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)
There Is
The Dells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(There is)
(There is)
(There is)
(There is the time, there is the place)
(There is the girl, there is the face)
(There is the hand, there is the touch)
Oh girl, why won't you let me love you
And let your troubled heart be free
A-take heed a-to all my goodness
Take a hold and follow me now listen, baby
(There is today) yeah, yeah
(I am the road, I am the way) oh...
(I'll fight your fears down through the years) uh-huh!
(Believe me, believe me, baby)
Girl, why won't you let me love you
What does it take to make you see (you got to see, baby)
All the precious time you been a-wastin', baby (you been wastin', you been wastin')
You coulda been sharing it with me, sharing it baby
With every ounce of my love
I have in my command
I'm doing the very best I can
To make you understand, whoa, yeah
(There is) you, baby
(There is) and me
(There is) and hope
(There is) and love
(There is) you, you you
(There is) and me
(There is) and hope
(There is)
(This is the time, this is the place) yeah, yeah
(You are the girl, you are the face) all right
(I am the hand, this is my touch) uh-huh!
(There is the love I need so much)
(There is) you...
(There is) and me
(There is) and love
(There is) keep the faith, baby
The Dells’ song “There Is” is about the desire and persistence to win someone's love. The song's title "There Is" is repeated during the entirety of the song, emphasizing the existence of all the elements required for the singer to attain love - the right time, the right place, the right person, and the right emotions. The song begins with mentioning the necessary elements he needs to find love, such as the right time, the girl, the touch, and the love that he seeks. The singer urges the girl to let go of her fears and to follow him to find love. He then mentions that he is struggling to make her understand his love by giving his best in his command to make her feel his love.
The lyrics are simple and catchy, which makes it easy to relate to the emotions and messages the song conveys. The Dells' smooth and soulful harmonies and emotional delivery enable listeners to feel and empathize with the desperation to find love.
In summary, the song represents the story of a protagonist who is willing to take every measure necessary to acquire the love of his life. He asks his girl to leave her fears behind to follow him to love. The usage of repetition of the song's title and the encouraging tone of the lyrics make the song meaningful, bringing hope.
Line by Line Meaning
(There is)
The existence of something important
(There is)
The presence of another significant thing
(There is)
The importance of a specific value
(There is)
The need for something important
(There is the time, there is the place)
The importance of being in the right place at the right time
(There is the girl, there is the face)
The significance of a particular girl and her unique features
(There is the hand, there is the touch)
The powerful impact of physical contact
(There is the love I need so much)
The essential importance of love in the artist's life
Oh girl, why won't you let me love you
A plea for the girl to allow herself to be loved
And let your troubled heart be free
Suggesting that the girl has a troubled past that is holding her back
A-take heed a-to all my goodness
The singer is offering only the best intentions to the girl
Take a hold and follow me now listen, baby
The artist wants the girl to trust him and come along for the journey
(There is today) yeah, yeah
The importance of living in the present moment
(I am the road, I am the way) oh...
The singer is offering themselves as a guide for the girl
(I'll fight your fears down through the years) uh-huh!
The singer wants to be there for the girl through thick and thin
(Believe me, believe me, baby)
The artist wants the girl to trust them and their intentions
Girl, why won't you let me love you
Repeating the earlier plea to the girl to allow herself to be loved
What does it take to make you see (you got to see, baby)
The singer wants the girl to understand their intentions
All the precious time you been a-wastin', baby (you been wastin', you been wastin')
The singer wants the girl to see that they could be spending time together
You coulda been sharing it with me, sharing it baby
The artist wants the girl to realize that they could be enjoying life together
With every ounce of my love
The artist is giving everything they have to the girl
I have in my command
The artist is in control of their own actions and feelings
I'm doing the very best I can
The singer is trying their hardest to convey their feelings to the girl
To make you understand, whoa, yeah
The artist wants the girl to truly comprehend how they feel
(There is) you, baby
The girl is an important part of the singer's world
(There is) and me
The singer is offering themselves to the girl
(There is) and hope
The aspiration for a positive future
(There is) and love
The essential presence of love in a positive future
(There is) you, you you
Repeating the emphasis on the girl's importance
(There is) and me
Re-emphasizing the singer's offering of themselves
(There is) and hope
Repeating the drive for hope in the future
(There is)
Concluding the importance of all of these elements in the artist's life
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RAYNARD MINER, ROBERT MILLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@themightydells
The Mighty Dells: 1952 - 2012 - 60 Years of Musical Excellence.
2004 Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Inductees - 24th Annual IMAGE AWARD INDUCTEES. 'The 5 Heartbeats' based on The Dells.
2004 Vocal Group Hall of Fame - 1991 R&B 'Pioneer Award'
'Soul of American Music Award' - "Oh What A Night" EMMY
Number (11) in the top (100) Greatest Vocal Groups.
View:The Dells EMMY WINNING Documentary-Youtube Part 1 2 3.
The Dells: Marvin Junior, Johnnie Carter, Michael McGill,
Verne Allison, Charles Barksdale.
Long live The Mighty Dells
@thequietrevolution3404
(There is)
(There is)
(There is)
(There is)
(There is the time, there is the place)
(There is the girl, there is the face)
(There is the hand, there is the touch)
(There is the love I need so much)
Oh girl, why won't you let me love you
And let your troubled heart be free
Take heed to all my goodness
Take a hold and follow me
Now listen, baby
(There is the week, there is today) yeah, yeah
(I am the road, I am the way) oh, yeah
(I'll fight your fears, down through the years) un-huh!
(Believe me, believe me, baby)
Girl, why won't you let me love you
What does it take to make you see (you've got to see, baby)
All the precious time you've been wasting, baby (you've been wasting, you've been wasting)
You could've been sharing it with me, sharing it, baby
Oh, yeah
With every once of my love
I have at my command
I'm doing the very best I can
To make you understand, oh, yeah
(There is) you, baby
(There is) and me
(There is) in hope
(There is) in love
(There is) you, you you
(There is) and me
(There is) in hope
(There is)
Oh Girl, why won't you let me love you
What does it take to make you see (you've got to see, baby)
All the precious time you've been wasting, baby (you've been wasting, you've been wasting)
You could've been sharing it with me, sharing it, baby
(This is the time, this is the place)
(You are the girl, you are the face)
(Here is my hand, this is my touch)
(There is the love I need so much)
(There is) you
(There is) and me
(There is) in love
(There is) keep the faith, baby
(There is) you
(There is) and me
(There is) in hope
(There is) keep the faith, baby
(There is) yeah, yeah, yeah
(There is) in love
(There is) in peace
(There is) keep the faith, baby (repeat to fade out)
@sprnstn84
Oh girl, why won't you let me love you
And let your troubled heart be free
A-take heed a-to all my goodness
Take a hold and follow me now listen, baby
yeah, yeah
(I am the road, I am the way) oh...
(I'll fight your fears down through the years) uh-huh!
(Believe me, believe me, baby)
Girl, why won't you let me love you
What does it take to make you see (you got to see, baby)
All the precious time you been a-wastin', baby (you been wastin', you been wastin')
You coulda been sharing it with me, sharing it baby
With every ounce of my love
I have in my command
I'm doing the very best I can
To make you understand, whoa, yeah
you, baby
(There is) and me
(There is) and hope
(There is) and love
you, you you
(There is) and me
(There is) and hope
(There is)
yeah, yeah
(You are the girl, you are the face) all right
(I am the hand, this is my touch) uh-huh!
(There is the love I need so much)
you...
(There is) and me
(There is) and love
(There is) keep the faith, baby
@ericturner7906
Wow, memories! They put their all in every song they sang.
@Jjstier
A dance song in Philadelphia
@Jjstier
On wibbage and wiggle they payed this day and night
@MrJohnnytowncar
This song never gets old
@michaelfranklin4276
This sums up the turbulent energy of 1968. All in one song.
@LV-sc8fi
The 60s had to be the best decade ever for music!
@jojamful
Yes! You can’t beat the 60’s and 70’s music (in my opinion).
@Realmusiclover1957
You ain't never lied.
@petersiciagaither8371
Love this song forever
@rogergatta7773
I love this song as much as I did when I bought it. I was in the 10 th grade in love with a girl who never knew it. I was shy back then and didn’t approach her.