2) The Intruders is a former American soul music group most popular in the 1960s and 1970s. As one of the first groups to have hit songs under the direction of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, they had a major influence on the development of Philadelphia soul.
Formed around 1960, the group originally consisted of Sam "Little Sonny" Brown, Eugene "Bird" Daughtry, Phillip "Phil" Terry and Robert "Big Sonny" Edwards.[1] In 1969, Sam Brown was replaced as lead singer by Bobby Starr, only to rejoin the group in 1973.
In 1965, when songwriters and record producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff first contemplated leaving the Cameo-Parkway record label to risk launching their own label, the vocalists on which they pinned all their hopes and venture capital were The Intruders. Like many other subsequent acts the duo produced, which includes the popular Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and The O'Jays, The Intruders had already developed a vocal sound that was both theirs and uniquely Philadelphian.
Brown, Daughtry, Terry and Edwards had been recording and performing one-off singles together since 1961, blending Philly's street corner doo-wop tradition with black gospel fervor. The result was neither as pop-infected as Motown, nor as funky and blues-inflected as Stax. The sound which The Intruders refined for the Excel, Gamble and Philadelphia International imprints reflected a different attitude than either Stax or Motown.
Gamble and Huff's success with The Intruders helped convince Columbia Records to grant them the money to launch Philadelphia International. Gamble and Huff acknowledged that their work with The Intruders was the very foundation of what they called "The Sound Of Philadelphia".
The Intruders, meanwhile, were undergoing some internal turmoil. When the group resurfaced on the 1970 Gamble LP, When We Get Married, lead singer Brown was replaced by nightclub singer, Bobby Starr (born Robert Ferguson). The title song, "When We Get Married" (R&B #8, Pop #45), a Dreamlovers cover, became a hit on the charts, as was the follow-up "(Win, Place Or Show) She's A Winner". Starr's tenure with the group was short-lived; Brown returned to the group in 1973 for the album Save The Children, which spawned The Intruders' last two big hits, "I'll Always Love My Mama" (R&B #6, Pop #36) and "I Wanna Know Your Name" (R&B #9, Pop #60).
"Cowboys To Girls" (R&B #1, Pop #6) remains the only chart topping single of their career. It was awarded an R.I.A.A. gold disc for one million sales in mid May 1968.[1] It was recently covered by the Hacienda Brothers. Other covers of their hit singles include Tiarra's cover of "Together", which was also done by Gladys Knight & The Pips on their Silk'N'Soul LP.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, in the West Coast, their music was popular among Latino, specifically Chicano, youth.[citation needed] Daughtry died of cancer in 1994, and Brown committed suicide in 1995. The Intruders continues to exist in 2 forms: The Philly Intruders, who appear on "the Big Show" DVD, and the Bobby Starr-led Intruders, who feature on the "My Music DVD hosted by Patti LaBelle on PBS.
Mother and Child Reunion
The Intruders Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh, little darling of mine
I can't for the life of me
Remember a sadder day
I know they say let it be
But it just don't work out that way
In the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again
No, I would not give you false hope
On the strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh, little darling of mine
I just can't believe it's so
Though it seems strange to say
I never been laid so low
In such a mysterious way
In the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again
But I would not give you false hope
On the strange and mournful day
When the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh, the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh, the mother and child reunion
Is only a moment away
Oh, the mother and child reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh, the mother and child reunion
Is only a moment away
The Intruders' song "Mother And Child Reunion" is a poignant reflection on the pain and sorrow of losing loved ones, particularly a mother and child. The singer acknowledges the depth of his sadness and refuses to offer false hope to others who might be going through similar experiences. He seems to be speaking from a place of deep sadness and resonance, as he cannot remember a sadder day than the one he is currently experiencing.
However, despite this weighty sorrow, the song ultimately offers a glimmer of hope in its assertion that the mother and child reunion is only a motion away. This phrase seems to suggest that there is a powerful and mystical connection between the living and the dead that can be accessed through some kind of motion or energy. The repetition of this line also lends the song a sense of urgency and reinforces its message of hope and redemption.
Overall, The Intruders' "Mother And Child Reunion" is a powerful meditation on grief and love that speaks to the human experience in a deep and profound way. Its message of hope and resilience in the face of loss is one that many listeners will find deeply resonant.
Line by Line Meaning
No, I would not give you false hope
I refuse to deceive you
On the strange and mournful day
During difficult or sad times
But the mother and child reunion
The reunion of mother and child
Is only a motion away
Can be achieved with little effort
Oh, little darling of mine
Dear child of mine
I can't for the life of me
I can't understand why
Remember a sadder day
Recall a more heartbreaking moment
I know they say let it be
They advise me to let it go
But it just don't work out that way
But it's not that simple
In the course of a lifetime runs
Throughout one's life
Over and over again
Repeatedly
I just can't believe it's so
I can't accept that it's true
Though it seems strange to say
Even though it sounds strange
I never been laid so low
I've never been so crushed
In such a mysterious way
In a way that's hard to understand
Oh, the mother and child reunion
The reunion of mother and child
Is only a moment away
Can be achieved with little delay
Contributed by Adrian K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.