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.
Help
The O'Jays Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you're broke
How low can you go?
Ahhh, I'm down, aww, and I feel
All the way down, all the way down
Aint had no good lovin'
Lovin little girl
In quite a long time, quite a long time
And you see, and you see
Girl it's a fight, honey don't you know?
I need you tonight
I'm hooked on your lovin'
C'mon, c'mon and fix me up. Aww, baby
I need somebody to fill this empty cup
I'm stuck out in nowhere
Nowhere, Nowhere
And nowhere in love just can't be fair
Aww, baby, I'm so tired of the squeeze
Girl, ohh, please I'm down on my knees
And I'm prayin' help
Ohh, Baby, somebody, please
Ah, girl, could you help me
To get back on my feet
If you could would you help
Somebody please
Ah, girl It's tough
Woman don't you?
I need that stuff
I need somebody to come around to sit
And chat a while, hey, let's talk a while well, well
If I, If I only had a friend, a friend
One friend. It sho nuff would be nice, so nice
But I'm tired of the squeeze
Somebody please, I'm down on my knees
And I'm cryin: Help!
Help! Somebody please, somebody, somebody: help me
To get back on my feet
I mean! Help! Help! somebody, please
I say girl, it's rough, woman don't you
I need that stuff: good, sweet love, love lovin' you
Help! - Somebody please
Hey!
I'm cryin!
Girl cmon and. I just need you
Help me to get back on my feet
I just need ya' to get back on my feet
If you could, if you could, could ya help me?
External linksNominate as Song of the Day
The O'Jays's song Help is a plea for assistance after a devastating breakup leaves the singer feeling lost and alone. The opening line "I'm lost; Girl done gone and left me broke" sets the tone for the rest of the song, with the singer lamenting the loss of his girlfriend and the financial ruin that has resulted from their break-up. The song is about the depths of despair that one can sink to when they are heartbroken and alone, and the desperate need for someone to come and help bring them back to their feet.
The singer in Help is pleading for someone to help him, whether it be a friend or a lover. He wants someone to talk to and to help fill the void that his ex-girlfriend has left behind. The chorus repeats the word "help" over and over again, emphasizing the desperate need for assistance. The lyrics of the song are emotional and raw, expressing the pain of heartbreak and the desperation for someone to reach out and provide comfort and support.
In summary, Help is a powerful song about the pain of heartbreak and the deep need for human connection and support. The lyrics express the despair and hopelessness that can come with a broken heart, and the plea for someone to come and help provide some relief from the pain.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm lost; Girl done gone and left me broke
I feel lost and broken because my girlfriend left me
When you're broke
How low can you go?
Being broke makes me feel like I have hit rock bottom
Ahhh, I'm down, aww, and I feel
All the way down, all the way down
I am really low and down because of my situation
Aint had no good lovin'
I haven't had good love in a while
Lovin little girl
In quite a long time, quite a long time
And you see, and you see
Girl it's a fight, honey don't you know?
I need you tonight
It's been a long time since I had love and I am fighting to have it back, I need it tonight
I'm hooked on your lovin'
C'mon, c'mon and fix me up. Aww, baby
I need somebody to fill this empty cup
I'm stuck out in nowhere
Nowhere, Nowhere
And nowhere in love just can't be fair
Aww, baby, I'm so tired of the squeeze
Girl, ohh, please I'm down on my knees
And I'm prayin' help
I am addicted to your love, please come and fix me up, I need someone to fill the emptiness in my life. I am stuck and nowhere in love is not fair. I am tired of the pressure and down on my knees praying for help
Ohh, Baby, somebody, please
Ah, girl, could you help me
To get back on my feet
Please someone, help me get back on my feet and overcome this situation, girl can you help me?
If you could would you help
Somebody please
Ah, girl It's tough
Woman don't you?
I need that stuff
If you can help, please do. It's tough and woman, don't you understand? I need love to survive
I need somebody to come around to sit
And chat a while, hey, let's talk a while well, well
If I, If I only had a friend, a friend
One friend. It sho nuff would be nice, so nice
But I'm tired of the squeeze
Somebody please, I'm down on my knees
And I'm cryin: Help!
I need someone to talk to and be my friend. It would be nice to have just one friend but I am tired of the difficult situation and begging for someone to help
Help! Somebody please, somebody, somebody: help me
To get back on my feet
I mean! Help! Help! somebody, please
I say girl, it's rough, woman don't you
I need that stuff: good, sweet love, love lovin' you
I am desperately asking for someone, anybody to help me get back on my feet. It's tough and I need that stuff, good, sweet love, loving you
Girl cmon and. I just need you
Help me to get back on my feet
I just need ya' to get back on my feet
If you could, if you could, could ya help me?
Girl, please help me. I just need you to get back on my feet. If you can, please help me
Writer(s): E. Levert, R. Dukes
Contributed by Harper Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@adriennejames6232
October London tore this sample up!!!!
@TerrySoul-72
There’s something about my connection to the O’jays (since the 70’s) that gets me really deep.. As a 72yr old white guy in the UK (who bought ‘Backstabbers’) that connected to me in a real ‘Deep’ place & had tears running down my cheeks.
I hear this (@72yrs) & it’s still did it again..
I’ve always said White people sing from the Mind/Brain, whereas Black people sing from
their Hearts/Soul..
I feel like a Black/Guy in a White/Body.
I’ve had a 54yr terminal disease of ‘Black Music’ & it’s as prominent today with Brian McKnight, Taje6 & Winans..
Will have this connection til I return to Spirit’..
ThankYou. Philadelphia for your contribution to “Music-From-The-Soul”. 💜
@TerrySoul-72
I saw them (& his son ‘Levert’ in the UK @ the Hammersmith in London.. Great concert.well worth the 4hr journey 💜
@joyce2680
Keep playing this funky music that reaches into the depths of your heart & soul! ❤😂
@lakeisharobinson2132
God bless your amazing soul. 😊
@aprayerandpositivethoughts9308
There are loadsssss of men like you in the UK. ❤❤
@randyguidry476
Walter you better sing that s**t he was so under rated
@windupmerchant1679
One of the best Soul bands to come out of Ireland.
@2.warper-master.523
i searched this for gin n juice
@rosespeakstruthlikeitis155
🎶 The Ojays are The best part of Our Black history, on Every music Level 🤗 Terrific Legends 🎉