The group started in 1958 at Barney's Pool Room on Kings Highway in East Brooklyn, New York. The original members of the group were Richie Schwartz (first tenor), Lew Arno (second tenor) and Harvey Hersh[kowitz] (baritone) who hung out together harmonizing. Larry Kassman later asked if he could sing with the group; Kassman soon became lead for the group.
The group later picked up the name "Quotations" from one of the songs they liked to perform - "Quotations of Love" written by a friend of the group, Mike Rose. The group often sung at the Rainbow Store on Kings Highway near the train station; on the Manhattan Beach and Brighton Beach boardwalks; and at Sid Gordon's bowling alley - all Brooklyn favorites for teenagers. In 1959, the group made their first demos - "Time Was", "Sunday Kind of Love" and "September in the Rain".
Helen Miller worked for the producer Don Kirshner as a songwriter. She heard the Quotations' music and became their manager. Miller shopped the group around and they eventually met up with executives at Verve Records. Historically, Verve was not considered a doo-wop label, focusing more on jazz and blues music. The group chose to do a new, uptempo style version of Jimmy Van Heusen's classic "Imagination". The record was released in 1961 and reached Top-40 status by the end of the year.
The group enjoyed success in 1962, making concert appearances on the east coast, in the south and midwest. Their follow-up record in 1962 (Verve 10252) was "This Love of Mine". "We'll Reach Heaven Togeher" was the B-side.
The group recorded "See You in September" backed with "Summertime Goodbye" (Verve 10261) in April 1962, thinking it would be the perfect summertime record. But it wasn't released until late August and DJ's failed to pick up on it. Harvey remembers: "See You In September came next, but unfortunately Verve released the record in August which pretty much destroyed any chance of air play." The group had one last record - "In the Night" backed with "Oh No I Still Love Her" (1964 - Admiral 753) and Harvey believes that "Oh No" was their best record.
A few versions of the Quotations continued performing with Sandy Sonner and recorded some a cappella selections during the 1970's for Relic Records. However, Harvey notes that not one original member has ever sung with another vocal group.
In 1998, after a few reunions, the group reformed with a new tenor. Richie moved to bass and new member Stu Abramson. Stu was with the group the Astralites who recorded "Space Hop" in 1961 and sings, plays sax, guitar, bass and keyboards as well. The group recorded a new CD in 2000 - Q2K - which includes not only new material but all their original selections. Harvey comments "This CD represents the culmination of lots of practice, plenty of live performances and a renewed love of this magical, musical entity we call Doo-Wop. We've recorded some favorites of ours, included are some a cappella and also the eight songs that we originally recorded 40 years ago. Some have never been heard before".
Richie Schwartz and Stu Abramson both passed away in 2006.
IMAGINATION
The Quotations Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Remind me of you
I remember when we met
How can I forget
You left me all alone
With just regret
So, I still love you so
"Girl hope our love grows"
We met beneath the stars
On a balcony
I looked in to your eyes
And then you came to me
So, I still love you so
And I wanna say
Girl hope our love grows"
We met beneath the stars
On a balcony
I looked in to your eyes
And then you came to me
And then you came to me
The Quotations' song "Imagination" is a nostalgic and heartwarming tribute to love and longing. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a past romance, as the singer reminisces about the night he met his love. The references to stars and balconies suggest a romantic and enchanting setting, one that holds a special place in the singer's heart. The lyrics also reveal the bittersweet nature of the memory, as the singer expresses regret over being left alone. Despite the pain of the past, the singer's love for his former partner endures, and he expresses a desire for their love to grow.
Overall, "Imagination" is a song that captures the essence of a romantic memory, complete with its joys, sorrows, and lingering emotions. The singer's heartfelt expression of love and longing is sure to resonate with anyone who has experienced the joys and pains of love.
Line by Line Meaning
The stars that shine tonight
The brilliance of the stars tonight makes me think of you
Remind me of you
The stars remind me of the moments shared with you
I remember when we met
I can't forget the time when we first met
How can I forget
The memory of our first meeting is still fresh in my mind
You left me all alone
You abandoned me and left me by myself
With just regret
All that remains is a feeling of sorrow and disappointment
So, I still love you so
My love for you remains unchanged
And I just wanna say
I yearn to express my feelings to you
"Girl hope our love grows"
I hope that our love continues to flourish
We met beneath the stars
Our first meeting was under the night sky
On a balcony
We were standing on a balcony
I looked in to your eyes
When I gazed into your eyes
And then you came to me
That was when you came to me
Lyrics © Freibank Musikverlags und vermarktungs GmbH, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@HarrisonMedia324
Lyrics
Imagination
The Quotations
Last update on: November 6, 2014
Iina my my my imagination
Iina my my imagination
Iina my my my imagination
Iina my my imagination
Imagination is funny
it makes a cloudy day sunny
Makes a bee think of honey
just as I think of you
Iina my my my imagination
Iina my my imagination
Imagination is crazy
your whole perspective gets hazy
Starts you asking a daisy
What to do, what to do?
Iina my my my imagination
Iina my my imagination
Iina my my my imagination
Iina my my imagination
Have you ever felt sweet caress
and then a kiss in bed
but it's only your imagination
oh Yes sometimes I felt that sweet caress
and then a kiss in bed
but it's only my imagination
Iina my my my imagination
Iina my my imagination
Imagination is silly
you go around willy-nilly
For example I go around
wanting you and yet I can't imagine that you want me
that you want me, too
Iina my my my imagination
Iina my my imagination
Iina my my my imagination
Iina my my imagination (fade)
@GalfromBrooklyn
SOME BROOKLYN NOSTALGIA FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT REMEMBER.....My good friend Harvey Hersh, gave me this picture to display in James Madison HS, Brooklyn, NY. He is the one on the left side of the pic, he lived across the street from me in Brooklyn, NY, he first was my brother's friend, and later on, became one of our "family"...sharing meals and holidays with us...his parents Rose and Dave were the sweetest people, loved to talk with them on their stoop. I kept in touch with Harvey until he passed away in 2019, he lived in the NJ area with his wife Madeline, children, and grandchildren. No one can forget "Imagination"...we were so proud of a "local" group from Midwood Brooklyn who made it big. The group was fortunate enough to do "gigs' until around 2013...to quote Harvey..."How great is it to have kept up this group for 50 years?, we had a good run". RIP HARVEY.
@ismailaziz5508
Hello there, I'am a Malay Muslim man age 33, from Johor Bahru, Malaysia just next to my neighbouring country Singapore, I feel very happy when I heard all songs of the year, 1950's to early 1960's, yes I do love all this song with their wonderful music which make's me happy listening, while I tune in for all day long through my youtube channel. Thank You!
@tonnynilsson5836
Aslong as you stay in the middle east its ok!
@nickreynolds7787
Malaysia is an island nation in Asia
@harryn1614
@@tonnynilsson5836 Malaysia is in Southeast Asian not the middle east.
@Cybersynthetica
That’s remarkable! It’s great how music can bring together people from all walks of life and all corners of the Earth
@JukeboxBalowski
Good to meet you! 😊
@williamhighfill539
Great song by a great group.
.Richie Schwartz did a heck of a job on lead!!!!
DOO WOPP FOREVER!!!
@pepe_feed
Thank you Rocky Sharpe & the Replays for discovering this gem for me when I was a kid.
@robertlobianco8917
As an old fart who grow up in the 50s and 60s, I love doowops songs. Welcome!