Born in Leno, Tennessee, Wright, as a youngster, began singing in the church. In 1956, while still in high school, he joined The Sunset Travelers as one of the lead singers for the gospel group. He later fronted a gospel music group, the Harmony Echoes. It was during this time that he was discovered (along with James Carr) by Roosevelt Jamison a songwriter and manager. Their first pop recording in 1964 was "That's How Strong My Love Is," a ballad later covered by Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones. It was issued on Goldwax, the label Wright signed to after leaving his gospel career. It was later determined that Don Robey still had him under a recording contract, due to his gospel group having recorded for Peacock. After his contract was shifted to Don Robey’s Back Beat label, further R&B hits followed. Working with record producer Willie Mitchell, success continued on songs including "Ace of Spades" and "A Nickel and a Nail".
Wright's hits were much more popular in the deep South. His biggest hits were "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" (R&B #6, 1965), "Eight Men, Four Women" (R&B #4, 1967) "Ace of Spades" (R&B #11, 1970), "A Nickel and a Nail" (R&B #19, 1971). The remainder of his 17 hits charted higher than #20 on the R&B charts.
However, Wright was imprisoned for narcotics offenses during the mid-1970s, and, despite signing for Hi Records and releasing a series of recordings, his commercial success failed to recover after his release. A continuing drug problem weakened his health and he died from a heart attack, in Mobile, Alabama at age 41.
Wright is among the most remembered voices of soul music, perhaps mostly for being sampled frequently in hip hop music. In 1996, his song, "Motherless Child" was sampled on the Ghostface Killah album Ironman on a song also called "Motherless Child." It and another Wright recording, "Let's Straighten It Out" have been published on Shaolin Soul, a compilation of tracks that have been sampled by the Wu Tang Clan and its members. "Let's Straighten It Out" was sampled in a Wu-Tang Clan song called "America" from the charity compilation album America Is Dying Slowly. "Ace of Spades" was sampled by Slim Thug and the Boss Hogg Outlawz on a song named "Recognize A Playa".
Johnny Rawls joined Wright's backing band in the mid-1970s, and played together with Wright until the latter's death in 1980. The band then continued billed as the O.V. Wright Band for another 13 years, and toured and performed with other musicians over this time span. These included B.B. King, Little Milton, Bobby Bland, Little Johnny Taylor, and Blues Boy Willie.
Eight Men Four Women
O.V. Wright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lord, that's the jury of love)
I dreamed that love was a crime
I was alone, so lonely and blue
You know why? Because eight men and four women, Lord
They found me guilty of loving you (loving you)
You were taking, I saw you when you were taking the witness stand
You know what? I heard the lawyer when he asked you, my love
"Do you really love that man?"
It was eight men and four women (guilty)
How could they be so blind (guilty)
How could they? I knew they sat there
And called true love a crime (this is what killed me)
But a tear rolled down my cheek
I felt so sorry for you
You know why? Because in my heart I knew, oh yes, baby I knew
That they would find you guilty too
Judge, your honor and to the jury
I intend to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are innocent
And true love is not a crime
(Lord, that's the jury of love)
Lord, that's the jury of love
A mean judge and a mean jury, oh, that's the jury of love
(Lord, that's the jury of love)
(Lord, that's the jury of love) (fade)
“Eight men, four women, Lord that’s the jury of love” is the repeated chorus in O.V. Wright’s song “Eight Men, Four Women”. This song is about how love can be viewed as a crime and how it can lead to being judged by others. Wright sings about how he dreamed that love was a crime and how he was found guilty of loving the person he loved. As he is being taken away, he sees the person he loves taking the witness stand and being asked if they truly love him. Wright feels sympathy for the person he loves because he knows they will also be found guilty. He vows to prove that true love is not a crime.
The lyrics of this song are powerful in their simplicity. The soulful voice of Wright brings a lot of emotion to the song. The use of the jury and the court system as a metaphor for love is quite clever. The song reminds the listener that even though love can sometimes be seen as a crime, it is something worth fighting for.
Line by Line Meaning
Eight men, four women
The jury of love is made up of eight men and four women.
I dreamed that love was a crime
I had a dream where loving someone was considered a criminal act.
I was alone, so lonely and blue
I felt sad and lonely because I was by myself.
You know why? Because eight men and four women, Lord
I believe the reason for my loneliness was because of the members of the jury who found me guilty.
They found me guilty of loving you (loving you)
The jury convicted me for loving you.
As they were taking me away
While the authorities were removing me from the courtroom.
You were taking, I saw you when you were taking the witness stand
I noticed you when you took the stand as a witness.
You know what? I heard the lawyer when he asked you, my love
I distinctly remember the lawyer questioning you, my love.
"Do you really love that man?"
The lawyer asked you if you really love me.
How could they be so blind (guilty)
I can't understand how the jury could be so wrong.
How could they? I knew they sat there
It's frustrating to see the jurors sitting there being unfair.
And called true love a crime (this is what killed me)
Their declaration of true love being a crime was emotionally devastating.
But a tear rolled down my cheek
I was so sad that I shed a tear.
I felt so sorry for you
My heart was full of sorrow for you.
You know why? Because in my heart I knew, oh yes, baby I knew
The reason for my sadness was because deep down, I knew you were also going to be found guilty.
That they would find you guilty too
I was certain that they would also convict you.
Judge, your honor and to the jury
Addressing the judge and the jury.
I intend to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are innocent
I plan to demonstrate indisputably that we are innocent.
And true love is not a crime
I'll show them that loving someone is not a criminal offense.
(Lord, that's the jury of love)
The jury of love is what led to this conviction.
Lord, that's the jury of love
This jury of love is what found us guilty.
A mean judge and a mean jury, oh, that's the jury of love
This group of jurors was harsh and unpleasant, and unfortunately they found us guilty.
(Lord, that's the jury of love)
This jury of love is responsible for our conviction.
(Lord, that's the jury of love) (fade)
The song ends with a reiteration of the impact of the cruel jury of love.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DON ROBEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
H Bruno
Tradução BR:
(Oito homens, quatro mulheres
Senhor, que é o júri do amor)
Eu sonhei que o amor era um crime
Eu estava sozinho, tão solitário e azul
Você sabe por quê? Porque oito homens e quatro mulheres, Senhor
Eles me acharam culpado de te amar (amar você)
Como eles estavam me levando para longe
Você estava tomando, eu te vi quando você estava tomando a testemunha.
Você sabe o quê? Eu ouvi o advogado, quando ele perguntou para você, meu amor
"Você realmente amou esse homem?"
Foi oito homens e quatro mulheres (culpado)
Como poderiam ser tão cego (culpado)
Como eles puderam? Eu sabia que eles sentado lá
E chamado de amor verdadeiro crime (isto é o que me matou)
Mas uma lágrima rolou pelo meu rosto
Eu me senti tão triste para você
Você sabe por quê? Porque no meu coração eu sabia, oh sim, baby, eu sabia
Que eles iriam encontrá-lo culpado também
O juiz, a sua honra e ao júri
eu pretendo provar além de uma sombra de dúvida, que somos inocentes
E o amor verdadeiro não é um crime />
Senhor, que é o júri do amor
a média juiz e um júri média, oh, isso é o júri do amor
(Senhor, que é o júri do amor)
(Senhor, que é o júri do amor) (se desvaneça)
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1967 {June 4th} "Eight Men, Four Women" by O.V. Wright peaked at #4 {for 1 week} on Billboard's Best Selling R&B Singles* chart...
"Eight Men, Four Women" reached #80 on Billboard's Top 100 chart...
Between 1965 and 1978 the Lenow, Tennessee native had seventeen records on the R&B Singles chart, two made the Top 10 with the above "Eight Men, Four Women" being his biggest hit...
Besides "Eight Men, Four Women", his other Top 10 record was "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" {#6 in 1965}...
He just missed having a third Top 10 record when his "Ace of Spades" peaked at #11 in 1970...
O.V. Wright, born Overton Vertis Wright, passed away at the young age of 41 on November 16th, 1980 {heart attack}...
May he R.I.P.
* And from the 'For What It's Worth'department, the Best Selling R&B Singles' Top 10 on June 4th, 1967:
At #1. "Respect" by Aretha Franklin
#2. "All I Need" by The Temptations
#3. "Tramp" by Otis & Carla
#4. the above "Eight Men, Four Women"
#5. "Alfie" by Dionne Warwick
#6. "Let Yourself Go" by James Brown & the Famous Flames
#7. "Groovin'" by The Young Rascals
#8. "Dead End Street" by Lou Rawls
#9. "Hey Love" by Stevie Wonder
#10. "Make Me Yours" by Bettye Swann
YiSosyopat t
Lyrics:
Eight men, four women
Lord, that's the jury of love
I dreamed that love was a crime
I was alone, so lonely and blue
You know why?
Because eight men and four women
Lord, they found me guilty of loving you
(Loving you)
As they were taking me away you were taking
I saw you when you were taking the witness stand
You know what? I heard the lawyer when he asked you
"My love, do you really love that man?"
It was eight men and four women
(Guilty)
How could they be so blind?
(Guilty)
How could they?
I know they sat there and called true love a crime
This is what killed me
But a tear rolled down my cheek
I felt so sorry for you
You know why?
Because in my heart I knew, oh yes, baby I knew
That they would find you guilty too
Judge, your honor and to the jury
I intend to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt
That we are innocent and true love is not a crime
Lord, that's the jury of love (Lord, that's the jury of love)
A mean judge, a mean jury
Oh, that's the jury of love
(Lord, that's the jury of love)
Oh, that's just the way it goes, baby
They found me guilty of love...
The Best Of - Home Of Classic Music
That's what we love to hear! Always awesome to bring these hidden gems to new ears!
kunjidee
This guy could have sang the alphabet and he'd of made it a soul classic...
lucilla williams
O.V.Wright and Bobby Blue Bland and Sam&Dave should be in the Music Hall of Fame ,great with greatness.
Bettye Torkpo
So true
the promise man
For real
H Bruno
Tradução BR:
(Oito homens, quatro mulheres
Senhor, que é o júri do amor)
Eu sonhei que o amor era um crime
Eu estava sozinho, tão solitário e azul
Você sabe por quê? Porque oito homens e quatro mulheres, Senhor
Eles me acharam culpado de te amar (amar você)
Como eles estavam me levando para longe
Você estava tomando, eu te vi quando você estava tomando a testemunha.
Você sabe o quê? Eu ouvi o advogado, quando ele perguntou para você, meu amor
"Você realmente amou esse homem?"
Foi oito homens e quatro mulheres (culpado)
Como poderiam ser tão cego (culpado)
Como eles puderam? Eu sabia que eles sentado lá
E chamado de amor verdadeiro crime (isto é o que me matou)
Mas uma lágrima rolou pelo meu rosto
Eu me senti tão triste para você
Você sabe por quê? Porque no meu coração eu sabia, oh sim, baby, eu sabia
Que eles iriam encontrá-lo culpado também
O juiz, a sua honra e ao júri
eu pretendo provar além de uma sombra de dúvida, que somos inocentes
E o amor verdadeiro não é um crime />
Senhor, que é o júri do amor
a média juiz e um júri média, oh, isso é o júri do amor
(Senhor, que é o júri do amor)
(Senhor, que é o júri do amor) (se desvaneça)
Ermerson Andrade
você é fera, irmão
rafa
Obrigado amigo, você é um amigo
Navajo Cook
Love all these great blues songs grew up with a lot of them
Janet Boggs
Told you folk, this is the greatest soul singer of all times,love you mr. O.v. Wright