His first move was for a name change to the Four Knights. He took them to New York and they started appearing on Arthur Godfrey’s radio show in 1945. Lang-Worth was a company that made what were called transcriptions, actually early albums containing four to six songs on each side of an eight inch disc that played at 33-1/3 rpm. These discs were not sold to the public; most all were sent to radio stations, allowing a local disc jockey to give the impression the group was right in the studio. The Knights did a number of these recordings. Between this type of exposure and the Godfrey show the group became fairly well-known. In 1946 they signed with Decca Records and in April of that year they released their first single, “Just in Case You Change Your Mind.” After four singles featuring Gene’s mellow lead, Oscar’s broad bass, and usually incorporating Gene’s whistling over the instrumental section, the group was moved to Decca’s Coral affiliate for three more 78s through 1949. They toured with dancer Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and got a shot s regulars on the Red Skelton radio show in 1948. They spent two years doing Skelton in Los Angeles and performing in clubs across the country. The Knights lost the Skelton job in 1950 when their manager wanted more than the show could pay, and so he pulled the group. They then discharged him for losing what they considered to be a prime exposure medium.
In 1951 they brought their soft harmony to Capitol Records and began with “I Love the Sunshine of Your Smile” (#23). They also began covering R&B and pop artists on songs like “The Glory of Love” (THE 5 KEYS), “Sin” (THE FOUR ACES), which they took to number 14, and their biggest pop cover record at number eight in 1953, “Oh Happy Day” (Don Howard). The group’s biggest hit came in 1954 when “I Get So Lonely When I Think About You (Oh Baby Mine)” reached number two and ran for 24 weeks, even becoming a smash in England at number five, a tough thing for a black American group to do in 1954. The Pat Ballard-penned original was so popular in England that when it fell off the charts it resurfaced the following month (July), reaching number 10.
Toward the end of 1953 George Vereen began subbing on studio work and singing lead at live shows for Gene Alford, whose epilepsy was affecting his ongoing involvement with the group. Vereen was replaced in 1955 by ex-DELTA RHYTHM BOYS member Cliff Holland as Alford retired. Prior to their 1952 recordings the group sang with only a guitar backup, but Capitol soon had them working with full orchestras. By 1953, tours for the four were in full swing, and they played clubs from Las Vegas to Rio de Janeiro while appearing on the TV shows of Perry Como, Ed Sullivan, and of course Red Skelton. On August 27, 1954, they headlined at the famed Apollo in New York.
During the mid-‘50s the reigning king op Capitol’s roster, Nat King Cole, ran into the group and liked their style; he asked Capitol to have the Knights back him on some recordings. Their first collaboration, in early 1955, was titled “A Blossom Fell.” Though it didn’t chart, Nat and the Knights tried agin in January 1956, and by September their ”That’s All There Is to That” was number 16 on the pop char and number 14 R&B, the first time the Knights had ever appeared on the black charts. The next time out with Nat was the last: a ballad, “My Personal Possession,” released in May 1957 and reaching number 21 (#3 R&B). The only pop charter of the mid-and late ‘50s for the group by themselves was “O Falling Star” (#83, 1959) after they’d re-signed with Coral in late 1957. Capitol stayed with them for 39 45s throughout the ‘50s. In 1960 Gene Alford died. Clarence left the act in 1963 and the Knights disbanded three years after his departure. John Wallace died in 1978. Dixon and Broadway moved to the suburbs of Los Angeles in retirement.
The Way I Feel
The Four Knights Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm afraid I don't know wrong from right
All I know is that it's plain to see
You are never coming back to me
The way I feel for you
I would borrow, beg or steal for you
But it doesn't matter what I vow
You may believe I never loved you
Some of our friends have told you so
But why should you listen to friends dear
For who in this wide world can know
The way I feel inside
With a heart that just can't be denied
You would find a love that's deep and real
If you knew the way I feel
The way I feel for you
I would borrow, beg or steal for you
But it doesn't matter what I vow
What's the good, it's too late now
You may believe I never loved you
Some of our friends have told you so
But why should you listen to friends dear
For who in this wide world can know
The way I feel inside
With a heart that just can't be denied
You would find a love that's deep and real
If you knew the way I feel
If you knew the way I feel
The Four Knights's song "Way I Feel" is a poignant and heartfelt ballad that expresses the conflicting emotions of a man who has lost his love. The opening lines, "The way I feel tonight, I'm afraid I don't know wrong from right," set the tone for the song, as the singer struggles to make sense of his feelings in the wake of his lover's departure. While he acknowledges that it's "plain to see" that she's never coming back, he can't help but feel an overwhelming sense of love and longing for her.
The chorus of the song is particularly powerful, as the singer declares, "The way I feel for you, I would borrow, beg or steal for you. But it doesn't matter what I vow, what's the good, it's too late now." These lines encapsulate the central dilemma of the song: the singer's willingness to do anything for his love, but his realization that it's too late to change the course of things. He acknowledges that some of their friends may have told her he never loved her, but he urges her not to listen to them, because only he knows the truth of his feelings.
Overall, "Way I Feel" is a beautiful and emotional song that speaks to the universal experience of heartbreak and loss. Its lyrics are both poetic and relatable, and it's clear why the song has endured as a classic for so many years.
Line by Line Meaning
The way I feel tonight
I'm feeling very confused and lost right now
I'm afraid I don't know wrong from right
I'm unsure of what the correct decision is
All I know is that it's plain to see
It's obvious that you're never coming back to me
You are never coming back to me
I've come to terms with the fact that you're gone and not returning
The way I feel for you
My love for you is very strong
I would borrow, beg or steal for you
I would do anything for you
But it doesn't matter what I vow
My promises to you are too late
What's the good, it's too late now
There's nothing left to do, the situation is irreversible
You may believe I never loved you
Some of our friends have told you that I don't love you
Some of our friends have told you so
There are rumors going around about my feelings towards you
But why should you listen to friends dear
You shouldn't pay attention to what others are saying
For who in this wide world can know
No one knows our relationship better than us
The way I feel inside
My emotions are very strong and intense
With a heart that just can't be denied
I can't help but feel this way about you
You would find a love that's deep and real
If you understood my true feelings, you would see how much I love you
If you knew the way I feel
If only you understood how strongly I feel about you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Remy David Shand
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind