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.
I'm Sorry
The Delfonics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes I broke your heart in two
And I want the world to know I'm sorry (sorry)
So if by chance you want to know
If I really love you so
All you have do to is come and ask me
Never mind what they do
I'll tell you tra la la la la la
Know that I love you
Tra la la la la la
Know that I love you
Now I hunger for your touch
I never knew you meant so much
I know that I have hurt you and I'm sorry (sorry)
So darling take me back again
And our love will never end
Don't listen to the whole world talk about me
Please never mind what they say
Never mind what they do
I'll tell you tra la la la la la
Know that I love you
Tra la la la la la
Know that I love you
The Delfonics’ “I’m Sorry” is a soulful ballad that narrates the story of a man apologizing for being unfaithful to his partner. The lyrics start by him admitting to his infidelity and expressing his regret for breaking her heart. The phrase “And I want the world to know I'm sorry” suggests that the man feels guilty for his actions and is willing to face the consequences of his mistakes. The repetition of the word “sorry” throughout the song emphasizes the sincerity of the man’s apology and his desire to make amends.
The man then goes on to express his love for his partner and reassures her that he truly loves her. He encourages her to ask him if she wants to know if he truly loves her, suggesting that he is willing to prove his love to her. The repetition of the phrase “Never mind what they say, never mind what they do” highlights his commitment to their relationship despite what anyone else thinks.
The final verse reinforces the man’s remorse and his desire to rebuild the relationship. He expresses his deep longing for his partner’s touch and how much he realizes he needs her in his life. The phrase “don’t listen to the whole world talk about me” signals that he is aware of how his infidelity may have damaged his reputation and pleading with her to overlook the rumors.
Overall, “I’m Sorry” is a poignant and heartfelt apology about a man who deeply regrets his mistakes and hopes to rebuild a loving relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
My love I ran around on you
I cheated on you, my love
Yes I broke your heart in two
My actions led to breaking your heart in two
And I want the world to know I'm sorry (sorry)
I want everyone to know how sorry I am for hurting you
So if by chance you want to know
If you want to know
If I really love you so
If my love for you is true
All you have do to is come and ask me
Just ask me and I will tell you
And never mind what they say
Don't listen to what others say
Never mind what they do
Don't pay attention to their actions
I'll tell you tra la la la la la
I will sing to you
Know that I love you
So you know that my love for you is real
Now I hunger for your touch
I crave your touch and presence
I never knew you meant so much
I did not realize how important you were to me
I know that I have hurt you and I'm sorry (sorry)
I acknowledge that I caused you pain and I am truly sorry
So darling take me back again
Please forgive me and give me another chance
And our love will never end
Our love will last forever
Don't listen to the whole world talk about me
Ignore what others say about me
Please never mind what they say
Please don't pay attention to their words
Never mind what they do
Don't worry about their actions
I'll tell you tra la la la la la
I will sing to you
Know that I love you
So you know that my love for you is real
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave, Reservoir Media Management, Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THOM BELL, WILLIAM HART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tanline6662
Rest in peace to all of the victims of the Jonestown massacre.
@luanarthurla
may they rest in peace, very sad
@JerseyVibes
Rest In Peace Mr. William “Poogie” Hart. Lead singer of The Delfonics. One of the best falsetto’s of all time!
@user-qk8uh4me5v
Ever!!!
@damienalston1244
Factz!!!
@lorrainejohnson5461
Best EVER and he never lost it either. Thank you for sharing your gift. Rest in peace
@rogerbowen4978
WORD TO THE MOTHER !
@rivers9799
Yes best ever!!
@alexanderpetrenko539
Jim Jones brought me here.
@leerhode1021
RIP William Hart. Thank you and The Delfonics for the timeless music. (7-2022).