The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937-2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 1941), and Cyril (b. 1948) got together to take part in the recording session of The Wild Tchoupitoulas, a Mardi Gras Indian group led by the Nevilles' uncle, George Landry ("Big Chief Jolly").
Art Neville reached out to Paul Howrilla (personal manager for Dr. John) and told him that he always wanted to do something with his brothers. Paul Howrilla created Neville Productions, Inc., serving as president and CEO with all four Neville brothers as members of the board of directors. The newly formed business covered the entire Neville family, designed to protect them from the music business abuse they had previously endured in their individual careers.
This experience led them to form the group the following year. Their debut album was released from Capitol Records in 1978.
In 1988, the group released Uptown from EMI featuring guests including Branford Marsalis, Keith Richards, and Carlos Santana. The following year saw the release of Yellow Moon from A&M Records produced by Daniel Lanois. The track "Healing Chant" from that album won best pop instrumental performance of the Grammy Awards.
In 1990, the Neville Brothers contributed "In the Still of the Night" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Blue produced by the Red Hot Organization. Also in 1990, they appeared on the bill at that year's Glastonbury Festival. This also was the year they recorded "Sons and Daughters" on their Brother's Keeper album.
Their version of "Bird on the Wire" was played over the closing credits of the 1990 film, Bird on a Wire.
Due to the health problems of Art Neville, the band kept a low profile in the late 1990s onto the early 2000s. They made a comeback in 2004, however, with the album, Walkin' In The Shadow Of Life, from Back Porch Records, their first newly recorded effort in five years.
All brothers except Charles, a Massachusetts resident, had been living in New Orleans, but following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Cyril and Aaron moved out of the city. They had not been performing in New Orleans since Katrina hit the city, however, they finally returned to perform there at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2008, being given the closing spot which had been reserved for them for years.
Infrequently, Ivan Neville, Aaron's son (keyboards) and Ian Neville, Art's son (electric guitar), both of the band Dumpstaphunk, have played with the band in recent years.
The group formally disbanded in 2012 but reunited in 2015 for a farewell concert in New Orleans.
Charles Neville died of pancreatic cancer on April 26, 2018, at the age of 79.
Art Neville died at age 81 on July 22, 2019, after years of declining health.
Fever
The Neville Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Ev'rybody's got the fever
That is something you all know
Fever isn't such a new thing
Fever started long ago
Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
I light up when you call my name
And you know I'm gonna treat you right
You give me fever when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night
Romeo loved Juliet
Juliet she felt the same
When he put his arms around her
He said, Julie baby, you're my flame
Thou givest fever when we kisseth
Fever with thy flaming youth
Fever, I'm afire
Fever, yea I burn forsooth
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Had a very mad affair
When her daddy tried to kill him
She said Daddy-o don't you dare
He gives me fever with his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Fever, I'm his Missus,
Oh daddy, won't you treat him right
Now you've listened to my story
Here's the point that I have made
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
They give you fever when you kiss them
Fever if you live and learn
Fever till you sizzle
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
What a lovely way to burn
The Neville Brothers' song Fever is a classic example of old-school R&B steeped in themes of love, passion and seduction. The opening line itself sets the tone of the entire song - "Never know how much I love you, never know how much I care" - suggesting that the singer might be holding back his true feelings for someone dear to him. The song is essentially a declaration of passion, with the singer describing how he feels a fever rising within him whenever his beloved embraces him. The singer describes the fever as "hard to bear", suggesting that it is both a physical and emotional manifestation of his love for his partner.
The song suggests that everybody experiences this fever, and that it is a natural response to love and intimacy. The third verse of the song references Romeo and Juliet, the famous literary couple who epitomize the idea of passionate, burning love. The singer says that Romeo gave Juliet fever, and that his own passion for his partner is equally intense. The song even references the doomed real-life romantic relationship between Captain Smith and Pocahontas, with the singer describing how Pocahontas' father disapproved of their relationship, but she defied him because of her love for Smith.
Overall, Fever by The Neville Brothers is a soulful, passionate celebration of love and intimacy, and is sure to get listeners swaying to its catchy rhythm.
Line by Line Meaning
Never know how much I love you
I never realized how much I loved you
Never know how much I care
I never realized how much I cared about you
When you put your arms around me
When you hold me close
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
You make me feel so passionately that it's almost overwhelming
You give me fever when you kiss me
Your kiss makes me feel feverish
Fever when you hold me tight
Your embrace makes me feel feverish
Fever in the morning
I feel feverish in the morning
Fever all through the night
I feel feverish all night long
Ev'rybody's got the fever
Everyone experiences this passionate, feverish feeling
That is something you all know
This is a universally understood feeling
Fever isn't such a new thing
This intense feeling is not a recent discovery
Fever started long ago
This feeling has been around for a very long time
Sun lights up the daytime
The sun illuminates the day
Moon lights up the night
The moon illuminates the night
I light up when you call my name
I feel ecstatic when you call me
And you know I'm gonna treat you right
I will always treat you well
Romeo loved Juliet
Romeo was deeply in love with Juliet
Juliet she felt the same
Juliet returned Romeo's love
When he put his arms around her
When he held her close
He said, Julie baby, you're my flame
He called her his flame, his passion
Thou givest fever when we kisseth
Your kiss makes me feel feverish
Fever with thy flaming youth
Your youthful passion makes me feel feverish
Fever, I'm afire
I feel like I'm on fire with passion
Fever, yea I burn forsooth
I am so deeply passionate that I burn with fever
Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Captain Smith and Pocahontas were in love
Had a very mad affair
Their affair was passionate and intense
When her daddy tried to kill him
When her father tried to murder him
She said Daddy-o don't you dare
She told her father not to harm her lover
He gives me fever with his kisses
His kisses make me feel feverish
Fever when he holds me tight
His embrace makes me feel feverish
Fever, I'm his Missus,
I am his wife and I feel passionately in love with him
Oh daddy, won't you treat him right
Please treat him with kindness and respect
Now you've listened to my story
You have heard my tale
Here's the point that I have made
This is what I am trying to convey
Cats were born to give chicks fever
Cats have always been seductive, making women feel passionate
Be it Fahrenheit or centigrade
Whether you use Fahrenheit or centigrade to measure temperature
They give you fever when you kiss them
Cats make you feel feverish when you kiss them
Fever if you live and learn
You will experience passion and feverishness as you gain life experience
Fever till you sizzle
You will continue to feel intense passion and feverishness
What a lovely way to burn
What a beautiful feeling to experience this passionate fervor
What a lovely way to burn
What a beautiful feeling to experience this passionate fervor
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Eddie Cooley, Otis Blackwell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dave Croston
I think it was 1979--I was fortunate to be gigging full time as a young musician those days. On a rare Friday night I had off, I tuned in to Austin City Limits, and stumbled onto hearing these guys doing this song live. At the time I'd never heard of the Neville Brothers,--I'm a convert for life!!
n-Wagen Fan 111
one of my favorite songs since 30 years. Fever for ever.
Petra Meier
awesome 💟