The tragic 1979 death of 31-year-old Riperton silenced one of soul music's most unique and unforgettable voices - blessed with an angelic five-octave vocal range, she scored her greatest commercial success with the chart-topping pop ballad, "Lovin' You". Riperton was born in Chicago on November 8, 1947. As a young girl, she studied music, drama, and dance at the city's Lincoln Center and later contemplated a career in opera. Her pop career began in 1963 when she joined the local girl group called The Gems (not to be confused with the 60s New York-based girl group Gems, led by Louise Bethune), who were also known at times as The Starlets (1963-1966), signing to the famed Chess label to release a handful of singles as well as lend backing vocals to acts including Fontella Bass, The Dells, and Etta James. After graduating from high school, Riperton went to work at Chess as a receptionist. A year before The Gems' dissolution in 1967, she also signed with the label as a solo act, releasing a single, Lonely Girl, under the alias Andrea Davis (a pseudonym she used in honor of Billy Davis, her mentor at Chess who wrote the song for her).
In 1967, Riperton was installed as the lead vocalist of the psychedelic soul band Rotary Connection, which debuted that year with a self-titled LP on Cadet Concepts. The singles "Amen" and "Lady Jane" found a home on underground FM radio, but the group failed to make much of an impression on mainstream outlets. While still a Connection member, Riperton mounted a solo career. Teaming up with producer/arranger Charles Stepney and her husband/composer Richard Rudolph, she issued her brilliant 1970 debut, Come to My Garden, but again commercial success eluded her. After Rotary Connection dissolved in the wake of 1971's Hey Love, she and Rudolph took a two-year sabbatical in Florida before relocating to Los Angeles, where she sang on Stevie Wonder's Fulfillingness' First Finale and toured as a member of his backing unit Wonderlove.
Wonder agreed to co-produce Riperton's 1974 album Perfect Angel, which included the international blockbuster "Lovin' You". The record made her a household name, although subsequent LPs like 1975's Adventures in Paradise and 1977's Stay in Love failed to repeat its success. By this time, however, commercial woes were the least of Riperton's concerns - diagnosed with breast cancer, she underwent a mastectomy in 1976, later becoming a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society and earning a Society Courage Award from then-President Jimmy Carter. Riperton continued performing despite her declining condition, with 1979's Minnie, the final record completed during her lifetime - but died in Los Angeles on July 12 of that year. Unreleased vocal tracks with new instrumental backing constituted 1980's posthumous collection, Love Lives Forever. - Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
genres: Soul, Pop-Soul, Chicago Soul, Smooth Soul, AM Pop, Uptown Soul.
Memory Lane
Minnie Riperton Lyrics
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It kinda made me laugh
It took me way back
Back down memory lane
I see the happiness... i see the pain
Where am i... back down memory lane
Such a happy happy pair
Love beyond compare
Look-a-there look-a-there
The way you held me... no one could tell me
That love would die... why oh why
Did i have to find this photograph
Thought i had forgot the past
But now I'm slippin' fast
Back down memory lane
I feel the happiness... i feel the pain
Here am i... back down memory lane
I'm in the sunshine... I'm in the rain
I don't want to go traveling down
Faster than the speed of sound
Back down memory lane
Be still my foolish heart
Don't let this feelin' start
Back down memory lane
I don't want to go... save me save me
"Minnie Riperton's" song Memory Lane explores the emotions and memories that arise from rediscovering old photographs. The opening lyrics indicate that the singer has stumbled upon an old photograph, creating a sense of surprise at a memory or emotions associated with it. As she reflects on the image, the happy moments shared and the pain once felt arise to the surface. The chorus repeats, "Back down memory lane," indicating that the discovery has forced the singer to revisit her past, where her current emotional state differs- it’s filled with memories of pain and joys.
The second verse is nostalgic and full of bittersweet memories. The singer remembers standing there with her lover, feeling an intense love that she thought would never die but, unfortunately, it did. The last part of the verse talks about the photograph's impact; the singer thought she had forgotten the past, but as the memories start slipping, she is quickly reacquainted with the love, happiness, and pain that she thought she had moved on from.
The song's chorus repeats, and the bridge serves as the singer's final plea to escape from the memories' grasp. However, this seems to be an impossible feat since the past has a way of catching up with us.
Line by Line Meaning
I stumbled on this photograph
I accidentally found this photograph
It kinda made me laugh
It brought a smile to my face
It took me way back
It transported me to the past
Back down memory lane
Back to reminiscing about past experiences
I see the happiness... i see the pain
I recall both joyful and sorrowful moments
Where am i... back down memory lane
I am mentally revisiting past experiences
I see us standing there
I can visualize us in the photo
Such a happy happy pair
We appeared very happy together
Love beyond compare
Our love for each other was unmatched
Look-a-there look-a-there
This is noteworthy and worth attention
The way you held me... no one could tell me
Your embrace made me feel secure and loved
That love would die... why oh why
I can't understand why our love had to end
Did i have to find this photograph
Why did I have to come across this picture?
Thought i had forgot the past
I believed I had let go of the past
But now I'm slippin' fast
But memories are flooding back quickly
I feel the happiness... i feel the pain
I am experiencing both good and bad emotions
Here am i... back down memory lane
I am once again reminiscing about past experiences
I'm in the sunshine... I'm in the rain
I am recalling both happy and sad times
I don't want to go traveling down
I don't want to fall into deep reminiscence
Faster than the speed of sound
I don't want to lose control of my emotions
Be still my foolish heart
I need to calm my emotions
Don't let this feelin' start
I don't want this nostalgia to take over
Back down memory lane
Returning to memories of the past
I don't want to go... save me save me
I don't want to be lost in my thoughts
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KENI ST. LEWIS, RICHARD J. RUDOLPH, MINNIE RIPERTON, GENE DOZIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind