The Four Preps was a popular … Read Full Bio ↴From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia
The Four Preps was a popular music quartet most popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
The group originally consisted of Bruce Belland (born 22 October 1936, Chicago, Illinois), Ed Cobb, Marv Ingram, (originally named "Marvin Inabnett") and Glen Larson (born 1937), who later become one of the most prolific creators and producers in the history of American television.
They had a minor chart hit that year with "Dreamy Eyes" and between 1956 and 1964 reached the top 100 charts with 13 different songs. The following year they appeared with Lindsay Crosby on the top-rated television special, The Edsel Show.
Their biggest hit was "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)," which was written by Belland and Larson and reached #2.
For a short period, Don Clarke replaced Marv Ingram while Marv finished college at UCLA, but he rejoined the group in 1960.
In 1960 they also recorded a parody single, "More Money for You and Me," which included single parody verses of several popular songs by The Fleetwoods, The Hollywood Argyles, The Platters, The Four Freshmen, The Kingston Trio and Dion and the Belmonts. The title parody, sung to the tune of "Tom Dooley," went like this:
Hang down the Kingston Trio,
Hang 'em from a tall oak tree;
Eliminate the Kingston Trio;
More money for you and me.
In 1966, David Somerville, formerly of The Diamonds, joined the group replacing Cobb. Belland and Somerville continued occasionally to perform as a duo after the breakup.
Belland continued writing songs for other singers, as well as writing television show scripts, eventually becoming a network executive. Cobb became a record producer and sound engineer. Larson became one of the most influential television producers in history, creating Battlestar Galactica and Knight Rider.
In the 1980s, Belland, Cobb, Somerville, and Jim Pike (formerly of The Lettermen) eventually formed a new "Four Preps" group, and went on to perform. J
Yester, Belland, and Somerville continued performing as a trio, using their last names, doing songs that were associated with The Four Preps, The Diamonds, and The Association.
Belland's daughters, Tracey Bryn Belland and Melissa Brooke Belland, followed in their father's footsteps as singers, forming a group named Voice of the Beehive
Love Of The Common People
The Four Preps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Water in the milk from the hole in the roof
Where the rain came through
What can you do? Ummhum
Tears from your little sister
Cryin' because she doesn't have a dress
Without a patch, for the party to go
She is..Livin' In The Love Of The Common People
Smiles from the heart of a family man
Daddy's gonna buy her a dream to cling to
Moma's gonna love her just as much as she can
And she can
It's a good thing you don't have bus fare
It would fall through the hole in your pocket
Then you'd loose it in the snow on the ground
Gotta walkin' to town, to find a job
Tryin' to keep your hands warm
But the hole in your shoe,let the snow
Come through and it chills to the bone,
Boy, you better go home,where it's warm
Where you can live in the love of a common people
Smile from the heart of a family man
Daddy's gonna buy you a dream to cling to
Moma's gonna love you just as much as she can
And she can
Livin' on a dream ain't easy
But the closer the knit, the tighter the fit
And the chills stayin' away
You can keep them in stride, family pride
You know that faith is your foundation
And with a whole lot of love and a warm
Conversation, but don't forget the prayer
Makin' you strong, where you belong
Where you can live in the love of a common people
Be the pride and the heart of a family man
Daddy's gonna buy you a dream to cling to
Moma's gonna love you just as much as she can
And she can
Yes we're Livin' in the love of a common people
Be the pride and the heart....(fade)
The Four Preps' song "Love of the Common People" describes the struggles of a working-class family and how they find comfort in each other's love. The opening lines introduce listeners to a family living in poverty, with free food tickets as their source of sustenance and a leaky roof that lets rainwater into their milk. Despite their difficult circumstances, the song reassures us that the family finds joy in their love for each other. The singer assures us that the little sister will still attend the party even without a new dress, and that her father will buy her a dream to hold onto. Even though the family can't afford bus fare, they still walk to find work, trying their best to keep warm despite holes in their shoes. The song emphasizes that family is the most important thing; it's what keeps them together in tough times.
