Phyllis Dillon (27 December 1944 — 15 April 2004) was a Jamaican ska and re… Read Full Bio ↴Phyllis Dillon (27 December 1944 — 15 April 2004) was a Jamaican ska and reggae singer who recorded for Duke Reid's lucrative Treasure Isle record label in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Dillon was born in 1944 in Linstead, St. Catherine, Jamaica.[1] Influenced by American singers Connie Francis, Patti Page and Dionne Warwick, she began singing in talent contests. It was during a performance at the Glass Bucket Club in Kingston, Jamaica with the group The Vulcans, that Duke Reid's session guitarist Lynn Taitt discovered Dillon.[1]

Dillon was 22 when she recorded her first record for Duke Reid. In 1967, Reid released Dillon's "Don’t Stay Away". While most of Dillon’s subsequent recordings would be covers of popular and obscure American songs including Bettye Swann's "Make Me Yours", Perry Como's "Tulips and Heather," The Grass Roots "Midnight Confessions", and Stephen Stills's "Love the One You're With"; "Don't Stay Away" was an original composition featuring Tommy McCook and the Supersonics as the backing band.

Another original song, "It’s Rocking Time" would later be turned into the Alton Ellis' hit "Rocksteady". While these early recordings demonstrate Dillon's mastery of the rocksteady sound, a much slower, soulful, response to the sultry weather that made ska's upbeat rhythm and tempo undesirable even impracticable, it was no indication of her greatest performance, 1967’s "Perfidia". Popularized by the American surf rock band The Ventures, "Perfidia" is a 1940 song written by Alberto Domínguez and made popular by the Cuban bandleader, Xavier Cugat.

At the end of 1967, Dillon moved to New York.[1] The following five years, she spent living a double life. She had a family and career in the United States, flying frequently back to Kingston, Jamaica to continue recording for Reid.

After a number of singles and an album entitled Living in Love, Dillon ended her recording career in 1971. She was 27 years old.

In 1991, Michael Bonnet, the entertainment director for the Oceanea Hotel in Kingston approached Dillon inviting her to sing. Her refusal at first was later rescinded and sparked a revitalized interest in performing and recording. In the years following, Dillion would tour the UK, Germany and Japan.

In 1998 Phyllis Dillon returned to the recording studio with Lynn Taitt, marked by reinterest in ska music in the United States. She remained active until illness took hold.

Phyllis Dillon died on 15 April 2004 in New York, after a two year battle with cancer, at the age of 59.

We Belong Together
Phyllis Dillon Lyrics

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We belong together
What would we do without each other?
We belong together
We would be lost without each other

I just received your letter
Already I feel better
Darling, I'm lonely too

Those tender words I read
Words so sweetly said
The words I love the best

How we belong together
What would we do without each other?
We belong together
We would be lost without each other

Then you go on to say
We can go on this way
Darling, I need you so

With each tender line
Awakens my mind
To love and you agree

You don't know how much you've lifted me
With these words you wrote so tenderly

You don't know how much you've lifted me
With these words you wrote so tenderly

We belong together

What would we do without each other?
We belong together...

Overall Meaning

The song We Belong Together by Phyllis Dillon is a heartfelt love song expressing the idea of a deep and inseparable connection between two people. The opening lines clearly establish the theme of the song - that the two lovers need each other in order to be complete. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the message, and leaves no doubt that the love between them is vital to their well-being.

The song is structured as a dialogue between the two lovers, with the first verse describing how the recipient of the letter immediately feels better upon reading it. The second verse has the writer of the letter expressing their need for the other person, and how the words they have written are a testament to their love. The final lines of the song express the depth of feeling between the two, and how much they mean to each other.

One interesting aspect of the song is that it was written by the Jamaican singer/songwriter Jackie Edwards, who was also responsible for writing hits for other artists such as The Spencer Davis Group and Millie Small. Another is that Phyllis Dillon was one of the few female artists in the male-dominated world of ska music in Jamaica, and was a rising star in the 1960s. The song has since become a classic in the genre, and has been covered by other artists including Mariah Carey.

Line by Line Meaning

We belong together
We are meant to be together and complete each other's lives

What would we do without each other?
Life without each other would be unbearable and incomplete

We would be lost without each other
We cannot imagine our lives without each other's presence and support

I just received your letter
I have received a message from you

Already I feel better
Your message has uplifted my spirits

Darling, I'm lonely too
I also feel lonely without you and crave your company

Those tender words I read
I have read your kind and emotionally charged words

Words so sweetly said
Your words are soothing and comforting to my soul

The words I love the best
Your words of love and affection are what I cherish the most

Then you go on to say
You continue to express your thoughts and feelings

We can go on this way
We can continue this relationship and keep supporting each other

Darling, I need you so
I cannot live without you and require your presence always

With each tender line
Each line of your message is filled with love and emotion

Awakens my mind
Your words have opened up my heart and mind to love and affection

To love and you agree
Your words reveal that you also love and care for me deeply

You don't know how much you've lifted me
You cannot fathom how much your words have elevated my mood

With these words you wrote so tenderly
The kind and gentle way you have expressed your thoughts has touched me deeply

Writer(s): H. Weiss, R. Carr, J. Mitchell, Mariah Carey, Manuel Lonnie Seal Jr Copyright: S.L.A.C.K.A.D. Music, Embassy Music O/B/o Maureen Music, Universal Tunes A.D.O. Songs Of Univers, Universal Music - Mgb Songs, Beyondidolization

Contributed by Jayce C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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