His initial rise to stardom occurred under tutelage of producer's Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff on the then CBS subsidiary Philadelphia International in 1970. The Blue Notes had hits such as "I Miss You," "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody," the two million seller "If You Don't Know Me By Now" and many more. Following personality conflicts between Melvin and Pendergrass, Pendergrass launched a solo career and released hit singles like "The More I Get the More I Want," "Close the Door," "I Don't Love You Anymore," "Turn Off the Lights" and others.
His first solo album was self titled Teddy Pendergrass (1977), followed by Life is a Song Worth Singing (1978), Live! Coast to Coast and Teddy (1979), 1980's TP and the final Philadelphia International Records album It's Time for Love (1981). He also sang a duet with Whitney Houston on "Hold Me," from her self-titled debut album.
Teddy Pendergrass started singing gospel music in Philadelphia churches, becoming an ordained minister at ten years old. While attending public school, he sang in the citywide McIntyre Elementary School Choir and in the All-City Stetson Junior High School Choir. A self-taught drummer, Pendergrass had a teen pop vocal group when he was 15.
By his late teens, Pendergrass was a drummer for local vocal group the Cadillacs. In the late 60s, the Cadillacs merged with another more-established group, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. In 1970, when the Blue Notes broke up, Melvin, now aware of Pendergrass' vocal prowess, asked him to take the lead singer spot. It's no secret that Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff wanted Marvin Junior of the Dells for their Philadelphia International Records roster. Since the Dells were signed to Chess, they were unavailable. When the gruff'n'ready vocals of Pendergrass came their way, they eagerly signed the group.
Beginning with "I Miss You," a steady stream of hit singles flowed from the collaboration of Pendergrass and Gamble & Huff: "If You Don't Know Me By Now," "The Love I Lost," "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody" (#1 R&B for two weeks in 1976), and two gold albums, To Be True and Wake Up Everybody.
Unfortunately, the more success the group had, the more friction developed between Melvin and Pendergrass. Despite the revised billing of the group, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Theodore Pendergrass, Pendergrass felt that he wasn't getting enough recognition. Around 1976, Pendergrass left Melvin's Blue Notes and formed his own Blue Notes, featuring Teddy Pendergrass. Briefly, there was some confusion as to which Blue Notes was which. The resolution came when Pendergrass disbanded his Blue Notes in favor of a solo career and Melvin's group signed a recording contract with Source Records, distributed through ABC Records, scoring a hit with "I Want to Be Your Lover."
Pendergrass signed a new contract with Philadelphia International Records sometime between late 1976 and early 1977. He burst back on the scene with Teddy Pendergrass, a platinum solo debut that included the top-notch singles "I Don't Love You Anymore," "You Can't Hide From Yourself," and "The More I Get the More I Want." Around this time, Pendergrass began to institute his infamous "Ladies Only" concerts. His next three albums went gold or platinum: Life Is a Song Worth Singing, Teddy, and Live! Coast to Coast. The hit single "Close the Door" was used in the film Soup for One, where Pendergrass had a minor role.
The singer received several Grammy nominations during 1977 and 1978, Billboard's 1977 Pop Album New Artist Award, an American Music Award for best R&B performer of 1978, and awards from Ebony magazine and the NAACP. He was also in consideration for the lead in the movie biopic The Otis Redding Story. The '70s ended, but Pendergrass kept racking up the hits. TP, his fifth solo album, went platinum in the summer of 1980 off the singles "Turn Off the Lights," "Come Go With Me," "Shout and Scream," "It's You I Love," and "Can't We Try." It's Time for Love gave Pendergrass another gold album in summer 1981, which included the hit singles "Love TKO" and "I Can't Live Without Your Love." However in the UK chart success was limited to a handful of singles peaking just short of the top 40. Amazingly "Love TKO" failed to even grace the top 100.
A 1982 car accident left Pendergrass paralyzed from the waist down and wheelchair-bound. After almost a year of physical therapy and counseling, Pendergrass returned to the recording scene, signing a contract with Elektra/Asylum in 1983. His ninth solo album, his Elektra/Asylum debut, Love Language went gold the spring of 1984. Philadelphia International issued two albums of unreleased tracks, This One's for You (1982) and Heaven Only Knows (1983). Other albums included Workin' It Back (1985), Joy (1988, whose title track stayed at #1 in the R&B charts for two weeks), and A Little More Magic (1993). The latter half of '90s found Pendergrass recording for the Surefire/Wind Up label. Truly Blessed (the name of an 1991 Elektra album) is the title of the autobiography Pendergrass co-authored with Patricia Romanowski.
Pendergrass passed away at age 59 on January 13, 2010 from complications following surgery for colon cancer.
Cold Cold World
Teddy Pendergrass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It seems that something being bothering you?
If you got a minute maybe there something I can say or do.
See, I realize life has it changes
Lot of changes, some times it seems
things just don't go right,
But there's one thing I want you to think
About as you lie on your bed tonight.
