Felix Cavaliere (keyboard, vocals), Gene Cornish (guitar), Dino Danelli (drums) and Eddie Brigati (vocals) formed the band in New York City. Three-quarters of the group - Felix, Gene, and Eddie - had previously been members of Joey Dee and the Starliters. Eddie's brother, David Brigati, another former Starliter, arranged the vocal harmonies and sang backgrounds on many of the group's recordings (informally earning the designation as the Fifth Rascal). When Atlantic Records signed them, they discovered that they already had another obscure group named the Rascals on the payroll. They decided to rename the group the Young Rascals.
Their first minor hit was "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore" (1965), followed by the #1 single "Good Lovin'" (1966, originally by the Olympics). Soon the band began to mature as songwriters and released other hit songs written themselves, including the hit "Groovin'" (1967), "It's Wonderful", "How Can I Be Sure" (which got to #1 in the UK when covered by David Cassidy), and "A Beautiful Morning" (1968).
Their best-remembered song was "People Got to Be Free" (1968), a passionate plea for racial tolerance. Unusual for their time, the Rascals refused to tour on segregrated bills. After "People Got to Be Free", the Rascals never regained their former fame or had as large a hit.
In 1970, Eddie Brigati left the group, followed by Cornish in 1971. The last album with them as active members was Search & Nearness, which featured Eddie singing lead on the Cornish-penned You Don't Know and their cover of The Box Tops hit The Letter. The only single release from the album was the spiritually-themed Glory, Glory(#57 in the US), with backing vocals by The Sweet Inspirations. Cavaliere and Danelli released two more albums as The Rascals, Peaceful World and The Island Of Real, using other musicians and singers. They disbanded in 1972.
Cavaliere released several solo albums throughout the 1970s. Brigati, with his brother David, released "Lost in the Wilderness" in 1976. Cornish and Danelli worked together in other groups, including Bulldog and Fotomaker. In 1982, Cavaliere and Danelli joined Steve Van Zandt in Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
The (Young) Rascals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.
Baby Let's Wait
The Young Rascals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well I'm gonna see that you do baby
I'll be nobody's nothin if I do what you want me to
yea
Marryin now struggle bout anyway anyhow
Living in misery is that how you want it to be
NO baby let's wait
NO baby let's wait
You say you'll always be needin me
Well I'm gonna see that you do baby
I'll be somebody's somethin if you wait babe I promise you
yea
Cause I got my pride our kids gonna hold his head up high
Nothin like you and me victim of poverty
NO baby let's wait
NO baby let's wait
Weve got time
I got my pride our kids gonna hold his head up high
Nothin like you and me victim of poverty
It'll be NO baby let's wait
It'll be NO baby let's wait
In "Baby Let's Wait," The Young Rascals sing about the importance of waiting before rushing into marriage. The singer acknowledges that his partner may be eager to get married, but he wants to take his time to ensure that they are both ready for the responsibilities that come with being married. He insists that he will not be a "nobody's nothin" if he does not comply with his partner's wishes, and that he will be a better husband and father if they wait.
The lyrics also touch on the issue of poverty and the struggles that come with it. The singer believes that if they wait, they will have a better chance at success and enable their children to have a better life. He proclaims that their children will be "somebody's somethin" and hold their heads up high, unlike the poverty-stricken lives that he and his partner have experienced.
Overall, the song is a testament to the importance of patience, planning, and hard work in achieving success and happiness in life.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you'd always be proud of me
You express your pride towards me but I want to prove it to you.
Well I'm gonna see that you do baby
I want to make sure that you are indeed proud of me.
I'll be nobody's nothin if I do what you want me to yea
I will not be defined by anyone else's expectations of me.
Marryin now struggle bout anyway anyhow
Getting married now will only lead to struggle and hardship, regardless of how we do it.
Living in misery is that how you want it to be
Do you really want us to live in misery as a result of marrying too soon?
NO baby let's wait
We shouldn't rush into marriage, let's wait.
Weve got time
We have plenty of time to make the right decision about marriage.
You say you'll always be needin me
You express that you will always need me, but I want to make sure that is true.
Well I'm gonna see that you do baby
I want to ensure that you do indeed need me always.
I'll be somebody's somethin if you wait babe I promise you yea
If we wait to get married, I promise to become a successful and valuable person for us both.
Cause I got my pride our kids gonna hold his head up high
I value my pride and want our children to have the same sense of self-respect.
Nothin like you and me victim of poverty
We don't want to end up like us, struggling in poverty.
NO baby let's wait
Once again, let's wait before making any rushed decisions about marriage.
NO baby let's wait
A repeated reminder to take our time before getting married.
Weve got time
We have the luxury to wait and make sure that marriage is the right choice for us.
Contributed by Brooklyn V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.