Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she entered the music business at the age of 13, regularly performing live. In 1961 she was signed to the fledgling Scepter Records (later Wand Records), recording under the name "Tammy Montgomery". After coming to the attention of James Brown she recorded one single apiece for Brown's own Try Me record label and, in 1964, Checker Records. The year after that, she was spotted by Berry Gordy Jr. while playing live, and signed to his Motown label. Attractive and talented, she became romantically linked with both James Brown and David Ruffin, lead singer of The Temptations.
Tammy Montgomery changed her name to "Tammi Terrell" at the time of her Motown signing, and was teamed with producers Harvey Fuqua and Johnny Bristol. After releasing a pair of minor R&B chart hits, "I Can't Believe You Love Me" and "Come On and See Me," Terrell was chosen to replace Kim Weston as Marvin Gaye's duet partner. The duo recorded a number of successful hits which remain popular today: "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," and "You're All I Need to Get By", all written (and in the case of the latter two, produced by) Ashford & Simpson.
While on tour with Gaye in Virginia in mid-1967, Terrell fainted on stage, and was later diagnosed as having a malignant brain tumor. While Terrell endured several operations and continued to record new material, her health steadily deteriorated. Fuqua and Bristol resorted to having Gaye overdub archived Terrell solo tracks to fill out the Gaye/Terrell duets albums. The final album attributed to Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, "Easy" (1969), actually features co-producer Valerie Simpson subbing for Terrell on all but two of the tracks.
Twelve of Tammi Terrell's solo Motown recordings, including "I Can't Believe You Love Me", "Come On and See Me," and a minor hit cover of The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)", were issued as Terrell's only solo album, "Irresistible," in January 1969. Terrell died of brain cancer at age 24 on March 16, 1970.
If I Could Build My Whole World Around You )
Tammi Terrell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
First I'd put heaven by your side
Pretty flowers would grow wherever you walk, honey
And over your head would be the bluest sky
Then I'd take every drop of rain
And wash all your troubles away
I'd have the whole world wrapped up in you, darling
And that would be alright, oh yes it will
If I could build my whole world around you
I'd make your eyes the morning sun
I'd put so much love where there is sorrow
I'd put joy where there's never been none
Then I'd give my love to you
For you to keep for the rest of your life
Oh, and happiness would surely be ours
And that would be alright, oh, yes it would
Do-do-do-doo-doo
Do-do-do-doo-doo
Do-do-do-doo-doo
Do-do-do-doo-doo
Oh, If I could build my whole world around you
I'd give you the greatest gift any woman could possess
And I'd step into this world you created
And give you a true love and tenderness
And there'd be something new with every tomorrow
To make this world better as days go by
That is, if I could build my whole world around you
If I could build my whole world around you
That would be all right, oh yeah
If I could build my whole world around you
If I could build my whole world around you
Then that would be all right, oh yeah
If I could just build my world, baby
If I could build it, build it, all around you
The song "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You" by Tammi Terrell is a love song that expresses the wish of the singer to make her lover the center of her world. The lyrics are filled with poetic imagery and metaphors that evoke a sense of beauty and wonder. The singer talks about how she would create a world that revolves around her lover, a world that is filled with joy, love, and happiness.
The first verse of the song talks about how the singer would build a world that is perfect for her lover. She talks about how she would put heaven by his side and make pretty flowers grow wherever he walks. She also talks about how she would take away all of his troubles by washing them away with rain. The second verse talks about how the singer would give her love to her lover and make his eyes the morning sun. She would put love where there is sorrow and give him joy where there has been none. The chorus repeats the idea that if the singer could build her whole world around her lover, everything would be all right.
Overall, the song is a romantic ode to love and the power of connection. It speaks to the desire of many people to find a love that is all-encompassing, one that can make their world a better place. The lyrics are filled with a sense of optimism and hope, and the melody is catchy and upbeat. The song is a classic of Motown and has been covered by many artists over the years.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, if I could build my whole world around you, darling
Expressing a desire to create a world centered around the person she loves.
First I'd put heaven by your side
She would want to have him near all things beautiful and amazing.
Pretty flowers would grow wherever you walk, honey
Wherever he walks, good things and beauty will surround him.
And over your head would be the bluest sky
The person she loves deserves to always have the best things in life.
Then I'd take every drop of rain
She wants to make sure that troubles in his life are washed away.
