The Halos were an American doo wop group from The Bronx.

After The M… Read Full Bio ↴The Halos were an American doo wop group from The Bronx.

After The Mellows broke up, Arthur Crier formed The Halos. The original group consisted of J. R. Bailey (1st tenor), Harold Johnson (2nd tenor), Al Cleveland (baritone), and Arthur Crier (bass). Al Cleveland was from Pittsburgh and was in New York trying to make it as a singer. As fate would have it, he had been having absolutely no luck and was standing on Broadway waiting to catch a bus to go back home. Arthur and Carl Spencer had been doing some demo work and needed a third voice. As they left the Brill Building, they saw Cleveland and asked him if he could sing!

This Halos group recorded "Nag" (#25 Billboard Hot 100 in 1961) (with J.R. Bailey doing the “nagging sounds”). The flip (b-side of "Nag"), "Copy Cat", was actually a previously-recorded duet between Arthur and Carl, which had been done for Morty Craft.

J.R. Bailey decided that he didn't want to travel and was replaced by Phil Johnson, former lead of The Duvals on Kelit and Club. (Bailey later joined The Cadillacs)

While the Halos were riding on the charts with "Nag", Morty Craft decided to release two sides that the group had cut at the same session. L-O-V-E and Heartbreaking World. However, since the group already had a record going for them, Craft decided to call them the Craftys.

Several more singles followed, none of which reached the same level of chart success. However, the group continued to be busy on the studio scene, cutting several singles with singer Cammy Carol and adding doo wops and harmonies to two early Phil Spector productions, Curtis Lee's "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" and Gene Pitney's "Every Breath I Take". While The Halos would never achieve true stardom, Arthur Crier's influence as a musician certainly paid off for his family -- Crier's son Sabu Crier was a member of the group GQ, and Crier's grandson Keith Sabu Crier Jr. would become a major R&B star under the stage name Keith Sweat.

The Halos, besides doing their own material, became a very prolific backup group, interchanging members from session to session. The group often included Carl Spencer, Bobby Spencer, J.R. Bailey, and Gary Morrison. Some of their background work included Curtis Lee (Pretty Little Angel Eyes), Barry Mann (Who Put The Bomp), Ben E. King (Don't Play That Song), Connie Francis, Tommy Hunt, Bobby Vinton, the Coasters, Brian Hyland, Johnny Nash, Dion, Little Eva, Gene Pitney (Every Breath I Take), Shirley & Lee, Johnny Mathis, and many others too numerous to mention.

Dance With Me
The Halos Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I could somehow take back all these lies
Finally put down this disguise
Get you back, back where you belong
If I could take back all the shit I've done
Make you see that you're the one
It started out so right, it went so wrong
Tell me baby, how did it go so wrong?

[Chorus]
Please don't ever go away, no matter what I say
You've got to know how much I need you
Please don't let it go to waste, all the memories we've made
Cause they won't mean a thing, if you're not here with me

Do you remember how we used to talk
About running away just to get lost?
I wish that you were here with me tonight
Tell me baby, how to make this right

[Chorus]

If I could lay you on my bed
If I could hold you once again
I'd never let you go
Take your time, let's do this right,
Just know that I'll be waiting

[Chorus]

If you're not here with me.
I want you here with me.

Overall Meaning

The Halos’s song "Dance with me" is a heartfelt plea from the singer to his love asking her to stay and not give up on their relationship, as they reminisce on the happier times they shared when their love was new and impulsive. In the opening lines, the singer admits he has lied and shown a false side of himself, but he wishes he could be his genuine self with her and take back all his mistakes to make things right. He begs her to stay with him no matter what he says and reminds her of how much she means to him.

In the second verse, the singer recalls the times they talked about running away together and wishes they were still as carefree as they once were. He longs for her company and asks her how to fix their relationship. The chorus repeats the plea for her to stay with him and not let their memories go to waste as he expresses his fears of losing her.

The song’s emotional lyrics speak to the pain of losing someone you love and the desperation to hold on to what you have left. The vocals are emotive, with a tinge of vulnerability in the delivery which heightens the sincerity of the words. The slow tempo of the song with the steady beat of the drums and gentle strumming of guitar accompany the lyrics beautifully, creating a sense of nostalgia and longing.

Line by Line Meaning

If I could somehow take back all these lies
Expressing remorse about lying and wishing that it could be undone

Finally put down this disguise
Desiring to stop pretending to be someone other than oneself

Get you back, back where you belong
Wanting to be reunited with the person who is meant to be with and not separated anymore

If I could take back all the shit I've done
Regretting past actions and wishing for them to be undone

Make you see that you're the one
Wanting the person to realize their true value and worth

It started out so right, it went so wrong
Reflecting on how the relationship began well but has since gone badly

Tell me baby, how did it go so wrong?
Asking the person to explain what led to the negative direction of the relationship

Please don't ever go away, no matter what I say
Begging the person to stay despite any hurtful words said in the past

You've got to know how much I need you
Emphasizing the importance of the person and how much they are wanted

Please don't let it go to waste, all the memories we've made
Asking the person to keep the memories they have shared together and not let them be ruined

Cause they won't mean a thing, if you're not here with me
Highlighting the significance of the person's presence and how it affects their shared memories

Do you remember how we used to talk
Recalling past conversations shared between the two of them

About running away just to get lost?
Remembering discussions of escaping and getting lost together

I wish that you were here with me tonight
Expressing a desire to be with the person in the present moment

Tell me baby, how to make this right
Asking for guidance on how to fix their broken relationship

If I could lay you on my bed
Expressing a desire for physical intimacy

If I could hold you once again
Coveting the physical closeness and comfort provided by the person

I'd never let you go
Promising to keep the person close from then on

Take your time, let's do this right
Suggesting that they take their time to fix their relationship properly

Just know that I'll be waiting
Assuring the person that the singer will patiently wait for however long it takes to fix things

If you're not here with me
Expressing how difficult it is for the singer when the person is not around

I want you here with me.
Stating plainly that the singer desires the person's company

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JAMES HART, ZAC MALOY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind