The Four Tops are an American Motown musical quartet, whose repertoire has … Read Full Bio ↴The Four Tops are an American Motown musical quartet, whose repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul music, RnB, disco, adult contemporary, showtunes, and even psychedelic rock. Founded in Detroit, Michigan as The Four Aims, lead singer Levi Stubbs and group mates Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson, and Lawrence Payton remained together for over four decades, finally forced to endure a lineup change when Payton died in 1997. At that time, Theo Peoples was added to the lineup; Peoples later replaced Stubbs, who fell ill from cancer, and Ronnie McNeir assumed Peoples' spot. In July, 2005, Benson died of lung cancer with Payton's son Roquel replacing him. And as of April, 2005, Fakir, McNeir, Payton and Peoples still perform together as The Four Tops. The legendary Levi Stubbs sadly passed away in 2008.

Among a number of groups who helped define the Motown Sound of the 1960s, including The Miracles, The Marvelettes, The Temptations and The Supremes, The Four Tops were notable for having Stubbs, a baritone, as their lead singer; most groups of the time were fronted by a tenor. The group was the main male vocal group for the songwriting and production team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, who crafted for the group a stream of popular hit singles, including two #1 hits: "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and "Reach Out I'll Be There". After Holland-Dozier-Holland left Motown in 1967, the Four Tops were assigned to a number of producers, primarily Frank Wilson. When Motown left Detroit in 1972 to move to Los Angeles, California, the Tops stayed in Detroit and moved over to ABC Records, where they continued to have charting singles into the late-1970s. Since the 1980s, The Four Tops have recorded for, at various times, Motown, Casablanca Records, and Arista Records.

As an unofficial record, it is believed that The Four Tops were the band to continue performing the longest without a lineup change. Levi Stubbs, Abdul Fakir, Renaldo Benson and Lawrence Payton sang together as the Four Tops from 1954 until 1997, when Lawrence Payton died of cancer. That's an astonishing 43 years without a lineup change. The three surviving members continued to tour as "The Tops."

For Once In My Life
The Four Tops Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
Someone I've needed so long
For once unafraid I can go where life leads me
Somehow I know I'll be strong

For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
Long before I knew
Someone warm like you

Who call my dreams come true

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
Not like it's hurt me before

For once I have something I know won't desert me
I'm not alone anymore

For once I can say
This is mine you can't take it
As long as I know I have love I can make it
For once in my life I have someone who needs me

For once I can say
This is mine, no you can't take it

As long as I know I have love I can make it

For once I can feel that somebody's hurt my feelings (somebody's hurt my feelings)
Oh, for once in my life I have someone, someone who needs me

Overall Meaning

The Four Tops’ song “For Once In My Life” is a love song about finally finding the one who needs you and whom you need. The song explores the feeling of finally overcoming the fear of being alone and unloved, as the singer expresses strong feelings of joy and liberation.

The song's opening line, “For once in my life I have someone who needs me” portrays the theme of finally finding somebody who finally completes you, who fills the emptiness and neediness that has been there right from the start. The singer is finally able to venture into life knowing that they will be strong, thanks to the warm love and support of their newfound someone. It’s a celebration of finally having what you’ve always wanted and the feeling that comes with being loved and needed.

In the chorus, the singer admits that for once in their life they won't let sorrow hurt them like it has in the past, for they have something special that won't desert them; love. They bask in the knowledge that there is someone who needs them just as much as they need that person. They are confident that with this newfound love, they can overcome any obstacles that come their way.

Overall, The Four Tops’ “For Once In My Life” is a lovely and heartwarming song about finally finding somebody who needs you and whom you need. It celebrates overcoming the fear of being alone and discovering the strength that true love brings.

Line by Line Meaning

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
I finally have someone who needs me in their life

Someone I've needed so long
I've been longing for someone like this for a while

For once unafraid I can go where life leads me
I'm not afraid of what the future holds and I can go where life takes me

Somehow I know I'll be strong
I have the strength to overcome any challenges that come my way

For once I can touch what my heart used to dream of
I can finally experience my deepest desires

Long before I knew someone warm like you
Even before I met someone as warm and loving as you

Who call my dreams come true
You are the one who has made my dreams come true

For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
I won't allow myself to be hurt by sorrow anymore

Not like it's hurt me before
I've been hurt by sorrow before, but not anymore

For once I have something I know won't desert me
I finally have something that I know won't abandon me

I'm not alone anymore
I no longer feel lonely

For once I can say
Finally, I can confidently say

This is mine you can't take it
What I have is mine and no one can take it away from me

As long as I know I have love I can make it
Love is what gives me the strength to overcome any hardships

For once in my life I have someone who needs me
I finally have someone who needs me in their life

For once I can say
Finally, I can confidently say

This is mine, no you can't take it
What I have is mine and no one can take it away from me

As long as I know I have love I can make it
Love is what gives me the strength to overcome any hardships

For once I can feel that somebody's hurt my feelings (somebody's hurt my feelings)
I finally have someone in my life who's important enough to hurt my feelings

Oh, for once in my life I have someone, someone who needs me
I finally have someone who needs me in their life

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ronald N. Miller, Orlando Murden

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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