Tammi Lavette makes a fabulous new version of my 1976 Disco classic, and Northern Soul floorfiller, originally sung so wonderfully by Doris Jones, "No Way Out", which came out on United Artists in both England and America, and then was also remixed and featured heavily on the hit disco album by Doris Jones in 1979 on AVI Records. Tammi was a teenager when I first discovered her, way back in 1993 and I have watched her blossom into the most fabulous soul diva.. Her version of "No Way Out" is my favourite track off "Yesterday And Tomorrow". Tammi also sang that huge 1970s Northern Soul classic recorded by Bettye Swann on Atlantic, "Kiss My Love Goodbye", as great a Philly song as you could ever wish to hear. It had such a dreamy, timeless, smooth orchestrated feel, that I always planned to cut it on someone one day. Tammi Lavette's real name was Tamla Dhani, and when I first met her in 1993, we cut a song called "My Heart Keeps Saying No", and I initially named her Tamla Tyrrell, which, on reflection, sounds quite nice in itself. But in the end we settled on Tammi Lavette. But I discovered her in time for the Blackpool Mecca Reunion in 1998, and we took her up there to perform on the Saturday night in the Highland Room in front of a thousand people. She was actually born in Africa, but from the age of four, she spent most of her life in New York, but now lives in England, and at the Mecca, she performed "You Tore Apart My Broken Heart", and also sang the actual theme song for the massive DVD box set "The Strange World Of Northern Soul", a song called "Seven Days", and the video for that can be seen on here. We also cut a song called "Too Much Too Late" on her, a song which was discovered by my mentor Chris Hill when he was head of Arista records. It was an obscure single in the early nineties by a group called Rufus Doors, a brother/sister act, but he left Arista before ever signing them, so I snatched up the song and did it on Tammi. That video can also be seen on here too. We cut a whole album on Tammi, but it's never yet been released on CD although it is on iTunes. Having decided that Tammi reminded me a bit of Doris Jones, then who else in the world could possibly do justice to "No Way Out", but the wonderful diva, Tammi Lavette. And so she's redone the song for the iconic "Yesterday And Tomorrow" album, because there are very few singers around who can do justice to that particular jewel in my crown. So yes, my last album, "Yesterday And Tomorrow", from where this song comes, is probably the most dear to my heart project that I have ever undertaken. I decided after thirty three years since I made my very first record, "Reaching For The Best" by The Exciters, to take a trip back down memory lane and recut thirty of my classics on artists who I am currently working with, reinterpreting them in 2008 without losing the magic that made them special in the first place. It's a totally self indulgent project, but one which already has my fans salivating with delight. I first got the idea when I recut Evelyn Thomas's wonderful classic "Have A Little Faith In Me" with Ebony Alleyne, last year. So I'm doing thirty in total, twenty four for the CD and six more extra ones for the DVD, picking either my biggest hits, my most beloved tracks, or the songs which people most requested to see a video. As I must clearly explain, these are not the original versions. And that's what makes the project exciting and new.These are brand spanking new interpretaions of the classics, by Centre City's current roster of artists , built up over a thirty three year career of making records.
. Tammi was from New York and moved to London. In 1998 we took her to the Blackpool Mecca Reunion where she performed this song specially for the upcoming release, which originally came out first as a video box set in July 1999. This is the actual footage that was shot there, and later on location, to be the title sequence of the entire documentary. But there were so many bits of vintage footage and captions overlaid, that you couldn't actually see her sing the song. So this has never been seen till now.
Seven Days
Tammi Lavette Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Till Saturday comes back around
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday and my heart starts to pound again
It's the end of another weekend out on the town
I've been feeling so high as the rest of the world's coming down
Can I survive the whole week but I do
Waiting and watching the clock as it goes tick tock
Counting the hours each day till Friday is through
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday comes back around
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday and my heart starts to pound again
Monday morning comes and the rest of the week takes so long
Then there's Thursday and Friday the feeling is getting so strong
But as the nighttime starts to come near
All of my troubles they just disappear
Feeling electricity that's flowing through me
Letting me know that at last the weekend is here
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday comes back around
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday and my heart starts to pound again
Saturday night and it's lifting me high
Reach out my hand and I'm touching the sky
Watching the rest of the world spinning by
When I'm feeling the heat from the top of my head to my feet
And the weekend's the only time when I'm feeling complete
Now I just stand there and just close my eyes
I can see thousands of stars in the skies
How can I count all the lights that brighten the night
Whirling around and around till I hit the town
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday comes back around
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday and my heart starts to pound again
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday comes back around
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday and my heart starts to pound again
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday comes back around
Seven days is too long to wait
Till Saturday and my heart starts to pound again
In Tammi Lavette's song "Seven Days," the lyrics depict the anticipation and longing for Saturday, which represents the weekend and freedom from the monotonous weekdays. The singer expresses frustration with the passing of time and the feeling of being trapped in a routine, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the weekend. The repetition of the line "Seven days is too long to wait" emphasizes the intense desire for Saturday to come around again, as it brings joy and excitement.
