The Dells grew up in Harvey, Illinois and began singing together while attending Thornton Township High School. Forming in 1952 under the name the El-Rays, the group initially consisted of Marvin Junior, Mickey McGill, Lucius McGill, Verne Allison, Chuck Barksdale, and Johnny Funches. Lucius soon left the group and the remaining quintet signed with Checker Records, releasing their first single, "Darling I Know," which flopped.
In 1955, the group renamed themselves the Dells and signed with Vee-Jay Records. In 1956, they recorded their first hit, "Oh, What a Nite" (a song co-written by Johnny Funches, who also sang lead on the recording alongside Marvin Junior), which hit the Top 5 of the R&B singles chart. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The song is ranked #260 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In November 1958, the Dells suffered a car accident that left McGill in a hospital in Ohio for six months. The group temporarily disbanded and Barksdale sang as a member of Harvey Fuqua's spinoff Moonglows act, Harvey and the Moonglows, which included a young Marvin Gaye. In 1961, the Dells reunited and auditioned for Dinah Washington. After Washington agreed to hire them, Johnny Funches left the group to take care of his family. Funches was replaced by Flamingos founding member Johnny Carter and sang background for Washington for two years. In 1966, they were hired to open for Ray Charles, only to be fired after a performance resulted in several standing ovations. The group would also sing background for Barbara Lewis, mainly on Lewis' 1963 hit, "Hello Stranger", while also working with Quincy Jones, who helped to fine-tune their vocals for standards and jazz material.
In 1966, the Dells returned to Chess under the label's Cadet subsidiary working with Bobby Miller and future Earth, Wind & Fire arranger Charles Stepney. In 1967, the Dells issued the album There Is which included their first R&B chart-topper in years with the title track, which showcased the sharp baritone of Marvin Junior and the harmonies with the four other Dells. The song was also their first top 20 pop hit.
Subsequent R&B hits included "Wear It on Our Face," "Always Together" (Top 20 Pop, "I Can Sing a Rainbow - Love is Blue (medley)" (UK #15), and their first #1 R&B hit and first Top Ten pop hit, 1968's "Stay in My Corner," which reached #10 on the pop chart and showcased both Carter and Marvin in lead vocals. In the following year, 1969, The Dells' soulful remake of their debut hit, "Oh What a Night" gave the group their second chart-topping R&B single and also reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. For a second time, the song sold over a million copies. Subsequent hits included "Open Up My Heart," "Oh What A Day," and "On the Dock of the Bay." In 1971, the Dells' "The Love We Had Stays on My Mind" became another Top Ten hit on the R&B charts, also reaching the pop Top 30. By this time Charles Stepney had taken over production duties from Bobby Miller. 1973's "Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation" was their third certified gold record. The song was written by L.V. Johnson and produced by Don Davis.
Leaving Cadet around the end of 1974 with the parent company in financial difficulties, the group would continue recording in order under the Mercury, ABC, and Virgin labels finding some hits, including 1980's "I Touched a Dream", which returned the group to the top 40 on the R&B charts. The Dells were confined mostly to the oldies market afterwards until they were asked to be creative consultants to Robert Townsend's acclaimed 1991 film, The Five Heartbeats, which was loosely based on the lives of The Dells and other groups of its era. The group recorded a composition titled "A Heart Is a House for Love". The song reached number 13 on the Billboard R&B chart, making them only one of two groups to have hit singles in five decades. The following year, signing with PIR, they released the album, I Salute You. The Dells continued performing and recording sporadically in the early years of the new millennium. In 2004, the group were inducted to both the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group continued performing until 2012.
Original Dells vocalist Johnny Funches died of pneumonia on January 23, 1998, at the age of 62.
Johnny Carter died of cancer on August 21, 2009, at the age of 75. Carter is one of the few artists to be a double Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, having been inducted with The Flamingos in 2001, and the Dells in 2004.
On May 29, 2013, founding member Marvin Junior died in his sleep at his home in Harvey, Illinois, succumbing to complications of kidney failure and a weak heart at the age of 77.
Chuck Barksdale died on 15 May 2019, at the age of 83.
Members
Marvin Junior (born Marvin Curtis Junior, January 31, 1936, Harrell, Arkansas – May 29, 2013) - lead baritone, lead vocals (1952-1958, 1960–2012)
Verne Allison (b. June 22, 1936, Chicago) - second tenor, background vocals (1952-1958, 1960-2012)
Mickey McGill (b. February 17, 1937, Chicago) - baritone, background vocals (1952–1958, 1960-2012)
Chuck Barksdale (January 11, 1935 - May 15, 2019) - bass, background vocals (1952–1958, 1960-2012)
Johnny Funches (July 18, 1935, Chicago – January 23, 1998) - first tenor, lead vocals (1952–58, 1960-1961)
Lucius McGill (b. 1935, Chicago) - second tenor, background vocals (1952–54)
Johnny Carter (June 2, 1934, Chicago – August 21, 2009) - first tenor/falsetto, lead vocals (1961–2009)
Bring Back The Love Of Yesterday
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's pick up the pieces
And let's work this thing out
Bring back the love of yesterday
From me, you stole your love away
The look of love has left your eyes
Replace the pain and despise
I can feel a chill in the air
It makes me cold
And filled with despair
This raw silence
Leaves me dangling in space
I'll sacrifice tomorrow
Just to see your smiling face
The seeds of jealousy are
Destroying the love you have for me
There's no other woman near
?? you might love again
Bring back the love of yesterday
Don't turn your back on me this way
My world is all wrapped up in you
Deep in your heart, you know it's true
So come on, bring it back
Bring it on back now
Bring it back, bring it on back, girl
Bring it back, bring it on back now
Bring it back, bring it on back now
Yesterday, your love was warm and tender
But now today, you ?? love ??
Won't you tell me what's troubling your mind
Maybe the two of us, a solution we can find
I'll love you twice as strong
Til every seed of doubt is gone
There's no other woman near
?? you might love again
Bring back the love of yesterday
Bring it on back now
Bring it on back now
Girl, you know and I know
We had a good thing going
And all those good times
Ain't no sense in blowing
Ohh.....
Bring it back, bring it on back now
Bring it back, bring it on back now
You and me, we used to be
So good, so good
Now, can't you see
Bring it on home
In the song "Bring Back The Love Of Yesterday" by The Dells, the singer pleads with their lover to come back to them and work things out. They want to return to how their love used to be, when it was warm and tender. The singer accuses their lover of stealing their love away and replacing it with pain and despise. They can feel a chill in the air and a raw silence that leaves them feeling cold and desperate. The seeds of jealousy have been planted and are destroying the love they have for each other. However, the singer is willing to sacrifice tomorrow just to see their lover's smiling face again.
The singer continues to pour their heart out to their lover, telling them that there's no other woman near that could make them love again. They urge their lover to bring back the love of yesterday and not turn their back on them. The singer's world is all wrapped up in their lover, and deep down they know that it's true. They want their lover to come back to them and work things out, so they can return to the love they once had.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, baby
Addressing his lover, the singer begins the song.
Let's pick up the pieces
Acknowledging that things have fallen apart, the singer suggests fixing them.
And let's work this thing out
Proposing to put in the required effort to resolve the matter.
Bring back the love of yesterday
Asking his lover to reconnect with the feelings and emotions they once shared.
From me, you stole your love away
Hinting that his lover grew distant over time, ultimately losing touch with their love.
The look of love has left your eyes
Noticing the lack of affection in his lover's gaze.
Replace the pain and despise
Wishing to move past any negative emotions like anger or hatred.
I can feel a chill in the air
Sensing a coldness in the atmosphere which represents the current state of their relationship.
It makes me cold
The artist feels affected by the chilliness and becomes cold too.
And filled with despair
Feeling hopeless and overcome with sadness.
This raw silence
The absence of any communication between the two of them.
Leaves me dangling in space
Making him feel he is left hanging or uncertain about their relationship.
I'll sacrifice tomorrow
Willing to risk future possibilities for the sake of reconciling today.
Just to see your smiling face
Desiring to witness the joy his lover's smile can bring.
The seeds of jealousy are
Suggesting that there is the presence of jealousy somewhere that is causing a divide.
Destroying the love you have for me
The reason for the divide is causing damage to the love shared between them.
There's no other woman near
Confirming the absence of any external threat to their relationship.
?? you might love again
Unable to interpret the unclear line in the song.
Don't turn your back on me this way
Appealing for his partner not to give up or walk away from their relationship.
My world is all wrapped up in you
How much the artist is invested in the other person.
Deep in your heart, you know it's true
Consequently, she knows this as well but chooses to overlook it due to different reasons.
So come on, bring it back
Urging his partner to work towards returning their relationship to what it used to be.
Bring it on back now
Reinforcing the sentiment with a repetitive statement.
Yesterday, your love was warm and tender
Remembering a time when things were comfortable between the two of them.
But now today, you ?? love ??
Unable to interpret the unclear line in the song.
Won't you tell me what's troubling your mind
Encouraging his lover to open up to him so that they can work through the issues and resolve them.
Maybe the two of us, a solution we can find
Suggesting that together, they could find a way to work through the problems they are facing.
I'll love you twice as strong
Promise to love harder and with more depth.
Til every seed of doubt is gone
Working to remove any trace of uncertainty or suspicion.
Bring it on home
Asking his partner to bring their love home or back to him.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WILLIE SCHOFIELD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind