Whitney's performing career started as early as three years old while touring with her family's gospel group, the Manning Gospel Singers. Singing with James Brown in the late 1960s, she was able to make a name for herself with powerful songs like "I'm Tired, I'm Tired, I'm Tired (Things Better Change Before It's Too Late)" and "If You Don't Work (You Can't Eat)." Her recording of "It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It To)" reached the R&B Top 20. Her song "Unwind Yourself" has been sampled by numerous modern artists, including DJ Kool.
Although she's not a household name, Marva Whitney is fondly remembered by funk devotees as one of the rawest, brassiest, most powerful divas the music ever produced. Along with fellow funk belters Lyn Collins and Vicki Anderson, Whitney made her name singing with the James Brown Revue for a few years, and her limited, much-sampled recordings for Brown-associated labels now fetch astronomical sums on the collector's market. Born in Kansas City, Whitney began performing at the age of three with her family's touring gospel group, the Manning Gospel Singers. She studied music in college and caught on as lead singer of the R&B group Tommy Gadson & the Derbys. In 1967, she signed on with the James Brown Revue as a featured female vocalist, meaning that she would perform her own small set every night while Brown took a break. Whitney accompanied Brown on his late-'60s tour of Vietnam, and made other international appearances with him as well.
In 1969, Whitney made her first solo recordings for King, Brown's label at the time. She scored a Top 20 hit on the R&B charts with "It's My Thing (You Can't Tell Me Who to Sock It To)," a rewrite of the Isley Brothers hit; the follow-up, "Things Got to Get Better (Get Together)," just missed the R&B Top 20. Far too gutsy and funky to cross over to the pop charts, Whitney remained with the Revue until 1970, without scoring any more significant hits on her own. Still, cuts like "Unwind Yourself" (now very recognizable through several hip-hop samples) and the duet "You Got to Have a Job (If You Don't Work)" helped cement her reputation among record collectors. Her only studio LP, It's My Thing, was released in 1969 and has been heavily bootlegged and sampled by numerous DJs; her Live and Lowdown at the Apollo LP also commands hefty price tags.
Whitney went on to record for the Isley Brothers' T-Neck label, as well as Nashboro, but her prime material is from the James Brown years. Seven of those tracks were compiled on the Polydor collection James Brown's Original Funky Divas. Whitney has reunited sporadically with Brown for live performances over the years.
In December 2009, Whitney collapsed on stage in front of thousands of fans in Lorne, Australia, while performing with The Transatlantics at Falls Festival. She was immediately rushed to Geelong Hospital, where doctors diagnosed a stroke. The remaining dates of her tour had to be canceled, but Whitney made a recovery and performed again in 2010.
In December 2012, Whitney died from complications of pneumonia at her home. She was 68.
What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You
Marva Whitney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To prove my love for you?
What do I have to do
To prove my love for you?
I gave you my love
I gave you no less
If you want to, babe, you know
Now tell me what do I have to do
To prove my love for you
What do I have to do
To prove my love for you?
Oh what do I have to do
To prove my love for you?
I gave you my love
I gave you the best
Go all the way if you know
I'll give you the rest
Now tell me what do I have to do
To prove my love for you
What do I have to say
To make you come back and stay
What do I have to say
To make you come back and stay
You gave me nothin'
but heartache and pain
You're keeping me
in all kinds of strain
Now tell me what do I have to do
To prove my love for you?
What do I have to ???
To make you know I'm going straight?
What do I have to ???
To make you know I'm going straight?
I won't even speak
To no one else
Sometimes I think
I'm gonna kill myself
Now tell me what do I have to do
I'm gonna prove my love to you!
The lyrics to Marva Whitney's "What Do I Have to Do to Prove My Love to You" revolve around the singer trying to convince their love interest of the depth of their affection. The singer starts by asking straightforwardly what they need to do to prove their love for the person they're singing to. They then go on to insist that they've already given their love, the best of it, in fact, and that they're willing to give even more if the other person wants it.
Then the singer starts to sound increasingly desperate, asking what they have to say or do to make the other person come back to them. They also start to express the pain and heartache that the other person has caused them, saying that they feel like they're being kept in a kind of emotional prison. Finally, the singer goes as far as to say that they won't speak to anyone else and that they feel they might even hurt themselves if the other person doesn't return their love.
Overall, the lyrics convey a feeling of desperation and frustration on the part of the singer, who seems to feel they've done everything they possibly can to win someone's love only to have it rejected. The repetition of the question "What do I have to do?" adds to this sense of futility, as though the singer is at their wit's end and can't figure out what more they could possibly do to change the other person's mind.
Line by Line Meaning
What do I have to do
Asking what actions are required from me to show my love for you
To prove my love for you?
To demonstrate the depth of my affection to you
I gave you my love
I already expressed my adoration for you
I gave you no less
I did not hold back in my feelings for you
If you want to, babe, you know
If you desire more from me, you are aware that I will give it to you
I'll give you the rest
I am willing to go above and beyond for you if necessary
Oh what do I have to do
Expressing confusion about what more I can do to display my love
To prove my love for you?
Asking what actions would be sufficient to demonstrate the strength of my affection for you
To make you come back and stay
What words can I say to convince you to return to my side and remain there
You gave me nothin', but heartache and pain
I feel like I received no positive experiences in this relationship and only suffered emotionally because of it
You're keeping me in all kinds of strain
You are causing me to feel overwhelmed and stressed out
What do I have to do to prove my love for you?
Asking again what actions would be necessary to demonstrate love to someone who is causing emotional turmoil in the relationship.
To make you know I'm going straight?
What do I need to do in order to prove to you that I am being honest and loyal?
I won't even speak to no one else
I am willing to remain committed to you and only you
Sometimes I think I'm gonna kill myself
The impact of these relationship struggles is taking a serious toll on my mental health
I'm gonna prove my love to you!
Despite the challenges, I am determined to show my love for you
Contributed by Micah K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.