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
It's Not Unusual
The Impressions Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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, 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'll 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 I'm in love with you
The Impressions' song "It's Not Unusual" is a poignant and relatable meditation on the complexity of love and its myriad manifestations. The song opens with the singer acknowledging that it is not unusual to be loved by anyone or to have fun with anyone, thereby establishing a sense of universality and familiarity. However, he reveals that when he sees the person he loves hanging out with anyone, it is not unusual for him to feel deeply hurt and despairing.
The second verse expands upon this theme by asserting that it is not unusual to go out at any time, but if the singer sees his beloved out with someone else, it is "such a crime." Despite this pain, however, the singer insists that it is not unusual for love to happen every day, regardless of what anyone says. He then laments that love will never do what you want it to and wonders why this "crazy love" can't be his.
Finally, the song concludes by acknowledging that it is not unusual to be mad or sad with anyone, but if the singer ever finds that his beloved has changed in any way, it is not unusual to find himself in love with them all over again. Overall, "It's Not Unusual" is a powerful testament to the breadth and depth of human emotion, particularly when it comes to matters of the heart.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not unusual to be loved by anyone
It's common for anyone to be loved by someone.
It's not unusual to have fun with anyone
It's normal to have fun with anyone.
But when I see you hanging about with anyone
But when I see you spending time with someone else
It's not unusual to see me cry, I wanna die
It's common for me to cry and feel terrible when I see you with someone else.
It's not unusual to go out at any time
It's normal to go out at any time.
But when I see you out and about it's such a crime
But when I see you out with someone else, it's so upsetting.
If you should ever want to be loved by anyone
If you ever want to be loved by someone
It's not unusual it happens every day no matter what you say
It's common for people to fall in love every day, no matter how much you deny it.
You'll find it happens all the time
You'll find that people fall in love all the time.
Love will never do what you want it to
Love doesn't always work the way you want it to.
Why can't this crazy love be mine?
Why can't I have this crazy love with you?
It's not unusual to be mad with anyone
It's normal to be angry with anyone.
It's not unusual to be sad with anyone
It's normal 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 in some way,
It's not unusual to find out I'm in love with you
It's normal for me to realize that I'm in love with you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gordon Mills, Les Reed
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Keith Fuqua
on People Get Ready
Amen brothers. Get ready people