The SOS Band is an American musical ensemble, founded in Atlanta, Georgia i… Read Full Bio ↴The SOS Band is an American musical ensemble, founded in Atlanta, Georgia in 1977. Originally known as Santa Monica, the 'SOS' initialism in the band's name stands for Sounds of Success.

The band, fronted by Mary Davis, was initially famous for the hit "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" in 1980. In 1983, they joined forces with then new production team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who went on to craft a string of R&B hits for the group, including "Just Be Good to Me," "Tell Me If You Still Care," "Borrowed Love," "No One's Gonna Love You," "Just the Way You Like It," and "The Finest".

The Jam-Lewis-produced SOS Band hits are notable for popularizing the use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine (and its distinctive cowbell sound) in popular music. The group continues to tour and perform to this day.

The song "Just Be Good to Me" was covered by Beats International (aka Norman Cook or Fatboy Slim); the resultant song made its way to UK number one single as "Dub Be Good to Me." The song was reworked with the bass line of The Clash's "Guns of Brixton." It was also covered by Shayne Ward on his album, Breathless. Also, the song "Tell Me If You Still Care" was covered in 1995 by fellow Atlanta native Monica on her debut album Miss Thang and sampled by Janet Jackson in her hit "Call On Me. The Bingoboys performed a cover of "Borrowed Love" as the follow-up single to their 1991 dance hit "How to Dance."

Lead vocalist Mary Davis left the group in 1987 to pursue a solo career, and was replaced by Chandra Currelley beginning with the band's 1989 Diamonds in the Raw album. More recently, Currelley has been active as an actress and vocalist in Tyler Perry plays and films. When Davis’s solo career was not a successful as hoped, she reunited with the band in 1994.

Take Your Time
The S.O.S. Band Lyrics

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Let's do it
Let's do it
Let's do it
Let's do it

[Incomprehensible], baby
Let's do it
Take your time

Let's do it
[Incomprehensible]

Come on, baby
Let's do it
Take your time
Let's do it

You know you ought to slow down
You been working too hard and that's a fact
Sit back and relax a while
Take some time to laugh and smile

Lay your heavy load down
So we can stop and kick back
It seems we never take the time to do
All the things we want to, yeah

Now, baby we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby, we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby, we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby, we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

The love I feel for you
You feel for me
One life is all we have to live
Our love is all we have to give, yeah

There are so many things for us
To do and see, yeah
Let's take some time to be alone
Lock the door pull out the phone, yeah

And baby we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby, we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby, we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Take your time
Take the time
Take the time
Take the time

Take your time
Take your time
Take your time

Take your time
Ooh baby, take your time
If it takes all night

You can do it, you can do it
You can do it, alright
You can do it, you can do it
To the early morning light

You can do it, come on baby
You can do it all night
Take your time, come on baby
Let's do it tonight

Take your time, baby
And take all night
You can do it, you can do it
Come on let's do it, do it right

Take your time, ooh baby
Come on let's do, let's do, let's do
Don't mind, ooh baby
You can do it, do it right

Take your time, let's do it
If it takes all night
Come on baby let's do it
To the early morning light

Let's do it, let's do it
Let's do it, do it right
Come on baby let's do it
If it takes all night

Come on baby, let's do it
Let's do it, do it right
Come on honey let's do it
If it takes all night

Let's do it, let's do it
Let's do it, do it right
Come on baby let's do it
If it takes all night

Come on honey, let's do it
Let's do it tonight
We can do it, we can do it
Let's do it, do it right

Baby we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby we can do it
Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby
Do it tonight

Baby we can do it

Take the time, do it right
We can do it, baby

Overall Meaning

The S.O.S. Band's song "Take Your Time" is an upbeat, soulful tune that urges the listener to slow down and enjoy life. The song begins with a repeated chorus of "Let's do it," encouraging the listener to take action and make the most of their time. The first verse of the song acknowledges that too often, we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, working hard and forgetting to pause and enjoy the little things that make life worth living. The lyrics urge the listener to "sit back and relax a while" and "take some time to laugh and smile."

The chorus repeats throughout the song, with the band reminding us that we have one life to live and that our love is all we have to give. The lyrics also suggest that there are many things for us to see and do in life, and that we should take the time to explore and enjoy them. The song encourages the listener to take time for themselves and their loved ones, to be present in the moment, and to cherish the time that we have.

Line by Line Meaning