The Tavares brothers — Arthur Tavares, Ralph Vierra Tavares, Perry Lee Tavares, Antone Tavares, and Feliciano Tavares nicknamed "Pooch," "Tiny," "Chubby," and "Butch" — started the group in 1964 as Chubby and the Turnpikes in New Bedford, MA. Their grandparents taught them traditional Cape Verde folk songs, while their older brother John schooled them on doo wop singing. In 1969, the group became Tavares. They began singing in New England clubs and were signed to Capitol Records in 1973. Their debut album, Check It Out , was issued in early 1974. The title track slow jam single went to number five R&B on Billboard's charts in summer 1973. The next single, the ballad "That's the Sound That Lonely Makes," hit number ten R&B in early 1974. Check It Out was followed by Hard Core Poetry in summer 1974, helmed by songwriting/production duo Dennis Lambert & Brian Potter (the Four Tops' "Aint No Woman Like the One I Got"). It listed the soaring number ten hit "Too Late," the number one hit "She's Gone," and "Remember What I Told You to Forget," which hit number four in 1975. Lambert & Potter produced In the City (summer 1975), which yielded the driving number one hit "It Only Takes a Minute," "Free Ride" (a 1973 pop smash for the Edgar Winter Group), and "The Love I Never Had." Take That's 1993 cover of "It Only Takes a Minute" was a U.K. hit.
Tavares' album Sky High (spring 1976) was the group's first collaboration with producer Freddie Perren. Perren seemed to have an affinity for family singing groups, having had hits with the Jackson 5 ("I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save") as a member of the Motown arrangers/songwriters/producers collective The Corporation, and would later go to have hits with the Sylvers ("Boogie Fever"). Sky High boasted the sparkling number three R&B hit "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel (Part 1)" from summer 1976. Their fifth LP, Love Storm was issued in spring 1977 and included the clever number one R&B hit "Whodunit" in spring 1977.
"More Than a Woman" was specifically written for Tavares by the Bee Gees and was issued as a single from the 11-million-selling Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. "More Than a Woman" was also on their Future Bound LP released in spring 1978. A greatest hits set, The Best of Tavares, was released in fall 1977. On 1979's Madame Butterfly LP, the group worked with Philly soul arranger/producer Bobby Martin (the Manhattans, LTD). The sweet ballad "Never Had a Love Like This Before" went to number five R&B in early 1979.
In 1994, Canadian label Unidisc released The Best of Tavares Revisited, which had re-recordings by the group of their past hits.
Break Down For Love
Tavares Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That it should ruin your life
We're just people being people
Trying to survive
There's just one thing that's worth all the trouble
There's just one thing that's worth all the heartache
There's just one place you put your emotion
Break down for love
Give love all your tears
Break down for love
And the whole world disappears
Outside you're strong
You're so good you're straight up
In someone's arms
You really should break down for love, break down for love break down for love
Intellect is something you must prove
Every hour of the day
Always thinking what's your next move
In the games you play yeah
But when the night is falling let your mind go
And when your lover's calling let your guard down
You've been relying in the jungle too long
You've kept your heart now give your heart away
Break down for love
Give love all your tears
Break down for love
And the whole world disappears
Outside you're strong
You're so good you're straight up
But In someone's arms yeah
You really should break down for love, break down for love break down for love
But when the night is falling let your mind go
And when your lover's calling let your guard down
You've been relying in the jungle too long
You've kept your heart now give your heart away
Break down for love
Give love all your tears
Break down for love
And the whole world disappears
Outside you're strong
You're so good you're straight up
But In someone's arms yeah
You really should break down for love, break down for love break down for love
You've got to break down for love
Give love
Break down for love
And the whole world
Outside you're strong
You're so good
In someone's arms
Break down for love
Break down for love
The song Break Down For Love by Tavares is a powerful and emotional message about the importance of allowing yourself to be vulnerable in love. The lyrics suggest that no matter how strong and capable we may be in the world, when it comes to matters of the heart, it is essential to let down our guard and allow ourselves to feel deeply. The song encourages listeners to break down emotional barriers and to give love everything they've got, even if it means shedding tears and letting the world disappear. The lyrics are introspective and profound, revealing that although we may be successful in our careers or other areas of life, true fulfillment can only be found through love.
