Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea and Billy Rollins founded a singing group called The Blenders in their native Detroit, Michigan in 1959. The group soon added Leroy Fair (in place of Billy Rollins), bass singer Hubert Johnson, and guitarist Huey Davis, and auditioned for Berry Gordy's Motown Records. Gordy turned the act down, prompting Johnson to call his cousin, R&B star and Gordy associate Jackie Wilson. Wilson in turn got The Contours a second audition with Gordy, at which they sang the same songs they had at the first audition, the same way, and were signed to the company.
The group's first singles, "Whole Lotta Woman" and "The Stretch", were unsuccessful, and the group was in danger of being let go. Also at this time, Leroy Fair was replaced with Sylvester Potts. In early 1962, Gordy had the Contours record "Do You Love Me", a composition originally meant for The Temptations. The resulting record, with its shouted lead vocals from Billy Gordon, became a number-two hit 1962.
In 1964, Billy Hoggs, Joe Billingslea, Hubert Johnson, and Sylvester Potts all quit the group. Berry Gordy hired Council Gay, Jerry Green and Alvin English to back Billy Gordon, making the Contours a quartet. Within a year, Sylvester Potts returned to the group (replacing Alvin English), but Billy Gordon departed at about the same time. Gordon was replaced by Joe Stubbs, brother of Four Tops lead singer Levi Stubbs. Stubbs soon quit the act and was replaced by Dennis Edwards.
During the mid-1960s, The Contours recorded several records which received R&B radio play (notably "First I Look At The Purse" and "Just a Little Misunderstanding"), but were considered secondary to Motown's major male vocal groups: The Temptations, the Four Tops, and The Miracles. The group's contract with Motown expired in 1967, and the Contours disbanded. Lead singer Dennis Edwards was recruited to replace the departed David Ruffin as lead singer of The Temptations. Edwards later became a solo hitsmaker as well.
After the group's demise, Joe Billingslea has reformed the Contours several times. Billingslea first resurrected the group in 1971, with himself, Council Gay, Arthur Hinson, Martin Upshire and C. Autry Hatcher as its members. By 1987, the lineup included Billingslea, Hinson, Darell Nunlee, Charles Davis, and Motown-era Contour Sylvester Potts. The same year, "Do You Love Me" was prominently featured in the film Dirty Dancing, which led to a revival of both the recording and the Contours touring career.
The Contours were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. The group is today a quartet led by Joe Billingslea, with fellow members Al Chisholm, Charles Davis, and Gary Grier. Former member Hubert Johnson committed suicide on July 11, 1981, and Huey Davis died February 23, 2000. Sylvester Potts died in January 2017.
Do You Love Me
The Contours Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You didn't even want me around
And now I'm back to let you know I can really shake 'em down
Do you love me? (I can really move)
Do you love me? (I'm in the groove)
Now do you love me?
(Do you love me now that I can dance?)
(Work, work) ah, work it out baby
(Work, work) well, I'm gonna drive you crazy
(Work, work) ah, just a little bit of soul, now?
(Work)
Now I can mash potatoes (I can mash potatoes)
I can do the twist (I can do the twist)
Tell me, baby, do you like it like this?
Tell me (tell me) tell me
Do you love me?
Do you love me, baby?
Now do you love me?
(Do you love me now that I can dance?)
Watch me, now
(Work, work) ah, work it out baby
(Work, work) well, I'm gonna drive you crazy
(Work, work) you are getting kind of cold, now
(Work)
(Work, work) with just a little bit of soul, now ?
(Work, work) come on, come on now
(Work, work) I'm gonna drive you crazy
(Work)
I can mash potatoes
I can do the twist
Well now, tell me, baby, do you like it like this?
Tell me (tell me) tell me
Do you love me?
Do you love me, baby?
Do you love me?
Do you love me?
Now that I can dance
(Work, work) ah, work it out baby
(Work, work) well, I'm gonna drive you crazy
(Work, work) oh you are getting kind of cold, now
(Work)
(Work, work) with just a little bit of soul, now
(Work, work) now don't you get kinda bold, now?
(Work, work) oh, work it out, baby
The Contours' "Do You Love Me" is gleefully confident and upbeat track that follows a protagonist who is seeking to win back the love of his former partner. The song opens with the lyrics "You broke my heart 'cause I couldn't dance / You didn't even want me around," conveying the idea that the singer's inability to dance well resulted in the end of his relationship. However, the singer has since become a proficient dancer and is now returning to his former partner to show off his new skills and ask if she still loves him.
Throughout the song, the singer repeats the refrain "Do you love me?" with increasing intensity, eager to receive a favorable response from his former partner. The verses are filled with energetic dance moves including mashing potatoes and doing the twist, which further emphasize the singer's newfound dancing abilities. The use of call-and-response vocals and group harmonies in the song further adds to its infectious, upbeat and positive nature.
This song is an early example of the "Motown" sound, which refers to a style of soulful, upbeat music characterized by its distinct rhythm and blues-influenced sound. "Do You Love Me" was originally written by Motown founder Berry Gordy as a solo instrumental track for The Contours' guitarist, but it was eventually transformed into a vocal track for the band.
Line by Line Meaning
You broke my heart 'cause I couldn't dance,
You didn't like me because I couldn't dance and it made me really sad.
You didn't even want me around
You didn't even want me near you because I couldn't dance and it hurt my feelings.
And now I'm back to let you know I can really shake 'em down
But now I'm back and I want to show you that I can really dance and make you like me again.
Do you love me? (I can really move)
I'm asking you if you love me now that I can dance really well, and I'm showing off my moves.
Do you love me? (I'm in the groove)
I'm asking you again if you love me now that I can dance in the groove and really feel the music.
Now do you love me?
I'm asking you one last time if you love me now that I can dance.
(Do you love me now that I can dance?)
I'm still asking if you love me now that I can dance, it's very important to me.
Watch me, now
I want you to watch me dance so you can see how good I am now.
(Work, work) ah, work it out baby
I'm telling myself to work hard and dance well, as I show off my new found talent.
(Work, work) well, I'm gonna drive you crazy
I'm going to dance so well that it's going to make you crazy and you'll love me again.
(Work, work) ah, just a little bit of soul, now?
I'm telling myself to dance with a little bit of soul so that it looks really good when I dance.
Now I can mash potatoes (I can mash potatoes)
I'm telling you that I can now do the mashed potato dance move very well.
I can do the twist (I can do the twist)
I'm telling you that I can also now do the twist dance move really well too.
Tell me, baby, do you like it like this?
I'm asking you if you like my new found talent of dancing and doing the mashed potato and the twist.
Tell me (tell me) tell me
I'm asking you again to tell me if you like my new talent of dancing.
Do you love me?
I'm asking you one last time if you love me now that I can dance.
Do you love me, baby?
I'm still asking if you love me, it's very important to me.
Now that I can dance
Again, I'm emphasizing that now that I can dance, I hope you'll love me again.
(Work, work) oh you are getting kind of cold, now
I'm telling myself to dance better because you're not really responding to me, and it's making me feel like you don't really like me yet.
(Work, work) with just a little bit of soul, now
I'm telling myself again to dance with a little bit of soul so that it looks really good when I dance.
(Work, work) now don't you get kinda bold, now?
I'm telling you to not get too bold or aggressive, as I dance and try to win over your affection.
(Work, work) oh, work it out, baby
I'm telling myself to dance even better so that you'll start to like me again, and work hard to get your attention and love back.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Berry Gordy Jr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
JaneLee Keller
1962
Thanks Much C H Stereo 😊
Love This Song 💓.
Of course I'm Sure Most People know it was also featured in The Movie 'Dirty Dancing' 🙂.
JaneLee - in Suburban Philadelphia Pennsylvania, USA
2/27/22
Jon Martinez
Props to whoever made the decision to record this classic on color video tape. It's timeless and is probably one of the oldest music videos around.
thomas agustin
this is a remaster
Jon Martinez
@thomas agustin Yeah it's remastered, but it was originally recorded on 2-inch videotape, which is why it's so smooth and lacks grain. Motown did that with their artists.
Navidad na
Magnífico,me devuelve mis años jóvenes con está música maravillosa
liza sulong
Brilliant songs music from the past! ❤
Kommander Karl
There was really something special about music during this time. Nothing these days just makes me feel so excited this kind of music does.
Sonicfanboy3
Fax
GarandLuvr
His gravelly voice and their smooth voices are a perfect mix! 😄😄😄😄
jollytunes
As much as I love the Tremeloes' version the original is still the best!
slownoman
For straight ahead true rock and roll, it doesn't get better than this. I was a HS sophomore when this gem came out. We'd dance like crazy every time it came on. Watch me now, hey!!!