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."
It's Not Unusual
The Four Tops Lyrics
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It's not unusual to have fun with anyone
But when I see you hanging about with anyone
It's not unusual to see me cry,
Oh I wanna' die
It's not unusual to go out at any time
But when I see you out and about it's such a crime
If you should ever want to be loved by anyone,
You find it happens all the time
Love will never do what you want it to
Why can't this crazy love be mine
It's not unusual, to be mad with anyone
It's not unusual, to be sad with anyone
But if I ever find that you've changed at anytime
It's not unusual to find out that I'm in love with you
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
The Four Tops's song It's Not Unusual is about unrequited love and the pain and jealousy that come with it. The song tells the story of a man who sees the woman he loves hanging out with other people, and despite it being "not unusual" for her to be loved or have fun with anyone, it hurts him deeply to see her with someone else. He wishes he could be the one she loves and agonizes over why their love can't be reciprocated. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer declaring that it wouldn't be unusual for him to fall in love with her if she ever changed her mind.
The lyrics are powerful in their simplicity, capturing the universal experience of unrequited love. The singer's vulnerability and pain are palpable throughout the song, as is his deep longing for the object of his affection. The upbeat melody and catchy chorus only serve to highlight the melancholic nature of the lyrics and the singer's desperate desire to be loved.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not unusual to be loved by anyone
It's a common thing to be loved by anyone.
It's not unusual to have fun with anyone
It's not out of the ordinary to have fun with anyone.
But when I see you hanging about with anyone
However, when I see you spend time with anyone, I feel uneasy.
It's not unusual to see me cry, Oh I wanna' die
It's not uncommon for me to cry or feel extreme sadness.
It's not unusual to go out at any time
It's not abnormal to go out anytime.
But when I see you out and about it's such a crime
But when I see you out with someone else, it's devastating.
If you should ever want to be loved by anyone, It's not unusual it happens every day no matter what you say
If you want to be loved by someone, don't think it's uncommon, it happens to everyone every day.
You find it happens all the time
It's a common occurrence.
Love will never do what you want it to
Love doesn't follow your wishes or commands.
Why can't this crazy love be mine
Why can't I have this unreasonable love?
It's not unusual, to be mad with anyone
It's not unusual to be angry with anyone.
It's not unusual, to be sad with anyone
It's not unusual to be sad with anyone.
But if I ever find that you've changed at anytime
But if I ever find out that you've changed at any point, it would be unexpected.
It's not unusual to find out that I'm in love with you
It's not uncommon to realize that I'm in love with you.
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh
Expressions of emotion or surprise.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Gordon Mills, Les Reed
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind