The group signed to Motown Records, but weren't given top priority, as other female vocal groups were attracting audiences and recording hits. While the group awaited their chance at stardom, they recorded backing vocals for more established Motown girl groups, including The Marvelettes, Martha & The Vandellas, and The Supremes.
The Velvelettes got their break in 1964 with "Needle In A Haystack" which peaked at number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-1964. The group recorded its follow-up, "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'", and spent time on various Motown-sponsored tours as an opening act.
With a song on the charts and a place on several concert tours, The Velvelettes began recording an album. Despite burgeoning success, the members of the group began to disagree about the music they were recording. Half wanted to record more mature songs and thought the material was trite, while the other half didn't want to rock the boat so early in their career.
Motown became apprehensive about the group's potential, and wary of the expense of the recordings. Not wanting to let good time and money go to waste, the label released two additional singles, "Lonely Lonely Girl Am I" and "A Bird In The Hand," as the group endured several line-up changes. Both singles flopped, and Motown cancelled the scheduled release of the group's eponymous debut album.
The last Velvelettes recordings included "These Things Will Keep Me Loving You," which became their last American single. They officially broke up in early to mid 1970.
The group reunited in 1984, when the Gill sisters and Barbee cousins re-recorded their original hits with some new songs for the album One Door Closes. The group continues to tour today.
There He Goes
The Velvelettes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There he goes, the only I'm thinking of
There he goes, the only one I'll ever love
He has left me for no reason at all
& he probably won't write or call
There he goes to take his love with someone new
What went wrong? What on earth will I do?
(We had such a wonderful beginning)
Mmmm such my last time
(Promised "I'll love her till the ending")
Now that he's gone, I'm 'bout to lose my mind, wo
Look at him; he's walking away from me
Leaving a love oh so tenderly
There he goes & here I am all alone
Darling, what on earth went wrong?
Please come back, please please come back to me
The Velvelettes's "There He Goes" speaks of a woman's heartbreak as she watches the man she loves leave her without any warning. This kind of sudden abandonment has left her in a state of despair as she contemplates what could have gone wrong. The lyrics tell of her longing for this man and her inability to understand why he has left her. The chorus repeats the phrase "There he goes," with the suggestion that this man is leaving her behind to pursue someone new. She can do nothing but watch, helpless, as he takes his love somewhere else.
The verses, however, speak of a time when they were both blissfully, deeply in love. As she recalls those early days of what seemed to be a fairytale-like romance, the hurt is heightened. He had vowed never to leave her, promised to love her until the very end. But now that he is gone, she feels as though her world is crashing down around her. She can't understand why he would leave her without any reason, and she is left alone to cry tears of unrequited love.
Line by Line Meaning
There he goes, the only I'm thinking of
He is the only one on my mind.
There he goes, the only one I'll ever love
He is the only one I will ever love.
He has left me for no reason at all
He left me without any explanation.
& he probably won't write or call
He is unlikely to contact me.
There he goes to take his love with someone new
He is starting a new relationship with someone else.
What went wrong? What on earth will I do?
I don't know why it ended, and I don't know how to move on.
He has left me; now just watch the teardrops fall
I am crying because he left me.
(We had such a wonderful beginning)
The start of our relationship was amazing.
Mmmm such my last time
But it seems like it was the last time I will experience such happiness.
(Promised "I'll love her till the ending")
He promised to love me until the end.
Now that he's gone, I'm 'bout to lose my mind, wo
Now that he is gone, I am about to go crazy.
Look at him; he's walking away from me
He is leaving me behind.
Leaving a love oh so tenderly
Leaving me and the love we shared behind.
There he goes & here I am all alone
He is gone, and I am alone.
Darling, what on earth went wrong?
My love, what happened to us?
Please come back, please please come back to me
Please come back to me, I need you.
Contributed by Dominic E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.