The Impressions were an American music group from Chicago, Illinois, active… Read Full Bio ↴The Impressions were an American music group from Chicago, Illinois, active from 1958 until 1983, whose repertoire included doo-wop, gospel, soul, and R&B.

The group was founded as The Roosters by Chattanooga, Tennessee natives Sam Gooden, Richard Brooks, and Arthur Brooks, who moved to Chicago, Illinois and added Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield to their lineup to become Jerry Butler & the Impressions. By 1962, Butler and the Brookses had departed, and after switching to ABC-Paramount Records, Mayfield, Gooden, and new Impression Fred Cash collectively became a top-selling soul act. Mayfield left the group for a solo career in 1970; Leroy Hutson, Ralph Johnson, Reggie Torian, and Nate Evans were among the replacements who joined Gooden and Cash before the group's demise in 1983.

Inductees into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, The Impressions are best known for their 1960s string of hits, many of which were heavily influenced by gospel music and served as inspirational anthems for the Civil Rights Movement.

Personnel:
Jerry Butler (1958 - 1960)
Curtis Mayfield (1958 - 1970)
Sam Gooden (1958 - 1983)
Arthur Brooks (1958 - 1962)
Richard Brooks (1958 - 1962)
Fred Cash (1960 - 1983)
Leroy Hutson (1970 - 1973)
Ralph Johnson (1973 - 1976)
Nate Evans (1976 - 1979)
Reggie Torian (1973 - 1983)

Discography

Albums
1963: The Impressions
1964: Keep on Pushing
1964: The Never Ending Impressions
1965: One by One
1965: People Get Ready
1966: Ridin' High
1967: The Fabulous Impressions
1968: We're a Winner
1968: This Is My Country
1969: The Young Mods' Forgotten Story
1969: The Versatile Impressions
1969: Amen
1970: Check out Your Mind!
1972: Times Have Changed
1973: Preacher Man
1974: Finally Got Myself Together
1974: Three the Hard Way
1975: First Impressions
1975: Sooner or Later
1976: It's About Time
1976: Originals
1976: Loving Power
1979: Come to My Party
1981: Fan the Fire

I Ain't Supposed To
The Impressions Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I ain't supposed to want to squeeze
And hold you tight
I know it's wrong, but girl,
It feels alright

You are promised, to another
And I am too
Then why do we keep on doin'

What we ain't supposed to do

Your perfume ain't supposed to smell
Quite so sweet,
And our hands shouldn't tremble like this
Every time we meet

When you're not around I'm not supposed to feel so blue,
Then why do we keep on doing
What we ain't supposed to do

We must be in love (we ain't supposed to)
Heaven up above knows (we ain't supposed to)
While we're hoping (we ain't supposed to)
That we are eloping (we ain't supposed to)

When you're not around I'm not supposed to be so blue
Then why do we keep on doing
What we ain't supposed to do, yeah

(We ain't supposed to)
You are promised to another
And I am too,
Then why do we keep on doing
What we ain't supposed to do

We must be in love (but we ain't supposed to)
Heaven up above knows (we ain't supposed to)

While we're hoping (we ain't supposed to)
Someday we're eloping (we ain't supposed to)

Overall Meaning

The Impressions’ song “I Ain’t Supposed To” is a soulful ballad about a forbidden love affair. The lyrics describe the internal conflict that the singer feels with his desire to hold and squeeze his love interest tightly, even though he knows it's wrong. He acknowledges that both he and his love interest are promised to others, yet they can't resist their attraction for each other. Despite feeling guilty about their actions and the societal expectations that come with their commitments, they find themselves continuing to indulge in their feelings. The lyrics suggest that they are so in love with each other that it is out of their control, and explains how they are hoping to elope someday.

It's interesting to note that the song's lyrics also touch on the physical side of their love. The singer mentions the sweet scent of his love interest's perfume and how their hands tremble when they meet, indicating the sexual tension between them. The song's title, “I Ain't Supposed To,” is a phrase that is repeated throughout the chorus and serves as a reminder of the expectations society places on individuals, specifically when it comes to relationships and fidelity.

The song was written by Curtis Mayfield, who was the lead singer and songwriter for The Impressions. The group was one of the most influential vocal groups of the 1960s and 1970s, helping to shape the sound of soul and R&B music during this time. Mayfield's lyrics and melody come together to create a beautiful love song that has stood the test of time. The song's theme of forbidden love is something that many people can connect with, which is why it remains popular decades after its release.

Line by Line Meaning

I ain't supposed to want to squeeze And hold you tight
I'm not supposed to desire to embrace and hold you tightly

I know it's wrong, but girl, It feels alright
Even though it's not right, it still feels good

You are promised, to another And I am too Then why do we keep on doin' What we ain't supposed to do
You and I are both committed to other people, so why do we continue to engage in behavior we know is wrong?

Your perfume ain't supposed to smell Quite so sweet, And our hands shouldn't tremble like this Every time we meet
Your fragrance and the way we react to each other physically is not supposed to be this intense

When you're not around I'm not supposed to feel so blue, Then why do we keep on doing What we ain't supposed to do
I'm not supposed to feel sad when you're not around, but we still continue to engage in inappropriate behavior

We must be in love (we ain't supposed to) Heaven up above knows (we ain't supposed to) While we're hoping (we ain't supposed to) That we are eloping (we ain't supposed to)
We may be in love, even though it's not what we're supposed to be feeling. Heaven knows we shouldn't be doing this, yet we still hope that we can be together.

When you're not around I'm not supposed to be so blue Then why do we keep on doing What we ain't supposed to do, yeah (We ain't supposed to)
I shouldn't be feeling this way when you're not here, yet we are still continuing to act inappropriately

You are promised to another And I am too, Then why do we keep on doing What we ain't supposed to do
We are both committed to other people, so why are we still engaging in this behavior that we know we shouldn't be doing

We must be in love (but we ain't supposed to) Heaven up above knows (we ain't supposed to) While we're hoping (we ain't supposed to) Someday we're eloping (we ain't supposed to)
We may be in love, even though it's not what we're supposed to be feeling. Even though we know we shouldn't be doing this, we still hope that we can be together someday.

Contributed by Avery J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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