1) An Austra… Read Full Bio ↴There are more groups who call themselves "The Valentines".
1) An Australian noise rock/shoegaze duo.
2) Gilmore Grant from the reggae group The Silvertones and Lynn Taitt were credited 'The Valentines' on Blam Blam Fever/Gunsfever.
3) One of the most highly regarded American Doo Wop groups from the mid 1950s. Their records are highly sought by collectors.
Although they never had a record on the national hit parades, they were extremely popular in New York and the East Coast in general and had many regional big sellers. The stage performances of the group were sellouts and their harmonizing and choreography in sequence were amongst the most accomplished of their time. Influenced both musically and in their showmanship by The Cadillacs, The Solitaires, and The Flamingos, The Valentines were able to contribute an innovative stage presentation, outstanding vocals, and some unique performances.
The Valentines served as a launching pad for important careers. Their brilliant choreography made them one of the most cherished groups on the East Coast.
The group first formed in 1952 in the Sugar Hill district of Harlem as a quartet, harmonizing on the corner of 151st Street and Amsterdam Avenue. The original group comprised Raymond "Pop" Briggs (first tenor), Carl Hogan (second tenor), Mickey Francis (baritone), and Ronnie Bright (bass) calling themselves The Mistletoes; sometime afterwards they changed their names to The Dreamers.
While performing at a house party in 1954 they met a young singer-songwriter named Richard Barrett from Philadelphia who had sung with a group called The Angels (on Grand). An alternative version given by Phil Groia, in They All Sang on the Corner, states that the group actually met Barrett while he was serenading lovers in a park with his ukulele. Barrett was invited to join the group because they wanted his song Summer Love, and Richardβs distinctive lead vocals. The original tone of his voice gave the Valentines a sound that is still appreciated today. Now a quintet, The Dreamers adopted the name, The Valentines, taken from the title of Mickey Francis' favorite song My Funny Valentine. At this point their friend Raoul Cita of The Harptones brought them to Monte Bruce of Bruce Records where they did a Summer Love demo. Although DJ and unofficial mayor of Harlem Willie Bryant played the tape on local radio station WOV for a month, Bruce never issued it or recorded the group again. At this time, before the arrival of Alan Freed, New York Rhythm and Blues radio was dominated by Tommy ("Dr Jive") Smalls on WWRL.
The group did not have a contract with Bruce and when they came to the attention of Hy Weiss of Old Town Records he was able to sign them. Donald Razor from The Velvets (on Red Robin) came in to replace Hogan who was proving unreliable. In December 1954, Weiss issued the superb Barrett-penned love song, Tonight Kathleen, backed with a re-cut of Summer Love. Although popular locally, this ballad did not chart due to Old Town's poor distribution at this early time in their trading, and it has become a very rare record. Following this disappointment the group concentrated on their stage-work and built on their popularity.
In mid-1955, Eddie Edgehill replaced Donald Razor as second tenor and the group moved to George Goldner's Rama label where they issued the chime harmonied rocker Lily Maebelle in September. In all probability Barrett and Briggs wrote the song about Pop Brigg's sister Lil. This recording was punctuated by Jimmy Wright's energetic sax break, which was a common feature of many recordings on Goldner's labels, Rama and Gee. The recording became an East Coast favorite and the group made many appearances on Alan Freed shows at the Academy of Music and Brooklyn Paramount. They also performed at the Apollo, Howard, and Royal Theatres, and with shows hosted by other famous DJs of the time, Hal Jackson and "Jocko" (Douglas Henderson). At this point the group began appearing on stage with what was to become their trademark - white jackets with red cloth hearts ("valentines") on the pockets, red shirts and pink bowties. Borrowing heavily from The Cadillacs and Solitaires, Richard Barrett and The Valentines developed a dynamic stage routine.
Their next releases were I Love You Darling followed by the holiday ballad Christmas Prayer. In April 1956 came their biggest hit, The Woo Woo Train. This raw and spontaneous up-tempo number became a favourite of Alan Freedβs and he opened his shows with The Valentines coming onstage in a chugging conga line, like the carriages on a steam train. The vibrant stage performances of The Valentines have been captured on recording and photographically, but unfortunately no moving film survives.
Marv Goldberg maintains that The Valentines also sang on The Wrens' "C'est La Vie", at the Woo Woo session, but were not credited. If this is true, there are nine voices on this R&B classic. Mitch Rosalsky refutes this claim. Marv Goldberg's article is based on an interview with Ronnie Bright in 1977. Rosalsky, however, bases his evidence on the memory of The Wrens' Bobby Mansfield in 2000.
The outstanding ballads "Twenty Minutes (Before the Hour)" and "Natures Creation" followed, but were not widely appreciated at the time. At the group's final session, Carl Hogan returned to replace Eddie Edgehill, and David Clowney from The Pearls (U.S. band) (on Onyx) took Raymond Briggs' place. Another fine ballad, "Don't Say Goodnight", was cut but had little sales success.
4) A folk group active in 2009 who released a single, "You Make Me Me".
5) The Scottish rock/indie band from Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland. Formed in February 2007. They won the Central Scotland Rock the Talk Battle of the Bands Finals at the Barrowlands in Glasgow. There most popular songs are Party Party, Charlies Revolver, Broken Windows and Not Another Love Story. They have just released there second EP called 'There's Always a Reason (For Treason)'. Current Line-Up is Andrew Dixon (Vocals/Guitar) Brian Sharp (Vocals/Bass) Craig Turnbull (Lead Guitar) Adam Kerry (Drums).
