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.
Let Me Prove My Love to You
The Main Ingredient Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been trying hard
Not to let it show
I bet you don't know how much I need you now
I know what to say
But I don't know how
And my love keeps coming on (coming on)
And getting strong (getting strong)
What else can I do?
I bet you don't know how I really feel
So let me prove my love to you
Time after time
I find myself dreaming of you
I've never felt this way before
This feeling is so new
(Ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh)
Ooh-ooh-ooh
(Ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh)
You make my love keep coming on (coming on)
And coming on (coming on)
And getting strong (getting strong)
What else can I do?
I bet you don't know how I really feel
So let me prove my love to you
(Ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh)
Let me prove my love to you
(Ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh)
Let me prove my love to you
(Ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh)
Let me prove my love to you
(Ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh)
Let me prove my love to you
(Ooh-ooh)
(Ooh-ooh)
Let me prove my love to you
In "Let Me Prove My Love to You," The Main Ingredient sings about a deep and heartfelt love that the singer has for someone who may not fully understand or reciprocate those feelings. The singer admits that they have been trying to hide their love for this person, but cannot help the strength of their emotions. They are at a loss for words and cannot find the right way to express themselves. Despite this, their love continues to grow stronger and they feel compelled to prove their love to the object of their affection. The chorus repeats with the singer pleading to be given a chance to prove the depth of their love.
The song captures the vulnerability and uncertainty of unrequited love. The singer is fully aware that the person they love may not feel the same way, yet they cannot help but feel deeply for them. They are frustrated by their inability to convey their emotions, but they persist in their desire to show their love. The repetition of the chorus underscores the singer's determination to prove their love despite the odds.
Overall, "Let Me Prove My Love to You" is a plea for love and an expression of devotion. The singer's vulnerability and persistence make for a powerful and moving love song.
Line by Line Meaning
I bet you don't know how much I love you so
I doubt you are aware of the immense love I hold for you
I've been trying hard
I've made an effort to conceal my emotions
Not to let it show
So you won't be able to guess
I bet you don't know how much I need you now
I doubt you are cognizant of my current level of emotional dependence on you
I know what to say
I know the right words to use
But I don't know how
But I don't know how to say them effectively
And my love keeps coming on (coming on)
My feelings keep getting stronger and stronger
And coming on (coming on)
I can't help it
And getting strong (getting strong)
My emotions are intensifying
What else can I do?
There's nothing I'm capable of doing to stop my feelings
I bet you don't know how I really feel
I doubt you truly understand the depth of my feelings
So let me prove my love to you
I'll show you how much I love you
Time after time
Repeatedly
I find myself dreaming of you
I often dream about you
I've never felt this way before
This is new to me, I've never felt like this before
This feeling is so new
This feeling is fresh and new to me
(Ooh-ooh)
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
(Ooh-ooh)
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
Ooh-ooh-ooh
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
(Ooh-ooh)
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
(Ooh-ooh)
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
You make my love keep coming on (coming on)
Your existence keeps amplifying my feelings of love
And coming on (coming on)
I can't control this feeling
And getting strong (getting strong)
It's getting more profound with time
What else can I do?
There's nothing I can do to stem these emotions
I bet you don't know how I really feel
I doubt you have any inkling of how deep my feelings go
So let me prove my love to you
I will show you how much I love you repeatedly
(Ooh-ooh)
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
(Ooh-ooh)
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
Let me prove my love to you
I want to demonstrate how much I love you
(Ooh-ooh)
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
(Ooh-ooh)
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
Let me prove my love to you
I want to prove my love for you again and again
(Ooh-ooh)
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
(Ooh-ooh)
Vocalization to emphasize this stanza
Let me prove my love to you
I want to show you how much I love you
Writer(s): Ken Williams
Contributed by Zachary N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.