Toots and The Maytals are from Kingston, Jamaica. It was the producer Byron Lee who 1971 renamed them Toots & the Maytals. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the leader of the group and the lead singer, was born in May Pen in the Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the youngest of seven children. He grew up singing gospel music in a church choir, but moved to Kingston in 1961 at the age of sixteen.
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 drug possession charges.
Following Hibbert's release from jail towards the end of 1967, the band 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" 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.
Toots and the Maytals' compositions 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.
In 2005, the band won a Grammy award for best reggae album for True Love, consisting of re-recorded versions of their classics alongside legendary musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards, as well as popular artists such as No Doubt, Ben Harper, The Roots, and Shaggy.
They also contributed to the Easy Star All-Stars album 'Radiodread' (a dub tribute to Radiohead's OK Computer).
In 2016 Toots and the Maytals announced a return to the stage with their first tour in 3 years,[35] and on June 15 at The Observatory North Park in San Diego the group returned to the stage for the first time since 2013.
In 2017 Toots and the Maytals played Coachella Fest April 16 and 23 at 4:20 pm. They became the second reggae-based group to perform at the Coachella festival, after Chronixx in 2016.
In 2018, Toots and the Maytals launched a 50th anniversary tour with concert appearances in North America from April to August, moving to dates in the UK starting in October.
On July 25, 2018 Toots and the Maytals debuted an original song entitled "Marley" live on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and also played the classic "Funky Kingston".
On August 24, 2018 Toots and the Maytals performed at Lockn’ Festival in Arrington, Virginia, where guest Taj Mahal accompanied them on the song “Monkey Man”.
Frontman "Toots" Hibbert died on 12 September 2020.
Love's Gonna Walk Out On Me
Toots and 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 know everything is alright
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
I 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
By AGU
Toots and The Maytals's song Love Gonna Walk Out On Me is a soulful expression of the fear and uncertainty that often surrounds the feeling of falling in love. The opening lines, "Every time I see your face, something moves within my heart," set the tone for the whole song, conveying the deep emotional connection the singer feels towards their lover. The following lines, "And it thrills me to my soul, and tell me that love is gonna let me down," reflect the paradoxical nature of being in love - the intense joy and excitement it brings, coupled with the fear of losing it all.
The chorus, "Love is gonna let me down, love is gonna walk out on me," repeats this sentiment, emphasizing the singer's doubts and insecurities about the future of their relationship. However, the verses offer a glimmer of hope, as the singer is able to find solace and reassurance in the simple pleasures of everyday life - the morning sun, the sight of their lover rushing to their door. These moments of happiness serve as a reminder that, despite their fears, life and love will go on.
Overall, Love Gonna Walk Out On Me is a poignant and relatable exploration of the complex emotions that come with falling in love. Through its catchy melody and powerful lyrics, the song captures both the joy and the uncertainty of this universal experience.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I see your face
Every time I look at you
Something moves within my heart
You make me feel something deep in my heart
And it thrills me to my soul
It excites me to my very core
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
But when you say that love won't last
I can't believe that baby
I don't want to believe that
Love is gonna let me down
Love will disappoint me
I see the morning sun
I wake up to a new day
I know everything is alright
I feel that everything is good
I could see you rushing to my door
I imagine you coming to see me
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
And repeating that love won't stay forever
I can't believe what you're saying to me baby
I don't want to accept what you're telling me
Love is gonna let me down
Love will break my heart
I can see the morning sun
I wake up to a new day
And knowing that everything, everything is alright
Feeling confident that everything is okay
I can see you rushing through that door
I picture you hurrying to see me
And tell me that love is gonna let me down
And once again, warning me that love won't last
Love is gonna let me down
Love will disappoint me
Love is gonna walk out on me
Love will leave me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, BROADWAY MUSIC CORPORATION, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: B. DAVIDSON, F. HIBBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daviskereone5988
Every time 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
I can't believe that baby
Love is gonna let me down
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
I 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
@SuperSmokey91
one of me favourite songs, great combination of voices.. and love to see that its all positive comments as well to go with the positive sounds
@ZachKopkaZake
Good duet
@annelisegautier5261
Groundation
@johnweldon7738
Yes let love be a driving force that carries us when we need a lift" True Love will never Lose 🙏
#BlessUp
@Laamalaan
Oh my dear lord it's been years since I heard this song... accidentally discovered this again while trying to search great reggae songs.... LONG LIVE THE TOOTS and BEN !!! Pure beauty, harmony, and soul food. Chills all over me.
@ZachKopkaZake
How did you first hear it?
@johnweldon7738
Don't you just love when an unexpected visitor is an old friend " Good Song
@Fgrauch
This is so amazing and underrated
@TheLilibelle
Adoring Toots' voice in this version... it has a patina of lovingly well-used family silver.
@ZachKopkaZake
Patina hilarious