The O'Jays originally consisting of Walter Williams (b. August 25, 1942), Bill Isles (January 4, 1941 – March 2019), Bobby Massey, William Powell (January 20, 1942–May 26, 1977) and Eddie Levert (b. June 16, 1942). The O'Jays were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. The O'Jays (now a trio after the departure of Isles and Massey) had their first hit with "Lonely Drifter", in 1963. In spite of the record's success, the group was considering quitting the music business until Gamble & Huff, a legendary team of producers and songwriters, took an interest in the group. With Gamble & Huff, the O'Jays emerged at the forefront of Philadelphia soul with Back Stabbers (1972), a huge pop hit, and topped the U.S. singles charts the following year with their anthemic "Love Train".
They formed the group in Canton, Ohio in 1958 while attending Canton McKinley High School. Originally known as The Triumphs, and then The Mascots, the friends began recording with "Miracles" in 1961, which was a moderate hit in the Cleveland area. In 1963 they took the name "The O'Jays", in tribute to radio disc jockey Eddie O'Jay (Toop, 1991), and released "Lonely Drifter", which charted nationally. Their debut LP was Comin' Through. Throughout the 1960s, they continued to chart with songs such as "Lipstick Traces" (which they performed nationally on the ABC Television program, Shivaree), "Stand In For Love", "Let It All Out", "I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow", "Deeper In Love With You" and "One Night Affair", along with several other regional and national Pop and R&B hits. In 1972, they finally scored with their first million-seller, "Back Stabbers", from the gold album of the same name. By this time, original member Bobby Massey had also departed, leaving the group a trio. This album produced several more hit singles, including "992 Arguments", "Sunshine", "Time To Get Down" and the #1 Pop smash, "Love Train". They became known as "The Mighty O'Jays" due to their exciting, emotion-packed stage performances, led by the dynamic Levert, and the cool, multi-range vocals of Walter Williams, coupled with the matinee idol looks and smooth first tenor voice of William Powell.
During the remainder of the 1970s the O'Jays continued releasing chart-topping singles, including "Put Your Hands Together" (Pop #10), "For the Love of Money" (Pop #9), "Give the People What They Want", "Let Me Make Love To You", "I Love Music" (Pop #5), "Livin' for the Weekend", "Message in Our Music" and "Darlin' Darlin' Baby (Sweet Tender Love)". Original member William Powell died of cancer in 1977 at the age of just 35.
After adding Sammy Strain (born December 9, 1941) (of Little Anthony & the Imperials), the O'Jays continued recording, though with limited success. 1978's "Use ta Be My Girl" was their final Top Five hit, though they continued placing songs on the R&B charts throughout the 1980s. Their 1987 album, Let Me Touch You, was a breakthrough of sorts, and included the #1 R&B hit "Lovin' You". Eddie Levert also got a copy of Kevan Tynes' "Loving You" prior to recording their version .Though they continued charting on the R&B charts in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the O'Jays never again achieved pop success. In 1992, Sammy Strain left the group, and returned to the Imperials, to be replaced by Nathaniel Best, and later, by Eric Grant. Later in the 1990s, the group did little recording, though they remained a popular live draw. Their latest album was Imagination in 2004.
In 2003, they co-starred in the movie The Fighting Temptations, which starred Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyonce Knowles. In the film, they played three barbers who joined the local church choir to help out the film's protagonist Darrin (Gooding) who was the choir director.
In 2005 the O'Jays were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Original members Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, Bobby Massey and, posthumously, William Powell, were inducted. In a note of controversy, 70's O'Jays member Sammy Strain was also inducted with the group, while original member Bill Isles was not. (Strain is one of the few artists in popular music history who is a double RRHOF inductee: with The O'Jays in 2005, and The Imperials in 2009). In 2006, the O'Jays performed at the ESPY awards, hosted by Lance Armstrong. "For the Love of Money" is the theme song to the hit reality TV show The Apprentice, starring Donald Trump, which is ironic considering that the lyrics warn of the evil people will do for the love of money.
On February 23, 2007, Radio-Canada's website reported that Canadian Industry Minister Jim Prentice had used the song "For The Love of Money" without the group's permission during a political event, a faux pas since Prentice is responsible for the application of the Copyright Act in Canada. Radio-Canada also reports that Prentice has since been contacted by the attorneys for both the O'Jays and Warner/Chappell Music.
On June 28, 2009, at the 2009 BET Award Show in the Shrine Auditorium the O'Jays were honored with BET's 2009 Life Time Achievement Award. Tevin Campbell, Trey Songz, Tyrese Gibson, and Johnny Gill performed a medley of the groups songs followed by the presentation of the award by Don Cornelius. The group reminisced, joked with the audience and accepted their award before performing a rendition of their hit songs.
