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 Wanna Go Home
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're in suspension, hey I caught you, you cannot hide, it's all inside
Easy, she knows you can't see me
Yes Mr Miser, Mr, Mr Mystery she's saying to me
Saying he can't see you, he can't free you, he can't be you
He just want to be you, he needs a dealer as a healer
I've seen that expression on your face
Expression can't see me, she knows you can't see me
Yes, I'm reminded of those days, take you back in time, it's all unite
Here comes a reason to my rhyme, the man used to fly
He used to fly easy but know you can't see me
I've seen that expression on your face
I could have sent you to that place
Expression can't see me, she knows you can't see me
I know mine, mine know me, I can sail upon your sea
I can sail upon your sea so easy, she knows you can't see me
Down by the river side I waited there for you, take you back in time
You're in suspension, hey I caught you, you cannot hide, it's all inside
Easy, she knows you can't see me
I've seen that expression on your face
I could have sent you to that place
Expression can't see me, she knows you can't see me
She knows you can't see me, she knows you can't see me
She knows you can't see me
The lyrics to The Dells's song "I Wanna Go Home" are quite abstract and open to interpretation. The song seems to be about the desire to go back in time and reunite with someone who is no longer present. The singer waits by the river, hoping for a chance to relive the past with this person. However, the person seems to be in a state of "suspension," unable to move on and trapped within their own thoughts and feelings.
The singer makes references to a "Mr. Miser" and a "Mr. Mystery," suggesting that there may be some external forces at play that are preventing the person from moving on. The singer also mentions that the person "needs a dealer as a healer," possibly implying that they are struggling with addiction or substance abuse.
Throughout the song, the singer repeats the line "she knows you can't see me," which suggests a sense of invisibility or being overlooked. It is unclear who this "she" is referring to, but it could be another way of describing the person's internal struggles and their inability to see the outside world clearly.
Overall, the lyrics to "I Wanna Go Home" are poetic and mysterious, leaving much to the interpretation of the listener. The song seems to touch on themes of nostalgia, regret, and the struggle to move on from the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Down by the river side I waited there for you, take you back in time
I am waiting for you by the river to take you back in time.
You're in suspension, hey I caught you, you cannot hide, it's all inside
You are stuck and I caught you. You cannot hide what's inside you.
Easy, she knows you can't see me
It's easy for her to know that you cannot see me.
Yes Mr Miser, Mr, Mr Mystery she's saying to me
She is calling you Mr Miser and Mr Mystery to me.
Saying he can't see you, he can't free you, he can't be you
She says that you cannot see me, free me, or be me.
He just want to be you, he needs a dealer as a healer
You just want to be me, and you need someone to heal you like a dealer.
I'm reminded of those days, take you back in time, it's all unite
I remember those days and will take you back in time to unite with them.
Here comes a reason to my rhyme, the man used to fly
A reason for my rhyming comes with a man who used to fly.
He used to fly easy but know you can't see me
He used to fly effortlessly, but now you cannot see me.
I know mine, mine know me, I can sail upon your sea
I know myself and my surroundings. I can navigate through your sea.
Down by the river side I waited there for you, take you back in time
By the river, I am still waiting for you to take you back in time.
You're in suspension, hey I caught you, you cannot hide, it's all inside
You are still stuck, and I caught you. You cannot hide what's inside you.
Expression can't see me, she knows you can't see me
You cannot see me through your expression, and she knows it.
She knows you can't see me, she knows you can't see me
She knows that you cannot see me.
Writer(s): Marvin Junior
Contributed by Mateo L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.