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.
Gonna Forget About You
O.V. Wright Lyrics
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Hear your voice on the radio
Like every single song is about you, uh
Every sec that we spent
Lots of mess stuck up in my head
Got me so distracted and confused
Feels like you crashed into my life
I keep on losin' track of time
I'm so messed up, yeah
I'm so messed up!
I can't remember what I did tonight
Or even yesterday
Like, dude, where's my car?
Excuse me, what's my name?
Someone gave me these clothes
I can't remember who
My mind's a total blank
But I just can't forget about you,
Forget about you
Think that it's comin' back
Something about the time we had
Wish that we would've been recordin'
So right, super tight
Can't recall a thing last night
But woke up with a smile in the mornin'
Baby, I think I've lost my mind
Feels like you crashed into my life
I keep on losin' track of time
I'm so messed up, yeah
I'm so messed up!
I can't remember what I did tonight
Or even yesterday
Like, dude, where's my car?
Excuse me, what's my name?
Someone gave me these clothes
I can't remember who
My mind's a total blank
But I just can't forget about you
Forget about you
I just can't forget about you (yeah, you, you, you)
Forget about you oh
I just can't forget about you
Which way is up? Which way is down?
Can't stop this room from spinning 'round
I'm floating high, high off the ground
Caught in my head, can't get you out
I can't remember what I did tonight
Or even yesterday
Like, dude, where's my car?
Excuse me, what's my name?
Someone gave me these clothes
I can't remember who
My mind's a total blank
But I just can't forget about you
forget about you
I just can't forget about you
Forget about you
Oh, whoa
Oh, whoa, oh
Oh, whoa
Oh, oh, oh
In "Gonna Forget About You," the singer O.V. Wright portrays a situation where he can't forget someone who may have recently left his life. He continuously hears their voice on the radio and sees reminders of them. The memories of their time together in his head also distract and confuse him to the point where he feels like he's losing his mind. The lyrics show him struggling to remember even basic things like what he did last night or what his name is because his mind is so preoccupied with thoughts of this person. Despite this, he wakes up with a smile in the morning, possibly recalling some of the good times they had. The song's chorus repeats the theme of not being able to forget about this person, despite his forgetfulness.
The lyrics of "Gonna Forget About You" are relatable to anyone who has ever been unable to move on from someone who they cared deeply about. The song portrays the experience of being stuck in a loop of memories and struggling to let go. It's a powerful expression of the way that emotions can take over and cloud someone's judgment, even to the point of forgetting their own identity. The catchy melody and rhythm make it an excellent song to listen to, even for those who can't relate to the lyrics directly.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh no, here we go
I am about to dwell on thoughts of you again
Hear your voice on the radio
Your voice reminds me of you
Like every single song is about you, uh
Every song on the radio makes me think of you
Every sec that we spent
Every second we spent together
Lots of mess stuck up in my head
I am constantly thinking about you and it is affecting me
Got me so distracted and confused
Thinking about you is causing me to lose focus and feel bewildered
Baby, I think I've lost my mind
Thinking about you is driving me crazy
Feels like you crashed into my life
You came into my life and changed everything
I keep on losin' track of time
Thinking about you is making me lose my sense of time
I'm so messed up, yeah
I am emotionally unstable because of my thoughts of you
I can't remember what I did tonight
I am so consumed by thoughts of you that I can't remember anything else
Or even yesterday
I cannot even remember what happened yesterday
Like, dude, where's my car?
I am feeling so lost and confused that I can't even remember where I parked my car
Excuse me, what's my name?
Thinking about you has caused me to lose my sense of identity
Someone gave me these clothes
I cannot even remember how I got dressed
I can't remember who
I don't even remember who gave me these clothes
My mind's a total blank
Thinking about you has wiped my mind clear
But I just can't forget about you,
Despite everything, I cannot stop thinking about you
Think that it's comin' back
I think I am starting to remember something about our time together
Something about the time we had
There is something important about our time together that I can't quite remember
Wish that we would've been recordin'
I wish I could remember everything about our time together
So right, super tight
Our time together was amazing and unforgettable
Can't recall a thing last night
I can't remember anything from last night
But woke up with a smile in the mornin'
Despite everything, I woke up happy
Which way is up? Which way is down?
I am so confused that I don't know which way is up or down
Can't stop this room from spinning 'round
My head is spinning because of my thoughts of you
I'm floating high, high off the ground
Despite my confusion, I am feeling euphoric because of my thoughts of you
Caught in my head, can't get you out
You are in my thoughts and I can't stop thinking about you
Oh, whoa
Oh, whoa, oh
Oh, whoa
Oh, oh, oh
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANDREW MAXWELL GOLDSTEIN, EMANUEL KIRIAKOU, EVAN KIDD BOGART, LINDY ROBBINS, ROCKY LYNCH, RIKER LYNCH, ROSS LYNCH, RYDEL LYNCH, ELLINGTON RATLIFF
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