The band started as an acoustic blues trio in the mid 1960s with singer and guitarist J. Geils (born February 20, 1946; died April 10, 2017), bassist Danny Klein (Dr. Funk) and harpist Richard Salwitz (stage name Magic Dick). The band formed under the name Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels while Geils was attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute for a couple of semesters. In 1967 the band switched focus, starting to play electric guitar and bass and recruiting drummer Stephen Jo Bladd and fast-talking ex-disc jockey singer Peter Wolf, born Peter Blankenfeld, both from Boston. The following year Seth Justman joined as an organist, and the group signed to Atlantic Records in 1970.
The J. Geils Band first received FM radio airplay with the live single "First I Look at the Purse", then had several hit singles in the 1970s, the most successful of which was "Must Of Got Lost" (1974). Later in the 1970s, the band signed with EMI America Records.
The band had good success covering soul singles. Besides the well-known aforementioned "First I Look at the Purse" from The Contours, they covered the more obscure "I Do" from The Marvelows and "Ain't Nothing But a House Party" from The Showstoppers.
The group's commercial fortunes improved in the early 1980s, first with the humorous "Love Stinks", then with their great success with the Freeze Frame album which included "Centerfold" (#1 for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100) and then the title cut (#4). Wolf left the group in 1983 for a solo career not long after, over disagreements about whether to continue to take the band in more of a popular direction, or continue with the purist tradition.
The band went on to record one more album of new material, You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd, after Wolf left. He was not replaced, and Seth Justman took over most of the vocal duties. The album produced only one single - "Concealed Weapons", a song about breasts - and was not a success. The band toured in support of the album, but never again recorded anything new. The group then disbanded in 1985 after contributing the title song to the 1985 horror film Fright Night.
The group was not reunited with Wolf until 1999, and subsequently broke up again when ticket sales proved extremely disappointing. Wolf continues to tour with his own backup band, and the rest of the Geils band makes occasional appearances. Since the semi-retirement of the band, Geils has been restoring sports cars in Massachusetts.
On 22 May 2006, the six original members had a surprise reunion, the first time they had all played together in over 20 years, at bassist Danny Klein's 60th birthday party at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston.
Since 2009 they are reunited once more.
The band disbanded in 2017 after the death of bandleader J. Geils.
Takin' You Down
The J. Geils Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That you were just too damn cold to me
Oh
All that really mattered was you were my girlfriend
Oh
And baby, that's all that mattered to me
Ooowee
Let me love you down
Let me love you down
You know it's gonna be so right
I know you're thinking 'bout a
Young nigga
The one that used to run with ya
He let you go, he done grown
Now he dumb bigger
The big tipper
The one you told to get the picture
I found the kodak
I developed you should know that
Oh
You say you wanna ride with me
Get that dinero are you staying on the grind with me
I get convicted are you staying through the time with me
You'll get convicted with my heart lil ma
You robbed it yeah you on it
But girl
You done went and changed
Switched the frame
I delete your pictures went and made a name
You hate that
You gotta face that
I got the picture lil mama
Now there's no take backs
Oh
It never really mattered too much to me
That you were just too damn cold to me
Oh
All that really mattered was you were my girlfriend
Oh
And baby, that's all that mattered to me
Ooowee
If I tell you that I love you Ima let it show
If I tell you that I want you you're the only one
G5 we private
Your body so exotic
I'm scrolling down my timeline
Know damn well you wildin'
Know damn well when I fucked you
You know I had no thotties
It's me and you against the world girl
We was ridin' around in that Rari
Fuck love I don't need it
Girl you left me bleeding
You changed like the seasons
Girl your love's deceiving
It never really mattered too much to me
That you were just too damn cold to me
Oh
All that really mattered was you were my girlfriend
Oh
And baby, that's all that mattered to me
Ooowee
Let me love you down
Even if it takes all night
Let me love you down
You know it's gonna be so right
The J. Geils Band's song Takin' You Down is all about the singer's conflicted feelings for his girlfriend. He opens the song with a statement that her coldness never really mattered to him, because all that mattered was that she was his girlfriend. He wants to love her down, even if it takes all night, and he reassures her that it'll be worth it because everything will feel so right.
However, things quickly become more complicated. He knows that she's been thinking about another, younger guy who used to run with her. She let him go, and he's now grown and doing better than ever. The singer implies that he's taken some pictures of her - perhaps compromising ones - and she needs to decide if she's staying on the grind with him or not. He warns her that if she sticks with him, she risks getting convicted right alongside him.
In the final verses, the singer seems to be trying to convince himself as much as his girlfriend that she matters to him. He promises to let her know his feelings and make them clear, but he's also warning her that love is risky and he doesn't need it. He's been hurt before, and he doesn't want to bleed again. Despite all this, he still wants to love her down - perhaps suggesting that he's willing to take the risk after all.
Line by Line Meaning
It never really mattered too much to me
I didn't care too much about anything in our relationship
That you were just too damn cold to me
You treated me bad, but I still wanted to be with you
All that really mattered was you were my girlfriend
All I cared about was that you were my girlfriend
And baby, that's all that mattered to me
You were the only thing that mattered to me
Ooowee
An expression of excitement or enthusiasm
Let me love you down
I want to make love to you
Even if it takes all night
I'm willing to spend all night making love to you
You know it's gonna be so right
Our love-making is going to be amazing
I know you're thinking 'bout a
I know you're thinking about another man
Young nigga
A young man
The one that used to run with ya
The guy who used to hang out with you
He let you go, he done grown
He moved on and matured
Now he dumb bigger
Now he's a successful man
The big tipper
A generous guy
The one you told to get the picture
The guy you told to leave you alone
I found the kodak
I still want to be with you
I developed you should know that
I've realized that I love you
You say you wanna ride with me
You want to be in a relationship with me
Get that dinero are you staying on the grind with me
Are you willing to work and stay with me?
I get convicted are you staying through the time with me
If I get in trouble, will you stand by my side?
You'll get convicted with my heart lil ma
You'll be with me forever
You robbed it yeah you on it
You stole my heart and now you have it
But girl
My love interest
You done went and changed
You've changed from the person I used to know
Switched the frame
Changed the way you treated me
I delete your pictures went and made a name
I've moved on from you and focused on myself
You hate that
You don't like that I've moved on
You gotta face that
You have to accept it
Now there's no take backs
I'm committed to moving on and can't go back to you
If I tell you that I love you Ima let it show
If I say I love you, I will show it
If I tell you that I want you you're the only one
If I say I want you, it means you're the only one for me
G5 we private
We're flying privately
Your body so exotic
You have a unique and attractive body
I'm scrolling down my timeline
I'm seeing what you've been up to on social media
Know damn well you wildin'
I know you're acting wild or reckless
Know damn well when I fucked you
I remember when we had sex
You know I had no thotties
I wasn't interested in other women at the time
It's me and you against the world girl
We're in this together
We was ridin' around in that Rari
We were driving around in a luxury car
Fuck love I don't need it
I don't need anyone else's love
Girl you left me bleeding
You caused me pain
You changed like the seasons
You've changed a lot over time
Girl your love's deceiving
Your love is not genuine
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: JEREMY ROBINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind