Bonnie Pointer and June Pointer first formed a secular singing duo in the late '60s and began performing in clubs around the San Francisco Bay area; Anita Pointer and Ruth Pointer later joined them. The Pointer Sisters hooked up with David Rubinson who was a record producer affiliated with Bill Graham. They would perform onstage with the flamboyant Sylvester of The Cockettes, and they'd done some work as background singers on recordings by Elvin Bishop, Boz Scaggs, Cold Blood and other San Francisco Bay Area groups.
Their big breakthrough was a cover of an Allen Toussaint composition originally recorded in 1970 by Lee Dorsey, the song was "Yes We Can Can" released by The Pointer Sisters in March 1973. The girls' voices were added over funky backing tracks laid down with the help of Rubinson's contacts like Tower of Power guitarist Willie Fulton. They sang live around a single mic, with Anita handling lead, and upon release the record soon hit Number 11 on Billboard's pop chart and Number 12 on the R&B chart. In 1974 the group surprised white audiences when they broke the color barrier in at The Grand Ol' Opry when performing their Country Grammy award winning country song "Fairytale" in Nashville. "How Long (Betcha Got A Chick On The Side)" was a 1975 #1 R&B hit from their Steppin LP, with classic funky keys of Herbie Hancock on clavinet & wicked guitar stylings of Wah Wah Watson...
Bonnie Pointer left the group in 1977 for a solo career, and in 1978, the remaining sisters switched labels to Planet & production duties went to Richard Perry who modernized their sound away from a nostalgia based act into a more contemporary look & sound for the 1980's.
They produced the album Energy, with a classic country flavored updates of Sly Stone's "Everybody Is A Star", and a rendition of another Allen Toussaint song called "Happiness". The Perry streak included 1984's Break Out, which did exactly that going triple platinum and winning two Grammys for the singles Automatic and "Jump (for My Love)". This period in the early 80's ostensibly represents the group's commercial peak as a charting act. Their last big hit was Neutron Dance from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.
As the '80s wound down, June Pointer recorded two solo albums, and later left the trio by 2001. Anita also did some solo project work, and had a minor hit with a song called, "Overnight Success."
Anita and Ruth still perform concerts under the group's name. Ruth's daughter, Issa Pointer, is the trio's newest member. June suffered a stroke on February 27, 2006. While hospitalized, she was diagnosed with cancer, which had metastasized in her breast, colon, liver and bones. She died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California on April 11, 2006 at the age of 52.
Black Coffee
The Pointer Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Haven't slept a wink
I walk the floor from nine to four
In between I drink
Black coffee
Love's a hand-me-down brew
Never know a Sunday
In this weekday rue
I'm talkin to the shadow
One o'clock till four
And Lord, how slow the moments go
And all I do is pour
Black coffee
Since the blues caught my eye
I'm hangin' out on Monday
My Sunday dreams to dry
Now man was born to go a lovin'
But was a woman born to weep and fret
And stay at home and tend her oven
And down her past regrets
In coffee and cigarettes
I'm moonin' all the mornin'
Moanin' all the night
And in between it's nicotine
And not much heart to fight
Black coffee
Feelin' low as the ground
It's drivin' me crazy
This thinkin' 'bout my baby
Might maybe come around
Come around
The Pointer Sisters's song Black Coffee is a lamentation of a broken relationship that has left the singer feeling empty and alone. The opening verse sets the tone of the song immediately with the singer admitting that they're feeling "mighty lonesome" and haven't slept a wink. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been walking the floor for hours and drinking black coffee to stay awake. Love is likened to a hand-me-down brew, a cheap and inadequate substitute for real affection. The singer contrasts their desperate weekday existence with the carefree nature of Sundays, which are typically associated with relaxation and joy. In contrast, the singer's weekdays are filled with sorrow and loneliness.
