The Four Freshmen began as a American vocal group popular from the 1950s th… Read Full Bio ↴The Four Freshmen began as a American vocal group popular from the 1950s through to the early 1960s. Founded by brothers Ross and Don Barbour in 1948 as freshmen at Butler University, the other two original members included their cousin Bob Flanigan and Hal Kratzsch. Well-known for their multi-part harmonies, they are notable as early purveyors of vocalese and as the forerunners of vocal-harmony based rock music, particularly that of The Beach Boys. In their current configuration, The Four Freshmen continue to perform.

The group took off after being signed to Capitol Records in 1952 at the insistence of high profile fan, Stan Kenton. They remained popular throughout the 50s and early 60s, releasing a wide array of successful albums, movie and television appearances and performing countless sold-out concerts. The band eventually lost mainstream attention with the emergence of the British pop bands of the 1960s, even though they managed to stay together even after the retirement of final original member Bob Flanigan in 1992.

As of 2001, the Freshmen have been composed of Bob Ferreira, Brian Eichenberger, Curtis Calderon, and Vince Johnson. Although the new lineup of the Four Freshmen have continued the legendary vocal tradition of the original band and perform many of the same standards, the current sound has more of a lounge sound rather than focusing primarily upon harmonies. This modernized sound has proven quite successful, as the group won Down Beat magazine's reader's poll award for Vocal Group of the Year in 2000, proving the quartet's prominence in the jazz world today.

You Made Me Love You
The Four Freshmen Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You made me love you
I didn't wanna do it
I didn't wanna do it
You made me want you
And all the time you knew it
I guess you always knew it

You made me happy sometimes

You made me glad
But there were times
You made me feel so bad

You made me cry for
I didn't wanna tell you
I didn't wanna tell you
I want some love that's true
Yes, I do, 'deed I do
You know I do

Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, gimmie what I cry for
You know you've got the brand of kisses
That I'd die for
You know you made me love you

You made me cry for
I didn't wanna tell you
I didn't wanna tell you
I want some love that's true
Yes, I do, 'deed I do
You know I do

Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, gimmie what I cry for
You know you've got the brand of kisses

That I'd die for
You know you made me love you

Overall Meaning

The Four Freshmen's song "You Made Me Love You" is a confession of love and a deep longing for a love that is true. The song opens with the singer admitting that they did not want to fall in love, but the other person's actions made them love them anyway. The second line of the song repeats the first, emphasizing the singer's surprise at their own feelings. The third line acknowledges that the other person knew they were causing the singer to love them against their wishes, showing the power the other person holds over them.

Throughout the song, the singer grapples with the intense emotions that come with loving someone who may not love them back. The other person has the ability to make them feel happy and glad, but also to make them feel bad and cry. The singer desires a love that is true and genuine, but they fear telling the other person how they truly feel.

The repeated phrase of "gimmie, gimmie, gimmie, gimmie what I cry for" emphasizes the singer's desperation for love and affection from the other person, making it clear that they are willing to do anything to receive their love. The final lines of the song are both an admission of love and a plea for the other person to reciprocate those feelings - the singer tells the other person that they have the "brand of kisses that I'd die for" and acknowledges that they have made them love them.

Overall, "You Made Me Love You" is a poignant and emotional song that captures the difficult and often contradictory feelings that come with falling in love.

Line by Line Meaning

You made me love you
You are the one who caused me to fall in love with you

I didn't wanna do it
I was not willing to fall in love initially

You made me want you
You sparked a desire in me to be with you

And all the time you knew it
You were aware of my feelings towards you the whole time

I guess you always knew it
I think you were always aware of my feelings

You made me happy sometimes
Your presence in my life brought happiness to me occasionally

You made me glad
You brought joy to me

But there were times
However, there were occasions

You made me feel so bad
You caused me to feel hurt or upset

You made me cry for
Your actions resulted in me shedding tears

I didn't wanna tell you
I didn't want to express my true feelings about you