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.
Over and Over
The Delfonics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For you're the one I talk about
You don't believe
You think your love, I'll live without
Do you understand, understand?
I tried over and over again
I tried over and over again
Your friends all say
That I intend to break your heart
But why can't you see that
They'd be glad to see us part
Do you understand, understand?
I tried over and over again
I tried over and over again
I tried over and over and over again
Understand, understand
Over and over again
I tried over and over again
I tried over and over and over again
I tried over and over again
I tried over and over again
I tried over and over and over again
I tried over and over again
I tried over and over
The lyrics to The Delfonics' song "Over and Over" seem to be about a person trying to convey their love and commitment to someone who is skeptical and doesn't believe them. The singer expresses their feelings, stating "I love you so" and talking about how much they talk about this person to others. However, the person they are addressing does not believe in their love and thinks that they could easily live without them. The singer continues to plead with them, asking "Do you understand, understand?" and admitting that they have tried "over and over again" to convince them of their love and earn their trust.
Later in the song, the singer addresses the skepticism of the person's friends who believe that they are trying to break their heart. The singer is frustrated that the person cannot see through their friends' negativity and understand their true intentions. Despite this, the singer continues to plead their case, repeating the phrase "over and over again" in hopes that their love will eventually be accepted and reciprocated.
Overall, the song is a poignant and emotional expression of love and the struggle that can sometimes come with convincing someone of that love. The repeated phrase "over and over again" gives the impression of persistence and determination, even in the face of doubt and skepticism.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you so
I have deep and intense feelings of affection for you
For you're the one I talk about
You are the focus of my conversations and thoughts
You don't believe
You have doubts or disbelief about my love for you
You think your love, I'll live without
You believe that I can survive without your love
Do you understand, understand?
Do you comprehend the depth of my love and commitment?
I tried over and over again
I have made many efforts, attempts, and endeavors
Your friends all say
Your acquaintances express a shared viewpoint
That I intend to break your heart
That my intentions are to cause emotional pain and suffering to you
But why can't you see that
Why are you unable to perceive and understand the truth?
They'd be glad to see us part
They would derive happiness from us separating
Understand, understand
Comprehend and acknowledge
Over and over again
Repeatedly and persistently
I tried over and over again
I have made numerous attempts and efforts
I tried over and over and over again
I have tried many times in succession
I tried over and over again
I have made many attempts and efforts
I tried over and over again
I have made many attempts and efforts
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: THOMAS RANDOLPH BELL, WILLIAM ALEXANDER N HART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
wedge4hire
Magnificent! Thom Bell's genius on display yet again! Not only has the Philly Sound stood the test of time, I predict it will be even more appreciated 50 years from now! I feel so fortunate to call this, "a slice from my youth!! "
Terri Ann Blackwell
Over and over again...amazing hits.
Those good old days, when a person's heart sang with them.
Kevaun, the Sunflower
YES! Idk what's wrong with music now.
Heru Ammen
One of the most compelling musical arrangement and vocals in the history of Soul/R&B slow jams.
Karl24-7
Very interesting take on this classic that I'd have to
agree with.
prentiss belton
I ..............2nd that emotion
Gerard Jackson
One of my favorite songs of all time
wlsn11359
#truth
Samuel Mahmud
My favorite Delfonics song listen to the harmony simply beautiful what a group
d1.lowkey d1.lowkey
Tetcrexda