In early 1951, the Moonglows, mostly featuring Fuqua on lead vocals, began recording, first for Freed's Champagne record label and then for Chicago's Chance Records, achieving local success in the midwest with a bluesy sound. By mid 1954, the group had become more polished (as evidenced by their Lester-led cover of Doris Day's "Secret Love"), and signed with the bigger Chess Records label. Their first Chess record was also their first R&B hit, the Fuqua-penned "Sincerely" (1954), with a lead vocal by Lester (and covered for the pop market by The McGuire Sisters). "Sincerely" was followed by a series of original R&B hits in 1955 and 1956, including "Most of All", "In My Diary" (later recorded by The Spinners), "When I'm With You" (all led by Lester) and the uptempo "See Saw" (featuring Fuqua). 1957 saw the release of the Fuqua led "Please Send Me Someone to Love" (originally by Percy Mayfield in 1950).
Through this period, the group perfected their patented, breathy, "blow harmony," which inspired countless 1950s doo-wop groups and 1960s soul groups, and even the 1970s The Chi-Lites.
Generally, Fuqua sang lead on the uptempo and blues-based tunes, while Lester was the group's romantic lead. Occasionally, on songs like "We Go Together" (1956), they sang a duet lead. Fuqua and Lester also "Moonlighted" on the Checker Records label as the "Moonlighters", recording a local hit "Shoo-be-doo (My Lovin' Baby)" in 1955. The group appeared in Rock Rock Rock a movie produced by, and starring Alan Freed. The last recording by the original five was the hit "10 Commandments of Love" (released in early 1958). It featured Fuqua on lead, with Billy Johnson doing the spoken recitation. By 1957, Fuqua had begun to re-assert himself as lead vocalist and manager, with Lester being pushed to the background. This created a great deal of friction within the group.[citation needed]
Also in 1957, a Washington, D.C. based group known as The Marquees was struggling to make it. The members were Marvin Gaye, Reese Palmer, Chester Simmons, and James Knowland. They decided to give an impromptu audition to Fuqua, as the Moonglows had come to town for a concert. Fuqua was so impressed with them that he decided to fire the entire group and take on the Marquees as the "New Moonglows." Fuqua recorded with these four (later including fifth member Chuck Barksdale), as Harvey & The Moonglows through 1960, when the group dispersed. Gaye went on to a huge solo career.
Fuqua produced the Spinners in the early 1960s, even singing on a few of their records (but not 1961's "That's What Girls are Made For", which featured Bobby Smith imitating Harvey's style). Fuqua became a staff writer and record producer for Motown Records through the 1960s, and later road-managed Smokey Robinson. Lester returned to his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky and opened a nightclub. Barnes moved to Mississippi and retired from professional singing after an automobile accident in 1969.
Meanwhile, in 1964, Pete Graves restarted the Moonglows with Doc Green of The Drifters, George Thorpe, and Bearle Easton. This group recorded briefly for Lana Records, Times Square Records, and Crimson Records.
Yet another new Moonglows formed in 1970, featuring Lester and a Louisville group called the Aristocrats, who consisted of Lester's cousin Gary Rodgers, plus Albert Workman, Robert Ford, and Billy McPhatter (son of Clyde McPhatter). This group performed once in 1971 at a show in New York, but the Aristocrats decided to return to Louisville. Dallas, inspired by the reception his group received, reunited with Harvey Fuqua and Pete Graves, plus new members Doc Williams and Chuck Lewis, and the Moonglows were back.
They recorded an LP released on RCA Records in 1972, charting their last single, "Sincerely '72", a funky re-working of their 1954 hit.
This line-up split up after 1972, and Lester began singing with local Louisville singers again, including at times Rodgers, Ford, Robert Lee Davis, Bruce Martin, and Peter Lawford. This group recorded a mostly a cappella, live album Moonglows in 1979.
Lester died in his hometown of Louisville from cancer in 1980, and Billy McPhatter returned to the group, with Rodgers taking over most of the leads in what was now billed as "Bobby Lester's Moonglows." McPhatter was later replaced by Bobby Lester, Jr. Harvey reunited with the remainder of his 1972 Moonglows in 1983 for a Grammy performance (minus Lester, and Barksdale who had rejoined The Dells, and plus guitarist Johnson), and they toured until 1986 as Harvey & the Moonglows.
In 2000, Bobby Lester's Moonglows, consisting of Rodgers, Martin, Lawford, and Gene Kelly, appeared on the PBS special Doo Wop 50, backing up Harvey Fuqua on "Sincerely" and "10 Commandments of Love." Fuqua, now in his mid-70s, still sings occasionally, sometimes backed up by Lester's Moonglows, sometimes a 50s R&B group called the Magnificents, and sometimes by local "pick-up" groups. Fuqua also produces and manages gospel acts. Reese Palmer is a member of The Legendary Orioles, as well as leading a new version of The Marquees. Chuck Barksdale is still with the Dells. Billy Johnson died in Los Angeles in 1987, Gary Rodgers died in 2005, and Prentiss Barnes died in 2006.[1].
Harvey Fuqua passed away in 2010.
The Moonglows were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. They were also inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2000. "Sincerely" was named one of The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll.
