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.
Round and Round
The Delfonics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Delfonics's song "Round and Round" is a song about the circular nature of life and the importance of taking action to achieve one's goals. The lead singer, Tevin Campbell, asks the listener to consider where they are going and what they really want to find in life. He questions whether the truth is really out there or if it has been right in front of us all along. He suggests that dreaming and talking alone will not lead to success, but it is taking action and doing something that will really make a difference.
The lyrics of "Round and Round" encourage the idea of taking risks and not being afraid to pursue one's dreams. The singer acknowledges that nothing comes from just dreaming or talking without action, and that success requires effort and perseverance. He encourages the listener to stop making excuses and take advantage of opportunities when they arise. The song's upbeat tempo and catchy melody reinforce this message and make it an uplifting and inspiring song.
Line by Line Meaning
Lead voice by Tevin Campbell Oh yeah round and round and round round round yeah yeah yeah ooh yeah
The song begins with the repetition of 'round and round', indicating the cyclical nature of life, and the use of 'yeah' and 'ooh yeah' adds excitement and energy to the song.
Can u tell me where we're going 2?
The singer is questioning the ultimate destination of their journey in life.
Can u tell me what it is we really want 2 find?
The singer is also questioning the true purpose or goal of their life's journey.
Is the truth really there? Or is it right under our hair?
The artist is wondering if the answer or truth they seek is already within them and they just need to look within themselves to find it.
4 all we know it's been there all the time.
The artist suggests that perhaps the answer or truth they seek has been there all along, but they have been ignoring it or overlooking it.
I say nothing comes from dreamers but dreams I say sitting idle in our boat while everyone else is down the stream
The singer believes that merely dreaming of success or happiness is not enough, and that one must take action and move forward to achieve their goals.
Nothing comes from talkers but sound
The singer suggests that talking alone will not bring about any real change or progress.
We can talk all we want 2 but the world still goes around and round. Round and round.
The cyclical nature of life continues regardless of how much people talk or dream, emphasizing the importance of action and forward movement to achieve one's goals.
And what we're looking 4 still isn't found
Despite the search for answers and truth, the artist acknowledges that they have not yet found what they are looking for.
Can u tell me when we gonna get 2 it. I'm tired of fooling around I said I wanna do it. (go 4 it get 2 it) I learned my lesson young I said if want to have fun (go 4 it) And when u win say "I knew it" (go 4 it get 2 it)
The artist is expressing frustration with the lack of progress towards their goals and is urging themselves to take action and go for it, drawing from their past experiences to motivate themselves.
1 day I'll make it in the big city and I'll be looking 4 a girl who's pretty 1 day I'll make a play and she will say ok 'cause I plan 2 be a cool kitty
The singer is expressing their aspirations for the future, including finding success in the big city and romance with a beautiful girl.
Round and Round. I say nothing comes from dreamers but dreams I say sitting idle in our boat while everyone else is down the stream Nothing comes from talkers but sound
The chorus is repeated, reiterating the idea that merely dreaming or talking will not bring about any real change or progress.
Round and round. We go round and round and round. And what we're looking 4 still isn't found
The repetition of 'round and round' emphasizes the cyclical nature of life, and the acknowledgement that the search for answers and truth is ongoing.
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: WILBERT HART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind