Tragedy struck the group in November 1950. The group was traveling in two cars near Baltimore. Gaither drove one, with Reed and Nelson as passengers. He took a corner too fast and lost control of the car. It rolled down an embankment and crashed into a drive-in restaurant. Gaither was killed and Nelson and Reed were severely injured. Til and Sharp, in the other car, were not near enough to witness the accident. They heard about it when they arrived home. For a short time, only Til and Sharp performed as the Orioles.
They soon added two new members: guitarist/second tenor Ralph Williams and pianist Charlie Harris. Nelson returned in a few days, and Reed a few weeks later. Just a year after their tragic accident, they were involved in another accident in Akron, Ohio, but there were no injuries.
George Nelson left in 1953, to be replaced by Gregory Carroll, formerly of the Four Buddies. This new line-up had several hits in 1953, including "Crying In the Chapel" and their final big hit, "In the Mission of St. Augustine". Williams left briefly in late 1953, and was replaced, for a few weeks, by Chauncy Westbrook. In February of 1955, Reed left and eventually joined an The Ink Spots group. He was replaced by Maurice Hicks. Williams and Harris left soon after. The group continued a short time and disbanded.
Left without the Orioles, Til picked up another group, The Regals, whose members were Tex Cornelius, Diz Russell, Jerry Holeman, Billy Adams, and pianist Paul Griffin. This group became the new Orioles. Til liked the Regals' modern harmony style, and the existing tunes were rearranged to match the Regals' style (in many cases, sounding rather different than they formerly had). During this time, they were often billed as "Sonny Til and his New Orioles". Now without Chessler, they were self-managed. They left Jubilee and signed with Vee-Jay Records.
They continued with this arrangement until 1957 when Cornelius left the group. He was replaced for a short time by Frank Todd, who was replaced by Jimmy Brown. This lineup went until the last day of 1959. Holeman left the group, and Russel the next day, after finding Sonny's car (their means of transportation) repossesed. This was the end of the second Orioles.
Til recorded briefly as a solo artist before putting together the third Orioles group, with members Delton McCall, Billy Taylor, and Gerald Gregory, former bass of The Spaniels. They continued recording, this time for Charlie Parker Records. Gregory left after a couple of years and was replaced by Lawrence Joyner. This group split up in the mid 1960s.
In 1966, Til met Bobby Thomas, a long time Orioles fan. Bobby was singing in a group known as "The Vibrannaires"; coincidentally named the same as the Orioles' original name. This group consisted of Thomas, Clarence Young, Harry Accoo, and Mike Robinson. Thomas, Young, and Robinson joined Til to become the fourth Orioles group. Gregory Carroll was occasionally a member of this group. They recorded until 1975.
Following the breakup of that Orioles group, Til joined George Holmes' Ink Spots, who were Til, Holmes, Ann Lawson, and Larry Reed. With the addition of George "Pepi" Grant in 1977, they began touring as both The Ink Spots and The Orioles (as the Orioles, Lawson was billed as a special guest). Til and Grant alternated leads, and Holmes sang bass. They recorded briefly in 1977.
In 1977, Til formed the sixth Orioles group with former members: Diz Russell and Jerry Holeman from the second group, and Billy Taylor from the third group. The group also sometimes featured Eddie Palmer. This group was together in 1981, when Til died from a heart attack. He was 56.
The group continued, and by the late 1990s featured Russell, Reese Palmer, Skip Mahoney, Larry Jordan (who also tours with The Flamingos) and musical director Eddie Jones, who also works with The Cadillacs. Jones and Mahoney were later replaced by George Spann and Royal Height. Bobby Thomas started his own Orioles group following Til's death. Johnny Reed played with this group until his death in June of 2005.
The Orioles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Both groups were featured in the PBS special Doo Wop 51 in 2000, with the groups alternating verses on "Crying in the Chapel" (with Bobby Thomas and Larry Jordan on lead).
I Only Have Eyes For You
The Orioles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can't see anyone but you
Sha bop sha bop
Are the stars out tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I only have eyes for you dear
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I only have eyes for you
I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
You are here and so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you
The Orioles' 1959 classic hit, "I Only Have Eyes for You," is a song about a love so intense that everything else in the world fades away. The first verse suggests that the love the singer feels for their sweetheart is so overwhelming that they are virtually blind to all other people and things. "My love must be a kind of blind love/I can't see anyone but you," they sing before breaking into the iconic "sha bop sha bop" chorus. The second verse takes this metaphor to its logical conclusion, with the singer stating that they can't even see the stars or moon anymore because their beloved is all they can see: "Are the stars out tonight/I don't know if it's cloudy or bright/I only have eyes for you dear/The moon may be high/But I can't see a thing in the sky/I only have eyes for you."
The final verse portrays the setting in which the singer is immersed, and it highlights how their love for their sweetheart superseded everything else. "I don't know if we're in a garden/Or on a crowded avenue/You are here and so am I/Maybe millions of people go by/But they all disappear from view/And I only have eyes for you." This verse emphasises that the love the singer feels is all-encompassing and overpowering, dominating their consciousness to the point where nothing else matters.
Overall, "I Only Have Eyes for You" is a beautiful, poignant love song that has endeared itself to generations of listeners. Its sweet melody, poetic lyrics, and memorable "sha bop sha bop" chorus make it one of the greatest love songs of all time.
Line by Line Meaning
My love must be a kind of blind love
My love for you is so strong that it blinds me to everything else.
I can't see anyone but you
You are the only one who exists in my world right now.
Sha bop sha bop
Musical interlude; does not have a specific meaning.
Are the stars out tonight
I am so preoccupied with thinking about you that I haven't even noticed if the stars are visible or not.
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
My focus is entirely on you, not on the state of the weather or anything else in my surroundings.
I only have eyes for you dear
You are the sole recipient of my affection and attention.
The moon may be high
Even if nature puts on a spectacular show outside, it is of no importance to me, as all I can think about is you.
But I can't see a thing in the sky
No external factors can pull my attention away from you, not even a breathtaking moonlit sky.
I only have eyes for you
My love and devotion for you is absolute, causing an overpowering attraction that eliminates all distractions or competition.
I don't know if we're in a garden
My mind is solely focused on our deep emotional connection, so the environment or the location does not register as significant to my perception.
Or on a crowded avenue
We could be lost in the middle of a large crowd, but my attention remains solely directed at you.
You are here and so am I
Our presence together in this moment is all that matters to me.
Maybe millions of people go by
Countless other people may walk past us or exist in the world, but their presence is insignificant compared to you.
But they all disappear from view
You captivate my vision completely, making anything else disappear from my eyesight.
And I only have eyes for you
My deepest emotions and attention are reserved only for you, and nothing else can compare to the intensity of my feelings.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Dubin, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lawrence Dorfman
Tyvm a super classic song, group and lead!