Brothers William and Wilbert Hart formed the group with Richard Daniels, and Randy (Rudy) Cain in high school in the early 1960s. Richard Daniels one of the founding members would be drafted just before the groups first major success.
Soon, they became known throughout the Philadelphia area, signing with Cameo Records. At Cameo, Stan Watson introduced them to the man who made them famous, producer Thom Bell, then working with Chubby Checker. Bell dreamed of creating a Philadelphia version of Motown and struck gold with the Delfonics, whose first album, released on Watson's own Philly Groove record label, featured the hit "La-La (Means I Love You)", in 1968. Four more Bell-produced albums appeared in the next few years: The Sexy Sound of Soul, The Delfonics Super Hits, The Delfonics and Tell Me This Is a Dream. Among the Delfonics' popular hits were "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)", "For the Love I Give to You", "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" and "Hey Love". Prior to the release of "La-La (Means I Love You)", they had a hit with "He Don't Really Love You" on the small Moonshot label.
Philadelphia soul was smoother than traditional soul, strongly influenced by Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" production, but solidly based in the doo-wop sounds of the 1950s. Randy Cain left the group in 1971, and in 1973 had a hand in formulating Blue Magic when he brought singer-songwriter Ted Mills in to do some writing for W.M.O.T. (We Men of Talent), and the remaining future members of Blue Magic came in for an audition. The rest, as they say, is history. Cain was replaced by Major Harris; by then, however, Thom Bell had moved on to produce The Stylistics and later, The Spinners. The Delfonics swiftly produced another album, Alive and Kicking, produced by Stan Watson. However, in the absence of Thom Bell, the Delfonics' career declined sharply, and with the exception of the aforementioned Hey Love and the minor hits "When You Get Right Down to It", "I Don't Want to Make You Wait" and "I Told You So", success eluded them after 1975. ("For the Love I Give to You", although popular, was never released as a single.) Most of their songs at this point were written by lead singer William Hart.
Major Harris left and had major success with the song "Love Don't Let Me Wait". Wilbert Hart also left around this time, leaving William Hart as the only original member. New members were brought in, and the group continued for some time. The group then broke up and reformed with William Hart, Randy Cain, and Major Harris. (Wilbert Hart formed his own Delfonics group; the members were Wilbert, Eban Brown (falsetto lead), and Dr. S. Love.) Dr. Salaam Love has performed with both William and Wilbert Hart for the last twenty five plus years. Although often in the background he is more than qualified to take lead when asked. His claim to Fame is his vocal versatility. Randy Cain left for a second time, and was replaced by Frank Washington of The Futures.
Their music enjoyed a mild renaissance in the mid-1990s when New Kids On The Block had a hit with "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)". "La La Means I Love You" and "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" played a pivotal role in the film Jackie Brown. In the film, one of the characters is so struck by the music, he goes out and buys The Delfonics Greatest Hits cassette the following day. Their songs appeared in numerous movies and "Ready or Not Here I Come (Can't Hide from Love)" served as the basis of two hit hip hop singles: it was the chorus for The Fugees' 1996 hit "Ready or Not", and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Timbaland sampled the string and horn intro for Elliott's hit 1997 "Sock It to Me". The Notorious B.I.G.'s last hit, "Playa Hata" released that same year, was a take-off on "Hey Love." The Delfonics also provided backing vocals on the track "After the Smoke has Cleared" on the 1996 hip hop album Iron Man by Ghostface Killah. In 2004 Ghostface also sampled "La-La Means I Love You" for his song "Holla" from his album The Pretty Toney Album. "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" was also sampled on Cam'ron's hit single "Hey Ma".
The current line-up of the Delfonics is William Hart, Garfield Fleming (baritone lead), and Johnny ("JJ") Johnson. Wilbert also has a group, sometimes called "The Delphonics", "The New Delfonics" or simply billed as "Wilbert Hart". Eban Brown went on to become the lead singer of The Stylistics, and Frank Washington is now the lead singer of The Spinners. The current line-up of the group is featured in concert on the DVD's "The Big Show" and "'70's Soul Jam," whereas Wilbert Hart's group is featured on the DVD "Old School Soul Party Live!," which was part of the PBS "My Music" series. Major Harris is also featured on the recently re-released DVD "Blue Magic/Margie Joseph/Major Harris Live!", which was recorded during their prime in 1975.
Baby I Love You
The Delfonics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With a line that wasn't true
And you passed them by
(Passed them by)
So you're in the center ring
And their lines don't mean a thing
Why don't you let me try
(Let me try)
Now I don't wear a diamond ring
I don't even have a song to sing
All I know is
La la la la la la la la la means
I love you
Oh, baby please now
La la la la la la la la la means
I love you
If I ever saw a girl
That I needed in this world
You are the one for me
(One for me)
Let me hold me in my arms
And thrill you with my charms
I'm sure you will see
(You will see)
The things I am sayin' are true
And the way I explain them to you
Listen to me
La la la la la la la la la means
I love you
Oh, baby baby
La la la la la la la la la means
I love you
The things I am sayin' are true
And the way I explain them to you, yes to you
Listen to me
La la la la la la la la la means
I love you
You know, you'll have to understand now
La la la la la la la la la means
I love you
Come on and take my hand
The Delfonics's song "La-La Means I Love You" is a love song about a man trying to convince a woman to give him a chance. The song begins by acknowledging that many other men have tried and failed to win her over with insincere lines, but the singer believes he is different. He tells her that he doesn't need material things or a special talent to prove his love - all he has is the la-la-la's, which symbolize his genuine affection for her. He pleads with her to let him show her what he can offer and promises that his words are true.
The song's simplicity is part of its charm. The repetitive la-la-la's allow the music to convey the singer's feelings more than the lyrics themselves. The instrumentation is light and airy, adding to the dreamy atmosphere. The song's sentiment has made it a classic, beloved by generations of listeners.
One interpretation of the song is that the la-la-la's are meant to represent the sounds of love, rather than being actual words with a meaning. It could be argued that the man's love for the woman is so profound that he cannot express it in words, and so resorts to singing nonsense syllables that signify his emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Many guys have come to you
Several men have approached you
With a line that wasn't true
With insincere statements or false promises
And you passed them by
You rejected them
So you're in the center ring
You are the focus of attention
And their lines don't mean a thing
Their cheesy pick-up lines are ineffective
Why don't you let me try
Why not give me a chance
Now I don't wear a diamond ring
I don't have material wealth to offer
I don't even have a song to sing
I am not a famous musician
All I know is
But what I do know is
La la la la la la la la la means
My repetition of 'la' represents
I love you
My affection towards you
Oh, baby please now
I am pleading with you
If I ever saw a girl
If I were to come across a woman
That I needed in this world
That I felt I truly required in my life
You are the one for me
You fit that description perfectly
Let me hold me in my arms
Allow me to embrace you
And thrill you with my charms
And captivate you with my personality
I'm sure you will see
I am confident that you will realize
The things I am sayin' are true
My words are honest
And the way I explain them to you
And I am making myself clear
Listen to me
Pay attention to what I am saying
You know, you'll have to understand now
You should comprehend
Come on and take my hand
Take my hand and let me love you
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THOMAS RANDOLPH BELL, WILLIAM ALEXANDER N HART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind