He moved to Jersey City in 1943, studied commercial art, had operatic and classical voice training, and was a heavyweight Golden Gloves boxer, before joining gospel quartet The Searchlight Singers. In 1947 he entered and won an amateur talent show at the Apollo Theater with his dramatic rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" from the musical "Carousel". However, he did not record commercially until 1953, after he was discovered singing in a New Jersey club by local DJ Bill Cook, who became his manager. Columbia Records saw him as a possible "crossover" singer with a foothold in both pop and R&B , and signed him to their subsidiary label Epic. His first single, "You'll Never Walk Alone", became an R&B number 1 for eight weeks, and a national US Top 30 hit in 1954, and shot Hamilton to fame.
He followed up with a string of singles that reached both R&B and pop audiences, many of which were popular show tunes of the day. These included "If I Loved You" (# 4 R&B), "Ebb Tide" (# 5 R&B), "Hurt" (# 8 R&B), "Unchained Melody" (# 1 R&B, # 6 pop), and "Don’t Let Go" (# 2 R&B, # 13 pop). His style and sound directly influenced later artists such as Jackie Wilson and the Righteous Brothers.
In mid 1956 Hamilton announced his retirement due to illness and exhaustion, but returned the following year. When he came back he had adopted the harder gospel sound of his youth to compete with rock 'n' roll and the emerging soul sound, appearing in the movie "Let's Rock" in 1958. His last hit record, "You Can Have Her" (# 6 R&B, # 12 pop) came in 1961, and was followed by the album Mr. Rock And Soul in 1962. The Epic label treated Hamilton as a major star and issued 16 albums by him. However, in the mid 1960s his career declined while recording with MGM and then RCA Records.
His final recordings were made in Memphis at producer Chips Moman's American Group Productions studio, at the same time that Elvis Presley recorded there, in early 1969. Songs released from those sessions were versions of James Carr's "The Dark End of the Street", Conway Twitty's "It's Only Make Believe", and "Angelica", a Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil song that had been submitted to Presley, but which he then turned over to Hamilton.
He died later in 1969 not long after suffering a stroke, aged 40
All My Love
Roy Hamilton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The skies may fall, my love
But I will still be true.
All my sighs will disappear at last,
Now that you're here at last,
My heart belongs to you.
Oh, don't you ever let me go,
You thrill me so.
I've waited all my life
To give you AL My Love.
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay,
Hamilton's "All My Love" is a declaration of undying love and commitment to a person whom the singer has waited for all his life. The song starts with the opening line, "All my love, I give you all my love," which sets the tone of the entire song. These words describe how Hamilton is willing to give his all to the love of his life, no matter what happens. He promises to stay true to the person, despite all the challenges and obstacles that may come along the way.
In the second verse, Hamilton continues to express his love for the person by stating that all his sighs will disappear now that the person is finally here. He admits that his heart belongs to them and begs them never to let him go. Hamilton is overwhelmed with emotion and tells his lover that they thrill him so.
In the chorus, Hamilton acknowledges that he has waited all his life to give all his love to the person. He repeats this line, indicating that he is living his dream by finally finding the love of his life. The song ends with the Spanish phrase "Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay," which is an expression of intense emotion and passion commonly used in Latin American music.
Overall, "All My Love" is a romantic ballad that explores the depth of unconditional love and devotion. Hamilton's soulful voice and emotive delivery add to the song's emotional appeal and make it a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
All My Love, I give you All My Love,
I am offering all of my love to you wholeheartedly.
The skies may fall, my love
Even if everything around us crumbles, my love for you will remain constant.
But I will still be true.
I promise to be faithful to you always.
All my sighs will disappear at last,
Finally, all of my worries and troubles will fade away now that you are in my life.
Now that you're here at last,
I am grateful that you are finally a part of my life.
My heart belongs to you.
My heart is completely yours and always will be.
Oh, don't you ever let me go,
Please never leave me, as I cannot bear to be without you.
You thrill me so.
Your love and presence in my life excites and delights me.
I can see, as I recall my life,
Upon looking back at my life, I realize that I have been waiting for you all along.
I've waited all my life
I have spent my entire life waiting for someone like you.
To give you All My Love.
And now that I have found you, I am eager to offer you all of my love.
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay,
This repeated phrase expresses the singer's intense passion and emotion.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RYAN LESLIE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind