Billy Ward and His Dominoes were one of the top American R&B groups of the … Read Full Bio ↴Billy Ward and His Dominoes were one of the top American R&B groups of the 1950s, and launched the careers of both Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson.

Billy Ward (born Robert L. Williams, 19 September 1921, Savannah, Georgia—died 16 February 2002, Inglewood, California) grew up in Philadelphia, the second of three sons of Charles Williams and Cora Bates Williams, and was a child musical prodigy, winning an award for a piano composition at the age of 14. Following military service he studied music in Chicago, and at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. While working as a vocal coach and part-time arranger on Broadway, he met talent agent Rose Marks, who became his business and songwriting partner.

The pair set out to form a vocal group from the ranks of his students. The group was at first called the Ques, and comprised Clyde McPhatter (lead tenor), Charlie White (tenor), Joe Lamont (baritone), and Bill Brown (bass). Ward acted as their pianist and arranger. After the group made successful appearances on talent shows in the Apollo Theater and on the Arthur Godfrey show in 1950, Rene Hall recommended them to Ralph Bass of Federal Records, a subsidiary of King, where they were signed to a recording contract and renamed themselves the Dominoes. Their first single release, "Do Something For Me", with McPhatter’s lead vocal, reached the R&B charts in early 1951, climbing to #6.

After a less successful follow-up, the group released "Sixty Minute Man", on which Brown sang lead, and boasted of being able to satisfy his girls with fifteen minutes each of "kissin'" "teasin'" and "squeezin'", before "blowin'" his "top". It reached #1 on the R&B chart in May 1951 and stayed there for a 14 weeks. It was an important record in several respects—it crossed the boundaries between gospel singing and blues, its lyrics pushed the limits of what was deemed acceptable, and it appealed to many white as well as black listeners, peaking at #17 on the pop charts. In later years, it became a contender for the title of "the first rock and roll record".

The group toured widely, building up a reputation as one of the top R&B acts of the era, and an audience which crossed racial divides. However, Ward's strict disciplinarian approach, and failure to recompense the singers, caused internal problems. The name "The Dominoes" was owned by Ward and Marks, who had the power to hire and fire, and to pay the singers a salary. Clyde McPhatter was being paid barely enough to live on, and often found himself billed as "Clyde Ward" to fool fans into thinking he was Billy Ward's brother. White and Brown both left in 1951 to form The Checkers, and were replaced by James Van Loan and David McNeil (previously of The Larks).

In March 1952, the Dominoes were chosen to be the only vocal group at Alan Freed's "Moondog Coronation Ball". The hits continued, with "Have Mercy Baby" topping the R&B charts for 10 weeks in 1952. However, in early 1953, McPhatter also decided to leave, and soon formed a new group, The Drifters. His replacement in the Dominoes was Jackie Wilson, who had sung with the group on tour. Lamont and McNeil also left and were replaced by Milton Merle and Cliff Givens. With Wilson singing lead, singles such as "You Can't Keep A Good Man Down" continued to be successful.

In 1954, Ward moved the group to the Jubilee label and then to Decca, where they enjoyed a #27 pop hit with "St. Teresa of the Roses". However, the group were unable to follow that success in the charts, and there were a succession of personnel changes. They increasingly moved away from their R&B roots with appearances in Las Vegas and elsewhere. In late 1956, Wilson left for a solo career and was replaced by Gene Mumford of The Larks. The group then got a new contract with Liberty Records, and had a #13 pop hit with "Stardust". This proved to be their last major success, although various line-ups of the group continued recording and performing into the 1960s.

They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2006.

Former members
Billy Ward
Clyde McPhatter
Charlie White
Joe Lamont
Bill Brown
James Van Loan
David McNeil
Jackie Wilson
Milton Merle
Cliff Givens

These Foolish Things
The Dominoes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh! Will you never let me be?
Oh! Will you never set me free?
The ties that bound us
Are still around us
There's no escape that I can see
And still those little things remain
That bring me happiness or pain

A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
An airline ticket to romantic places
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
A tinkling piano in the next apartment
Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
A fair ground's painted swings
These foolish things remind me of you
You came you saw you conquer'd me
When you did that to me
I knew somehow this had to be
The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you

First daffodils and long excited cables
And candle lights on little corner tables
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The "Ile de France" with all the gulls around it
The beauty that is Spring's
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you

Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
And still my heart has wings
These foolish things remind me of you
The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The song that Crosby sings
These foolish things remind me of you
How strange how sweet to find you still
These things are dear to me
They seem to bring you near to me
The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers

Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
These foolish things remind me of you

Overall Meaning

These lyrics from The Dominoes' song "These Foolish Things" capture the theme of lost love and the lingering memories associated with it. The singer expresses a sense of longing and entrapment, pleading for release from the ties that still bind them to their lost love. Despite this desire for freedom, the singer finds themselves haunted by the little things that remind them of their past relationship, both the moments of happiness and the moments of pain.

The lyrics paint a vivid picture of these reminders, such as a cigarette with lipstick traces, an airline ticket to romantic places, a tinkling piano in the next apartment, stumbling words that revealed the depths of their heart, and a fairground's painted swings. In each of these details, the singer finds a connection to their lost love, unable to escape the memories that these foolish things bring. The nostalgia intensifies as the lyrics mention daffodils, long excited cables, candle lights, a park at evening, and the beauty of Spring, all of which evoke the presence of their former lover.

The lyrics suggest that the singer was conquered by their lost love, acknowledging the profound impact this person had on them and the inevitability of their connection. The song also highlights the bittersweetness of these reminders, as they simultaneously bring both joy and pain. The ghost of their lost love clings to the singer's thoughts, forever intertwined with these foolish things.

Overall, "These Foolish Things" explores the complexity of emotions associated with lost love, the longing for freedom, and the enduring power of memories.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh! Will you never let me be?
Oh! Will you never allow me to have freedom?

Oh! Will you never set me free?
Oh! Will you never release me from your grasp?

The ties that bound us
The connections that kept us together

Are still around us
Still present in our lives

There's no escape that I can see
There seems to be no way to break free

And still those little things remain
Yet these small details persist

That bring me happiness or pain
That evoke both joy and sorrow in me

A cigarette that bears a lipstick's traces
A cigarette marked with the imprint of lipstick

An airline ticket to romantic places
A ticket to destinations filled with romance

And still my heart has wings
Yet my heart feels light and free

These foolish things remind me of you
These insignificant things bring back memories of you

A tinkling piano in the next apartment
The sound of a softly playing piano in the neighboring apartment

Those stumbling words that told you what my heart meant
Those clumsy words that revealed the depth of my emotions

A fair ground's painted swings
Colorful swings in a carnival

These foolish things remind me of you
These insignificant things bring back memories of you

You came you saw you conquer'd me
You arrived, you observed, you triumphed over my heart

When you did that to me
When you captured my heart in that way

I knew somehow this had to be
I had a feeling that it was meant to happen

The winds of March that make my heart a dancer
The breezes of March that bring joy and vitality to my heart

A telephone that rings but who's to answer?
A ringing telephone with no one to pick up

Oh, how the ghost of you clings!
Oh, how the memory of you holds on tightly!

These foolish things remind me of you
These insignificant things bring back memories of you

First daffodils and long excited cables
The first blossoming daffodils and long, enthusiastic messages

And candle lights on little corner tables
Soft flickering lights on small tables in the corners

The park at evening when the bell has sounded
The park in the evening after the bell has chimed

The 'Ile de France' with all the gulls around it
The 'Ile de France' ship surrounded by seagulls

The beauty that is Spring's
The beauty that belongs to the season of Spring

How strange how sweet to find you still
How peculiar and delightful to realize you are still present

These things are dear to me
These things hold great sentimental value to me

They seem to bring you near to me
They give me the sensation of being close to you

The sigh of midnight trains in empty stations
The sound of trains passing through deserted stations at midnight

Silk stockings thrown aside dance invitations
Abandoned silk stockings and invitations to dance

The smile of Garbo and the scent of roses
The smile of Greta Garbo and the fragrance of roses

The waiters whistling as the last bar closes
The waiters whistling while closing the final bar

The song that Crosby sings
The song performed by Bing Crosby

The scent of smould'ring leaves, the wail of steamers
The aroma of burning leaves and the mournful sound of steamboats

Two lovers on the street who walk like dreamers
Two lovers strolling down the street with a dream-like quality

Gardenia perfume ling'ring on a pillow
The lingering aroma of gardenia perfume on a pillow

Wild strawb'ries only seven francs a kilo
Wild strawberries priced at just seven francs per kilogram