the U.K. rare groove scene. She sings the theme song "Don't Ask to Stay Until Tomorrow" from the 1977 film Looking for Mr. Goodbar that's also found on its soundtrack. She also recorded one of the disco era's biggest hits, a remake of "Touch Me in the Morning", also on Columbia Records.
In 1982 Shaw recorded the Gary Taylor ballad called "Without You in My Life" from the LP Let Me in Your Life that was jointly produced by Johnny Bristol and Webster Lewis on South Bay records. This had moderate chart success in the USA. In 1983 she recorded the vocals for "Could It Be You", a track by Phil Upchurch on his Name of the Game album.
Shaw continued to perform and record. In 1999, 2001 and again in 2007, Shaw was one of the performers at the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.
Loving You Was Like A Party
Marlena Shaw Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't get used to losing you
Every day was like a party
I can't get over losing you
Oh no no, I can't get over losing you
Now losing you has got me down boy
Never dreamed you'd be leaving me
I make believe it never happened
I'd like to say it's a crime
But I know I'm gonna heal up in time, yeah, yeah
I'd like to call it a sin
The way you're doin' me in
The way you're doin' me in yeah, yeah
Well loving you was like a sugar party oh yeah, yeah, yeahhh
Oh loving you was like a party yeah yeah yeah
I'd like to say it's a crime
Oh but I knew I'm gonna heal in time
I'd like to call it a sin
The way you're doin' me in
The way you're doin' me in yeah
Loving you, loving you was like a party yeah, yeah, yeahhh
Yeah, yeah
Now loving you was like a good time party
Oh yeah yeah yeah yeah
Just loving, loving, loving, loving you baby
Was like a, was like a party, party
Loving, loving, loving, loving, loving
Party
Keep on loving baby, let's have a party
Come on come on baby, let's have a party
The lyrics of Marlena Shaw's "Loving You Was Like A Party" paint a picture of a past love that was exciting and full of joy but has now ended leaving the singer feeling lost and yearning for what once was. The line "loving you was like a party" suggests that the relationship was full of fun and celebration, while the line "every day was like a party" hints that the good times between the couple were consistent and constant. But now, the singer is unable to move on and come to terms with the loss of this wonderful time in her life.
The lyrics also suggest that the singer is struggling to come to grips with the abrupt end of the relationship. "Never dreamed you'd be leaving me" implies that the break up came as a surprise to the singer. She is having a hard time accepting the reality of the situation and "makes believe it never happened", which she finds to be the most difficult thing she has ever tried to do.
The overall mood of the song is one of sadness and nostalgia with a sense of longing for the past. The repeated lines "I can't get over losing you" and "the way you're doing me in" emphasize the singer's heartbreak and the pain she is feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
Loving you was like a party
Being with you was an enjoyable experience that brought me joy and happiness.
I can't get used to losing you
I'm struggling to accept and adjust to the fact that you are no longer in my life.
Every day was like a party
Being with you brought excitement and joy to my life on a daily basis.
I can't get over losing you
I'm finding it difficult to move on and forget about all the good times we shared together.
Oh no no, I can't get over losing you
I'm still struggling with the pain of losing you and can't seem to move past it.
Now losing you has got me down boy
Losing you has left me feeling sad and depressed.
Never dreamed you'd be leaving me
I never imagined that you would walk away from our relationship and leave me feeling so lost and alone.
I make believe it never happened
I try to convince myself that our breakup never occurred in order to cope with the pain and sadness I feel.
That's the hardest thing I ever tried to do
Trying to forget about our relationship and pretend it never happened is the most difficult thing I've ever had to do.
I'd like to say it's a crime
I feel that the pain and heartache I'm experiencing from losing you is unfair and unjust.
But I know I'm gonna heal up in time, yeah, yeah
Although it may take time, I know that eventually I will be able to move on and heal from the pain of losing you.
I'd like to call it a sin
I feel that the way you treated me and left me feeling so hurt deserves condemnation and reproach.
The way you're doin' me in
The way you hurt me and left me feeling so lost and alone is causing me immense emotional pain.
Well loving you was like a sugar party oh yeah, yeah, yeahhh
Being with you was an incredibly sweet and enjoyable experience that brought me immense happiness and joy.
Oh loving you was like a party yeah yeah yeah
Being with you was like a festive celebration that brought joy and pleasure to my life.
Loving you, loving you was like a party yeah, yeah, yeahhh
Our relationship was a source of happiness and enjoyment for me, and losing it has left me feeling sad and lost.
Now loving you was like a good time party
Being with you was a joyful and pleasurable experience that brought me immense happiness.
Just loving, loving, loving, loving you baby
My love for you is all-consuming and I have never felt this way before in my life.
Was like a, was like a party, party
Being with you was a festive celebration that brought me immense happiness and joy.
Loving, loving, loving, loving, loving
I can't help but love you deeply, even though you have hurt me so much.
Party
Our relationship was a festive celebration that brought me immense joy and happiness, and I miss it deeply.
Keep on loving baby, let's have a party
Despite the pain and heartache I feel, I still love you deeply and long for the joy and happiness that we shared together.
Come on come on baby, let's have a party
I long for the joy and happiness that we shared together and am hopeful that we can rekindle our love and happiness once again.
Writer(s): Benard Ighner Copyright: Almo Music Corp.
Contributed by Maya T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Arit Ma’at
Love this song and the whole album. Marlena Shaw’s voice is like a fine, vintage cognac...a true classic. Thanks for sharing. Peace🌞
pam ligon
I had this album back in the day, and it still sounds so good today. Every cut is exceptional. My hat off to you, Marlena. You are a consummate vocalist!!! Love and prayers to you, lady!
Vernal Scott
I saw Marlena in concert last night here in London. She performed this awesome track, amongst many others. The show was sold out for good reason.
Arit Ma’at
That is awesome...memories to last a lifetime I am sure. I would love to see her live and k.d. lang at some point. If you get a chance, you should listen to jazz vocalist Lizz Wright’s rendition of k.d lang’s song “Wash Me Clean”...this is the song that led me to cherish k.d lang’s artistry. Peace🌞
Lila Ammons
Marlena Shaw is one of my favorites from back in the day. Love her style and this song was at the top of my list, too.
Sae comi
무한 반복해서 들으면 들을수록 더 빠져드는 음악..!
dwaysmi
I remember as a kid 14 years old.I bought this album for my mother...SHE LOVED THIS SONG....SHE DANCED AROUND THE HOUSE WITH THIS SONG BLASTING!!!!
Martin Vloka
This reminds me of George Duke's "ir's on" live with Marcus Miller and Lee Ritenour,i really love this fusion vibe!
Aiueo
Loving you was like a party I can't get used to losing you Every day was like a party I can't get over losing you Oh no no, I can't get over losing you Now losing you has got me down boy Never dreamed you'd be leaving me I make believe it never happened That's the hardest thing I ever tried to do I'd like to say it's a crime But I know I'm gonna heal up in time, yeah, yeah I'd like to call it a sin The way you're doin' me in The way you're doin' me in yeah, yeah
msreenie
Whoa, thanks for bringing this one back. I think I wore a hole in it back in the 70s, and then somehow forgot about it. That won't happen again!