When the whole world seems against you
And your whole life seems unborn
And all you ever wanted was a little peace
I could understand just how you feel
But a little bit of peace of mind
Nowadays is so hard to find
And you can't even find it in your sleep
Here some advise I think you should keep
So I'm telling you
Don't let this cold world get you down
Don't let this cold world (Be Strong Hold On)
Get you down, get you down (don't let it get you down)
Cold, cold world, get you down
Cold, cold world, get you down
Listen
Dry your eyes, don't cry no more
What do you think a friend is here for?
There's always something we can do me & you
If things don't always go your way
You've got to prepare yourself each and every day
Oh, the changes that life will put you through
(Repeat Sing-along)
(Bridge)
I wonder whatever happened to
The happy song that I once know
You can't let nothing bother you ever bother you
Bother', bother' ever worry you
(Repeat Sing-along)
Hold on be strong
I know that for some folks
Life comes easy and for others it comes hard
Some folks to keep on trying while others just get tried
I need to share the things I learn
"Cold Cold World" is a song by Teddy Pendergrass that offers some words of encouragement to a friend who is going through a tough time. The lyrics suggest that life is full of changes and challenges that can make even the strongest person want to give up at times. The song acknowledges the difficulties that people face every day, but it also encourages listeners to stay strong and not let the world get them down.
Pendergrass sings about how hard it can be to find peace of mind in a world that seems to be against you. He offers some advice to his friend, telling him not to give up, and to prepare himself for the changes that life will put him through. The song stresses the importance of friends, and how they can offer comfort and support when things get tough.
The final section of the song is a call to action, urging listeners not to let their worries and fears get the better of them. The repeated refrain of "Hold on be strong" serves as a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope.
Line by Line Meaning
From one friend to another
I'm your friend and I want to help you
It seems that something being bothering you?
I have noticed that you are troubled. Is there anything I can do?
If you got a minute maybe there something I can say or do.
Would you like me to listen or offer advice? I'm here for you.
See, I realize life has it changes
I understand that life is full of changes and it can be difficult.
Lot of changes, some times it seems
things just don't go right,
There are many changes and sometimes things just don't work out as we hope.
But there's one thing I want you to think
About as you lie on your bed tonight.
I want you to remember something important as you go to bed tonight.
When the whole world seems against you
And your whole life seems unborn
And all you ever wanted was a little peace
I could understand just how you feel
I understand how it feels when everything seems to be going wrong and you just want some peace in life.
But a little bit of peace of mind
Nowadays is so hard to find
And you can't even find it in your sleep
Here some advise I think you should keep
It's difficult to find peace of mind these days, even in sleep. However, I have some advice which might help.
So I'm telling you
Don't let this cold world get you down
Don't let this cold world (Be Strong Hold On)
Get you down, get you down (don't let it get you down)
Cold, cold world, get you down
Cold, cold world, get you down
I urge you to not let the harshness of this world bring you down. Stay strong and fight it.
Listen
Dry your eyes, don't cry no more
What do you think a friend is here for?
There's always something we can do me & you
I'm here to support you and help you out. Together, we can figure out a way to make things better.
If things don't always go your way
You've got to prepare yourself each and every day
Oh, the changes that life will put you through
Life doesn't always go as planned, so it's important to be prepared for anything. There will be many changes in life.
I wonder whatever happened to
The happy song that I once know
You can't let nothing bother you ever bother you
Bother', bother' ever worry you
I miss the old happy you, and I want you to stop worrying and overthinking everything. Don't let anything bother you.
Hold on be strong
I know that for some folks
Life comes easy and for others it comes hard
Some folks to keep on trying while others just get tried
I need to share the things I learn
Stay strong, and remember that everyone faces challenges in life. Some people have to work harder than others, but it's important to keep trying. I want to share the things I have learned with you.
Contributed by Kayla O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
mona cannon
This was and still is a great album! I love "EVERY SONG" on this album, but this is one of many favorites by Teddy, along with Life is a song worth singing. Such a positive and uplifting song with a great message. Teddy Pendergrass was a great singer with an amazing voice periodT! There will never be another like him. RIP Teddybear
Keva Oliver
L
Judith Henderson
Yaasssssss……..
Dexter Wimbush
So good
saj8
This song really puts things in perspective.
Milo Hargreaves
Don’t make them like Teddy anymore, one of the kings of soul for sure! Timeless music 🎵
Judith Henderson
This song says so much!!! I find myself hearing the lyrics of it in my mind throughout the day. It speaks volume.
It's My Thang
This song is so relevant now in 2021.
Valerie Chapman
Teddy Pendergrass. - Cold Cold World. (Official Philly Sound)
His voice says so much emotion. He really wants to tell us not to let this Cold, Cold World 🌎 get us down.
There’s a lot of things out there right now which get us down but I felt hope in his music. As always very pleasurable. You’re doing a grand job …. at least he is with me. Mmm !!!
carley kelly
The Lyrics......
My first concert was Teddy Pendergrass in Cleveland, Ohio
Still listening to this in 2022