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)
I Touched A Dream
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see the moon, I see the sunrise
But there's nothing in between
Sorry is the word, oh, but fool is what I really need
'Cause when I touched you girl, I touched the queen
I touched a dream, yes I did, oh
I touched a dream
All I do is dream of fantasies, secret thoughts of love
Secrets of you and me and when we make love
Someone unreal will have to take your place
For without your love, my life is such a waste
I feel so bad because once the dream were so real
And pride won't let me hide the way it feels
To touched a dream, strange as it seems, oh
To touched a dream, strange as it seems
Since you left, life's been kind of mean
I tried another love affair but I couldn't feel a thing
Give me back the feeling, take this numbness from my heart
And give these hands of mine another chance
One more chance, oh
To touched a dream, stranger it seems
I touched a dream, strange as it seems
I touched a dream, stranger as it seems
I touched a dream, dream, dream, dream
When I touched you, baby
You know babe, I just realize, baby
Until you walk out the door, babe
I just realize I love you so much
Oh, don't, don't be so like that
To have a dream, to have a dream like you, baby
I touched a dream, dream, dream
Sometimes strange as it may seem
Come back one more time, baby
Let me put my hands around you, baby
Oh, oh, I touched a dream, strange as it seems
The lyrics of The Dells's song I Touched A Dream are a reflection of lost love and the longing for it to be restored. The singer's life is depicted as meaningless and hollow since the departure of his love interest. He yearns for the feeling he had when he was with her, and describes the time as touching a dream. He expresses that he made mistakes and apologizes, but all he really wants is another chance with her. He says that he can only think of fantasies, secret thoughts and love, but none of them can match what he had with his queen.
The song has a melancholic tone, and it captures the essence of nostalgia and regret. The lyrics are filled with desperation and helplessness of a man who has lost something precious. The use of the phrase 'touched a dream' suggests that he had something that was otherworldly or ethereal and that he may never find again. The song is about the loss of love, the yearning to get it back, and the realization that what he had was a dream, and dreams don't last forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Since you left, life don't mean a thing
After you left my life has lost its meaning
I see the moon, I see the sunrise
I watch the celestial bodies move, but feel a void in between
But there's nothing in between
My life has no substance without you
Sorry is the word, oh, but fool is what I really need
I apologize, but what I really require is your love
'Cause when I touched you girl, I touched the queen
I felt like I was with royalty when I was with you
I touched a dream, yes I did, oh
Being with you was like living a dream
All I do is dream of fantasies, secret thoughts of love
I can only imagine fantasies and secret thoughts of love
Secrets of you and me and when we make love
Memories of our intimacy remain only between us
Someone unreal will have to take your place
I can never replace the unique love I shared with you
For without your love, my life is such a waste
My life is worthless without your love
I feel so bad because once the dream were so real
I regret how real my love for you was
And pride won't let me hide the way it feels
I can't help but feel vulnerable because of my pride
To touched a dream, strange as it seems, oh
Loving you felt like an unexplainable, surreal dream
Since you left, life's been kind of mean
After you left my life has been harsh
I tried another love affair but I couldn't feel a thing
I attempted another romance but it didn't fulfill me
Give me back the feeling, take this numbness from my heart
I want to feel again, and remove this numbness in my heart
And give these hands of mine another chance
I want another chance at love
One more chance, oh
Just one more opportunity to love you again
To touched a dream, stranger it seems
It's odd how being with you felt like a dream
I touched a dream, strange as it seems
Being with you was surreal, but it was real
I touched a dream, stranger as it seems
Being with you felt otherworldly, despite being real
I touched a dream, dream, dream, dream
I was living in a dream while I was with you
You know babe, I just realize, baby
I just recognized just how much I love you
Until you walk out the door, babe
I didn't fully realize my love for you until you left
Oh, don't, don't be so like that
Please don't act like this towards me
To have a dream, to have a dream like you, baby
I want to have a dream like you in my life again
Sometimes strange as it may seem
Despite how bizarre it might sound
Come back one more time, baby
Just return once more
Let me put my hands around you, baby
Let me embrace you again
Oh, oh, I touched a dream, strange as it seems
Being with you felt like I was living in a beautiful dream
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: EUGENE RECORD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind