They were discovered by Richard Barrett, lead singer of the Valentines and eventually signed to End Records. Their first single was "He's Gone" (Pop #71) in August 1957. In January 1958 they released their second single, "Maybe" (#15 Pop; #2 R&B). Several other singles were released on End, though none as successful as "Maybe."
The group was dropped by End in 1959, and Arlene Smith decided to go solo. Lois left to pursue a college education. In 1960, Annette Smith (no relation) replaced Arlene and the group went to Carlton Records, where they had their second huge hit with "Look in My Eyes" (#14 pop, #6 R&B). Several other singles followed and the group switched labels several times. Personnel changed throughout the 60's, with their final single released in 1970.
Arlene fronted a new group of Chantels in the 1970s for oldies shows and continues to perform. The remaining original Chantels reformed as well and hired Noemi (Ami) Ortiz as their new lead singer. Jackie Landry died in 1997.
The Chantels were inducted into The Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002.
Well I Told You
The Chantels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To hit the road, Jack
I'm sorry now, so
Won't you come on back
Why you go and
Break my heart now
You know that we
Well, come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on now
Well, I told you
That you had to go
When I found out
You ain't had no dough
Whoa, money ain't everything
My love means more than anything
Well, come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on now
Now I'm back down on my knees
Say you want me back
Yeah, you come on, daddy
Cause I need a Cadillac
Well now, you told me
To pack my bags, baby
And that I had to go now
Well, that was yesterday
Well, I ain't coming back
No more, no, no, no
Well, I told you
To hit the road, Jack
I'm sorry now, so
Won't you come on back
Well now, you told me
To pack my bags
I had to go out on my own
Well, come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on now
Well, I told you
To hit the road, Jack
I'm sorry now, so
Won't you come on back
Well now, you told me
To pack my bags and go
Oh, I don't know now
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on back
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on back
The Chantels’ song “Well I Told You” is an emotional plea from a woman who realizes that she may have made a mistake by telling her partner to leave. The lyrics demonstrate both regret and longing, as the woman tries to entice her partner to return to her. In the first verse, the woman expresses her remorse for telling her partner to “hit the road” and implores him to come back to her. The second verse reveals that her decision was based on the fact that her partner didn't have any money, and the woman recognizes that money is not as important as the strength of their love. The chorus is a plea for her partner to return to her, and the final verse sees the woman apologizing for her actions and attempting to reconcile with her love. Despite her partner telling her to leave, the woman still wants him to return to her.
The powerful lyrics of this song reflect the emotions that come with ending a relationship too hastily, and the fear of being alone. The Chantels’ harmonies add to the poignant and emotional quality of the song, and their skilled performances make this a timeless classic. “Well I Told You” shows the power of remorse and the strength of love, and it remains a timeless classic of 50s music.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I told you
I gave you a warning
To hit the road, Jack
To leave and never come back
I'm sorry now, so
I regret my decision
Won't you come on back
I want you to return
Why you go and
Why did you
Break my heart now
Cause me pain and sadness now
You know that we
We both know that
Should never, never part
We should never separate
Well, come on, come on
Urging someone to take action
When I found out
When I discovered
You ain't had no dough
You didn't have any money
Whoa, money ain't everything
Money is not the most important thing
My love means more than anything
The love I have for you is more important than anything else
Now I'm back down on my knees
I am begging you
Say you want me back
Express that you want to resume our relationship
Yeah, you come on, daddy
You return to me, my love
Cause I need a Cadillac
I want an expensive car
Well now, you told me
You instructed me
To pack my bags, baby
To prepare to leave
And that I had to go now
And that I had to leave immediately
Well, that was yesterday
That situation is in the past
Well, I ain't coming back
I am not returning
No more, no, no, no
Absolutely not
I had to go out on my own
I had to leave and be independent
Well, I told you
I warned you
To hit the road, Jack
To leave and not return
I'm sorry now, so
I regret my decision
Won't you come on back
Please return to me
Oh, I don't know now
I am unsure
Come on, come on
Encouragement to take action
Come on, come on back
Please return to me
Contributed by Tristan T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Michael McBride
Thanks for providing the lyrics. I wouldn't have understood a lot of them otherwise.
Bob Wilson
We loved them should have been one of the all time great groups
sara davidson
my favourite song in the world love it cooooool
Teresa Carella
ROCKIN!
David Noguer
This is the song I dedicate myself
peanutzinuk
I remember when this song came out and Ray Charles "Hit the Road, Jack" was on the way down on KQV, Pittsburgh. There was only DJ who backed up Ray to the Chantels in a seque. Could've been the late Dave Scott. . .whoever it was, sounded great segue. Thank you for uploading. Peanutz
luis grant
If I'm not mistaken I think it was Richard Barrett doing the Ray Charles sound alike
engine-54
wicked!!
John Russell
Nice.
Leo Palacios
I was 11 yesterday.