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.
Until The Real Thing Comes Along
The Platters Lyrics
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I'd be a beggar or a knave for you! (what is a knave anyway?)
If that isn't love it'll have to do
Until the real thing comes along.
I'd gladly move the earth for you, (yeah I'm strong baby, plenty strong)
To prove my love and it's worth to you;
If that isn't love it'll have to do
With all the words, dear, at my command,
I just can't make you understand;
I'll always love you darling, come what may,
My heart is yours, what more can I say? (what do you want me to do, rob a bank?)
(Well listen, I tell ya)
I'd sigh for you, yeah, cry for you,
I'd tear the stars down from the sky for you!
If that isn't love, well skip it, it'll have to do,
Until the real thing comes along.
I'd sigh for you, die for you,
I'd tear the stars down from the sky for you!
If that isn't love, it'll have to do,
Until the real thing comes along.
9yeah, that's the real thing, so help me!)
The Platters' song "Until the Real Thing Comes Along" is a romantic ballad about someone willing to do anything for their beloved, even if it means going to extreme lengths like becoming a beggar or knave for them. The song speaks about the lengths that someone will go to prove their love, but still feels as if their beloved cannot fully grasp the depth of their feelings. They are willing to move the earth and tear down the stars just to prove their love's worth.
The lyrics use hyperbole to emphasize the extent of the singer's devotion. He is willing to commit himself totally to his beloved and do anything to prove his love. But despite all his promises of love and commitment, he still feels as if his beloved cannot truly understand the depths of his love for her. This creates a feeling of unrequited love, or love that is not returned in the same measure. The song suggests that the singer will keep waiting for the 'real thing,' or true love to come along, but until then, his exaggerated displays of love will have to suffice.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh I'd work for you, I'd slave for you,
I'd be a beggar or a knave for you! (what is a knave anyway?)
I am willing to do absolutely anything for you, even if it means sacrificing my social status or dignity.
If that isn't love it'll have to do
Until the real thing comes along.
Even though what I am doing may not be true love, it is the best that I can do until I find the real thing.
I'd gladly move the earth for you,
To prove my love and it's worth to you;
I am willing to perform impossible tasks just to demonstrate my love and its value to you.
With all the words, dear, at my command,
I just can't make you understand;
I'll always love you darling, come what may,
My heart is yours, what more can I say? (what do you want me to do, rob a bank?)
Despite my vast vocabulary, I cannot articulate my feelings to you in a way that makes you comprehend them. Nonetheless, you have my unconditional love.
I'd sigh for you, yeah, cry for you,
I'd tear the stars down from the sky for you!
If that isn't love, well skip it, it'll have to do,
Until the real thing comes along.
I am so deeply in love with you that I would willingly go to great lengths to express it, and this current display of affection will do until I can find true love.
I'd sigh for you, die for you,
I'd tear the stars down from the sky for you!
If that isn't love, it'll have to do,
Until the real thing comes along.
9yeah, that's the real thing, so help me!)
I would even give my life for you or commit impossible feats, and if that still does not constitute love in your eyes, then I will have to wait until I find the real thing. But, I assure you that my love is indeed genuine and authentic.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: GERALD MARKS, SEYMOUR SIMONS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind