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.
Put Our Heads Together
The O'Jays Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Come on, y'all now
Put your hands together
Na-na-na-na
Put your hands together
Everybody now
Put your hands together
Na-na-na-na
We've got to pray for all
The brothers under thine hand
Pray for all the sisters
That's doing the best she can
Let us pray that tomorrow
There'll be a better
Day to come, yeah
We got to put our forces together
Sing a song so loud, so fair
That the birds in the trees
Hum along with me
Sweet harmony
Then let it thunder
Let it lightning, let it rain
Let it rain, let it rain
'Cause we're gonna sing
Glory hallelujah so the
Whole wide world can hear
Come on, y'all, now
Put your hands together
Put your hands together
Put your hands together
And let us pray
We got to pray for all the people
Who are sleeping in the street
Pray for all the people
Who don't have enough to eat
Let us pray that tomorrow
There'll be a better day to come
Yeah, yeah, yeah
We got to put our forces together
Sing a song so loud, so fair
That the birds in the trees
Hum along with me
Sweet harmony
Then let it thunder
Let it lightning, let it rain
Let it rain, let it rain
'Cause we're gonna sing
Glory hallelujah so the
Whole wide world can hear
Come on, come on
Put your hands together
Put your hands together
Put your hands together
And let us pray
'Cause we're gonna sing sing
Glory, glory hallelujah
Right here, right now
I said we'll, we'll, we'll
We'll sing, singing
Glory, glory hallelujah
Well
Well hallelujah
Well hallelujah
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Come on, come on
Put your hands together
Put your hands together
Put your hands together
...
The O'Jays's song Put Our Heads Together is an uplifting song about unity and the power of prayer. The opening lines of the song urge listeners to come together, and the repeated refrain of "put your hands together" encourages physical demonstrance of that unity. The call to prayer highlights a desire to uplift those in need, specifically referencing brothers and sisters in tough circumstances. The lyrics also make mention of the hope for a better tomorrow for all, suggesting that coming together in strength and song is the best way to achieve that goal.
The song is particularly focused on those who may be less fortunate or struggling in some way, urging listeners to pray for and support them. The lyrics remind us that everyone deserves dignity and respect, and that our unity and shared commitment to helping one another is what will make the world a better place.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on, come on
Let's get together and take action
Come on, y'all now
This includes everyone, not just some
Put your hands together
In a sign of solidarity, let's joins hands and support each other
Na-na-na-na
We're together in this, let's make some noise
Put your hands together
Let's continue to show our support and unity
Everybody now
This is something we all need to do, no one is left out
Put your hands together
One more time, let's come together in support
Na-na-na-na
Our actions are making a difference and we're unstoppable
Let us pray
Let's take a moment to reflect and call for guidance
We've got to pray for all
We need to pray for everyone's well-being
The brothers under thine hand
All men need support
Pray for all the sisters
Women in particular face unique struggles and need our help
That's doing the best she can
We recognize and support the efforts of those facing challenges
Let us pray that tomorrow
We hope for a better future, but we need to work towards making it a reality
There'll be a better Day to come, yeah
A better tomorrow is possible and we're working towards it
We got to put our forces together
We need to combine our efforts for a common goal
Sing a song so loud, so fair
Let's make our voices heard and our message clear
That the birds in the trees
Even nature can recognize our unity
Hum along with me
And join in on the song of change
Sweet harmony
Together, we create a beautiful and powerful sound
Then let it thunder
Our actions will make an impact and be heard
Let it lightning, let it rain
Bring on the challenges, we're ready to face them
Let it rain, let it rain
We're not afraid of the difficulties, we'll weather the storm
'Cause we're gonna sing
We're motivated and inspired to create change
Glory hallelujah so the
Our message of hope and unity will reach far and wide
Whole wide world can hear
We want everyone to join in and be a part of the movement
We got to pray for all the people
Our message of support and hope extends to all people
Who are sleeping in the street
We recognize the struggles of those in homelessness and want to help
Who don't have enough to eat
We recognize the struggles of those in poverty and want to help
Let us pray that tomorrow
We're working towards making the future a better place
There'll be a better day to come
We're hopeful for the future and working towards positive change
We got to put our forces together
We need to unite in solidarity to create change
Sing a song so loud, so fair
We want our voices to be heard and our message to be clear
That the birds in the trees
Even nature recognizes our calls for unity and peace
Hum along with me
Nature and people alike join in on the song of change
Then let it thunder
Our message is strong and powerful, unifying us all
Let it lightning, let it rain
Difficulties won't stop us or dampen our spirits
Let it rain, let it rain
We're ready and willing to face any obstacle
'Cause we're gonna sing
We're motivated and inspired to create positive change
Glory hallelujah so the
Our message of hope and unity will reach far and wide
Whole wide world can hear
We want everyone to join in and be a part of the movement
Come on, come on
We're calling on everyone to join us and take action
Put your hands together
Let's continue to show our solidarity and support
Put your hands together
Our actions are making a difference, let's keep going
Put your hands together
United we stand, divided we fall
And let us pray
We take a moment to call for guidance and strength
'Cause we're gonna sing sing
We're inspired to take action and create change
Glory, glory hallelujah
Our message of hope and unity is powerful and inspiring
Right here, right now
We're taking action and moving forward with purpose
I said we'll, we'll, we'll
We're inspired and determined to make change happen
We'll sing, singing
Our voices will be heard and our message delivered
Glory, glory hallelujah
Our message of hope and unity will bring positive change
Well
We're determined and motivated to create a better future
Well hallelujah
We're inspired and hopeful that change is possible
Come on, come on
We're calling on everyone to join in and take action
Come on, come on
We're united and determined to create positive change
Come on, come on
We're ready and willing to work towards a better future
Come on, come on
Our message of hope and unity is powerful and inspiring
Come on, come on
Join us and let's make a difference together
Come on, come on
United and inspired, we will create a better future
Put your hands together
In a sign of solidarity, let's move forward together
Put your hands together
Our message of hope and unity is strong and powerful
Put your hands together
Together, we can create positive change
Writer(s): Kenneth Burke, Kenneth Gamble
Contributed by Charlie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@kevinbutler3699
I know this is all Kenni Burke, but this sounds like a D-Train/ Kashif collaboration!! I am jamming in my chair!!!! April 2023!!!!
@dpfrance
Yes!!!!
@deezog8
Souds like G Radford too......
@sploinker6962
worldcorp anyone?
@dogman3362
That's how I got here lolololol - good book. Nice synth tho
@ISVVVc628
Summer of '83!!!!!
@Ken_Casanova
DMob brought me here
Another old Band, who knows to Rock the 80s, Fantastic Tune
@JD-gx3ms
Solid banger!!!
@user-ck5mu5sy5p
What I like about The O'Jays is that in the song.... Everyone has something to say... It's like an attack from different angles....
@eem
good book