And wash all your troubles away
She wants to free him from all the hardships he faces in life.
I'd have the whole world wrapped up in you, darling
Her world would be all about this person she adores.
And that would be alright, oh yes it will
She believes that this kind of love is all that he needs to be happy.
I'd make your eyes the morning sun
She would like to have the person she loves be the one who brings light and beauty to her days.
I'd put so much love where there is sorrow
Where there is sadness, she would want to bring love and joy.
I'd put joy where there's never been none
She wants to make sure that there is happiness even where there has never been any before.
Then I'd give my love to you
She is willing to give her love completely to the person she adores.
For you to keep for the rest of your life
She wants to ensure that their love lasts forever.
Oh, and happiness would surely be ours
Their love would ensure that they are both happy in life.
And that would be alright, oh, yes it would
This kind of love would be enough for them to be happy and content.
If I could build my whole world around you
Reiterating the desire to create a world centered around the person she loves.
I'd give you the greatest gift any woman could possess
Her love is the greatest gift she could give.
And I'd step into this world you created
She is willing to join and be a part of the world that he built for them.
And give you a true love and tenderness
She wants to show him genuine and tender love.
And there'd be something new with every tomorrow
Their world would always be new and exciting with every new day.
To make this world better as days go by
They would always strive to make their world a better place as they face new challenges.
If I could just build my world, baby
Reiterating her desire to create a world for them.
If I could build it, build it, all around you
Emphasizing that she wants to create a world that revolves around the person she loves.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARVEY FUQUA, JOHNNY WILLIAM BRISTOL, VERNON BULLOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AizhanaKerimkulova
Oh, if I could build my whole world around you, darling
First I'd put heaven by your side
Pretty flowers would grow wherever you walk, honey
And over your head would be the bluest sky
Then I'd take every drop of rain
And wash all your troubles away
I'd have the whole world wrapped up in you, darling
And that would be alright, oh yes it will
If I could build my whole world around you
I'd make your eyes the morning sun
I'd put so much love where there is sorrow
I'd put joy where there's never been none
Then I'd give my love to you
For you to keep for the rest of your life
Oh, and happiness would surely be ours
And that would be alright, oh, yes it would
Do-do-do-doo-doo
Do-do-do-doo-doo
Do-do-do-doo-doo
Do-do-do-doo-doo
Oh, if I could build my whole world around you
I'd give you the greatest gift any woman could possess
And I'd step into this world you created
And give you a true love and tenderness
And there'd be something new with every tomorrow
To make this world better as days go by
That is, if I could build my whole world around you
If I could build my whole world around you
That would be all right, oh yeah
If I could build my whole world around you
If I could build my whole world around you
Then that would be all right, oh yeah
If I could just build my world, baby
If I could build it, build it, all around you
And that would be alright
@carrienixon6663
I love the whole song, but when Marvin told Tammi, โ then Iโd take every drop of rain and wash all your troubles awayโ, that part right there put the icing on the cake. Yes yes yes. โค
@SamuelGriffin-u8d
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell were the sweethearts of Motown
@chriscole4094
In my humble opinion out of all the females Marvin duetted with, Tammy Terrell's voice suited him more than the others. No doubt they're in heaven belting out these tunes.
@SamuelGriffin-u8d
It's Sunday morning and this song has pure harmony while cooking my breakfast
@palcanon6888
Damn!!! It is oh so so sad that youngsters aren't growing up listening to beautiful wholesome music like this y'all!!
@Glee_kev
I'm 23 Mann I remember all the house parties and cookouts with this blasting on the speakers yea we this type of black over here
@hummycarton
Today was the first play of this on the ground-breaking Retro Charts Radio, as we continue to add No.41's and 42's to the complete archive of UK Top 40 hits 1952-1999๐
#HistoryInTheMaking
#6WeekNoRepeatPolicy #NoAds
#MarvinGaye #TammiTerrell
@JBoogie1
I remember being 7 years old and me and my mother would sing this together. I was Marvin and she was Tammi..This was the first song that I remembered all the words. Memories...Thanks Marvin & Tammi for beautiful duets (RIP)
@budlift
nice memory. i had a musical relationship with my older sister, 10 years older. she taught me to sing two part when I was 5.
@rogerkincaid931
No other duets can top them!