The group consisted of sisters Brenda, Valorie and Shirley Jones. They served as backup singers for Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, Aretha Franklin, and Le Pamplemousse. They worked with Diana Ross from 1975–78 and were the backup singers on Linda Clifford's 1978 album If My Friends Could See Me Now and on Tower of Power's lowly rated 1979 album Back on the Streets.
Their biggest hit was "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else". The song broke the Billboard Magazine Top 40 at #38 in May 1979. The song was also a Top 5 R&B hit. It became a gold record.
An additional hit followed in 1980, with the single "I Just Love The Man", charting at #9 in January 1981. The less successful "Nights Over Egypt" (released in 1981, charting at R&B #23 in 1982 and written by Dexter Wansel), is currently a cult classic that receives more airplay on urban radio stations than their previous bigger hits.
After the release and failure of their fourth U.S. album, On Target, lead singer Shirley Jones pursued a solo career and had a #1 R&B hit on Billboard with "Do You Get Enough Love", from her top-ten debut album Always in the Mood (1986). "Do You Get Enough Love" was written by Bunny Sigler who also produced it with Kenny Gamble. In 2007, Shirley released an album Ladies Night Out together with Jean Carn and Cherrelle, on CD and DVD.
"Who Can I Run To", from the band's self-titled 1979 debut album, was covered by Xscape in 1995. Their cover version became a number #1 R&B and #8 Pop hit. The original version was the B-side of "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else".
Valorie Jones died on December 2, 2001, in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 45. Lead singer Shirley Jones continues to perform successfully as The Jones Girls with two of her nieces and a nephew on background vocals.
Brenda Jones eventually moved to Atlanta, where she sang frequently with her four-piece band, performing both Jazz and R&B numbers, including many Jones Girls' tunes. She later moved to New York after her children were grown, to have a more active performing and recording schedule. On April 4, 2017 Brenda died.
Life Goes On
The Jones Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Memories of you
All I have is tender thoughts of the past
All I have is lonely nights
Days are filled with groom
I wish there was a way we could be together
Oh, oh, oh, life goes on
That you're not coming back
And I'm gonna find somebody who can love me like you used to do
Love me like you used to do
I'm so tired of sitting around
Staring into space
My world is so empty, I'm a lonely soul
Looks like it's the end for me
But I must be strong
I like to lose this feeling of loving you
Oh, oh, oh, life goes on
And I'll must face the fact
That you're not coming back
And I'm gonna find somebody who can love me like you used to do
Love me like you used to do
Oh, oh, oh, life goes on
And I'll must face the fact
That you're not coming back
And I'm gonna find somebody who can love me like you used to do
Love me like you used to do
Oh, oh, oh, life goes on, life goes on
Life goes on, life goes on
Life goes on, life goes on
Life goes on, life goes on
Life goes on and on
On and on and on
This is not the first time
Somebody's heart has been broken
And it won't be the last
This is not the first time
Somebody's dream has been shattered
Tell me what's the matter
Can't you get yourself together?
Life goes on
And I'll must face the fact
That you're not coming back
And I'm gonna find somebody who can love me like you used to do
Love me like you used to do
Oh, oh, oh, life goes on, life goes on
Life goes on, life goes on
Life goes on, life goes on
Life goes on, life goes on
Life goes on and on
On and on and on
It goes on and on
It goes on and on
Life goes on and on
It goes on and on
Life goes on and on
It goes on and on
Life goes on and on
It goes on and on
Life goes on and on
It goes on and on
The Jones Girls’ “Life Goes On” is a heart-wrenching song about moving on and healing from a broken heart. The lyrics express the singer’s feelings of loss and longing for a past love, seeking comfort in the memories they shared but ultimately coming to terms with the fact that they won’t be returning. The singer’s loneliness and sense of helplessness are further underscored by the repeated refrain “life goes on,” a reminder of the passing of time and the inevitability of change.
Despite the pain of the present, the singer acknowledges that healing is possible and vows to find someone new who can love her as her past love did. The song is both a lamentation and a hopeful call to move forward, a tribute to the enduring power of love and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
All I have is memories
The only thing I have left of our relationship are memories
Memories of you
These memories are solely of you
All I have is tender thoughts of the past
The memories I have are sentimental and gentle, evoking feelings of nostalgia
All I have is lonely nights
Without you, my nights feel empty and desolate
Days are filled with groom
My days are occupied with monotonous tasks and activities that offer little distraction from thoughts of you
I wish there was a way we could be together
I long to be reunited with you, but I know it's impossible
Oh, oh, oh, life goes on
Life doesn't stop moving forward just because of heartbreak
And I'll must face the fact
I have to accept that you're gone
That you're not coming back
You're not returning to me, no matter how much I wish you would
And I'm gonna find somebody who can love me like you used to do
I know I have to move on and find someone else who can love me in the way that you once did
Love me like you used to do
I want someone who can love me with the same intensity and passion that you once did
I'm so tired of sitting around
I'm exhausted from wasting my time waiting for something that will never happen
Staring into space
I spend so much time lost in thought about you that I'm not present in the world around me
My world is so empty, I'm a lonely soul
Without you, I feel like a shell of a person, with a deep sense of loneliness
Looks like it's the end for me
It seems like my heart will never heal from this loss
But I must be strong
I have to find the strength to move on from this and start a new chapter
I like to lose this feeling of loving you
I wish I could rid myself of the love I still feel for you, as it only causes me pain
This is not the first time
Heartbreak is not a new experience, as others have faced it before me
Somebody's heart has been broken
Others have experienced the same pain and loss that I have
And it won't be the last
Heartbreak is a universal experience that will likely continue to occur
Somebody's dream has been shattered
The loss of love often involves the loss of hopes and dreams for the future
Tell me what's the matter
Why must we experience such pain and heartbreak?
Can't you get yourself together?
Can't we overcome our pain and move forward?
It goes on and on
This cycle of heartbreak and moving on continues indefinitely
Life goes on and on
Despite the pain, life continues to move forward
On and on and on
This process repeats itself over and over again
Contributed by Madelyn K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.