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.
Feel The Fire
Teddy Pendergrass Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Somethin' that you told me
Stayed in my head all night long
You wanted me to love you
When you said simply
Reach out and touch me
My love is in your hands
Feel me
I want to feel the fire
Why you want to play my emotions?
Mmm, mmm, mmm
And if I should lose your love
For any reason, any reason at all
Then just let my record show
I gave you all my love, I know
Feel me (feel the heat) (oh, that's all you got to do)
I want to feel the fire
Feel me
I want to feel the fire
I don't wanna play with your emotions
Give me love
And all of your devotion
Feel me
I want to feel you
Feel me
And if I should lose your love
For any one reason, any reason at all (tell me)
Then just let my record show (that you gave me)
I gave you all my love, I know
Feel the fire
(I want to feel the fire)
I want to feel you (feel me)
I want to feel you
Feel the fire (feel the heat)
Feel the fire (feel me)
I wanna feel you (but teddy, teddy, teddy, don't you dare)
I wouldn't dare
Don't you dare try and play with my emotions (oh)
I wanna give you all of my love (oh, yeah)
I wanna give you all of my love (give it to me)
Oh
Feel the fire (feel, feel)
Feel the fire (feel it, feel it, don't you feel it?)
Feel the fire (feel it, feel it, feel it)
Feel it, ooh, ooh, ooh, feel it
Come on, teddy
Feel the fire (i wanna give you all of my love)
(I wanna give you all of my love)
Feel, feel (oh, I wanna give you all of my, all of my, all of my)
(All of my, every little bit of my loving)
Don't you play with my (don't you dare)
Don't you play with my emotions (i don't believe that you would dare
(Play with my emotions)
You better believe it, baby (I do)
Give me all of your love, baby (you got it all)
Give me all of your love (you)
I'll give you all of mine
The song "Feel the Fire" by Teddy Pendergrass is about a man who is deeply in love and wants to express his desire for his partner. The lyrics convey a strong message of passion and love. The song begins with the man recounting something that his partner said to him, which stayed in his head all night long. She wanted him to love her and expressed it in the simplest terms, asking him to reach out and touch her. The man is so deeply in love that he wants to feel the fire of passion and desires his partner's love and devotion. He warns his partner not to play with his emotions, as he has given her everything in his heart and soul, and hopes that she reciprocates his feelings.
One interpretation of the song is that it is a plea for a deep and meaningful relationship built on love and trust. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes that the man wants to feel the fire, which can be interpreted as his desire for passion and emotional connection. He wants his partner to give him her love and devotion, and in return, he will give her all of his.
In conclusion, "Feel the Fire" is a passionate song about a man's deep love for his partner, and his desire for an emotional connection built on love and trust.
Line by Line Meaning
Somethin' that you told me
Teddy is recalling a statement that was made to him
Stayed in my head all night long
The statement made had a significant impact on Teddy
You wanted me to love you
The singer desired Teddy's affection
When you said simply
The artist was straightforward in their request
Reach out and touch me
The artist wanted Teddy to make a physical connection
My love is in your hands
The singer is entrusting Teddy with their love and emotions
Feel me
The singer wants Teddy to pay attention to their feelings and emotions
I want to feel the fire
The artist wants a passionate and intense connection
Why you want to play my emotions?
The artist is questioning why someone would want to manipulate their emotions
And if I should lose your love
The artist is acknowledging the possibility of losing Teddy's affection
For any reason, any reason at all
The singer recognizes that any circumstance could cause Teddy to fall out of love
Then just let my record show
The artist wants there to be a record of the love that was given
I gave you all my love, I know
Teddy is confident that he has shown the singer his love
Give me love
The singer wants Teddy to give them his love
And all of your devotion
The singer wants Teddy's unwavering dedication
Feel me
The artist again wants Teddy to pay attention to their feelings and emotions
Feel the fire
The artist desires a passionate and intense connection with Teddy
I don't wanna play with your emotions
Teddy does not want to manipulate the singer's emotions
Feel the fire
The singer desires a passionate and intense connection with Teddy
And if I should lose your love
The artist is acknowledging the possibility of losing Teddy's affection
Then just let my record show
The artist wants there to be a record of the love that was given
I gave you all my love, I know
Teddy is confident that he has shown the artist his love
(oh, that's all you got to do)
It is easy for the singer to fulfill their desire
I wanna give you all of my love
The artist desires to give Teddy all of their love
Come on, teddy
The singer is urging Teddy to respond to their desires
Don't you play with my
Teddy is warning against manipulating the singer's emotions
Don't you play with my emotions
Teddy is urging the singer not to manipulate his emotions
Give me all of your love, baby
The artist desires Teddy's complete love
I'll give you all of mine
The artist will reciprocate Teddy's love
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Peabo Bryson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dexterwansel7331
Thanks everyone. Here are the music credits.
Lead Vocals-Teddy Pendergrass, and Stephanie Mills
Strings/Horns/Winds/Arranger/Conductor-Dexter Wansel
Keyboards-Dexter Wansel
Drums-Quinton Joseph
Bass-Jimmy Williams
Guitar-Cecil,Womack
Sax solo-Zach Zachary
Backing vocals-The Sweethearts Of Sigma Sound Studios
(Carla Benson, Evette Benton, and Barbara Ingram.) And The Futures
Strings/Horns/Winds-MFSB
Don Renaldo-Contractor
Produced by-Dexter Wansel and Teddy Pendergrass
Recorded at Sigma Sound Studios Philadelphia.
Engineers, Arthur Stoppe, and Peter Humphreys
@shawnshorter1272
I dedicate this 2 my late wife that passed away from Covid & Pneumonia almost 10 months ago.This song is 4 u 😭😭😭😭
@astridtilburg6887
😥
@lillianneal138
You have my deepest condolences. Remember God won't put more on you than you can BARE🙌
@djgwil1
Shawn, I'm so sorry for your loss 😥 keep your head up bro
@shawnshorter1272
My late wife's been gone from Covid & Pneumonia a year now
@cherrijordan3638
Sorry for your loss
@SIGMAMAN69
Don’t you dare play with Stephanie’s emotions Teddy!
@yourmotherheaux
😂😂😂
@twistedfashionbydee2376
😂😂😂 just heard her say that just now !!
@CJ1hunnid
Same here lol