The song also touches on the idea that in our daily lives, we often feel the need to prove ourselves intellectually and always be thinking ahead. However, when it comes to love, we need to allow ourselves to let go and be fully present in the moment. The song urges listeners to let their minds go and to take a risk on love, even if it means being vulnerable and potentially getting hurt.
Overall, the message of Break Down For Love is one of empowerment through vulnerability, and it encourages listeners to embrace their emotions and let their hearts lead the way.
Line by Line Meaning
There ain't nothing much so special
There is nothing important enough to ruin your life
That it should ruin your life
No situation or person is worth compromising your life for
We're just people being people
We are all human beings trying to navigate life
Trying to survive
We're all just trying to make it through life
There's just one thing that's worth all the trouble
Love is the only thing worth all the effort and sacrifice
There's just one thing that's worth all the heartache
Love is the only thing worth all the pain and suffering
There's just one place you put your emotion
Love is the only emotion that should consume you
There's just one thing that should make you cry
Only love should be strong enough to bring tears to your eyes
Intellect is something you must prove
Intelligence must be constantly demonstrated and validated
Every hour of the day
At all times, intelligence must be on display
Always thinking what's your next move
Always strategizing and planning your next step
In the games you play yeah
In the daily competitions and challenges you face
But when the night is falling let your mind go
Don't overthink or overanalyze when you're winding down at night
And when your lover's calling let your guard down
When your partner reaches out to you, open up and be vulnerable
You've been relying in the jungle too long
You've been relying on your instincts and survival instincts for too long
You've kept your heart now give your heart away
You've been guarding your heart, now it's time to let love in
Break down for love
Let yourself be vulnerable for the sake of love
Give love all your tears
Put all your emotions into your love
And the whole world disappears
Nothing else matters when you're fully consumed by love
Outside you're strong
You appear strong and capable to the world
You're so good you're straight up
You're a no-nonsense, straightforward person
In someone's arms
When you're with someone you love
You really should break down for love, break down for love break down for love
You should allow yourself to be vulnerable and give your all to love
Writer(s): WAKEFIELD KATHLEEN, WRIGHT BENJAMIN F, TAVARES FELICIANO
Contributed by Bentley J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@PeckPeckimapaycheck
Sit down and relax to the tunes of WDPK 83.7; the sound of tomorrow, the music of today! Tonight, we've discovered a laid back tune from way back when titled "Break Down For Love" by Tavares. Now, bring this funk into the present, and let the groove flow!
@jnnx
No, “Laid Back” is another band, entirely.
@josue25
I can't even hate on Daft Punk. First albums I ever bought were Daft Punk's, and the fact that most of their music is sampled, have open my ears to lots of great artists that I've never heard of.
@Baloonboy105yt
sampling can be really creative when it’s done right. daft punk have proven that they can sample good.
@botmexicanpatriot
@Baloonboy 105 Daft Punk can either have the laziest f**ging sampling ever (robot rock) or the deepest and most complex sampling in a song (face to face)
@cujo7600
@BOT MEXICAN patriot and they both work every single time somehow, it's magical, the music truly transcends the artists, because now THEIR music is being sampled without direct credits, and we're all here for it, because it's about the song not the singer
@musicjunkiefl
@BOT MEXICAN patriot tbh the sampling on face to face is a trademark of Todd Edwards. He's been doing that kind of sampling for many years.
@j.wat.3437
These guys had more hits than they get credit for. They were more than those mainstream hits that you know of.
@faraimukwedeya3833
Very talented family..Tavares..Heaven is certainly missing these Angels
@superads91
Thank you Daft Punk for making me know such wonderful songs like this. Some of the best songs ever done imo.