The music journalist Ron Wynn has noted that "the Trammps' prowess can't be measured by chart popularity; Ellis' booming, joyous vocals brilliantly championed the celebratory fervor and atmosphere that made disco both loved and hated among music fans." The first disco-related track they released was "Love Epidemic" back in 1973. That made them trailblazers of its pop and soul fueled sound.
The history of the Trammps grew from a 60s-era group, called "The Volcanos", which later became "The Moods". With a number of line-up changes by the early 1970s, the band membership included gospel-influenced lead singer, Jimmy Ellis, drummer and bass singer, Earl Young, with brothers, Stanley and Harold 'Doc' Wade. Members of the Philadelphia recording band, MFSB played with the group on records and on tour in the 70s with singer, Robert Upchurch joining later. The group was produced by the Philadelphia team of Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris and Young, all MFSB mainstays who played on the recording sessions and contributed songs.
Their debut chart entry came via an upbeat cover version of the standard, "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart", which became a Top 20 US R&B chart hit in 1972.
Their first few recordings were released on Buddah Records, including "Hold Back The Night" which was a hit in the UK and on the Billboard R&B chart in 1973, before a re-release saw it climb the U.S. Hot 100 two years later. Several R&B hits followed during a stay with Philadelphia International subsidiary, Golden Fleece (run by Baker-Harris-Young) before they signed to Atlantic Records.
Their single "Disco Inferno" (1976), which was included on the Grammy Award winning Saturday Night Fever soundtrack in 1977,[3] reached #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1978.[4]
Other major hits included "Hold Back the Night" (1975) (UK #5) and "That's Where the Happy People Go" (1976). In late 1977, the Trammps released the song "The Night the Lights Went Out" to commemorate the electrical blackout that affected New York City on July 13, 1977.
Their signature song, "Disco Inferno", has been covered by Tina Turner and Cyndi Lauper. In addition, Graham Parker covered "Hold Back The Night" on the "The Pink Parker EP" in 1977, and reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart, and Top 60 in the US.
On September 19, 2005, the group's "Disco Inferno" was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame at a ceremony held in New York. The song was part-written by Ron Kersey, a producer-arranger and a member of MFSB, who also played with Trammps in the 1970s for a time. During the ceremony, the original band members performed together for the first time in 25 years.
Two versions of the group, with differing line-ups, currently tour the nostalgia circuit. On March 8, 2012, lead singer Jimmy Ellis died at a nursing home in Rock Hill, South Carolina, at the age of 74. The cause of death was not immediately known but he suffered from Alzheimers' disease.
Earl Young's Trammps still continue to record and as at August 2014 have recently released "Get your lovin while you can" written by the Steals brothers renowned for their Philly hits such as 'Could it be I'm falling in love' for The Detroit Spinners.
Website: http://thetrammps.net/
Zing Went the Strings of My Heart
The Trammps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You came along when everything was wrong and put a song in my heart
Dear when you smiled at me, I heard a melody
It haunted me from the start
Something inside of me started a symphony
Zing! Went the strings of my heart
About a nest set apart
All nature seemed to be in perfect harmony
Zing! Went the strings of my heart
Your eyes made skies seem blue again
What else could I do again
But keep repeating through and through
'I love you, love you'
I still recall the thrill, guess I always will
I hope 'twill never depart
Dear, with your lips to mine, a rhapsody devine
Zing! Went the strings of my heart
Dear when you smiled at me, I heard a melody
It haunted me from the start
Something inside of me started a symphony
Zing! Went the strings of my heart
'Twas like a breath of spring, I heard a robin sing
About a nest set apart
All nature seemed to be in perfect harmony
Zing! Went the strings of my heart
Your eyes made skies seem blue again
What else could I do again?
But keep repeating through and through
'I love you, love you'
I still recall the thrill, I guess I always will
I hope 'twill never depart
Dear, with your lips to mine, a rhapsody devine
Zing! Oh, Oh, Oh went the strings of my heart
The Trammps’s song "Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart" is a love ballad that describes how a person's heart can be touched through the power of love. The song expresses how the power of love can make someone who has never been musically gifted, to suddenly be able to sing and carry a tune. The first verse emphasizes the singer's inability to sing, but how love has transformed him into someone who can. The second verse uses imagery to describe the impact that love has had on the singer's emotional state, with the metaphor of the strings of the heart creating a symphony.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the emotional impact that the singer feels when he meets his true love, describing it as a symphony which has touched his soul, and making the heartstrings tingle with love. The overall theme of the song holds love as the healing source that can bring harmony even to things that are normally discordant. The lyrics go on to describe how his lover’s smile, her eyes, and her touch can make him feel complete and the audio-visual experience of her love inspires a symphony in his heart.
The song "Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart" was originally written by James F. Hanley and published in 1934. It became famous after Judy Garland performed it in the musical comedy film “Listen, Darling” in 1938. The Trammps later popularized the song in the 1970s when they recorded it as a disco song.
Line by Line Meaning
Never could carry a tune, never knew where to start
I didn't have a musical bone in my body; I was lost when it came to making music.
You came along when everything was wrong and put a song in my heart
But then you entered my life, and suddenly, I felt a melody in my soul.
Dear when you smiled at me, I heard a melody
Your beautiful smile alone created a sweet tune in my heart.
It haunted me from the start
This melody was so enchanting that it lingered in my head.
Something inside of me started a symphony
The music was so special that it set off an orchestra of feelings inside me.
Zing! Went the strings of my heart
This music stirred my emotions deeply, and my heartstrings resounded with it.
'Twas like a breath of spring, I heard a robin sing
The music brought me the same kind of new life and joy that springtime and birdsong do.
About a nest set apart
The music seemed to speak of a special place or love that set it apart.
All nature seemed to be in perfect harmony
The music felt so perfect and connected to nature that it seemed like it was natural itself.
Your eyes made skies seem blue again
Looking into your eyes was like seeing the world in a way that made everything wonderful again.
What else could I do again
But keep repeating through and through
'I love you, love you'
With my heart filled with music and love, all I could do was keep telling you how much I love you.
I still recall the thrill, guess I always will
The memories of this moment of love and music are etched so deeply in my soul that I'll never forget them.
I hope 'twill never depart
And I'll always cherish this moment of pure bliss and hope that it will stay with me my whole life.
Dear, with your lips to mine, a rhapsody devine
And with your kiss added to the mix, the melody became something so perfect and beautiful that it was like a divine song.
Zing! Oh, Oh, Oh went the strings of my heart
The music and love were so powerful that they made my heartstrings sing out loud and clear.
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: James F. Hanley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cynthiajahi2339
This was one of my Dad’s favorites. He loved our MAMA!
@luizhonorio9917
Maravilha!!!!!
@liegemarla3454
❤❤❤
@yvonnemcpherson5813
Im in my 60's.this was a great song and still is.fab memories from the 70's.great night clubs in those days.wish i could do it all over again.
@carolinereeve7927
Me too, they were the best times
@gerdaboltze2940
Me too ❤
@teedepinto6392
Me too!! Best times; best music ever! Last generation!
@mongo4511
Come on you 60 years + who remembers this? 👍❤️
@carollyman4258
64.....remember and love it....❤
@bobbo9549
How good music used to sound. A floor filler at any disco in those days.