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."
Maybe It's Love This Time
The Stylistics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take love, and show somebody else what you feel; it's not hard to be real
You and I together
The thought of you brings a smile
Why don't we try forever
Trust and forgive as the years go by
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
It's gonna last forever, I know it in my mind
No love is ever quite the same when it's over
Our love will always stand the test of the times
Bring clear to our minds
You and I together, that's how it always should be.
We'll live our lives together
Trust and forgive til eternity
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
It's gonna last forever, I know it in my mind...
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
It's gonna last forever, I know it in my mind
The Stylistics’ song, “Maybe It's Love This Time,” is a classic love ballad that speaks about the journey of finding true love and the hope that it brings. The song highlights the importance of being happy and staying true to yourself while also showing love and affection to someone else. It emphasizes that true love is not hard to be real.
The lyrics express the feelings of the singer towards his partner and the desire to be together forever. The line "You and I together, that's how it always should be" shows the singer's conviction that their love will stand the test of time. The chorus repeats the phrase "maybe it's love this time" which expresses the uncertain, yet hopeful nature of the relationship. The singer also encourages forgiveness and trust as the years go by.
The song's slow tempo and smooth vocals create a romantic atmosphere, making it a quintessential love song. Its melodious tune and relatable lyrics capture the essence of finding love and holding on to it forever.
Line by Line Meaning
True love, you owe it to yourself to be happy
You deserve happiness and should not settle for anything less than true love.
Take love, and show somebody else what you feel; it's not hard to be real
Expressing your love to someone else is important and being genuine is easy.
You and I together
We are a team and will face everything together.
The thought of you brings a smile
You make me happy and bring joy to my life.
Why don't we try forever
Let's commit to each other and try to make it last forever.
Trust and forgive as the years go by
In order to make our love last, we need to have trust and forgiveness for one another.
Darlin', maybe, maybe it's love this time
There's a possibility that this could be true love for us.
It's gonna last forever, I know it in my mind
I have a feeling our love will stand the test of time and last forever.
No love is ever quite the same when it's over
Every love story is unique and can never be replicated.
Our love will always stand the test of the times
Our love is strong and will survive anything life throws our way.
Bring clear to our minds
We need to stay focused on our love and what's important in our relationship.
You and I together, that's how it always should be.
We belong together and should always be a team.
We'll live our lives together
We will spend our lives together, sharing everything that comes our way.
Trust and forgive til eternity
Our love will last until the end of time if we continue to trust and forgive each other.
Contributed by Xavier O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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