Deeper
The O'Jays Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only You can fill
A raging tempest
Only You can still
My soul is thirsty Lord
To know You as I'm known
Drink from the river
That flows before Your throne
Take me deeper
Deeper in love with You
Jesus hold me close in Your embrace
Take me deeper
Deeper than I've ever been before
I just want to love You more and more
How I long to be deeper in love
Sunrise to sunrise
I will seek Your face
Drawn by the Spirit
To the promise of Your grace
My heart has found in You
A hope that will abide
Here in Your presence
Forever satisfied
Take me deeper
Deeper in love with You
Jesus hold me close in Your embrace
Take me deeper
Deeper than I've ever been before
I just want to love You more and more
How I long to be deeper in love
How I long to be deeper in love
The O'Jays's song Deeper is a song of longing and seeking a closer relationship with God. The lyrics talk about a thirst for a spiritual connection that only God can fulfill. The song starts with an opening line that mentions a feeling of emptiness and longing that only God can fill. The second line speaks of the chaos in life that often leads to a feeling of helplessness, which only God can calm. This is a reference to the belief that God is the only one who can provide peace and solace in difficult situations.
The chorus of the song is a plea to take the singer deeper into a relationship with God. It describes the desire to be held close by Jesus, to know Him more and more, and to experience a love that permeates deep within the soul. The lyrics of the chorus are repeated to emphasize the singer's longing for a deeper connection with God. The bridge of the song highlights the devotion that the singer feels for God and a hope that never fades as long as the singer is in God's presence.
In summary, the song Deeper by The O'Jays is a prayer for a deeper relationship with God that will ultimately quench the soul's thirst for love, hope, and fulfillment. The song speaks to the universal desire for a deeper spiritual connection that many people seek in life.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a longing
There is a feeling of wanting or needing something.
Only You can fill
The only thing that can satisfy this longing is You.
A raging tempest
There is an intense emotional storm going on inside of me.
Only You can still
Only Your presence and reassurance can calm my emotions.
My soul is thirsty Lord
I am spiritually hungry and thirsty for a deeper relationship with You.
To know You as I'm known
I desire to know You as intimately as You know me.
Drink from the river
Please let me partake of the spiritual nourishment that comes from being in Your presence.
That flows before Your throne
The source of this spiritual nourishment is Your presence and the power of Your throne.
Take me deeper
I'm asking You to draw me into a closer relationship with You.
Deeper in love with You
I want to experience Your love on a deeper level and reciprocate that love.
Jesus hold me close in Your embrace
I'm asking for Your comfort and protection as I draw closer to You.
Deeper than I've ever been before
I desire a level of intimacy with You that I have never experienced before.
I just want to love You more and more
My desire is to continually grow in my love and devotion to You.
Sunrise to sunrise
Every moment of every day.
I will seek Your face
I am constantly searching for and desiring Your presence.
Drawn by the Spirit
I am led by the Holy Spirit in my desire for You.
To the promise of Your grace
I am drawn to the hope and promise of Your unmerited favor and love.
My heart has found in You
I have discovered in You, Lord, a source of hope and security.
A hope that will abide
This hope is lasting and enduring.
Here in Your presence
I find satisfaction and fulfillment in being close to You.
Forever satisfied
I will always be content and fulfilled in Your presence.
How I long to be deeper in love
This is my deepest desire and longing, to be in a truly deep and intimate relationship with You.
Contributed by Grayson M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
thecoolsoulman
Summer of '70, you heard the start of this tune and ran to the dance floor! That driving bass line ❤️
Daniel Burns
this song went to #21 on the R&B charts in 1970!!!
Carl Felton
I love so much about this record. The bass line, the background singing, and of course Eddie's singing, ad libs and all.
simon4186
This song will always take you higher than you were, no matter what level you started out at.
FlawedYetRedeemed
As usual Eddie LeVert kills it! I love his voice! So much passion and soul!
newchannel
OMG, I'm old...and I still love the Mighty O'jays. 😉👍
Chris Smith
Love that walking bass line !!
frankie hunter
O'Jays charted first time in 1963 and had to wait 9 years for their first top ten hit in 1972 (#3 Backstabbers). They issued in this period numerous songs of excellent quality. This song is a great example. They had 10 top 100 entries but had to wait till 1972 to become world famous and a household name.
57dogsbody
Takes me right back to `72. LOVE THIS!
Jerome Goudy Sr
I played this song behind my Sister and brother-in-law. Billy&arbara and the prophets. That is when I became a prossional musician. They both are gone to rest now Thanks for opening the door for me. LOve you two always.