The second verse of the song sees the singer wallowing in their misery, talking to their own shadow as they spend hours awake in the night. The slow moments feel like they're crawling by, and the only thing the singer can do is pour more black coffee. The blues have caught the singer's eye, perhaps because their heartache makes them feel more connected to the genre. The singer is stuck hanging out on Mondays, dreaming of Sundays, wishing for a happier time when they felt complete.
In the final verse, the singer muses on the inherent differences between men and women. Men are born to love, but women are born to weep and fret, suggesting that the singer feels caught in a feminine trap of helplessness and sadness. Their past regrets haunt them like ghosts, and the only relief they can find is in cigarettes and black coffee. The song's refrain repeats the notion that the singer feels low as the ground, and their obsession with their lost love is driving them crazy. They hold onto a hope that perhaps their love might come around, but the repetition of the words "might" and "maybe" imply that the singer is not entirely convinced.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm feelin' mighty lonesome
I am experiencing intensely lonely feelings
Haven't slept a wink
I have not slept at all
I walk the floor from nine to four
I pace the floor for hours on end
In between I drink
I drink during the brief intervals when I am not pacing
Black coffee
I drink coffee without cream or sugar
Love's a hand-me-down brew
Love is a recycled and diluted experience
Never know a Sunday
I never experience a happy day
In this weekday rue
My weekdays are filled with sorrow and melancholy
I'm talkin to the shadow
I am speaking to my own shadow
One o'clock till four
I talk to the shadow for hours
And Lord, how slow the moments go
Time passes very slowly
And all I do is pour
All I do is keep pouring coffee
Since the blues caught my eye
Ever since I became depressed
I'm hangin' out on Monday
I am dreading the start of the work week
My Sunday dreams to dry
Any hopes for happiness or peace are forgotten
Now man was born to go a lovin'
Men were born to love and be loved
But was a woman born to weep and fret
But it seems women were born to feel sorrow and anxiety
And stay at home and tend her oven
And stay confined to the domestic sphere
And down her past regrets
And suffer from her past mistakes and disappointments
In coffee and cigarettes
And rely on coffee and cigarettes for comfort
I'm moonin' all the mornin'
I am brooding all morning
Moanin' all the night
I am moaning and groaning all night
And in between it's nicotine
During the day, I rely on nicotine for comfort
And not much heart to fight
I don't have the energy or motivation to fight my sadness
Feelin' low as the ground
I am feeling extremely down
It's drivin' me crazy
It is making me feel insane
This thinkin' 'bout my baby
Thinking about my lover
Might maybe come around
I hope my lover will come back to me
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Francis Joseph Burke, Paul Francis Webster
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@andyandcallie
When I was about 12, this is one of the songs that taught me how to sing. I learned every tiny sound, every nuance. Thank you, Bonnie!
@khylearmourwaters171
Bonnie Pointer was so underrated. Beautiful Voice. #oaklandsfinest
@gypseenomad3956
Wow. I love these women but I've never heard this. One family with four beautiful girls all with amazing voices.
@philipmckinley8423
If you never have, go back and listen to their 70s music, when they were a quartet, including Bonnie (who left in '77). Totally different from their pop/dance music of the 80s & 90s.
@orane3549
I read somewhere about Bonnie singing this song but it is the first time I am hearing it. WOW! This whole family is so talented including their brothers. Bonnie sings, writes, tap dances and now she seems to be on the straight and narrow path to a more healthy life, spending a lot of time with her big Sis. Anita. Good for her. R.I.P. sweet June!
@phillycheez6288
RIP June, Bonnie and Anita 💔🥀💔🥀💔🥀🩶🕊That heavenly choir gonna be lit🔥
@orane3549
@@phillycheez6288 Yes!! They are singing in perfect harmony wherever they are now. 🙂
@LarryPint84
Rest easy Bonnie. May peace be upon your family during this time of sadness.
@wkbbrat
Feelin’ down today. Bonnies death hit hard (first June, now Bons)... had to hear this. R.I.P. dear one. Your spirit lives on 🙏🏾💔 😞
@edgarsoberontorchia3697
Farewell, Bonnie Pointer, rest in peace!