In Kingston, he met Henry "Raleigh" Gordon and Nathaniel "Jerry" McCarthy, forming a group whose early recordings were attributed to "The Flames" and, possibly, "The Vikings". Having renamed the group the Maytals, the vocal trio recorded their first album, "Never Grow Old - presenting the Maytals", for producer Clement "Coxsone" Dodd at Studio One in 1962-63. With musical backing from Dodd's house band, the legendary Skatalites, the Maytals' close-harmony gospel singing ensured instant success for the 1964 release, overshadowing Dodd's other up-and-coming gospel trio, The Wailers. The original album augmented by studio out-takes from the Studio One sessions was re-released by Heartbeat/Rounder Records in 1997, and is essential listening for Maytals and Skatalites fans.
After staying at Studio One for about two years, the group moved on to do sessions for Prince Buster (released in 1974) before recording their second album produced by Byron Lee in 1965. However, the band's musical career was rudely interrupted in late 1966 when Hibbert was arrested and imprisoned on drugs possession charges.
Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the band officially changed their name to Toots and the Maytals and began working with Chinese-Jamaican producer Leslie Kong, a collaboration which produced three classic albums and a string of hits throughout the late sixties and early seventies - "Do the Reggay", a 1968 single widely credited with coining the word reggae, "Pressure Drop", "54-46 was my number" and "Monkey Man", the group's first international hit in 1970. The group was featured in one of reggae's greatest breakthrough events - The Harder They Come, the 1972 film and soundtrack starring Jimmy Cliff.
Following Kong's death in 1971, the group continued to record with Kong's former sound engineer, Warwick Lyn; produced by Lyn and Chris Blackwell of Island Records, the group released three best-selling albums, and enjoyed international hits with "Funky Kingston" in 1973 and "Reggae Got Soul" in 1976.
The compositions of Toots & the Maytals (also known as Toots and the Maytals) would be given a second airing in 1978-80 during the reggae-punk and ska revival period in the UK, when the Specials included "Monkey Man" on their 1979 debut album and the Clash produced their version of "Pressure Drop", with other Maytals' covers being recorded by Sublime. Having toured throughout the world for many years, Toots and the Maytals disbanded in the early 1980s, but reformed in the early 90s to continue touring and recording successfully.
The band recently won the 2005 Grammy award for reggae for the album True Love, an album consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside popular and legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists today such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.
They also contributed to the album 'Radiodread' (a tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer).
Love Is Gonna Let Me Down
Toots & The Maytals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something moves within my heart
And it thrills me to my soul
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
I can't believe that baby
Love is gonna let me down
I see the morning sun
I could see you rushing to my door
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
Can't believe what you're saying to me baby
Love is gonna let me down
I can see the morning sun
And knowing that everything, everything is alright
I can see you rushing through that door
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna walk out on me
Toots & The Maytals's song Love Is Gonna Let Me Down speaks directly to the experience of falling in love, and the beautiful yet difficult emotions that come along with it. The song starts off expressing the intense feeling of joy that comes along with seeing someone the singer is infatuated with. The lyrics emphasize how much their heart and soul are affected by this person, but then the song takes a melancholic turn, talking about a fear the singer has that their love will not be reciprocated. The line "And tell me that love is gonna let me down" is particularly interesting as it shows the internal battle between hope and despair. The singer cannot believe their love could let them down, but at the same time, it is something they fear.
The song does not dwell too long on this sadness, however, as it builds up to a climax that expresses the singer's hope and excitement that their significant other will come rushing through the door, bringing with them the sense of security and happiness that love can bring. The song is ultimately about the ups and downs of being in love and the struggle to keep hope alive amidst fears of heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I see your face
Whenever I catch a glimpse of your countenance
Something moves within my heart
My heart undergoes a stirring of emotions
And it thrills me to my soul
It sends a wave of pleasure through my core
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
But if you say that love will ultimately disappoint me
I can't believe that baby
I simply cannot accept that notion, my dear
Love is gonna let me down
That love will inevitably fail me
I see the morning sun
As I gaze at the sun's first rays
I know everything is alright
I feel reassured that all is well
I could see you rushing to my door
I envision you hurrying to my threshold
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
Only to tell me that love will ultimately disappoint me
Can't believe what you're saying to me baby
I find it hard to accept your negative assertion, my dear
Love is gonna let me down
That love will inevitably fail me
I can see the morning sun
I can still perceive the sun's first beams
And knowing that everything, everything is alright
And with the knowledge that all is well
I can see you rushing through that door
I can picture you dashing through that entrance
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
Only to inform me once more that love will eventually disappoint me
Love is gonna let me down
That love will inevitably fail me
Love is gonna walk out on me
That love will abandon me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: FREDERICK HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@OCTOPUSSY91210
Everytime that I see your face
Something moves within my heart
And it thrills me to my soul
And tell me that
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna let me down
As I see the morning sun
I know everything is alright
I could see you rushing to my door
And tell me that
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna let me down
You told me that
My, my, my, my baby
I can see the morning sun
And knowing that everything, everything is alright
I can see you rushing through the door
And tell me that
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna walk out on me
Love is gonna let me down
Love is gonna walk out on me
Love is gonna let me down
@ew2160
Rest easy Toots. Your music made me feel things I'd never felt. ❤
@joseluisolivasanchez4004
This is more than beautifull, this is more than music, this is love.... I have to say that We found each other in cosmos, and that was WONDERFULL,
THANKS TOOTS & THE MAYTALS YOU ARE WHAT WORLD NEEDS
@Labegude
This song is wonderful, have loved it long time. Thanks for putting it on Youtube.
@ZachKopkaZake
Just hearing it for first time now
@anneliesb8
I can feel the sadness of this song in my actual physical heart
@jamescarr2121
Love pain....toots ruled
@jamescarr2121
It's emotional...your not alone.... Toots!
@bluevelvet4372
♥️🎶🎵😎☀♥️
@georgemarino2668
This song has been relevant to me as of late so listening brings me back to reality.. rest easy legend
@2afsc
Just when you think it won't... love is gonna let u down. Universal themes are what make great songs. Toots wasn't a pup when he wrote this.