They had their first U.S. hit in 1971 with "You're a Big Girl Now". Signing to Avco Records, The Stylistics began working with producer Thom Bell, who had already produced a catalogue of hits for The Delfonics, and songwriter Linda Creed. Bell imported the sweet soul techniques he had perfected with The Delfonics, and his arrangements worked perfectly with Thompkins' falsetto. The bittersweet lyrics from Creed were a key factor in creating hugely memorable music.
Their hits, distilled from three albums, from this period included "Betcha by Golly, Wow", "I'm Stone in Love with You", "You Make Me Feel Brand New" featuring a double lead with Love, "Stop, Look, Listen To Your Heart" and "You Are Everything". "You Make Me Feel Brand New" was the group's biggest U.S. hit, holding at #2 for two weeks in the spring of 1974, and was one of five U.S. gold singles the Stylistics collected. The Stylistics' smooth sound also found an easier path onto adult contemporary airwaves than other soul artists, and the group made Billboard magazine's Easy Listening singles chart twelve times from 1971 to 1976, with three entries, "Betcha By Golly, Wow," "You Make Me Feel Brand New," and "You'll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart)" reaching the Top 10.
The group split with Thom Bell in 1974, and the split proved devastating commercially to the group's success in the USA. Just as with The Delfonics, The Stylistics were to some extent a vehicle for Bell's own creativity. They struggled hard to find producers who could come up with the right material, and partnerships with Hugo & Luigi and Van McCoy were notably less successful. They left Avco for H&L Records and the Stylistics' popularity rapidly declined in the U.S., though their British popularity continued for the rest of the 1970s.
In 1980, James Dunn departed due to health problems, and James Smith left shortly thereafter. The group continued, recruiting new member Raymond Johnson, and releasing the album Some Things Never Change, in 1985. Johnson departed shortly afterward, leaving the group a trio. Love, Murrell, and Thompkins continued to tour until 2000, when original lead Thompkins left. Love and Murrell brought in two new members, Harold "Eban" Brown, formerly of the Delfonics, as lead ( who sounds amazingly like a young Russell Thompkins), and tenor Van Fields. The present group is featured live on the DVD's "The Stylistics Live at the Convention Center" (2006), as well as along with other artists of the '70's on the DVD "The Big Show."
In 2004, Russell Thompkins, Jr. started a new group, the New Stylistics, with the returning Raymond Johnson, James Ranton, and Jonathan Buckson. They are featured on the DVD "Old School Soul Party Live!," which was part of the PBS "My Music" series.
The Stylistics' catalog of hits have been mined frequently by other artists in recent years. Notable examples include "Betcha By Golly, Wow" covered by Prince, "You Are Everything" remade by Vanessa Williams, and "You Make Me Feel Brand New" redone by Boyz ll Men Roberta Flack and Simply Red. Mary J. Blige also used the chief line from the chorus of "You Are Everything" ("You are everything, and everything is you") in her 1997 hit "Everything." In 2006, Letoya Luckett used a similar sample to the background track of "You Are Everything" for the music to her hit single "Torn."
Can't Give You Anything
The Stylistics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from
simply rotten to something worse
Who knows, some day I will win too.
I'll begin to reach my prime.
Now though I see what our end is,
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid.
You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
But I am willing to wait, dear,
Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
You have a lifetime before you.
I'll adore you, come what may.
Please don't be blue for the present,
When it's so pleasant to hear you say
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
We're sure to find
Happiness and I guess
All those things you've always pined for.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
I can't give you anything but love.
The Stylistics' "Can't Give You Anything" is a heart-wrenching ballad about a man who is in love with a woman, but he is too poor to give her anything except love. The song is full of desperation, sadness, and love. The opening line of the song, "Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The man acknowledges that he cannot provide for his lover but promises to love her nonetheless.
The second stanza of the song talks about the man's luck turning from bad to worse. Despite this, he remains optimistic and believes that he will eventually win and be able to provide for his lover. However, he knows that for now, all he can give her is his time. In the chorus, the man tells his lover that he can't give her anything except love but promises to dream and scheme with her in the hopes of finding happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Gee, but it's tough to be broke, kid.
Being broke is not easy, young one.
It's not a joke, kid, it's a curse.
This is not a laughing matter, youngster; it's a curse.
My luck is changing, it's gotten from simply rotten to something worse.
My luck is getting worse instead of better.
Who knows, some day I will win too.
Perhaps someday I will experience success as well.
I'll begin to reach my prime.
I'll enter the best and most successful period of my life.
Now though I see what our end is,
However, I can see what the outcome will be for us both,
All I can spend is just my time.
All I can give you is my time.
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
I can only offer you love, my dear.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
That is the only thing that I can provide in abundance.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
Let's dream and plan for a while
We're sure to find happiness and I guess all those things you've always pined for.
We'll surely find happiness and all the things you've always wanted.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
I'd love to see you looking great, my dear.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
I can't buy you the finer things in life like diamond bracelets from Woolworth's.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
Until that fortunate day arrives, you know perfectly well that I can't fulfill your desires.
Rome wasn't built in a day, kid.
Success takes time and patience, young one.
You have to pay, kid, for what you get.
You have to work hard to get what you want, youngster.
But I am willing to wait, dear,
But I am willing to be patient, my love,
Your little mate, dear, will not forget.
I will not forget my role as your partner in this relationship.
You have a lifetime before you.
You have your whole life ahead of you.
I'll adore you, come what may.
I will love and cherish you, no matter what the future holds.
Please don't be blue for the present,
Please don't be sad or upset at present times,
When it's so pleasant to hear you say
When it is nice to hear you say
I can't give you anything but love, baby.
I can only offer you love, my dear.
That's the only thing I've plenty of,baby.
That is the only thing that I can provide in abundance.
Dream awhile, scheme awhile
Let's dream and plan for a while
We're sure to find happiness and I guess all those things you've always pined for.
We'll surely find happiness and all the things you've always wanted.
Gee I'd like to see you looking swell, baby.
I'd love to see you looking great, my dear.
Diamond bracelets Woolworth doesn't sell, baby.
I can't buy you the finer things in life like diamond bracelets from Woolworth's.
Till that lucky day you know darned well, baby.
Until that fortunate day arrives, you know perfectly well that I can't fulfill your desires.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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