See Saw
The Moonglows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your love is like a see-saw, baby, see-saw
First it's up and then it's down
It changes so fast, it never hits the ground
It goes up, down, and up Like a see-saw
When you said you'd be my baby, see-saw
When you said you'd be my baby, see-saw
I thought your love was sincere
It goes up, down and up, like a see-saw
Monday it's a huggin and a kissin
And Tuesday somethin' I've been missin'
Wednesday ev'rything is fine
Thursday you done changed your mind
Friday it's the day we make up
Saturday the day we break up
Sunday things are goin all right
Monday you want to start up fightin'
Your love is like a see-saw baby
Your love is like a see-saw baby
First you're glad and then yo're mad
You're the strangest girl I ever had
It goes up, down and up, like a see-saw
The Moonglows's song See Saw is a classic R&B song that speaks about the unpredictability of love. The lyrics compare love to a see-saw, where it's up one moment and down the next. The opening line, "Your love is like a see-saw baby, see-saw," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer describes how love changes so quickly, it never hits the ground, which is a metaphor for how strong emotions can go from one extreme to another without warning.
The second verse talks about the singer's initial hopes for an enduring love. He believed the girl's love was sincere, but the constantly changing emotional landscape threatens to ruin the relationship. The chorus emphasizes the see-saw metaphor, describing how the love moves up and down, with no sense of stability.
The lyrics take a turn in the third verse, as the singer describes the different emotions that occur during the course of the week. The girl is full of contradictions, hugging and kissing one day, then changing her mind the next. The final verse reiterates the see-saw metaphor and concludes by describing the girl as the "strangest girl I ever had."
Overall, the song speaks to the experience of many people who have had tumultuous relationships. However, the upbeat melody and catchy chorus make it a fun song to listen to and dance along with.
Line by Line Meaning
Your love is like a see-saw baby, see-saw
The singer compares their lover's love to a see-saw which goes up and down rapidly.
First it's up and then it's down
The singer explains that their lover's affection for them oscillates between being high and low.
It changes so fast, it never hits the ground
The singer asserts that their lover's feelings for them are so fickle that they never reach a steady point.
It goes up, down, and up Like a see-saw
The singer reiterates that their lover's love for them repeatedly goes up and down, just like a see-saw.
When you said you'd be my baby, see-saw
The singer reminisces about their lover promising their eternal love, but his/her love for the singer continued to fluctuate.
I thought your love was sincere
The singer believed that their lover's love for them was genuine.
But at this rate, it won't last a year
The singer doubts that their lover's love will stay consistent for a year if it continues to go up and down like a see-saw.
Monday it's a huggin and a kissin
The singer narrates how their lover shows them affection on Mondays by hugging and kissing.
And Tuesday somethin' I've been missin'
The singer indicates how their lover's behavior on Tuesday has changed from other days and feels like something is amiss.
Wednesday ev'rything is fine
The singer recalls a time when everything appeared to be okay between them and their lover in the middle of the week.
Thursday you done changed your mind
The singer expresses how their lover changes their opinion regarding their love or relationship on Thursdays.
Friday it's the day we make up
The singer recollects how Fridays are typically the day when they reconcile or rekindle their love.
Saturday the day we break up
The singer highlights that Saturdays are days when their love falls apart, and they break up.
Sunday things are goin all right
The singer describes how their lover's love for them is consistent on Sundays, and they're getting along well.
Monday you want to start up fightin'
The singer narrates how their lover always starts picking fights on Mondays, which can be frustrating.
Your love is like a see-saw baby
The singer reiterates that their lover's love is like a see-saw that goes up and down.
First you're glad and then yo're mad
The singer notes how their lover fluctuates between being happy and upset.
You're the strangest girl I ever had
The singer thinks that their lover's behavior regarding their love is quite peculiar.
It goes up, down and up, like a see-saw
The singer repeats their observation that their lover's love for them continues to fluctuate up and down sporadically.
Lyrics © SONGBOOK MUSIC LLC D/B/A QUAZICAL MUSIC
Written by: Marvin Gaye
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
boomerang905
We were kids making mud pies but always stopped to listen to this song!!! I fell in love with the Moonglows and Doo Wops then and there.
Gonzalo Perez
@INME what others?
alan spagnolia
what a wonderful memory !
INME
Check out Absolute Perfection playlists, all music ever recorded up to 1974. "Rare Records" would be to your liking lots of doo wop and songs never heard or rarely charted, local groups from big cities. Billboard charts are there and all the Artists. going all the way back to 1904 first charted hits. listen today and the music will still be playing 10000 years from now all different.
Dinosaur Karaoke
The label on the Chess record above shows the song's authors are Davis-Sutton-Pratt and that is reflected in the top of the description. Below the top section in the Music section, it reflects the song's writers as Steve Cropper and Don Covay. Cropper and Covay wrote a song titled See Saw, but it is not the song that is posted here. The mix-up may very well mean the licensing information is incorrect.
The45Prof
Thanks! No, I don't have the solution either.
Dinosaur Karaoke
@The45Prof Thank You for the quick response. And to be honest I knew that. But when I tried to let You Tube know under their misinformation category, it seems like misinformation to them is a case of nefarious wrong doing by the channel owner. So I thought I'd post it here, in case you knew more than I about getting them to correct it. It does seem a shame to see the wrong conglomerates collecting royalties they are not entitled to.
And more importantly, keep up the good work.
The45Prof
That "Music" portion that you see on the lower end of a video description is not written by the channel but by an auto-generated YouTube bot which not infrequently includes erroneous information about the posted audio.
Gonzalo Perez
Great 👍
Robert Masi
aka "Mad Dad" Yeah this tune did get quite a bit of airplay here
in Southern New England. A favorite at the time.