While the song was originally written and performed in 1970 by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins, The Four Preps popularized it later in 1971. It has since been covered by various artists, including Paul Young, who had a hit with it in 1983.
Line by Line Meaning
Livin' on free food tickets
Living on welfare
Water in the milk from the hole in the roof
Rainwater leaking through the roof into the milk
Where the rain came through
Identifying the source of the problem
What can you do? Ummhum
Accepting the situation as is, a hopeless question
Tears from your little sister
Sadness from a younger family member
Cryin' because she doesn't have a dress
She's upset because she doesn't have something to wear
Without a patch, for the party to go
She has nothing to wear to the party
But she knows, she'll get by
She has faith in her resilience
She is..Livin' In The Love Of The Common People
Living among other poor people
Smiles from the heart of a family man
Happiness from a father figure
Daddy's gonna buy her a dream to cling to
Father figure promises to make life better for his daughter
Moma's gonna love her just as much as she can
Mother figure promises to care for her daughter
And she can
She can have hope
It's a good thing you don't have bus fare
Thankful for small blessings
It would fall through the hole in your pocket
The pocket is torn
Then you'd loose it in the snow on the ground
The money would be lost
Gotta walkin' to town, to find a job
Walking into town to look for work
Tryin' to keep your hands warm
Keeping hands warm in the cold
But the hole in your shoe, let the snow
The shoe has a hole in it and snow gets in
Come through and it chills to the bone,
The cold is overwhelming
Boy, you better go home,where it's warm
Going back home to stay warm
Where you can live in the love of a common people
Living in a poor community
Smile from the heart of a family man
Happiness from father figure
Daddy's gonna buy you a dream to cling to
Father figure promises to make life better for his son
Moma's gonna love you just as much as she can
Mother figure promises to care for her son
And she can
She can have hope
Livin' on a dream ain't easy
Dreaming for a better life there are many challenges
But the closer the knit, the tighter the fit
The closer the family, the better they handle challenges
And the chills stayin' away
The cold cannot keep them down
You can keep them in stride, family pride
Challenges can be overcome with family support
You know that faith is your foundation
Faith in oneself is important
And with a whole lot of love and a warm
Love and warmth can make a difference
Conversation, but don't forget the prayer
Talking and praying are important activities
Makin' you strong, where you belong
These activities give the strength to succeed
Be the pride and the heart of a family man
Family man looks up to his son
Yes we're Livin' in the love of a common people
Living in a low-income community
Fade
End of song
Lyrics © BROADWAY MUSIC CORPORATION
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ric Tester
Hard to believe that the lead singer on this track (Dave Somerville) was the same person who wailed "Little Darlin'" with The Diamonds some 9 years earlier. Well done Dave!
Tom Hoehler
Big hit in my hometown in early '67. Great tune, Everlys did a super job on it too. Thanks for posting!
Kelly Watts
Dave Somerville was one of the best. Outside of being a great performer he was a genuinely nice guy.
alex arolas garcia
Esta bonita canción la cantaron THE FOUR PREPS en el año 1967
vrooomie1
John Denver also did a cover of this on his first album: I remember it being quite good.
tremsfan
In my humble opinion, the Everly Brothers did the best version of this song in '67. Wayne Newton also did a very good version of it the same year. If you like this song you must try to find those versions.
tremsfan
Did any of you find the Wayne Newton version yet ? It is actually pretty good !!
Marc McCutcheon
Sandy Posey did a truly wonderful ( my favorite ) version of this song...
oldiesrnow
I do have the Everly Brothers' version and, yes, I really enjoy that one as well. Don't believe I've heard the Wayne Newton version (it's not currently posted on YouTube). Still like this one the best. Thanks for your input!
ricknelson69
Another great song, Mel!