Founding members Robert Fleming, Johnny Dawson, Cleo "Duke" Miller and Norbert McClean recorded together for various small labels in Detroit prior to their Motown days, as the Sensations, the Five Emeralds, and the Downbeats, and also recorded as the Downbeats for Motown in 1962. The record company suggested that they add female lead vocalist Saundra Mallett, who had recorded unsuccessfully for the label, backed by The Vandellas; she later married and became Saundra Edwards. The new group's first single release was "Darling Baby", issued in December 1965; early copies credited the record to the Downbeats, but Berry Gordy wanted to use the name Elgins, which had previously been one of the names used by The Temptations. The record rose to no. 4 on the Billboard R&B chart and no. 72 on the pop chart, and its B-side, "Put Yourself in My Place", also made the pop chart. Several months later, they issued "Heaven Must Have Sent You", which again reached both the R&B and pop charts, becoming their biggest pop hit. They also released an album, Darling Baby. However, their follow-up single, "I Understand My Man," was less successful, and the group broke up in 1967.
With the continuing popularity of Motown records in the UK, "Heaven Must Have Sent You" was reissued in 1971 and rose to no. 3 on the UK singles chart. "Put Yourself in My Place" was also reissued and made the chart. With Saundra Mallett Edwards being unwilling to rejoin the group, the Elgins toured the UK with former session vocalist Yvonne Vernee Allen taking her place. In 1989, Allen, Dawson, McClean and Jimmy Charles recorded a new arrangement of "Heaven Must Have Sent You" for producer Ian Levine, and made several further recordings for Levine's Motorcity label in the 1990s. Saundra Edwards also made separate recordings for the same label.
Recordings of the group, including the album, Darling Baby, all the singles and unreleased recordings up to 1968, can be found on The Motown Anthology released in 2007. In addition, a British import CD paired their sole album for Motown with one by The Monitors, another group that recorded for Motown with limited success, and which featured future Temptation, Richard Street. Robert Fleming was born in 1921 and died in 1976. Saundra A. Mallett Edwards was born on May 7, 1942 in Detroit, Michigan, and died on February 22, 2002. Johnnie Dawson died in 2018.
When a Man Loves a Woman
The Elgins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody falls in love somehow
Something in your kiss just told me
My sometime is now
Everybody finds somebody someplace
There's no telling where love may appear
Something in my heart keeps saying
If I had it in my power
I'd arrange for every girl to have your charm
Then every minute, every hour
Every boy would find what I've found in your arms
Everybody loves somebody sometime
And although my dream was overdue
Your love made it well worth waiting
For someone like you
Everybody loves somebody sometime
And although my dream was overdue
Your love made it well worth waiting
For someone like you
The Elgins's song "When A Man Loves A Woman" expresses the joy of finding someone to love and how transformative that can be. The opening lyrics, "Everybody loves somebody sometime, everybody falls in love somehow" suggest that love is inevitable and universal. The singer of the song then goes on to talk about how he just knew when he met the person he loves that this was his moment and his "someplace."
The lyrics also suggest that real love is rare and precious. The singer imagines a world where everyone has access to the kind of love he has found, with the line "If I had it in my power, I'd arrange for every girl to have your charm." But he knows that what he has found is special: "every boy would find what I've found in your arms."
Overall, the song celebrates the joy of finding love when you least expect it, and the transformative power it can have on a person's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody loves somebody sometime
Love is a universal concept and everyone experiences it at some point in their life.
Everybody falls in love somehow
Falling in love can happen unexpectedly and in different ways for different people.
Something in your kiss just told me
Physical touch and body language can convey strong emotions and feelings.
My sometime is now
The feeling of falling in love can come at any time and for this person, it's happening now.
Everybody finds somebody someplace
People can find love in unexpected places and there's no telling where it may happen.
There's no telling where love may appear
Love can show up unexpectedly and in different ways for different people.
Something in my heart keeps saying
Intuition and feelings play a big role in the experience of falling in love.
My someplace is here
For this person, they feel like they've found their person and their place in life.
If I had it in my power
This person would do anything to spread love and happiness to others.
I'd arrange for every girl to have your charm
This person believes that their partner's personality and qualities are desirable and valuable.
Then every minute, every hour
Love is constant and unrelenting, and this person wants everyone to feel it all the time.
Every boy would find what I've found in your arms
This person wants others to experience the same love and comfort they've found in their partner's arms.
And although my dream was overdue
This person may have been waiting a long time for love, but it was worth it when they found it.
Your love made it well worth waiting
The love they've experienced has been worth the wait and has made a positive impact on their life.
For someone like you
This person is thankful for their partner and feels that they are exactly the right person for them.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Calvin Houston Lewis, Andrew James Wright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@frankiehunter.
Great version of the famous song.
@brprod100
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