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
The Coldest Days Of My Life
The Chi-Lites Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The signs of springtime
There were birds, music
Everywhere, everywhere
Some of us played, oh yeah
And some of us cried
Can't you see, oh, can't you see
The tears in my eyes?
And what I had dreamed of, oh Lord
I thought it was here
10 feet tall, oh, I was riding so high
With eyes of a child, oh
Shining so bright, yes they were
Coldest days of my life
They were the coldest days of my life
I had to run for cover, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Cold, coldest days of my life
I thought there was no other, no, no, no, no
Lord, take away the pain
Oh, You know, You know
That it falls like rain
And it couldn't be much worse
Down below, down below, down below
Low, down below
It just couldn't be much worse
Down below
It just couldn't be that bad
The song "The Coldest Days of My Life" by The Chi-Lites talks about the disappointment and heartbreak that the singer experiences after a promising start. The lyrics describe the signs of springtime and the hope that it brings with it. Birds singing and music playing everywhere paints a picture of a joyful and optimistic season. Some people are playing while others are crying, which hints at the duality of life. But the singer can't enjoy this moment, and the tears in their eyes suggest that they are dealing with something very painful.
The next part of the song talks about how the singer thought their dreams had come true, and they felt ten feet tall, riding high with the eyes of a child shining bright. However, the coldest days of their life follows. They had to run for cover, and there was no other option. They wanted relief from pain as it was falling like rain, and it couldn't be worse. The reference to "down below" could be interpreted as being at the bottom of a deep hole or depression. Overall, the lyrics tell a story of someone who was happy and hopeful but then had to deal with a significant setback, which took them to a dark place.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember, oh yeah
I recall vividly
The signs of springtime
The indications of the arrival of spring
There were birds, music
Birds chirping and music playing
Everywhere, everywhere
All around me
Some of us played, oh yeah
Some of us were enjoying ourselves
And some of us cried
While some of us were sad
Can't you see, oh, can't you see
Don't you notice
The tears in my eyes?
The moisture that come out of my eyes as a result of sorrow
And what I had dreamed of, oh Lord
The aspirations I had, oh God
I thought it was here
I believed I had achieved it
10 feet tall, oh, I was riding so high
I felt extremely proud, couldn't be more confident
With eyes of a child, oh
Like a kid full of wonder and excitement
Shining so bright, yes they were
Radiating with brightness
Coldest days of my life
The most frigid time in my life
They were the coldest days of my life
Those days were the lowest point of my life
I had to run for cover, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I had to escape from the hardships
Cold, coldest days of my life
The days were terribly chilly
I thought there was no other, no, no, no, no
I thought there wasn't another way
Lord, take away the pain
God, relieve the agony
Oh, You know, You know
Oh, you are well aware
That it falls like rain
That it comes down heavily like rain
And it couldn't be much worse
And it could hardly be any worse
Down below, down below, down below
In the depths, deep down
Low, down below
Way down in the depths
It just couldn't be much worse
It couldn't have been any worse
Down below
Deep down
It just couldn't be that bad
It couldn't have been that terrible
Contributed by Carter E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@JaniceSpeed
Lord have Mercy! The coldest days of my life! Who here in 2020! This group was one of the best during its times. I was in High School!
@rondeneef
gonna escalate jan.. the shit is the hunting fo money..........09/2023WW3
@curtisboyd6567
Me too!
@ivornworrell
yeah, these brothers knew soul, God blessed them like that.
@Omniavincitlove
2024 Me!!!!!
@CalvinWatford
@@rondeneef😮😅 no😅
@rtillyer
This has to be one of the most beautiful and underrated songs ever puts tears in my eyes every time I hear it
@barrykurkowski3629
i'm crying now, so touching.
@ivornworrell
yeah, these brothers understood soul, God blessed them like that.
@lorrainebrown7732
This song was in my head! Not because of a broken heart 💔..... but how excellent it was arraigned and performed. I love it!