THE MANHATTANS were originally: Winfred "Blue" Lovett, Richard Taylor, Kenny Kelley, George "Smitty" Smith and Sonny Bivins. The quintet reportedly took it's name not from the big city across the water from New Jersey, but from the cocktail known as the Manhattan featuring whiskey, vermouth, and bitters. Still, the name suggested class, something the Manhattans have epitomized throughout their long career.
Between 1970 and 1973 they recorded for Starday/King Records , and by 1973 they were signed to industry behemoth Columbia where their career finally took off.
After 10 years of lower charting singles, the 1976 hit "Kiss and Say Goodbye" was the group's biggest hit to date and led to a performance at Jimmy carter's 1977 inaugural. In 1980 they won a Grammy for Shining Star written and produced by Leo Graham. In the mid 1980's female singer Regina Belle was briefly added to the lineup, singing on the Bobby Womack-produced single, "Where Did We Go Wrong" (a duet with Gerald Alston). She also contributed to The Manhattans 1986 Columbia Records album, "Back To Basics" before signing as a solo artist.
Two versions of The Manhattans have soldiered on to today. One lead by original member Sonny Bivins, and another created after a long hiatus, when founding member Blue Lovett began working with former lead Gerald Alston for a late career touring resurgence. Alston also appeared on Wu-Tang Clan's song "Stick Me For My Riches" in 2007.
In 2013, "Original" member Edward "Sonny" Bivins group features "Sonny" Bivins, Lee Williams, Charles Hardy, Harsey Hemphill and Alvin Pazant. In 2013, The Manhattans CD single "Just For Tonite" was released by Westwood Music Group. Currently, the group is recording material for a 2014 release. The Manhattans is a Registered U.S. Trademark owned by Manhattan Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Where Did We Go Wrong
The Manhattans Lyrics
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There s at least a thousand questions hanging over my head
How could we be so near
Yet light-years behind
Oh, there s been too much injury
No, not a saving grace this time
So all that s left here are old memories
Did I love you too hard
Ooh, did I love you too strong
Have I loved you, have I loved you much too long
All I m saying is, where did we go wrong
There s a well made for wishing
But all our wishes were spent
We ve got so many broken dreams, so many rivers we ve cried
Now there s no more tears, our banks have run dry
Oh, how much longer must we linger, I wanna know boy
How much more time can we ride
The answer only gets us back, boy, you and I
So let s face the fact that we re saying goodbye
Did I love you too hard
Did I love you too strong
Have I loved you, oh have I loved you girl much too long
All I m saying is, where did we go wrong
We didn t know that fate would lead our hearts astray
Some things just weren t meant to be
When love is blind you can t see the forest for the trees
Baby we ll recover and learn, and learn to love all over, oh yeah
Did I love you too hard, baby
I wanna know, did I love you too strong
Have I loved you, have I loved you, oh much too long
Tell me baby, where did we go wrong
I wanna know, you got to tell me, girl
Did I, did I love you too hard, baby
Did I love your body just a little bit too strong
Have I loved you, have I loved you, have I loved you
Much too long
Tell me, where did we go wrong
Did I love you, did I love you much too hard, baby
Was my loving, was my loving too strong
How much I love you, have I loved you much too long
Tell me, where did we go wrong
The Manhattans' song "Where Did We Go Wrong" is a powerful ballad that tells the story of a love gone wrong. The singer asks several questions as he tries to make sense of what went wrong in their relationship. He laments, "Life, it is a lesson, still I have answers to find. There s at least a thousand questions hanging over my head. How could we be so near, yet light-years behind?" These lines reveal his confusion as he tries to understand why, despite their intimacy, they were unable to make things work.
The chorus of the song repeats the question, "Did I love you too hard, did I love you too strong? Have I loved you, have I loved you much too long? All I'm saying is, where did we go wrong?" Here, the singer wonders if he loved his partner too intensely, which ultimately led to their love's demise. He tries to understand where things went wrong and how to move forward even as he acknowledges that it may be time to say goodbye.
The song's lyrics provide a poignant and relatable portrayal of the pain and confusion that lovers experience when things go sour. It highlights the importance of communication and trust in a relationship and warns against becoming too fixated on one's partner to the point of losing oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Life, it is a lesson, still I have answers to find
I'm still learning about life, but there are still many things I don't understand
There s at least a thousand questions hanging over my head
I have so many unanswered questions
How could we be so near
We were once very close
Yet light-years behind
But now we are very distant from each other
Oh, there s been too much injury
We've hurt each other too much
No, not a saving grace this time
We can't fix things this time
So all that s left here are old memories
All that remains are memories from the past
How could we see so clear yet be so blind
We were aware of what was happening, but we still couldn't prevent our relationship from falling apart
Did I love you too hard
Did I love you too intensely
Ooh, did I love you too strong
Did I love you too powerfully
Have I loved you, have I loved you much too long
Have I been in love with you for too long
All I m saying is, where did we go wrong
I just want to understand how our relationship came to an end
There s a well made for wishing
We used to have high hopes and wishes for our future together
But all our wishes were spent
But we used up all those wishes and dreams
We ve got so many broken dreams, so many rivers we ve cried
We had many dreams that never came true, and we cried so much over them
Now there s no more tears, our banks have run dry
Now we've cried so much that we have no more tears left
Oh, how much longer must we linger, I wanna know boy
I'm wondering how much longer we can keep dragging this out
How much more time can we ride
How much more time can we continue with this relationship
The answer only gets us back, boy, you and I
We already know what the answer is, and it means the end for us
So let s face the fact that we re saying goodbye
So let's face the reality that it's time for us to say goodbye
We didn't know that fate would lead our hearts astray
We weren't aware that our destiny wasn't together
Some things just weren't meant to be
Our relationship just wasn't meant to last
When love is blind you can t see the forest for the trees
When you're in love, it's hard to see things clearly
Baby we ll recover and learn, and learn to love all over, oh yeah
We will heal from this and hopefully love again in the future
I wanna know, you got to tell me, girl
I want to understand what went wrong, you need to help me
Did I love you, did I love you much too hard, baby
Did I love you too intensely
Was my loving, was my loving too strong
Did I love you too powerfully
How much I love you, have I loved you much too long
Have I been in love with you for too long
Tell me, where did we go wrong
Please tell me how our relationship came to an end
Writer(s): K. Bloxson, Sasha
Contributed by Daniel J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.