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.
My Heart
Tammi Terrell Lyrics
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Ooo here I am alone, thinkin' aimlessly
Seein' other girls in love & wishin' it were me
If I could only find the key & make love come my way
I would trade this loneliness for true love any day
[Both]
When love comes knockin' at my heartI'm surely gonna let it in
When love comes knockin' at my heart
Happiness will surely begin
[TT]
Oh darlin',
[MG] Oh darlin'
[TT]
Oh darlin',
[MG] Oh darlin'
[MG]
Emptiness is in the air & all around me gloom
As I gaze through the window of my lonely room
I hate to get up in the mornin' 'cause I know what lies ahead
Where there should be a cheerful smile, there's loneliness instead
[Both]
When love comes knockin' at my heart
I'm surely gonna let it in
When love comes knockin' at my heart
Happiness will surely begin
[MG]
Oh if you've never been in love, darlin'
Then you're just like me, now
[TT]
Don't you get lonely? What am I to be?
Oh darlin',
[MG]
Oh darlin'
[TT]
Oh darlin',
[MG] Oh darlin'
[TT] Oh darlin',
[MG] Oh darlin'
[TT]
Oh darlin',
[MG] Oh darlin'
[TT]
My heart's full of envy for the girl who lives next door
She has so many things that I've never had before
[MG]
She possesses one thing I've never had a chance to get
That's someone to call her own & there's one thing you can bet
[Both]
When love comes knockin' at my heart
I'm surely gonna let it in
When love comes knockin' at my heart
Happiness will surely begin
[TT]
Oh darlin',
[MG] Oh darlin'
[TT]
Oh darlin',
[MG] Oh darlin'
[TT]
When love comes, I'm gonna let it in
Because I know I'll be happy then
Loneliness will be no more
When love comes, gonna open that door
When love comes, when love comes
Oh darlin', when love comes
In "When Love Comes Knocking at My Heart," Tammi Terrell sings about the pain of loneliness and the longing for love. She describes the emptiness that surrounds her as she sees other girls in love and wishes it were her. She wants to find the key to make love come her way so that she can trade her loneliness for true love. The chorus expresses her hope that when love does come knocking at her heart, she will let it in and happiness will surely begin.
In the second verse, Terrell continues to describe the gloom and emptiness she feels in her lonely room every morning. She expresses envy for the girl who lives next door because she has someone to call her own, something that Terrell has never had. The chorus repeats again, emphasizing her desire to let love into her heart and end her loneliness.
The song is a poignant reflection on the universal human experience of longing for love and the pain of loneliness, particularly in the face of seeing others in happy relationships. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the idea that love is the key to happiness, and that when it finally arrives, it will end the emptiness and gloom.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh here I am alone, thinkin' aimlessly
I am alone and lost in thought
Seein' other girls in love and wishin' it were me
I see other girls in happy relationships and wish I was too
If I could only find the key and make love come my way
If only I could find the secret to finding love
I would trade this loneliness for true love any day
I would give up my loneliness in a heartbeat for true love
When love comes knockin' at my heart
When I finally find love
I'm surely gonna let it in
I will welcome it with open arms
Happiness will surely begin
My happiness will finally start
Emptiness is in the air and all around me gloom
I feel nothing but emptiness and sadness
As I gaze through the window of my lonely room
As I stare out my window, feeling lonely
I hate to get up in the mornin' 'cause I know what lies ahead
I dread waking up in the morning because I know I'll feel the same loneliness
Where there should be a cheerful smile, there's loneliness instead
I should be smiling and happy, but instead, I feel lonely
Oh if you've never been in love, darlin'
If you've never experienced love
Then you're just like me, now
Then you know exactly how I feel
Don't you get lonely? What am I to be?
Don't you also get lonely? What should I do?
My heart's full of envy for the girl who lives next door
I am jealous of the girl who lives next door
She has so many things that I've never had before
She has many things in her life that I have never experienced
She possesses one thing I've never had a chance to get
She has someone to love, which I have never had the opportunity to have
That's someone to call her own and there's one thing you can bet
She has someone to call her own, and one thing is for sure
When love comes,(when it comes) I'm gonna let it in(let it in)
When love finally arrives, I will welcome it
Because I know (what do you know) I'll be happy then
Because I know that I will finally be happy then
Loneliness will be no more
I will no longer feel alone
When love comes,(oh darling) gonna open that door(just open the door)
When love finally arrives, I will welcome it with open arms
When love comes,(let it in) when love comes (let it in)
When love finally arrives, I will not let it pass me by
(Let it in) oh darlin',(let it in) when love comes
When love finally arrives, I will embrace it with all my heart
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: GLADYS KNIGHT, HARVEY FUQUA, JOHNNY WILLIAM BRISTOL, VERNON BULLOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind