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.
he's mine
The Platters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He's mine (yes he's really mine)
He's mine, he's mine, he's mine
Really mine
I said my baby loves me so
He really lets me know
He's mine, he's mine, he's mine
Really mine
I said my baby loves me so
He really lets me know
He's mine, a'really mine
When he pets me
He's sweet and gentle
It just gets me
Honest and truly, I'm sentimental
He's mine, he's mine, he's mine
Really mine
I said my baby loves me so
He really lets me know
He's mine, a'really mine
He's mine (yes he's really mine)
He's mine (hmm, he sure is fine)
He's mine (gotta be out of my mind)
He's mine (oh man, is he something else)
He's mine
He's mine
The Platters' song "He's Mine" is a declaration of love from the singer to her partner. The chorus, which repeats the title phrase "He's mine (yes he's really mine)," emphasizes the pride and ownership she feels towards her significant other. She goes on to describe how he shows his love for her, with lines like "I said my baby loves me so, he really lets me know." In the second verse, she explains how his gestures of affection, like when he pets her, make her feel sentimental and deeply connected to him.
Overall, the song captures the intense emotions of being in a relationship and feeling like your partner belongs to you in a way that no one else can understand. It celebrates the unique bond that two people share when they are deeply in love, and how that love can make them feel like they are the only ones in the world who truly matter to each other.
Line by Line Meaning
He's mine (yes he's really mine)
The singer is claiming ownership of her romantic partner, stating that he truly belongs to her.
He's mine, he's mine, he's mine
Really mine
The singer repeats her claim that her partner belongs to her and emphasizes that he is truly hers.
I said my baby loves me so
He really lets me know
He's mine, a'really mine
The singer explains that her partner expresses his love for her often and that she is sure that he is truly hers.
When he pets me
He's sweet and gentle
It just gets me
Honest and truly, I'm sentimental
The singer describes her partner's affectionate behavior towards her and how it affects her emotions, making her feel tender and emotional.
He's mine (yes he's really mine)
He's mine (hmm, he sure is fine)
He's mine (gotta be out of my mind)
He's mine (oh man, is he something else)
He's mine
He's mine
The singer repeats her claim of ownership of her partner and expresses her admiration for his physical and personal qualities, stating that she must be crazy to have him but he is still hers.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: JEAN MILES, PAUL ROBI, ZOLA TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oscargluja426
If that song and arrangement was promoted these days it would most certainly become a hit!
@melodysanger103
REMEMBERING ZOLETTA "ZOLA" TAYLOR
(MARCH 17, 1938 - APRIL 30, 2007)
[03/17/2024]
@davidlett9441
Stunning voice by very beautiful woman.
@Frnk_3
Halle Barry did such a good job as her in “Why Do Fools Fall in Love!” I would’ve sworn it was her singing. Her face and speaking voice matched Zola’s voice so well. Same thing with Ronn McPhatter (son of the legendary Clyde McPhatter) who played Tony Williams, lead singer of the Platters in the movie.
@importantwill3224
I literally just finished watching that 5mins ago I agree
@Frnk_3
@@importantwill3224 Its entertaining but very inaccurate and doesn’t do Frankie’s life justice.
@importantwill3224
@@Frnk_3 Really? damn
@Frnk_3
@@importantwill3224 Yea, any biopic does that but WDFFIL is one of the worst examples I’ve ever seen. Not as bad as The Buddy Holly Story tho.
@inesguerra6295
8
@viewfromtheroad2656
My wife & I had the pleasure of seeing them in Laughlin, NV in 1998. They were fantastic!