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 You See Bill
Tammi Terrell Lyrics
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Just tell him I still love him
Just tell him please come back to me
Just tell him I'm sorry and I'm in misery
If you see Bill
Just tell him I need him
Just tell him I'll wait for him
At night I sit alone and wonder
Who is kissing him right now?
She doesn't know it
But she don't have the right
I'm the girl, but somehow
If you see Bill
Give a lonely heart a helping hand
Tell me to find my friend
If you see Bill, hmm, yeah
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
If you see Bill, if you see Bill
The lyrics of "If You See Bill" is a plea to a third person to pass a message to Bill, the lost love. The lyrics reveal the internal turmoil of the singer who is desperately trying to reach out to Bill. The opening lines of the song "Just tell him I still love him, Just tell him please come back to me" lay out the essence of the lyrics. With the repetition of the line "If you see Bill" through the song, the lyrics focus on how the singer needs Bill back in her life. The lyrics also reveal that the singer is sorry for whatever has transpired to keep them apart and is in constant agony because of the breakup. The singer is seeking the help of anyone who could bring Bill back into her life, and the song's message is so vivid that anyone who has experienced heartbreak can relate to it.
Line by Line Meaning
If you see Bill
If you happen to run into Bill
Just tell him I still love him
Please let him know that I maintain deep affection towards him
Just tell him please come back to me
Kindly advise him to return to my side
Just tell him I'm sorry and I'm in misery
Please also relay my apologies for any hurt I may have caused and let him know how unhappy I currently am
Just tell him I need him
Please communicate to him how much I require his presence in my life
Just tell him I'll wait for him
Please let him know that I am willing to wait for him to come back to me, no matter how long it takes
At night I sit alone and wonder
During the evening hours, I find myself sitting by myself, lost in thought
Who is kissing him right now?
I can't help but wonder who he might be sharing intimate moments with at this very moment
She doesn't know it
Whoever he may be with does not know the depth of our connection
But she don't have the right
However, whoever he may be with does not have the right to be with him instead of me
I'm the girl, but somehow
Somehow, despite the fact that I am the one who is in love with him, I seem to have lost him to someone else
If you see Bill
Give a lonely heart a helping hand
Please offer some assistance to a lonely heart, if you happen to encounter Bill
Tell me to find my friend
Please tell Bill to come back to me so that I am reunited with my loved one
If you see Bill, hmm, yeah
Once again, if you see Bill,
Hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm
If you see Bill, if you see Bill
(repeated for emphasis)
Contributed by Natalie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.