The group formed in the late 1950s when The Chanteurs (Record, Robert "Squirrel" Lester, and Clarence Johnson) teamed up with Marshall Thompson and Creadel "Red" Jones to form The Hi-lites. Wishing to add a tribute to their home town of Chicago, they changed their name to the Chi-Lites" in 1964. Johnson left later that year, and their name was subsequently shortened to The Chi-Lites.
Eugene Record was the group's primary songwriter, though he frequently collaborated with others, such as Barbara Acklin.
Their major hits came in 1971, with "Have You Seen Her?", and 1972, with "Oh Girl".. In fact, The Mighty Majors ("You Can Never Go Back") won 1st Place at the Apollo Theatre Wednesday night Talent Show the night that The Chi-Lites were performing one of their finest performances ever at The Apollo that night in the early '70's.
Other transatlantic chart smashes followed, although the output became more fragmented as the group's personnel came and went. For example, bass singer Creadel Jones left in 1973 and was replaced in quick succession by Stanley Anderson; Willie Kensey; and then Doc Roberson. Shortly thereafter, Eugene Record left, and David Scott and Danny Johnson entered.
More personnel changes ensued, when Johnson was replaced by Vandy Hampton in 1977.
At that point the group totally disintegrated, but re-formed in 1980 with the mid sixties quartet of Record, Thompson, Jones, and Lester back together. Creadel Jones left for a second time in 1982, leaving the group as a trio. Record left again in 1990, and new lead Anthony Watson was recruited, considered by many to be one of the best in the group's history. (It should be noted that Robert Lester took over lead of "Oh Girl", while Watson led the other songs.) The group also featured an ever-changing female member.
Once the hits had completely dried up, further changes took place. In the early 1990s, Creadel Jones returned again, but would subsequently leave. Throughout the 1990s, Watson left twice; each time Frank Reed took over as lead singer. In 2002 the group was comprised of Marshall Thompson, Robert Lester, Anthony Watson, and Tara Henderson. Watson left for a third time, when Thompson's wife took over as female vocalist.
The present day group is virtual 'ever presents' - Marshall Thompson, and Robert Lester; plus Tara Thompson, and new lead singer, Frank Reed. Robert :Squirrel" Lester Passed away on Jan. 21st, 2010.
One relatively unknown album track by the group from the 70's, 'Are You My Woman', had its main riff sampled by Destiny's Child group member Beyoncé Knowles, on her massive world-wide hit 'Crazy in Love'.
In addition, their song "Oh Girl" was sped up and sampled by Paul Wall in his song "Girl".
The original lead vocalist, and main songwriter, Eugene Record died on Friday, July 22, 2005
Low Key
The Chi-Lites Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh my holy moly, people act like my homies when they want some kind of benefit, just so they could live better
I′m sorry I can't trust you, I say both thank you and fuck you, oh man I dun had enough
And ever since I came up in this motherfucker I′ve been really hated
I'm human, I get bothered by everything that they saying
Some people getting angry and killing my reputation
But you gon' learn later I′m everything that they ain′t
And I do this for the crew, I ain't care how much it cost me
Cause I′mma be the greatest, I'm confident you′ll be sorry, just tell me what you want, what you really, really want
I got what you need, keep that on the low
She brought that all for me because I'm doing it most
Do it all for the team, whole team ′bout to blow
She said boy I love ya', I said it's good, now I know
And I fuck with you low key, low key
I fuck with you low key Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel like I′m off of some powder
I′m working hard every hour, new born gift just like baby showers
They in love with the set, you could do this all on your own
But its better when you got good friends. (Yea)
It took me mad long, but now I'm feeling joy
I used to be some kid but now I′m that boy
They hate my whole swagger, they hate my damn voice
I made a big change like George on mad coins
Oh you ain't really lyrical, we wish you were more spiritual
If we get a better song from you, it would be a miracle (Fuck You)
I′ll still be the greatest, I'm confident you′ll be sorry
Just tell me what you want, what you really, really want
Oh yeah, just trynna keep it on the low, the low
Oh, just trynna keep it on the low, the low
Jheez Out Here
The Chi-Lites's song Low Key addresses the issue of trust in relationships and the struggles that come with fame. The lyrics depict the artist's awareness of people's ulterior motives and how they only come around when they need something. The artist expresses his frustration and disappointment with the actions of those around him, and how he can no longer trust anyone. Additionally, the song talks about the artist's rise to fame and how he has been subject to hate and criticism since then. Despite the negativity, the artist's focus remains on his crew, and he's determined to do whatever it takes to make them succeed. The lyrics also touch on the artist's personal growth and newfound sense of fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
Real shit real...
People pretend to be my friends when they want something from me.
Oh my holy moly, people act like my homies when they want some kind of benefit, just so they could live better
People try to use me for personal gain so they can have a better lifestyle.
I′m sorry I can't trust you, I say both thank you and fuck you, oh man I dun had enough
I can't trust people anymore, and I'm fed up with their deception.
And ever since I came up in this motherfucker I′ve been really hated
People have been hating on me since I became successful.
I'm human, I get bothered by everything that they saying
I'm only human, so it hurts to hear all the negative things people say about me.
Some people getting angry and killing my reputation
Some people are angry and trying to ruin my reputation.
But you gon' learn later I′m everything that they ain′t
You'll realize later that I'm unique and different from everyone else.
And I do this for the crew, I ain't care how much it cost me
I do this for my team, and I don't care how much it costs me personally.
Get some flashy ladies and throw us a private party
Let's celebrate our success with some fancy ladies at a private party.
Cause I′mma be the greatest, I'm confident you′ll be sorry, just tell me what you want, what you really, really want
I'm going to be the best, and you'll regret doubting me. Tell me what you truly want.
I got what you need, keep that on the low
I have what you need, let's keep it a secret.
She brought that all for me because I'm doing it most
She brought everything for me because I'm giving it my all.
Do it all for the team, whole team ′bout to blow
We do everything for the team, and the team is about to become very successful.
She said boy I love ya', I said it's good, now I know
She told me she loves me, and now I'm sure of it.
And I fuck with you low key, low key
I really like you, but let's keep it between us for now.
Oh yeah, yeah, yeah, I feel like I′m off of some powder
I feel really energized and motivated, like I'm on some kind of drug.
I′m working hard every hour, new born gift just like baby showers
I'm working hard all the time, it's like a new gift every day.
They in love with the set, you could do this all on your own
People love what we're doing, but we could still succeed without their help.
But its better when you got good friends. (Yea)
Though we could succeed alone, it's better to have good friends on our side.
It took me mad long, but now I'm feeling joy
It took me a long time, but now I'm finally feeling happy.
I used to be some kid but now I′m that boy
I used to be underestimated, but now I'm making a name for myself.
They hate my whole swagger, they hate my damn voice
They hate everything about me, from my attitude to my voice.
I made a big change like George on mad coins
I made a huge change in my life, like George Washington on the penny.
Oh you ain't really lyrical, we wish you were more spiritual
You're not really a great lyricist, we wish you had a more spiritual message.
If we get a better song from you, it would be a miracle (Fuck You)
If you made a better song, it would be a miracle. (But they say it in a negative way.)
I′ll still be the greatest, I'm confident you′ll be sorry
I'll still be the best, and you'll regret doubting me.
Oh yeah, just trynna keep it on the low, the low
Yeah, I'm just trying to keep things quiet and low-key for now.
Oh, just trynna keep it on the low, the low
I'm really trying to keep things quiet and discreet.
Writer(s): Paul Richmond
Contributed by Eliana I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.