6) A Czech indie rock band from Hradec Kralove.
Stay or Go
The Valentines Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even when you're not around
Your heartbeat is the best noise
At least the best I've ever found
We can smoke a cigarette
If you're not afraid of death
Pour yourself a glass of wine
Would you please give me a try?
Please just let me know
If you wanna stay or go
If you wanna share your life with me
I won't say no
You may deserve a better man
Well this is all you got
You can always try a change
But you shouldn't try your luck
So baby let me live with you
Let's try it like humans
Kissing trapped in a cage
Of the postmodern age
That's all I want in this world's last stage
That's all I want in this world's last stage
Please just let me know
If you wanna stay or go
If you wanna share your life with me
I won't say no
Please just let me know
If you wanna stay or go
Sometimes I've got a feeling
We should take it slow
In a cage of the postmodern age
In a cage of the postmodern age
In a cage of the postmodern age
In a cage of the postmodern age
Please just let me know
If you wanna stay or go
If you wanna share your life with me
I won't say no
Please just let me know
If you wanna stay or go
Sometimes I've got a feeling
We should take it slow
Please just let me know
If you wanna stay or go
If you wanna share your life with me
I won't say no
Please just let me know
if you wanna stay or go
Sometimes I've got a feeling
We should take it slow
The Valentines' song Stay or Go conveys a message of desire, uncertainty, and commitment. The lyrics suggest that the singer is in love with someone who he deeply desires and wants to be with, but he is unsure of whether the feeling is mutual. He describes the voice and heartbeat of his love interest as captivating, which implies that he is deeply attracted to her. He offers her a cigarette and wine, hoping to share intimate moments with her, promising her to be solely hers. He pleads with her to give him a try and confesses his willingness to share his life with her.
The theme of the song revolves around the conflict between the desire to be with another person and the uncertainty that comes with it. The singer acknowledges that the woman may deserve better than him, but he still begs for a chance to be with her. He compares their love to being trapped in a cage of the postmodern age, which suggests that they are caught between the yearning for traditional romance and the pressures of the modern world.
Overall, Stay or Go is a reflection of modern-day love where people have to navigate the complexities of relationships and choices. The singer is genuinely smitten but recognizes the uncertainty that comes with pursuing love. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the singer asking his love interest to let him know if she wants to stay or go, reminding her that he won't say no.
Line by Line Meaning
I can hear your voice
I can feel your presence even when you're not physically around
Even when you're not around
Your absence feels like a presence to me
Your heartbeat is the best noise
The sound of your heartbeat is the most comforting sound to me
At least the best I've ever found
It beats every other sound I've ever heard
We can smoke a cigarette
We can indulge in unhealthy habits together
If you're not afraid of death
If you're willing to take risks with me
Pour yourself a glass of wine
Have a drink with me
But promise that you'll be just mine
But assure me that you want to be with me
Would you please give me a try?
Can I have a chance with you?
Please just let me know
I need you to be honest with me
If you wanna stay or go
Do you want to be with me or not?
If you wanna share your life with me
Do you see a future with me?
I won't say no
I'm open to the idea of us together
You may deserve a better man
You may deserve someone better than me
Well this is all you got
But I'm all you have right now
You can always try a change
You can always leave and try to find someone else
But you shouldn't try your luck
But you might not find someone better, so be careful
So baby let me live with you
Let me be a part of your life
Let's try it like humans
Let's be imperfect and try to make it work
Kissing trapped in a cage
Our love feels confined and limited
Of the postmodern age
A product of our modern society
That's all I want in this world's last stage
All I want is to be with you until the end of time
Sometimes I've got a feeling
I have moments of doubt and uncertainty
We should take it slow
Maybe we need to slow down and make sure this is what we really want
In a cage of the postmodern age
We feel trapped by the limitations of our modern society
Lyrics Β© DistroKid
Written by: Jan DoleΕΎal
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lilieditforyou3973
I used to be a fan, but after hearing this masterpiece, I'm a whole air conditioner.
@thevalentines
This comment goes straight to the hall of fame next to the comment by the boy who cured his friends LSD bad trip thanks to playing him "Just Us"! π€π€π€ππ
@freyaschenberg1225
no matter if this song makes it to eurovision or not, it's such a feelgood song and definitely going on my playlist !
@thevalentines
Thank you so much! π€π A pleasure for us to be on your playlist! Don't forget to vote for us: https://escz2022.com/
@amandabritten6432
this is such a vibe. I hope this makes it to ESC! You guys are amazing!
Edit: HOW DID THIS NOT WIN-
@thevalentines
Thank you so much! β€οΈ You can help us with that and vote for us! https://escz2022.com/
@amandabritten6432
@The Valentines voted!
@glows1317
Well i dont know what to say... i am listening all the czech songs for the eurovision selection and they are all so different from each others and all so good.
Good luck, guys!
@thevalentines
Yes! They are all great! π You can vote here: https://escz2022.com/
@MrVeseliD
Z toho co jsem teΔ vidΔl, kdo se chystΓ‘ soutΔΕΎit o mΓsto v Eurovizi, mi tahle skladba pΕijde asi jedna z nejlepΕ‘Γch. MΕ―j hlas mΓ‘te (y)