The song also touches upon the contrast between the weekdays and the weekend. The singer highlights how the weekend is a time when they feel alive and happy, whereas the weekdays are characterized by feelings of being high while the rest of the world is coming down. The lyrics indicate that the weekends bring a sense of electricity and completeness, providing a temporary escape from the troubles and dullness of everyday life.
Through the vivid imagery of stars in the sky and the world spinning by, the song conveys a sense of freedom and possibility that the weekend brings. The singer experiences a literal and metaphorical high on Saturday nights, feeling lifted and exhilarated. The weekend is portrayed as a time when the singer's heart pounds with excitement, and they find solace in living fully and embracing the moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Seven days is too long to wait
Waiting for Saturday feels like an eternity
Till Saturday comes back around
Until the weekend arrives once again
Seven days is too long to wait
The anticipation for Saturday is unbearable
Till Saturday and my heart starts to pound again
When Saturday comes, my excitement and joy intensify
It's the end of another weekend out on the town
The fun-filled weekend is coming to a close
I've been feeling so high as the rest of the world's coming down
While everyone else is feeling down, I've been filled with happiness
That's when it hits me out of the blue
Suddenly, a realization strikes me
Can I survive the whole week but I do
Although it's challenging, I manage to endure the entire week
Waiting and watching the clock as it goes tick tock
Passing time by eagerly observing the ticking clock
Counting the hours each day till Friday is through
Calculating the hours until the end of Friday
Monday morning comes and the rest of the week takes so long
Monday morning arrives, and the remaining days of the week feel endless
Then there's Thursday and Friday the feeling is getting so strong
As Thursday and Friday approach, my excitement intensifies
But as the nighttime starts to come near
As the evening approaches
All of my troubles they just disappear
All my worries vanish
Feeling electricity that's flowing through me
A surge of energy courses through my body
Letting me know that at last the weekend is here
Confirming that the awaited weekend has finally arrived
Saturday night and it's lifting me high
Saturday night elevates my spirits
Reach out my hand and I'm touching the sky
I feel like I can reach the sky with my outstretched hand
Watching the rest of the world spinning by
Observing the world around me in motion
When I'm feeling the heat from the top of my head to my feet
Experiencing a surge of excitement throughout my entire body
And the weekend's the only time when I'm feeling complete
Feeling truly fulfilled and content only during the weekend
Now I just stand there and just close my eyes
Standing still and shutting my eyes
I can see thousands of stars in the skies
Visualizing a multitude of stars in the night sky
How can I count all the lights that brighten the night
Unable to quantify the numerous lights illuminating the night
Whirling around and around till I hit the town
Spinning around until I reach the bustling town
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: CLIVE KENNETH SCOTT, IAN GEOFFREY LEVINE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mala 591
When Ian Levine combined his best singer/vocalist and his best ever Northern Soul backing track - magic happened - and this is the glorious result!
Carolyn Williams
Very energetic!! Nice song!
BarbraAlejandro
Ian- So Glad To Finally Get This On The New "Running In Another Direction" 3 Disc Set!!!! One Of Your Best!!!
gavin stearn
just love this one
IanLevine
We just this week wrote a storming new song together, called "One Sided Lover" and it's going on the upcoming comilation album, "Northern Soul 2007", with all brand new material, and a giveaway DVD of all the artists performing the tracks on the CD.
immioche
I am glad that I can find this kind of music on the web. Is the music in Great Britain still of this quality? It reminds me of (Old Detroit)
SuperStephenf
Im obsessed with playing this - I need locking away. Fab Ian x
immioche
Too bad we don't hear enough about her around here!
BarbraAlejandro
Any Chance Of A REAL CD Release?? I Am A Believer In Holding A Cd In My Hands!!! Fantastic Singer!!!!!!!!