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)
Learning To Love You Was Easy
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But it′s so hard trying to get over you)
Llearning to love you was easy
But it's so hard trying to get over you
Learning to love you is easy to do
But it′s so hard trying to get over you
Every morning at 8:15
And we'd meet every day at lunchtime
It was part of our daily routine
I can try to change the subject
When someone mentions your name
I can try to act very nonchalant
And smile through all of my pain
I can try but it ain′t gonna work
Learning to love you was easy
But it′s so hard trying to get over you
Learning to love you is easy to do
But it's so hard trying to get over you
Don′t just think I sit on hoping
I've been looking for somebody new
But I can′t never be too choosy
Oh, there's no other girl like you
I′m dreaming about you 'cause I love you
I thought someday I'd marry you
If I could turn you off like a neon sign
I′d find somebody new
But I love you (I love you)
I can′t help myself
Learning to love you was easy
But it's so hard trying to get over you
Learning to love you is easy to do
But it′s so hard trying to get over you
(Learning how to love you, sweet baby, was easy
But it's so hard trying to get over you)
I try to forget you
(Learning how to love you was easy)
Lord knows I try to forget you
(But it′s so hard trying to get over you)
(Learning how to love you was easy
But it's so hard trying to get over you
Learning how to love you, sweet baby, was easy
But it′s so hard trying to get over you)
The song "Learning To Love You Was Easy" by The Dells is a ballad that speaks to the pain and difficulty of getting over a former lover. The singer speaks of their experience of loving someone and the great effort it took to make it work, but now they find themselves struggling to move on from the relationship. The lyrics are a reflection on the complicated nature of falling in love and the strong emotional ties that can be difficult to untangle.
Throughout the song, the singer reminisces about the fond memories they shared with their former lover, from morning calls to lunchtime meetups. The singer is also honest with themselves, recognizing their inability to forget their former partner, even as they try to move on.
The song's message is universal in that it speaks to anyone who has ever struggled to get over a past love. The lyrics are heartfelt and resonate with listeners who have experienced the pain of a broken heart.
Line by Line Meaning
Learning to love you was easy
The process of loving you was easy and effortless for me.
But it's so hard trying to get over you
However, it's incredibly difficult for me to forget about you and move on.
I can't forget now that I called you
I remember the specific details of our relationship, like how I used to call you every morning and meet you for lunch.
I can try to change the subject
I attempt to avoid thinking about you by changing the topic whenever someone mentions your name.
And smile through all of my pain
Even though it hurts, I force a smile to hide my true feelings from others.
I can try but it ain't gonna work
Despite my attempts to move on, I know deep down that it's not feasible.
Don't just think I sit on hoping
I'm not just sitting around waiting for you to come back, I'm actively looking for someone new.
But I can't never be too choosy
However, I can't afford to be too picky about who I date because no one compares to you.
I'm dreaming about you 'cause I love you
I still have feelings for you, which is why you often appear in my dreams.
If I could turn you off like a neon sign
If it were possible, I would shut off my feelings for you like a light switch so that I could move on and find someone new.
But I love you (I love you)
However, I can't help that I still love you despite my efforts to move on.
I try to forget you (Learning how to love you was easy)
I'm actively trying to forget about you and move on, but it's difficult because loving you was so easy.
Lord knows I try to forget you (But it's so hard trying to get over you)
I'm making a conscious effort to forget about you, but it's a difficult task to get over you.
(Learning how to love you, sweet baby, was easy
But it's so hard trying to get over you)
Overall, loving you was effortless, but forgetting about you and moving on has proven to be challenging.
Writer(s): Jimmy Roach
Contributed by Wyatt F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
red rooster
The dells are hard inna lowrider with hella bass and the ass dragging .
smegybellend
cool