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."
I Have You You Have Me
The Stylistics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But now, I go for walks
To the moviesmaybe to the park
I have a seat on the same old bench
To watch the children play
You know, tomorrow's their future
But for me, just another day
They all gather 'round me
We laugh, tell a few jokes
But it still doesn't ease my pain
I know I can't hide from the memories
Though day after day I've tried
I keep saying, "She'll be back"
But today again I've lied?
Ohi see her face everywhere I go
On the street and even at the picture show
Have you seen her? Tell me have u seen her?
OH I hear her voice as the cold winds blow
And the sweet music on the radio
Have u seen her? Tell me have u seen her?
Why, oh why did she have
To leave and go away?
Oh, I've been used to havin
Someone to lean on and I'm lost
Baby I'm lost
Have u seen her? Tell me have u seen her?
Have u seen her? Tell me have u seen her?
She left her kiss upon my lips
But left the break with in my heart
Have you seen her?
Tell me have you seen her?
Oh I see her hand reaching out to me
Only she can set me free
Have you seen her?
Tell me have you seen her?
Why, oh why did she have
To leave and go away? Oh yeah
Oh, I've been used to havin'
Someone to lean on and I'm lost
Baby I'm lost
Have you seen her?
Tell me have you seen her?
As another day comes to an end
I'm lookin' for a letter, or something
Anything that she would send
With all the people that I know
I'm still a lonely man
You know, it's funny:
I thought I had her in the palm of my mind
Have you seen her?
Tell me have you seen her?
Have you seen her?
Tell me have you seen her?
The Stylistics' "Have You Seen Her" is a ballad about a man who is searching for the love of his life who left him without warning. The song's opening lines suggest that the singer's life has taken a tragic turn, contrasting with its initial happy state. He is alone, heartbroken, and seeking solace in routine activities such as watching children play. Despite attempts to move on, he is plagued by images of his lost love, her face, voice, and even her kiss, all of which keep him trapped in his pain.
The chorus repeats the question "Have you seen her?" as the man searches for any sign of his love's whereabouts. He wonders why she left and agonizes over the absence of someone he once relied upon. The song expresses a pervasive sense of sadness and loss, culminating in a final desperate plea for any sign of the woman's return.
The lyrics in "Have You Seen Her" resonate with heartbreak that many people experience at some point in their lives. The song's narrative speaks to the enduring power of love and its ability to consume and transform a person. The Stylistics, with their harmonies and vocal acrobatics, bring this vision to life with an emotional delivery that conveys the pain and longing of the central character.
Line by Line Meaning
One month ago today i was happy as a lark
I used to be really happy just a month ago
But now, I go for walks
But now I just walk around
To the movies maybe to the park
Sometimes I go watch movies or go to the park
I have a seat on the same old bench
I usually sit on the same bench
To watch the children play
I watch the children play
You know, tomorrow's their future
I know that children represent the future
But for me, just another day
But for me, it's just another day
They all gather 'round me
The kids all come around me
They seem to know my name
They seem to know my name
We laugh, tell a few jokes
We laugh and tell a few jokes
But it still doesn't ease my pain
But it doesn't make me feel better
I know I can't hide from the memories
I know I can't forget about the memories
Though day after day I've tried
Even though I've tried to forget
I keep saying, "She'll be back"
I keep hoping she'll come back
But today again I've lied?
But I'm lying to myself again
Oh I see her face everywhere I go
I see her face everywhere I go
On the street and even at the picture show
I even see her at the movies or on the street
Have you seen her? Tell me have u seen her?
Have you seen her? Can you tell me if you have?
OH I hear her voice as the cold winds blow
I hear her voice when it's windy and cold
And the sweet music on the radio
And I hear her when sweet music plays on the radio
Have u seen her? Tell me have u seen her?
Have you seen her? Can you tell me if you have?
Why, oh why did she have
Why did she have to leave?
To leave and go away?
Why did she leave and go away?
Oh, I've been used to havin
I'm used to having someone
Someone to lean on and I'm lost
Someone to rely on and now I'm lost
Baby I'm lost
I feel like a lost child
Have u seen her? Tell me have u seen her?
Have you seen her? Can you tell me if you have?
She left her kiss upon my lips
I still have her kiss on my lips
But left the break with in my heart
But she broke my heart when she left
Have you seen her?
Have you seen her?
Oh I see her hand reaching out to me
I see her hand trying to reach out to me
Only she can set me free
Only she can make me feel free
Have you seen her?
Have you seen her?
Tell me have you seen her?
Can you tell me if you've seen her?
Why, oh why did she have
Why did she have to leave?
To leave and go away? Oh yeah
To leave and go away? Oh yeah
Oh, I've been used to havin'
I'm used to having someone
Someone to lean on and I'm lost
Someone to rely on and now I'm lost
Baby I'm lost
I feel like a lost child
Have you seen her?
Have you seen her?
Tell me have you seen her?
Can you tell me if you've seen her?
As another day comes to an end
As another day ends
I'm lookin' for a letter, or something
I'm hoping for a letter or some sign from her
Anything that she would send
Anything she might send me
With all the people that I know
With all the people I know
I'm still a lonely man
I'm still very lonely
You know, it's funny:
You know, it's funny
I thought I had her in the palm of my mind
I used to think I had her completely in my mind
Have you seen her?
Have you seen her?
Tell me have you seen her?
Can you tell me if you've seen her?
Have you seen her?
Have you seen her?
Tell me have you seen her?
Can you tell me if you've seen her?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Concerned
on Mine All Mine
These are NOT the lyrics to this song in any language or version.
Neil Aspin
on Me - U = Blue
Wonderfull
Melvin Miles
on Could This Be The End
Love the song