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.
On A Slow Boat To China
The Platters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a slow boat to China,
All to myself alone.
To get you and keep you in my arms evermore,
Leave all your lovers
Weeping on the faraway shore.
Out on the briny
With the moon big and shinny,
Darling, I'd love to get you
On a slow boat to China,
All to myself alone... Pd.
... Pd...
The Platters' "On a Slow Boat to China" is a romantic song that expresses the singer's desire to have someone special, represented by Pd, all to himself alone. The title refers to the idea of taking a long journey on a slow boat, which would provide a sense of intimacy and closeness between the two of them. The singer expresses his desire to keep Pd in his arms forever and leave behind all of her other lovers who will be weeping on the faraway shore.
The lyrics paint a picture of a romantic setting, with the moon big and shiny, likely a reference to a clear starry night while out at sea. The reference to the moon is also a metaphor for melting Pd's "heart of stone," indicating that she may have been reluctant to show her feelings before. The singer's wish to take Pd on a slow boat to China indicates that he is willing to go to great lengths to show his affection for her and to keep her all to himself. The song conveys a sense of longing, devotion, and the desire for monogamy and commitment.
Line by Line Meaning
I'd love to get you
I have a strong desire to be with you
On a slow boat to China
I want to take a long journey with you, just the two of us
All to myself alone
I want to have you exclusively and not share you with anyone else
To get you and keep you in my arms evermore
I want to have you in my possession and hold you forever
Leave all your lovers
I want you to forget about anyone else you may be involved with romantically
Weeping on the faraway shore.
I want you to feel no remorse for leaving them behind
Out on the briny
I want to be out on the sea, experiencing life with you
With the moon big and shiny
I want to experience the beauty of the moon reflecting on the water with you
Melting your heart of stone.
I want to break down any emotional walls you may have and make you feel vulnerable
Darling, I'd love to get you
My affection for you is strong and passionate
All to myself alone... Pd.
I want to have you exclusively and no one else. Love, Pd.
Contributed by Avery B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.