The Platters formed in Los Angeles, CA, USA in 1953 and were initially managed by Ralph Bass. They had a contract with Federal Records but experienced little record success until they met music entrepreneur and songwriter Buck Ram. He added lead vocalist Tony Williams (who gave the Platters their distinctive sound) and female vocalist Zola Taylor. Under Ram's guidance, the Platters recorded seven singles for Federal in an R&B/gospel style, scoring minor regional hits on the West Coast. One song recorded at Federal, "Only You (And You Alone)", originally written by Ram for the Ink Spots was deemed unreleasable by the label.
Despite lack of chart success, the Platters were a profitable touring group--so successful that The Penguins, fresh from their No. 2 single Earth Angel, asked Ram to manage them too. With the Penguins as a bargaining chip, Ram persuaded Mercury Records into a 2-for-1 deal. In order to sign the Penguins, he insisted, the label also take the Platters. Ironically, the Penguins never had a hit for the label.
Convinced by Tony Williams that "Only You" had potential, Ram had the group re-record it during their first Mercury session. Released in the summer of 1955, it became the group's first Top Ten hit on the pop charts, and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. It has since become one of the most played records in any genre and the song has been covered by innumerable artists. Ironically, the follow-up, The Great Pretender, with lyrics written by Ram in the washroom of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, exceeded the chart success of their début and became the Platters' first national No.1 hit. The Great Pretender was also the act's biggest R&B hit, with an 11-week run at the top of that chart. In 1956. The Platters appeared in the first major rock n roll movie, Rock Around the Clock, and performed both "Only You" and "The Great Pretender"[2] and they sang "You'll Never Never Know" in The Girl Can't Help It, produced the same year.
The Platters' unique vocal style touched a nerve in the music-buying public, and a string of hit singles followed, including two more Top 100 No. 1 hits, one Hot 100 No. 1 hit, and more modest hits such as "I'm Sorry" (No. 11) and "He's Mine" (No. 23) in 1957, "Enchanted" (No.12) in 1959, and "The Magic Touch" (No.4) in 1956. The Platters hit on a successful formula of updating older standards, such as "My Prayer", "Twilight Time", "Harbor Lights", "To Each His Own", "If I Didn't Care" and Jerome Kern's "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes". This latter release caused a small controversy after Kern's widow expressed concern that her late husband's composition would be turned into a "rock n roll record". It topped both American and British charts in a tasteful Platters-style arrangement.
The group was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1998. The Platters were the first rock n roll group to have a Top Ten album in America. They were also the only act to have three songs included on the American Graffiti soundtrack that sparked an oldies revival in the early to mid-1970s: "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "The Great Pretender" and "Only You (and You Alone)".
Many groups have toured bearing the name The Platters but only one member of the original line-up, Herb Reed, was still touring and performing with Herb Reed's Platters in 2008.
Zola Taylor died on April 30th 2007 of pneumonia whilst recovering from surgery.
Harbour Lights
The Platters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They only told me we were parting
The same old harbor lights that once brought you to me
I watched the harbor lights
How could I help if tears were starting
Goodbye to tender nights beside the silvery sea
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
Now I know lonely nights
For all the while my heart is whispering
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore
Now I know lonely nights
For all the while my heart is whispering
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
The Platters' song "Harbor Lights" describes the pain of separation and the fear of losing a loved one. The lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia and longing as the singer witnesses the same harbor lights that once brought their loved one to them, now signalling their departure. The singer watches the harbor lights with tears in their eyes and says goodbye to the tender nights they spent by the sea. The pain of being left behind is further emphasised by the lines "I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more, but you were on the ship, and I was on the shore."
The fear of losing their love completely haunts the singer, as their heart whispers that some other harbor lights will steal their love away. The song is a poignant rendition of the enduring theme of separation and loss in love. The music perfectly complements the bittersweet mood of the song, with the slow, melancholy melody underscoring the sadness of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw the harbor lights
I caught a glimpse of the lights from the harbor
They only told me we were parting
The sight of the harbor lights was a reminder that we were separating
The same old harbor lights that once brought you to me
The very same harbor lights that used to guide you to me
I watched the harbor lights
I kept my eyes on the gleaming lights from the harbor
How could I help if tears were starting
It was impossible for me to prevent bursting into tears at that moment
Goodbye to tender nights beside the silvery sea
We must say farewell to the sweet moments we shared by the shimmering ocean
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
I yearn to hold you close and kiss you again for the last time
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore
You were on your way somewhere far from me, and I was left behind on the land
Now I know lonely nights
I am aware that I will face lonely nights ahead
For all the while my heart is whispering
My heart keeps telling me secretly
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
The lights from some other harbor will catch your attention, and you'll fall out of love with me
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: JIMMY KENNEDY, WILHELM GROSZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Mike16011
THE HARBOR LIGHTS
I saw the harbor lights,
they only told me we were parting.
The same old harbor lights that once brought you to me.
I watched the harbor lights,
how could I help if tears were starting.
Goodbye to tender nights, beside the silvery sea.
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more.
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore.
Now, I know lonely nights
for all the while my heart is whispering.
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me.
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more.
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore.
Now, I know lonely nights
for all the while my heart is whispering.
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me.
@7cabano
I saw the harbor lights
They only told me we were parting
The same old harbor lights that once brought you to me
I watched the harbor lights
How could I help if tears were starting
Goodbye to tender nights beside the silv'ry sea
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore
Now I know lonely nights
For all the while my heart is whisp'ring
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
I long to hold you near and kiss you just once more
But you were on the ship and I was on the shore
Now I know lonely nights
For all the while my heart is whisp'ring
Some other harbor lights will steal your love from me
@garyvandecar2580
Tony Williams has the smooth silky voice of the 1950's to early 1960's. 1960 Harbor Light. Sadly Tony Williams would retire from the music business the next year in 1961 when he felt that the oice was no longer there.
@colettemcauley5988
No matter how much I try I can't find the words to express how great the platters were. His voice is like velvet.
@canpat719
To say that the Platters were in a class of their own would be a huge understatement. They had a sound that was mesmerizing, hypnotic and uplifting, which took their fans to a special place ... every time each and every one of us would hear their music!!!!
@billyb5059
Actually wrote by a man working on Grimsby dock
@radomirratkovic9014
@@billyb5059 Grimsby dock?
@radomirratkovic9014
Totally agree...there is a mystic and dreamland connected with each and every second of their music
Those were the times of the quality,times of the rich and uplifting arrangements and sounds that were great and unforgettable...some songs and artists will never get old and the Platters are one of such artists that will never be forgotten..
@jsc2606
@@radomirratkovic9014 because they can actually sing like most of that era unlike today where most cannot project their voice without backup aside bar the likes of Ed Sheeran.
@radomirratkovic9014
@@jsc2606 I agree....today's artist of advanced electronic age do use many alterations and studio tricks to sound acceptable...I have met many like that and they can not put three note harmony together and on record every single one is Nina Simone
@francisalanwormald6328
NOW 85 I RECALL VIVIDLY HOW MUCH I LOVED THEM IN MY TEENS....SO THRILLING TO HEAR ONCE MORE!!!
@02chefnurse
This reminds me of my father. On Sundays, this is the oldies that we listen. Dad takes mom's hand and they slow dance...