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.
Girl Blue
The Main Ingredient Lyrics
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Good, good morning
To the one I love
Crystal ringlets
Paint a picture
Of a gold sunrise above
Little girl, you′re sad
Is visible to you
Within your heart
There stays a part
That like the sky, is blue
Shifting breezes (breezes)
Grace the inner (inner)
Spectrum of your glance
Leaves on branches (branches)
For your pleasure (pleasure)
Perform a soothing dance
Little girl, it seems (little girl, it seems)
In all my dreams (all my dreams)
Your happiness is due
But, still they last (but, still they last)
They're in your past (in your past)
Events that make you blue
Thoughts of love
Are in your mind (in your mind, in your mind)
Yet, splintered hopes (pushed aside, pushed aside)
Push them aside (ahh)
A look of life
Is what you need to try
In an instant (instant)
There′ll be sunshine (sunshine)
Sprinkled every place
Drops of rain will (rain will)
Kiss the softness (softness)
Of your lovely face
Little girl, be fair (little girl, be fair)
Show yourself you care (show you care)
There's love waiting for you
Before it's too late (′fore it′s too late)
'Cause time won′t wait (time won't wait)
′Til your heart's no longer blue
Little girl, be smart (little girl, be smart)
Don′t you break your own heart (don't break your heart)
There is love waiting for you
Before it's too late (′fore it′s too late)
'Cause time won′t wait (time won't wait)
′Til your heart's no longer blue
The song "Girl Blue" by The Main Ingredient is a comforting message directed towards a sad girl to lift her spirits up. The song opens with a pleasant greeting "Good, good morning" addressed to the singer's love interest, who is described as a little girl suffering from sadness, despite having everything she ever wanted. To create a beautiful and serene visual for the listener, the singer paints a picture of crystal ringlets framing the girl's face and a golden sunrise above her head. Even though everything seems picture-perfect on the outside, the singer acknowledges the girl's inner sadness, which is like the blue sky that always stays the same.
Through the silky-smooth lyrics, the singer promises the girl that her sadness will not last forever. He assures her that the goodness of the world is just around the corner, and sunshine is about to replace her misery. The inner spectrum of her gaze and the soothing dance of falling leaves on branches reveal that peace exists around her, and all she needs to do is show herself she cares about it. As the song moves forward, the singer advises the girl to stop pushing aside the thoughts of love and to try and look at life with a positive outlook to heal her splintered hopes. He warns her that she should not break her own heart before it's too late, and love is waiting for her.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello, morning
A greeting to a new day
Good, good morning
Expressing joy for another day
To the one I love
Addressing a beloved person
Crystal ringlets
Describing the appearance of the morning sun
Paint a picture
Imagining an artistic representation
Of a gold sunrise above
Depicting a beautiful scenery
Little girl, you're sad
Addressing a young woman who is feeling down
Though all you have
Despite the things that she has
Is visible to you
She can see everything she has
Within your heart
An invisible but important part of oneself
There stays a part
Something that remains and is enduring
That like the sky, is blue
Her sadness is deep and unchanging, like the sky
Shifting breezes (breezes)
Describing the movement of air
Grace the inner (inner)
Accentuating the inner part
Spectrum of your glance
The range of emotions in her eyes
Leaves on branches (branches)
Describing the movement of foliage
For your pleasure (pleasure)
Suggesting enjoyment of nature's beauty
Perform a soothing dance
The movement of leaves is calming
Little girl, it seems (little girl, it seems)
Expressing uncertainty about her situation
In all my dreams (all my dreams)
Imagining a better future
Your happiness is due
She deserves to be happy
But, still they last (but, still they last)
Her sad memories still linger
They're in your past (in your past)
Her sadness is rooted in past events
Events that make you blue
Past experiences that cause her sadness
Thoughts of love
Her mind is preoccupied by love
Are in your mind (in your mind, in your mind)
Love is on her thoughts
Yet, splintered hopes (pushed aside, pushed aside)
Her hopes for love are broken
Push them aside (ahh)
She tries not to dwell on her lost hopes
A look of life
A more positive outlook on life
Is what you need to try
She should try to be more positive
In an instant (instant)
Suddenly, without warning
There'll be sunshine (sunshine)
Good things will come her way
Sprinkled every place
The good things will be everywhere
Drops of rain will (rain will)
Even the bad things have some beauty
Kiss the softness (softness)
The touch of the raindrops is gentle
Of your lovely face
She herself is beautiful
Little girl, be fair (little girl, be fair)
She should be kind to herself
Show yourself you care (show you care)
She should prioritize her own well-being
There's love waiting for you
She will find love someday
Before it's too late (′fore it′s too late)
She should not wait too long to find love
'Cause time won't wait (time won't wait)
Time keeps moving forward regardless of our actions
′Til your heart's no longer blue
She needs to overcome her sadness before finding love
Little girl, be smart (little girl, be smart)
She should be intelligent in her decision-making
Don't you break your own heart (don't break your heart)
She should not cause herself further pain
There is love waiting for you
Love is out there for her
′Fore it's too late (′fore it's too late)
She should not wait too long to find love
'Cause time won't wait (time won't wait)
Time keeps moving regardless of our decisions
′Til your heart's no longer blue
She needs to overcome her sadness before finding love
Writer(s): Stevie Wonder, Yvonne Wright
Contributed by Lillian T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.