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 Need Your Love
The Impressions Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I need your love dear
And I need your smile dear
Not once in a while dear
But right now

So don't keep me waiting
For I'm not playing
I need your love dear

Right now

Sometimes I'm a lonely
Sometimes I'm blue
But I'm always happy
When I'm with you

Tell me you want me
And tell me you need me
Tell me you love me
Right now

But when you hold me
The world didn't fold me
And my heart keeps telling me
That you love me too

So tell me my hearts not fooling me
Tell me my hearts not ruling me
Why don't you tell me your love
Is mine right now

Woah when you hold me
When you confess your love
Woah when you tell me your love
Is mine right now

And my world gets brighter
And this old load gets a little lighter
Girl I need your love, right now

So darling I've been singing this song

What's seems so very very long
Wondering, hoping and praying

Overall Meaning

The Impressions's song "I Need Your Love" is all about the need for love and affection, and the feeling of incompleteness without it. The singer professes his love and his need for the love and smile of his partner, making it clear that he needs it right now and not just once in a while. He urges his lover not to keep him waiting, saying that he is not playing games and that he needs her love at this moment. The chorus reinforces this, with the singer repeating that he needs his lover's love immediately, and he needs to hear that she wants him, needs him, and loves him.

In the second verse, the singer speaks of his own emotions and how they change depending on his lover's presence. He says that sometimes he is lonely and blue, but he is always happy when he is with her. He then implores her to confirm her feelings, to tell him that she loves him and wants him now. He says that when she holds him, he feels secure and knows that she loves him too, and he begs her to confirm this and alleviate his fears.

The final verse sees the singer becoming more desperate, urging his lover to tell him that his heart is not fooling him and that her love is his. He talks about how his world gets brighter when she is with him, and how he needs her love to make his load a little lighter. He ends by saying that he has been singing this song for a long time, hoping, praying, and wondering if she will ever truly give him the love he craves.

I Need Your LoveThe Impressions Lyrics

Keith Fuqua

on People Get Ready

I Need Your Love
The Impressions Lyrics