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."
Make it Last
The Stylistics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I fell in love with you
Can't believe it's true
Every night I pray, dear Lord
Please make her love me more
More each day
But it never felt like this
Never quite like this
No one ever made me feel
So wrong and so for sure
Since with you
When I'm with you, the angels sing
You are the glow of early spring
If this is a dream, I just got to keep on
Dreaming, dreaming
Each day with you
Seems better than yesterday
Wild and wonderful
Lighter than the air, I could fly
Higher than the clouds in the sky
When I'm with you, the angels sing
You are the glow of early spring
If this is a dream, I just got to keep on
Dreaming, dreaming
Lighter than the air, I could fly
Higher than the clouds in the sky
Lighter than the air, I could fly
Higher than the clouds in the sky
Lighter than the air, I could fly
Higher than the clouds in the sky
Lighter than the air, I could fly
Higher than the clouds in the sky
The Stylistics's song "Make It Last" is about a love that feels too good to be true. The opening lines, "I can't believe, That I fell in love with you, Can't believe it's true" suggest that the singer is surprised by the intensity of his feelings for his lover. He prays every night that his lover will love him even more, indicating his deep desire to make their relationship last. The singer goes on to say that he's been in love before, but it never felt quite like this. He describes his lover as making him feel both wrong and sure at the same time, suggesting that their relationship is both challenging and rewarding.
The chorus of the song further emphasizes how much the singer loves his lover. He says that when he's with her, the angels sing, emphasizing the beauty and joyfulness of their relationship. He also compares her to the glow of early spring, a time of new growth and new beginnings. The singer admits that he feels like he's dreaming, but he wants to keep dreaming because being with his lover is so wonderful.
Overall, "Make It Last" is a song about the power of love to transform and uplift us. The singer's love for his partner is portrayed as all-consuming and transformative, filling him with a sense of joy and wonder that he never thought possible.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't believe
Expressing disbelief at the fact that they have fallen in love with the person.
That I fell in love with you
Acknowledging that they have indeed fallen in love with the person.
Can't believe it's true
Still in disbelief that their feelings for the person are real.
Every night I pray, dear Lord
Revealing that the person prays every night for their love for the other person to grow.
Please make her love me more
Asking God to help the person they love to return their feelings with the same intensity.
More each day
Desiring the other person's love to grow stronger with each passing day.
I've been in love
Acknowledging that the person has been in love before.
But it never felt like this
Noting that their love for the current person is different from their previous experiences of love.
Never quite like this
Emphasizing the uniqueness of their current love for the person.
No one ever made me feel
Stating that they have never experienced the type of emotions and feelings that this person brings out in them.
So wrong and so for sure
Feeling both that their love for the person is unexpected and yet also completely certain.
Since with you
Realizing that their feelings of love only started to grow once they met the other person.
When I'm with you, the angels sing
Describing how happy and uplifted they feel when they are in the presence of the person they love.
You are the glow of early spring
Comparing the person's luminous quality to the beauty of a blooming spring landscape.
If this is a dream, I just got to keep on
Implying that their love for the other person feels like a dream come true and that they never want it to end.
Dreaming, dreaming
Continuing to express the desire to keep experiencing these feelings of love like a dream that they never want to wake up from.
Each day with you
Expressing how meaningful each day spent with the person is to them.
Seems better than yesterday
Feeling like their love grows stronger and the time they spend together becomes even more special as each day passes.
Wild and wonderful
Describing their love as unpredictable yet full of joy and wonder.
Lighter than the air, I could fly
Expressing how happy and weightless they feel when they are with the person they love.
Higher than the clouds in the sky
Comparing their feelings to soaring as high and free as the clouds in the sky.
Lighter than the air, I could fly
Reiterating how incredibly happy and buoyant their feelings are when they think of the person they love.
Higher than the clouds in the sky
Stating once again how much their love elevates them and makes them feel like they are soaring above the world.
Lighter than the air, I could fly
Repeating their extreme feelings of happiness and lightness when they are with the person they love.
Higher than the clouds in the sky
Emphasizing once more how incredibly uplifting and freeing their love is.
Lighter than the air, I could fly
Continuing to express how happy and carefree their emotions are because of the person they love.
Higher than the clouds in the sky
Concluding with a final comparison to the immense joy and freedom they feel in their love.
Contributed by Aaron W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Jaylen E. Turner
Written by
Thom Bell
and
Linda Creed
——————————
Lead Vocals:
Russell Thompkins,Jr.
————————————
Background Vocals:
Russell Thompkins,Jr.
Thom Bell
Carl Helm
Bunny Sigler
Kenny Gamble
Phil Hurtt
————————————
Additional
Background Vocals:
Linda Creed
Barbara Ingram
Carla Benson
Yvette Benton
——————————
Instrumentation:
Thom Bell and MFSB
————————————
Arranger,Conductor,
and Producer:
Thom Bell
—————————
Year:
1973
————————
Album:
Rockin’ Roll Baby
wedge4hire
Under-rated! Love this cut!
Anthony Robinson
My favorite Stylistics Song!
John Cunningham
Couldn't agree more wedge4hire!!
Sean Jenkins
Love this album man
Litoral Sp
OMG é muito bom ouvir essa canção 2021
Valerie White
Such a romantic song!
RICKY BIGGS SR.
when music was music.
Ralston Baker
VINTAGE Stylistics!
Pee Dee Music
The Vibrations did a great version of this tune. You can even see a clip of them performing it, here on youtube.
Jaylen E. Turner
Written by
Thom Bell
and
Linda Creed
——————————
Lead Vocals:
Russell Thompkins,Jr.
————————————
Background Vocals:
Russell Thompkins,Jr.
Thom Bell
Carl Helm
Bunny Sigler
Kenny Gamble
Phil Hurtt
————————————
Additional
Background Vocals:
Linda Creed
Barbara Ingram
Carla Benson
Yvette Benton
——————————
Instrumentation:
Thom Bell and MFSB
————————————
Arranger,Conductor,
and Producer:
Thom Bell
—————————
Year:
1973
————————
Album:
Rockin’ Roll Baby