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."
Only For The Children
The Stylistics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When she estranged you
And bitterly blamed you
'Cause she's so unhappy
Give, swallowing compromise
Though it won't matter
Your so near the chatter of her
Somehow so far
All the demands that never seem to win
You try to withstand
All of her mood, her childish attitudes
Only for the children
I keep love alive
'Cause it's only for the children
My love survives
Give though it means sacrifice
You feel temptation
But your imitation of hope
Must satisfy
You give, though it means you ignore
The lack of affection
And constant rejection destroyed
Though it hurts you
To swallow my pride, toss it aside
Though deep inside of me
I feel that through life
Living this life knowing it has to be
Only for the children
I keep love alive
'Cause it's only for the children
Our love survives
Only for the children
I keep love alive
'Cause it's only for the children
My love survives
Only for the children
I keep love alive
'Cause it's only for the children
My love survives
Only for the children
I keep love alive
'Cause it's only for the children
The Stylistics’ song ‘Only For The Children’ speaks strongly about the sacrifices one makes in a relationship when children are involved, even if these sacrifices hurt deeply. The song seemingly addresses someone who is being blamed and estranged by their partner because the partner is unhappy. The lyrics provide a view of how difficult it is to withstand someone's mood and childish attitudes, and the need to make compromises so that love can survive, ‘Only for the children’.
The song seems to suggest that even when there is rejection and lack of affection from one's partner, one has to swallow pride, ignore it and focus on the children instead. This may refer to staying in a relationship for the sake of the children rather than for the love one has for the partner. The use of repetitions, particularly the phrase ‘Only for the children I keep love alive’ emphasizes that the only reason for maintaining the relationship is for the children.
Overall, ‘Only For The Children’ is a touching song about parents who keep their love alive for the sake of their children, regardless of the difficulties they face in their relationship. It highlights the sacrifices put in and the emotional struggles faced with the hope that their children will have a loving and stable family.
Line by Line Meaning
Give all that you have to give
Do everything you can to make the relationship work
When she estranged you
When she became distant from you
And bitterly blamed you
And harshly accused you
'Cause she's so unhappy
Because she is not content
Give, swallowing compromise
Compromise even if it's hard to accept
Though it won't matter
Even if it might not make a difference
Your so near the chatter of her
You are close to hearing her complaints
Winding [Incomprehensible] up you
Making you feel tense and uneasy
Somehow so far
Despite being so close, it feels distant
All the demands that never seem to win
The constant requests that are hard to fulfill
You try to withstand
You try to endure
All of her mood, her childish attitudes
Her immature behavior and emotional fluctuations
Only for the children
Doing everything for the sake of the kids
I keep love alive
I maintain the love and relationship
'Cause it's only for the children
Because the children are the reason for the relationship
My love survives
My love perseveres
Give though it means sacrifice
Make sacrifices even if it's difficult
You feel temptation
You feel tempted to give up
But your imitation of hope
But your pretense of hopefulness
Must satisfy
Must be enough to keep going
You give, though it means you ignore
You give even though you overlook some issues
The lack of affection
The absence of love and warmth
And constant rejection destroyed
And constant dismissal has taken its toll
Though it hurts you
Even though it causes you pain
To swallow my pride, toss it aside
To let go of my ego and pride
Though deep inside of me
Although it's buried within me
I feel that through life
I believe that throughout life
Living this life knowing it has to be
Living with the understanding that this is how it must be
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LINDA CREED, LINDA DIANE CREED, THOM BELL, THOMAS RANDOLPH BELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jaylen E. Turner
Written by
Thom Bell
and
Linda Creed
————————
Lead Vocals:
Russell Thompkins,Jr.
————————————
Background Vocals:
Thom Bell
Carl Helm
Bunny Sigler
Kenny Gamble
Phil Hurtt
(The rest of the Stylistics
never sang on the first
three albums that
Thom Bell produced.)
————————————-
Additional
Background Vocals:
Linda Creed
Barbara Ingram
Carla Benson
Evette Benton
—————————-
Instrumentation:
Thom Bell,
MFSB,
and
Don Renaldo &
His Horns And Strings
————————————
Engineered and
Mixed by
Joe Tarsia
———————————-
Arranger,Conductor,
and Producer:
Thom Bell
——————————
Year:
1973
——————————
Album:
Rockin’ Roll Baby
Pepper Williams
This album still sounds fresh today, here and now, in 2020! Every song is a 'gem', arranged and produced by the great Thom Bell:)
Jay Singer
He also sang the actual background on it along with his friends,
and not the Stylistics.
Ferdinand Francis
@Jay Singer Yes you are correct, also singing backup is the co-writer The late and lovely Linda Creed, i just love when the voices end the band (mfsb) continues to the end.
Raymond
Thanks for all the good music! I love this channel.
UnidiscMusic
Thank you! :) We're glad you can enjoy these classics too
Jim JimD
“I got so much style I get down with the Stylistics.” Great stuff!
Jay Singer
It wasn’t the group.
Just Russell.
The group never sang on the first three albums that Thom Bell produced,
Peter mercer
Have to say it again this is such a classic song certainly one of my favourites of all time
P Allen
Wow. Been years since ive heard this classic. Thanks
Peter mercer
This is such a classic song preferred it to the flip side You make me feel brand new believe it or not