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.
Joy To The World
The Platters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was a good friend of mine
I never understood a single word he said
But I helped him a-drink his wine
And he always had some mighty fine wine
Singing
Joy to the world
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me
If I were the king of the world
Tell you what I'd do
I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war
Make sweet love to you
Sing it now
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me
You know I love the ladies
Love to have my fun
I'm a high life flyer and a rainbow rider
A straight shooting son-of-a-gun (oh yeah)
I said a straight shooting son-of-a-gun
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the world
Joy to you and me
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls now
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me
I wanna tell you
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me
Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
The Platters' version of "Joy to the World" is a playful and upbeat take on the classic Christmas carol. The song opens with the famous line "Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine," which is a reference to the folk song "Joy to the World" by Hoyt Axton. Though Jeremiah doesn't have much to do with the rest of the song, his presence adds a lighthearted feeling to the tune. The singer of the song imagines himself as the king of the world and dreams of throwing away cars, bars, and wars to make sweet love to someone. The chorus contains the classic lines "Joy to the world, all the boys and girls, joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me," which have become iconic in their own right.
Line by Line Meaning
Jeremiah was a bullfrog
Jeremiah was a creature that looked like a frog
Was a good friend of mine
I was very close with Jeremiah
I never understood a single word he said
I couldn't comprehend anything that he communicated
But I helped him a-drink his wine
But I assisted him in consuming his wine
And he always had some mighty fine wine
And he always had exceptional quality wine
Singing Joy to the world
He sung a song titled Joy To The World
All the boys and girls now
Everyone, male and female, is included
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
The fish in the deep blue sea should also have joy in their lives
Joy to you and me
Wishing joy to both you and me
If I were the king of the world
If I were the ruler of the planet
Tell you what I'd do
Allow me to share what I would do
I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war
I would abolish cars, establishments serving alcohol, and conflicts
Make sweet love to you
I would engage in intimate acts with you
You know I love the ladies
You're aware that I have an affection for women
Love to have my fun
I enjoy entertaining myself
I'm a high life flyer and a rainbow rider
I'm someone who lives lavishly and enjoys expressing myself in a colorful way
A straight shooting son-of-a-gun (oh yeah)
A person who is direct and honest about their intentions
Joy to the world
Happiness to everyone in the world
I wanna tell you
Allow me to state
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., O/B/O APRA AMCOS, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, BRIAN SCOTT BENNETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind