Origins And Early Successes
----------------------------
Originally inspired by The Beatles, the Cowsills developed their musicianship and harmonized vocals in performances at school dances and churches in their hometown. They were encouraged by their parents, Barbara and Bud Cowsill, who drove them around to shows in the family's station wagon. Bud had retired from a long career in the US Navy to manage his children's career together with his wife.
The band drew increasing attention through the 1960's as their musical proficiency improved. In late 1965, the initial four members were hired as a regular act on Bannisters Wharf in Newport where they would sing "The Beatles" songs hour after hour. They also produced their first recordings, and released them on Mercury Records. Despite their appeal, the company passed on a record contract for reasons never specified. In 1966, the band was signed by MGM records, and shortly after Barbara - who would become known to their fans affectionately as "Mini-Mom" due to her diminutive stature - joined the group to record The Rain, The Park and Other Things. Shortly thereafter the band was expanded yet again to include siblings Susan and Paul.
With the success of "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" the band quickly became a popular act in the U.S., and achieved significant airplay in England and other parts of Europe. "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" wound up reaching #2 on the Billboard charts, and sold some three million copies in its first release.
Bob Cowsill is quoted as follows on the band's early days:
"Although Bill and I performed at a very young age, and Bill, myself, Barry and John did a lot of frat parties at Brown University and clubs in Newport ... the most memorable performance of what I would view as the precursor of what The Cowsills would be was at King's Park in Newport (right at the foot of Halidon Hall) at some carnival. The family angle just evolved ... first Bill and me, then Bill me and Barry, then Bill, me, Barry and John, then Bill, me, Barry, John and Mom, then Bill, me, Barry, John, Mom and Paul, then later, me, Paul, John, Barry, Mom and Susan, then back to Bill, me, Barry and John (very briefly in the end) and then to me, Paul, John and Susan. Our first real break came when we were playing the MK Hotel in Newport (in the basement there) and a guy from the Today show saw us and asked if we wanted to be on the Today show. We weren't famous or anything but we were young and we were related and we were quite good. So we went on the Today show (I doubt a tape exists of that but if it did it would be priceless to see) and someone from Mercury Records saw us which ultimately led to our signing with that label and putting out "Most Of All" (a great "school's out" song that should have been our first hit in my opinion) which led to Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff. Mercury dropped us, but Artie and Steve had written "The Rain, The Park and Other Things" and we went in and recorded that song at A&R studios in New York and took the whole package to MGM who decided wouldn't it just be terrific if their mother performed with them and, voila, the rest, as they say, is history. "
In 1969 they had another number two hit with their version of the title song from the musical Hair.
The Cowsills are often cited as the inspirtation for TV's "The Partridge Family."
The Path Of Love
The Cowsills Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
follow down the Path of Love.
Come on little children
gather 'round me and hear what I say,
To lead the life you should,
you got to strive to be good ev'ry day.
You can brighten the dark
with a light in your heart,
So come on,
follow down the Path of Love.
Come on, ev'rybody together.
Come on, let me show you the way.
Come on, we can do much better,
follow down the Path of Love.
Come on, ev'rybody together.
Come on, let me show you the way.
Come on, we can do much better,
follow down the Path of Love.
Believe there is someone who loves you,
no matter what.
You can count your blessings
and be happy with whatever you've got.
Won't you brighten the dark
with a light in your heart,
you better shine like the sun above,
So come on,
follow down the Path of Love.
Come on, ev'rybody together.
Come on, let me show you the way.
Come on, we can do much better,
follow down the Path of Love.
Come on, ev'rybody together.
Come on, let me show you the way.
Come on, we can do much better,
follow down the Path of Love.
The lyrics to The Cowsills's song The Path of Love are a call to action to those listening to live a good life and to strive to be better every day. The song emphasizes the importance of love, happiness, and positivity in life. The singer urges the listener to follow the Path of Love, which is defined as a way of life that is filled with kindness, generosity, and compassion towards others. The song's lyrics acknowledge that while life can be tough at times, believing that someone loves you and counting your blessings can bring happiness and satisfaction regardless of one's circumstances.
The song's chorus calls upon everyone to follow the Path of Love together. It empowers the listener to enact change and to create a better world by living with love in their hearts. The song's positive message is inspiring, and the upbeat tempo and melody complement the lyrics perfectly. Perhaps one of the strongest messages communicated in the song is that by brightening the dark with light in one's heart, one can shine like the sun above and make the world a brighter place.
Line by Line Meaning
Well come on,
Let's get going.
follow down the Path of Love.
Let's pursue a life filled with love.
Come on little children
Hey, everyone, regardless of age.
gather 'round me and hear what I say,
Listen carefully to my message.
To lead the life you should,
To live the ideal life,
you got to strive to be good ev'ry day.
you must work hard to be good every day.
You can brighten the dark
Even in times of darkness,
with a light in your heart,
if you possess a light within you,
that'll shine like the sun above,
it will shine as bright as the sun in the sky,
So come on,
Therefore,
ev'rybody together.
Let's unite as a group.
Come on, let me show you the way.
Allow me to guide you.
Come on, we can do much better,
We have the potential to do better,
Believe there is someone who loves you,
You should believe that someone loves you,
no matter what.
Regardless of the circumstances.
You can count your blessings
Be grateful for what you have,
and be happy with whatever you've got.
and find happiness in what you possess.
you better shine like the sun above,
you must shine like the sun in the sky,
follow down the Path of Love.
pursue a life founded on love.
Come on, ev'rybody together.
Let's unite as a group.
Come on, let me show you the way.
Allow me to guide you.
Come on, we can do much better,
We have the potential to do better,
follow down the Path of Love.
pursue a life founded on love.
Come on, ev'rybody together.
Let's unite as a group.
Come on, let me show you the way.
Allow me to guide you.
Come on, we can do much better,
We have the potential to do better,
follow down the Path of Love.
pursue a life founded on love.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: TONY ROMEO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind