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.
I Love Music
The O'Jays Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I love music, just as long as it's groovy
Makes me laugh, makes me smile
For the while when I'm with you girl
While we dance make romance
I'm enchanted by the things that you do
Long as it's swinging, all the joy that it's bringing
I'm so happy to be in complete harmony, I love you girl
As I hold you so close in my arms, I'm so glad that you're mine
All mine mine
Nothing can be better than a sweet love song
So sweet so sweet so mellow
When you got the girl that you love in your arm
Oh honey I love you I love you yeah
Music is the healing force of the world
It's understood by every man, woman, boy and girl
And that's why that's why I say
I love music
Any kind of music
I love music
Just as long as it's gooving
Music makes the atmosphere so fine
Lights down low just me and you baby you know
'Specially when you got a cold glass of wine
Mellow, mellow wine and song
I love music, any kind of music
I love music, just as long as it's groovy
I love I love I love I love I love music
I love I love I love I love I love music
I love I love I love I love I love music
I love I love I love I love I love music
I love I love I love I love I love music
I love I love I love I love I love music
And I dance all night long
I love I love I love I love I love music
I love I love I love I love I love music
I love I love I love I love I love music
I love music
I love music
I love music
The O'Jays's classic song "I Love Music" expresses a deep appreciation for the power of all types of music to uplift, inspire, and bring people together. The lyrics convey a sense of joyful exuberance, with the repeated refrain of "I love music" emphasizing the singer's passion and enthusiasm for the art form. The line "just as long as it's groovy" suggests that the specific genre or style of music is less important than its ability to create a funky, danceable rhythm that gets people moving and feeling good.
Throughout the song, the singer emphasizes the emotional and romantic connections that music can foster, particularly when shared with a loved one while dancing and making romance. The lines "makes me laugh, makes me smile" and "while we dance, make romance" evoke a sense of playful intimacy and suggest that music can be a powerful aphrodisiac. The repeated expressions of love and affection further reinforce the idea that music is intimately intertwined with our deepest and strongest emotions, particularly when it comes to love and romance.
Overall, "I Love Music" is a joyful celebration of the universal power of music to bring people together, lift our spirits, and give voice to our most profound emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I love music, any kind of music
The singer loves all genres of music equally
I love music, just as long as it's groovy
As long as a song has a good beat, the singer loves it
Makes me laugh, makes me smile
Music has the ability to make the singer happy
For the while when I'm with you girl
When the singer is with his girl, he enjoys music even more
While we dance make romance
Dancing with his girl puts the singer in the mood for romance
I'm enchanted by the things that you do
The singer's girl has a way of captivating him through music and dance
I love music, sweet sweet music
The singer has a particular fondness for music that is soothing and mellow
Long as it's swinging, all the joy that it's bringing
As long as a song has a good rhythm, the singer finds joy in it
I'm so happy to be in complete harmony, I love you girl
The singer is thrilled to be in sync with his girl both musically and emotionally
As I hold you so close in my arms, I'm so glad that you're mine
The singer feels immense happiness and gratitude for having his girl in his life
All mine mine
The singer wants his girl all to himself
Nothing can be better than a sweet love song
The singer believes that a romantic song is the ultimate pleasant experience
So sweet so sweet so mellow
The singer loves a love song that is both sweet and mellow
When you got the girl that you love in your arm
Being with his beloved girl is the singer's ideal situation
Oh honey I love you I love you yeah
The singer is expressing his love for his girl
Music is the healing force of the world
The singer believes that music has the power to heal people universally
It's understood by every man, woman, boy and girl
Music is a universal language that everyone can comprehend
And that's why that's why I say
That is why the singer loves music so much
I love music
The singer declares his love for music
Music makes the atmosphere so fine
Music creates an atmosphere of happiness and positivity
Lights down low just me and you baby you know
The singer wants to create an intimate moment with his girl through music
'Specially when you got a cold glass of wine
Drinking wine while listening to music makes the singer feel relaxed and content
Mellow, mellow wine and song
The combination of wine and music creates a mellow and soothing mood
And I dance all night long
The singer loves music so much that he wants to dance to it all night long
I love I love I love I love I love music
The singer repeats his love for music multiple times to emphasize it
I love music
The singer concludes by reiterating his love for music
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Leon Huff, Kenny Gamble
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@rafaelramirez1507
Who's listening to this classic at this moment 2024 ?
@noitall13
Those were OUR days!
@lorrainedesousa2163
Me!!! ❤
@bondwright7842
Me. (smile).
@blondie7389
🙌🏽🙌🏽
@arthuraguiar3502
Right here ✌️
@SchillakaWatkins-bv3ol
I love music, I love Jesus. 🎶🎵🎶🎼💃💃💃💃😍😍😍😍😍😍
@bondwright7842
That's when we had REAL music that lifted our spirits, nurtured our souls, gave us hope, encouraged our natural loving and sexual natures. What followed recently is hostility, violence, psycho-sickness leaving you bankrupt--watch out! cover your hearts when it comes on the radio, tik tok or anywhere else!
@sergioroap
Toxic music!
@schlockmeister754
2024. Age: 52. This is funk. Thank you past music.