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."
Sing Baby Sing
The Stylistics Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's somethin' else since we're together
Let's have a ball, let's do it all and sing
Ain't we got it made
(Sing baby sing)
Ain't we got it made
(Sing baby sing)
There ain't a blessed thing to stop us
Let's live it up fill up the cup and dance.
Ain't we got it made
Ain't we got it made, our love song has no end
We're not only lovers we are friends
So cry baby cry, our wedding bells are ringing
And while the happy choir is singin'
This girl and boy through tears of joy will sing
Ain't we got it made
The Stylistics's "Sing Baby Sing" is an upbeat, celebratory love song that emphasizes the joy and happiness that comes from being in love. The lyrics encourage singing and dancing as a couple, with the world seemingly getting better now that they are together. The repetition of the phrase "Sing baby sing" throughout the song creates a sense of excitement and urgency, as the couple revels in the joys of their relationship.
The first verse emphasizes the positive changes that have come since the couple has been together. The lyrics suggest that the world is a happier, friendlier place when two people are in love and that they should take advantage of this by having fun and enjoying each other's company. The chorus repeats the idea that they have "got it made" - their love is enough to sustain them and bring joy to their lives.
The second verse encourages dancing, which the lyrics suggest will make the sun shine on the couple. Once again, the song emphasizes the importance of having fun and enjoying each other's company, with the couple striving to "live it up" and dance the night away. The final verse focuses on the couple's impending nuptials, with wedding bells ringing and tears of joy shed. Even as they cry, however, the couple is still singing, reinforcing the idea that no matter what challenges they may face, their love will sustain them and bring them happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Sing baby sing the world is getting better
Let's sing because everything is getting better now that we are together
It's somethin' else since we're together
Something special has happened to us since we got together
Let's have a ball, let's do it all and sing
Let's have fun, do everything we can, and keep singing
Ain't we got it made
We have everything we need and life is good
(Sing baby sing)
Keep singing!
Dance baby dance and let the sun shine on us
Let's dance and enjoy the sunshine together
There ain't a blessed thing to stop us
No one and nothing can get in our way
Let's live it up fill up the cup and dance.
Let's have a great time, drink, and dance
Ain't we got it made
We have everything we need and life is good
Ain't we got it made, our love song has no end
We have a beautiful love story that will never end
We're not only lovers we are friends
We are not just in love, but we are also great friends
So cry baby cry, our wedding bells are ringing
Let's cry tears of joy because our wedding day has arrived
And while the happy choir is singin'
As the joyous choir sings
This girl and boy through tears of joy will sing
We will sing with tears of joy because we are so happy
Ain't we got it made
We have everything we need and life is good
Lyrics © MUSIC SALES CORPORATION, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: GEORGE DAVID WEISS, HUGO PERETTI, LUIGI CREATORE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Teresa Hobday
My late mum... Woke my dad up singing this in her sleep... Memories I'll never forget... Rip mum... You made us laugh 😂
Amperzand
Aww lovely memory
Gwyneth Pound
Such a beautiful voice, brilliant song teenager in the 70’s happy days.
Adrian Brown
This song brings back some wonderful childhood memories for me 💕
Luis Larenas
de niño escucha a este hermoso grupo norteamericano sus hermosas melodias adornaron mi niñez y ahora que ya no soy un niño al escuchar de nuevo estas notas musicales vuelvo esa hermosa epoca
ThinkOfIt ThisWay
Quite possibly the greatest musical group of all time.
meltika passley
Beautiful song . Soulful...Full of love ❤. I was 14 at the time, and good memories of my youth floods back.
ian harvey
Just wonderful! Have seen The Stylistics on stage a few times and the sound transports me back to my youth! Thank you for posting as this song in particular makes me so happy!! Sending love from lockdown UK! x
Nikki Littrell
Dang! They have no bad songs. I love them so much. Being a 8 year old girl when I 1st heard them and been a proud fan every since
Stephen Hunt
Incredible voice