1. The Buckinghams is an American sunshine-pop band from Chicago formed in 1966. They went on to become one of the top-selling acts of 1967, charting their only five Top 40 hits in the U.S. that year. The band dissolved in 1970, but re-formed in 1980 and as of 2019 they continue to tour throughout the United States.
If everyone on the northwest side of Chicago who claims to have hung out with the Buckinghams during their heyday had faithfully bought all their releases, the rock group might have sold more records than the Beatles. Popular attractions while still in high school, the quintet changed its name from the Pulsations to the Buckinghams to reflect the British Invasion craze and signed with Chicago's USA Records in 1966. Backing Dennis Tufano's buoyant lead vocals with prominent harmonies and punchy soul-styled brass, the group came across the wistful "Kind of a Drag," and in short order, The Buckinghams had a million-selling pop chart-topper on their hands. They quickly graduated to recording for Columbia. As long as songwriter Jim Holvay supplied more material of the same high quality as "Kind of a Drag," the Buckinghams were sitting pretty. Holvay co-wrote "Don't You Care," "Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)," and the pseudo-psychedelic "Susan," and they all proved to be major hits for the band. The group's R&B roots surfaced on a vocal adaptation of Cannonball Adderley's jazz standard "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," their second-biggest hit.
But the Buckinghams' fortunes soon changed drastically -- one of the top-selling rock groups of 1967, they managed only one hit after early 1968. Two original members, guitarist Carl Giammarese and bassist Nick Fortuna, have since revived the Buckinghams and began touring full-time again in 1982.
2. Not to be confused with the more famous Chicago hit-makers, The Buckinghams were a 1960s pop/beat band from Islington, North London, United Kingdom. They released two 45s on Pye Records: 'I'll Never Hurt You No More' b/w 'She Lied' (may 1965), quickly followed by 'To Be or Not To Be' b/w 'I Was Your First Guy'.
Are You There
The Buckinghams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you there with another boy instead of me?
I hear your laughter and there's
Something I've got to know
Are you there with another boy instead of me?
I'm standing on your doorstep and I
Don't know what to do
Or just walk away?
My friends all say that you were never true
(Love requires faith
I've got a lot of faith but)
I see two silhouettes in back
Of your window shade
Are you there with another boy
When I am gone?
I can't believe you'd break the
Promises that you made
If you're there with another boy
I can't go on i only know I love you
And I couldn't say goodbye
If there is another, I don't want to know
If you should go, oh I would surely die
You would never leave me
Hurt me or deceive me
I'm a fool to doubt you, worry so about you
Love requires faith, I've got a lot of faith
But i hear the music comin' outta your radio
Oh I only know I love you
And I couldn't say goodbye
If there is another, I don't want to know
If you should go, oh I would surely die
You would never leave me
Hurt me or deceive me
(You would never leave me
Hurt me or deceive me)
I'm a fool to doubt you, worry so about you
(I'm a fool to doubt you, worry so about you)
Love requires faith, I've got a lot of faith
A lot of faith in you
(Love requires faith, I've got
A lot of faith, but)
I hear the music comin' outta your radio
The lyrics to The Buckinghams' song "Are You There" depict a sense of insecurity and doubt in a romantic relationship. The singer reveals that they hear music coming out of their partner's radio, which makes them question if their partner is with another person instead of them. They hear laughter and feel a need to know the truth. The singer is standing on their partner's doorstep, unsure of whether to ring the doorbell or walk away. Their friends have told them that their partner was never true, but the singer is still conflicted. The mention of two silhouettes in the window shade adds to the suspicion that their partner might be with someone else when they are not around. The singer's love for their partner is evident, as they express the difficulty of saying goodbye and the idea of them being with someone else feels unbearable. They believe in their partner's loyalty and express their faith in the relationship, but the music coming out of the radio continues to haunt them, leaving them uncertain and worried.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear the music comin' outta your radio
I can hear the songs playing from your radio
Are you there with another boy instead of me?
Are you spending time with another guy instead of me?
I hear your laughter and there's something I've got to know
I can hear you laughing and it's making me curious
Are you there with another boy instead of me?
Are you spending time with another guy instead of me?
I'm standing on your doorstep and I don't know what to do
I'm outside your house, unsure of how to proceed
Should I ring your doorbell or just walk away?
Should I announce my presence or leave without saying anything?
My friends all say that you were never true
My friends believe that you have never been honest
Love requires faith, I've got a lot of faith but
Love demands trust, and although I trust you, it's difficult
I see two silhouettes in back of your window shade
I can see two shadows behind your window curtain
Are you there with another boy when I am gone?
Are you spending time with another guy when I'm not around?
I can't believe you'd break the promises that you made
It's hard for me to accept that you would betray the commitments you made
If you're there with another boy, I can't go on
If you're with someone else, I can't continue this relationship
I only know I love you, and I couldn't say goodbye
All I know is that I love you, and I can't bear to say goodbye
If there is another, I don't want to know
If there is someone else, I would rather not be aware of it
If you should go, oh I would surely die
If you were to leave, it would devastate me
You would never leave me, hurt me or deceive me
I believe you would never abandon, harm, or trick me
I'm a fool to doubt you, worry so about you
I'm foolish to question you and worry excessively about you
Love requires faith, I've got a lot of faith
Love demands trust, and I have a great deal of trust
But I hear the music comin' outta your radio
However, I can still hear the songs playing on your radio
Oh I only know I love you, and I couldn't say goodbye
All I truly know is that I love you, and I can't bring myself to part ways
If there is another, I don't want to know
If there is someone else, I would rather not be aware of it
If you should go, oh I would surely die
If you were to leave, it would devastate me
You would never leave me, hurt me or deceive me
I believe you would never abandon, harm, or trick me
I'm a fool to doubt you, worry so about you
I'm foolish to question you and worry excessively about you
Love requires faith, I've got a lot of faith
Love demands trust, and I have a great deal of trust
A lot of faith in you
A great amount of trust in you
Love requires faith, I've got a lot of faith, but
Love demands trust, and though I have plenty of trust, there are still doubts
I hear the music comin' outta your radio
I can hear the songs playing from your radio
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Hal David, Burt Bacharach
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamescrow9854
The Big 89 WLS radio , What a wonderful magical time In music & in my life as a young Teen. Thank you Dennis !
@RayR
You know the best thing about this song? It's not the girl this song is about as it's obvious she's with another boy, but the purity of faith the boy has in love. That's just Beautiful.
@ronaldscala4105
The voice of a KING. Dennis Tufano 🎤🎶🎼🎵
@bretstanley9449
Love those Major 7 chords! That is so Bacharach!
@StanBennet
For an idiot like me, what is the sound I'm looking for that defines what you wrote?
@bretstanley8931
Sorry for the delay! I just saw this reply. The opening chord is a Major 7 chord all the way up until he sings "Another boy". Most pop/rock songs use three note chords, called triads. But Bacharach often used four note chords called Major sevenths or Minor sevenths. A lot of 70's bands like Steely Dan also used these chords. They create a very rich and beautiful sound.
@ArnoldArchives
Pop Perfection. Bacharach is an incomparable composer, and the Buckinghams were/are a criminally underrated band. To think what popular “music” sounds like now—and the ungodly behaviors it promotes—compared to this auditory bliss is both astonishing and immensely depressing.
@bretstanley8931
I agree with everything you said! It is quite depressing isn't it!?
@lloydcarroll2338
Great job by Dennis Tufano as well as the rest of the Buckinghams on background vocals.
@gemeyes2
Love Dennis Tufano!