The group was formed in Harlem, New York City in 1964 as a trio called the Poets, composed of lead singer Donald McPherson, Luther Simmons, Jr., and Panama-born Tony Silvester. They made their first recordings for Leiber & Stoller's Red Bird label, but soon changed their name to the Insiders and signed with RCA Records. In 1968, after a couple of singles, they changed their name once again, this time permanently, to the Main Ingredient. The name came from a Coke bottle.
They then teamed up with record producer/arranger Bert DeCoteaux. Under his direction, the Main Ingredient reached the R&B Top 30 for the first time in 1970 with "You've Been My Inspiration". A cover of The Impressions' "I'm So Proud" broke the Top 20, and "Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling in Love)" went into the Top 10. In 1971, they scored again, with the McPherson-penned black-power anthem "Black Seeds Keep on Growing," but tragedy struck that year. Don McPherson, who had suddenly taken ill with leukemia, died unexpectedly. Stunned, Tony Silvester and Luther Simmons re-grouped with new lead singer Cuba Gooding, Sr., who had served as a backing vocalist on some of their previous recordings and had filled in on tour during McPherson's brief illness.
The Gooding era began auspiciously with the million-selling smash "Everybody Plays the Fool", which hit number two R&B and number three pop to become the group's biggest hit. It sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in September 1972. The accompanying album, Bitter Sweet, became their first to hit the Top 10 on the R&B album chart; its follow-up, 1973's Afrodisiac, featured several songs written or co-written by Stevie Wonder, although it did not produce any huge successes on the singles charts. They peaked at number eight on the R&B chart in 1974 with "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely", which sold over a million copies,and also reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. The track peaked at number twenty-seven in the UK Singles Chart in July 1974, although it was their only chart presence in the UK. In 1975, the group recorded several songs co-written by Leon Ware, including the R&B Top Ten "Rolling Down a Mountainside". By this point, however, Tony Silvester was harboring other ambitions; he released a solo album called Magic Touch that year, and left the group to form a production team with DeCoteaux. The two of them scored a Top 10 Pop and R&B smash with their production of Ben E. King's hit "Supernatural Thing" in 1975.
Silvester was replaced by Carl Tompkins, and Gooding departed for a solo career on Motown in 1977, which produced two albums; Simmons, meanwhile, left the music industry to work as a stockbroker. Gooding, Silvester and Simmons reunited as the Main Ingredient in 1979, and recorded two more albums, 1980's Ready for Love and 1981's I Only Have Eyes for You (the latter featured a minor hit in "Evening of Love"). The trio reunited for a second time in 1986, but their Zakia single "Do Me Right" flopped, and Simmons returned to his day job. He was replaced by Jerome Jackson on the 1989 Polydor album I Just Wanna Love You. In the wake of Aaron Neville's Top Ten revival of "Everybody Plays the Fool", Gooding resumed his solo career and issued his third album in 1993. Silvester and Simmons re-formed the Main Ingredient in 1999 with new lead singer Carlton Blount; this line-up recorded Pure Magic in 2001.
Tony Silvester died after a six-year struggle with multiple myeloma on November 27, 2006, at the age of 65, and original member Luther Simmons retired shortly thereafter. Cuba Gooding Sr. was found dead in his car on April 20, 2017. The current line-up of the group consists of Jerome Jackson, and Stanley Alston.
Everybody Plays The Fool
The Main Ingredient Lyrics
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You sit around mopin'
Cryin' and cryin'
You say you're even thinkin' about dyin'
Well, before you do anything rash, dig this
Everybody plays the fool sometime
There's no exception to the rule
I ain't lyin', everybody plays the fool
Falling in love is such an easy thing to do
And there's no guarantee that the one you love
Is gonna love you
Oh-oh-oh, lovin' eyes they cannot see
A certain person could never be
Love runs deeper than any ocean
You can cloud your mind with emotion
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
There's no exception to the rule
Listen, baby, it may be factual, may be cruel
I want to tell ya that
Everybody plays the fool
How can you help it when the music starts to play
And your ability to reason is swept away
Oh-oh-oh, heaven on earth is all you see
You're out of touch with reality
And now you cry but when you do
Next time around someone cries for you
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
They use your heart like a tool
Listen, baby, they never tell you so in school
I want to say it again
Everybody plays the fool
Listen to me, baby
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
(No exception) no exception to the rule
It may be factual, may be cruel, sometime
But everybody plays the fool
Listen, listen, baby
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
They use your heart like a tool
The song "Everybody Plays the Fool" by The Main Ingredient speaks to the pain and heartbreak that comes with falling in love. The lyrics suggest that no one is immune to the power of love and its consequences. The verses describe a person who is dealing with a broken heart, perhaps feeling overwhelmed and even contemplating suicide. The chorus provides a comforting message that "everybody plays the fool sometime," meaning that everyone experiences heartbreak at some point in their lives. The lyrics go on to describe how love can blind people to reality and lead them to make irrational decisions, yet it remains an essential part of the human experience.
The song has been covered by various artists, including Aaron Neville and The Three Degrees, and was a hit for The Main Ingredient in 1972, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has since been viewed as a soul classic and a staple of the genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Okay, so your heart is broken
Your heart has been hurt and you are upset.
You sit around mopin'
You are feeling sorry for yourself.
Cryin' and cryin'
You have been crying a lot.
You say you're even thinkin' about dyin'
Your pain is so intense that you have considered suicide.
Well, before you do anything rash, dig this
Before you do anything drastic or harmful, listen to this.
Everybody plays the fool sometime
Everyone experiences heartbreak at some point in their life.
There's no exception to the rule
No one is exempt from experiencing heartbreak.
Listen, baby, it may be factual, may be cruel
Heartbreak is a painful reality of life.
I ain't lyin', everybody plays the fool
I'm not lying when I say everyone goes through it.
Falling in love is such an easy thing to do
It's easy to fall in love.
And there's no guarantee that the one you love
There is no assurance that the person you love
Is gonna love you
Will love you back
Oh-oh-oh, lovin' eyes they cannot see
When you are in love, you may not see certain things.
A certain person could never be
It may not be possible to have a relationship with a certain person.
Love runs deeper than any ocean
Love is a profound emotion.
You can cloud your mind with emotion
Your emotions can make it difficult to think clearly.
Everybody plays the fool, sometime
Everyone has experienced heartbreak.
There's no exception to the rule
No one is exempt from heartbreak.
Listen, baby, it may be factual, may be cruel
Heartbreak is a painful reality.
I want to tell ya that
I want to inform you that
Everybody plays the fool
Everyone has experienced heartbreak.
How can you help it when the music starts to play
It's hard to resist the feelings of love when the situation is right.
And your ability to reason is swept away
Your logical thinking is compromised.
Oh-oh-oh, heaven on earth is all you see
When you're in love, everything seems perfect.
You're out of touch with reality
You're not thinking clearly about the situation.
And now you cry but when you do
You feel sad now, but soon someone else will feel the same way.
Next time around someone cries for you
The person who broke your heart this time may experience heartbreak themselves in the future.
They use your heart like a tool
Others may take advantage of your emotions.
Listen, baby, they never tell you so in school
They don't teach you about heartbreak in school.
I want to say it again
I want to repeat myself.
Everybody plays the fool
Everyone experiences heartbreak.
Listen to me, baby
Pay attention to what I'm telling you.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kenneth Williams, Ralph Bailey, Rudy Clark
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind