In 1970, TOP signed a recording contract with Bill Graham's San Francisco Records and quickly released its first album, East Bay Grease. 1972's Bump City and 1973's self-titled release were breakout albums for the band; the latter included possibly their most enduring song, What is Hip?.
Tower of Power has remained active throughout the 1970s, '80s, '90s, and into the 21st century, and is still touring in 2010. Personnel changes have been part of the history and evolution of the band; at least 60 musicians have performed, toured, and/or recorded with the band through the years, including Saturday Night Live musical director Lenny Pickett, drummer David Garibaldi, bassist Rocco Prestia, and bassist and BALCO founder Victor Conte. (His brother Bruce Conte played guitar in the band as well.) Lenny Williams served as lead singer for several years after one of the original singers, Rick Stevens was imprisoned. Rufus Miller performed most of the lead vocals on "East Bay Grease." Former lead vocalist Rick Stevens (real name Donald Stevenson) was sentenced to life in prison on three counts of first-degree murder relating to a botched drug deal, crimes committed after leaving the band. Stevens was paroled on July 20, 2012 after 36 years in prison. Rick Stevens died on September 5th, 2017.
TOP has released 15 albums over the years, the latest being 2003's The Oakland Zone. In addition, the horn section has become well-known as a backing horn section for other artists. The TOP horn section has appeared on many recordings, including some made by the Monkees, Santana, Elton John, John Lee Hooker, Rod Stewart, Jefferson Starship, Heart, Huey Lewis and the News, Lyle Lovett, Poison, Phish, Pharoahe Monch, and Aerosmith.
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(2) The renowned horn-driven funk outfit Tower of Power have been issuing albums and touring the world steadily since the early '70s, in addition to backing up countless other musicians. The group's leader since the beginning has always been tenor saxophonist Emilio Castillo, who was born in Detroit but opted to pursue his musical dreams in Oakland, California. It was in Oakland that Castillo put together a group called the Motowns, which, as their name suggested, specialized in '60s-era soul. In 1967, Castillo teamed up with baritone sax player Stephen "Doc" Kupka, and soon the Motowns were transformed into Tower of Power. (One of the first tunes the duo penned together was "You're Still a Young Man," which would eventually go on to be one of Tower of Power's signature compositions.)
Tower of Power played regularly in the Bay Area throughout the late '60s, as their lineup often swelled up to ten members, including such other mainstays as Greg Adams on trumpet and vocals, Lenny Pickett on sax, and Rocco Prestia on bass. By 1970, the funk outfit had inked a recording contract with Bill Graham's San Francisco Records, resulting in the group's debut the same year, East Bay Grease, which failed to make an impression on the charts as Tower of Power were still trying to find their own sound.
But it soon came together for the group, as 1972's Bump City would touch off a string of classic hit albums, including 1973's self-titled release (which introduced vocalist Lenny Williams and included another of the group's most enduring tunes, "What Is Hip?"), 1974's Back to Oakland, and 1975's Urban Renewal and In the Slot. While Tower of Power remained a must-see live act, as disco became the new trend in R&B the group's original funk-laden style fell out of favor, and disco-oriented albums like 1978's We Came to Play and 1979's Back on the Streets didn't please critics or fans, and the band would go nine years without releasing an album.
Despite it all, Tower of Power -- in particular their horn section -- remained a much in-demand backing group for some of pop/rock's biggest names, including Elton John, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Huey Lewis, Little Feat, David Sanborn, Michelle Shocked, Paula Abdul, Aaron Neville, Aerosmith, Public Image Ltd., and many others. In 1988, Tower of Power returned to the studio for the album Power, and in 1991 they signed with Epic Records, where they released five albums by the end of the decade.
Into the new millennium, Tower of Power kept up their reputation as a strong live band, maintaining a steady touring schedule, and in 2009 they launched their own TOP Records label with The Great American Soulbook, in which they covered a dozen soul and R&B classics in the trademark Tower of Power style. In 2007, Tower of Power celebrated their fourth decade together with a special concert at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium, and a year later the show was issued in a special CD/DVD package, simply titled 40th Anniversary. In 2013, Tower of Power took a look back with the release of Hipper Than Hip: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow, which documented a live radio broadcast from 1974. The bandmembers also announced they would be touring in 2013 and 2014 with two other iconic acts from Northern California, Journey and the Steve Miller Band. ~ Greg Prato & Steve Leggett, Rovi
Give Me Your Love
Tower of Power Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the day we met you had me on the run
I tried to fight it but it's about to take it's toll
I can't stop it now I think I found the groove
One more night and I'll make my move
See Lady Luck came on my side
It's a hard knock line strung with some vibe
I can't live my life without you
Give me some satisfaction
just to hear of your action
I want your love ( I want your love)
Gimme your love (gimme your love)
Early in the morning
you had my pony jonnin'
I need your love (I need your love)
Gimme your love (gimme your love) Listen
I can't go to work without a taste of your love
I never hold or take, leads me right back home
It might sound strange but I'm addicted to your smile
And the way you move girl it drives me wild yeah
Never know it's wrong til want so bad
when the want is right I think the wrong can´t be bad
No matter what you put me through
I want to spend my life with you
Give me some satisfacton
just to hear of your action
I want your love (I want your love)
Gimme your love (gimme your love)
Early in the morning
You got my pony jonnin'
I want your love (I want your love)
Gimme your love (Gimme your love)
Give me some satisfacton
just to hear of your action
I want your love (I want your love)
Gimme your love (gimme your love)
Early in the morning
You got my pony jonnin'
I want your love (I want your love)
Gimme your love (Gimme your love)
Heycome on! hey
Gimme yor love, I want your love
I want your love (I want your love)
Gimme your love (Gimme your love)
I want your love (I want your love)
Gimme your love (Gimme your love)
Gimme gimme gimme your love
Gimme gimme gimme your love
Gimme gimme gimme your love
Gimme gimme gimme your love
I want your love (I want your love)
Gimme your love (Gimme your love)
I want your love (I want your love)
Gimme your love (Gimme your love)
The lyrics for Tower of Power's song Give Me Your Love express the singer's irresistible attraction to the person they are addressing. The singer initially tries to resist this attraction, but Lady Luck seems to be on their side, and they subsequently give in to their feelings. The singer is clearly infatuated with this person to the point of addiction, as they describe needing a taste of their love early in the morning and feeling like they can't go to work without it. They are particularly drawn to the person's smile and the way they move, and ultimately, they confess that they want to spend their life with this special someone.
The theme of the lyrics is the passionate desire for love, and the inability to resist it when it takes hold. The song exudes an infectious energy and groove that is synonymous with Tower of Power's classic funk and soul style, supporting the lyrics' message of surrendering to one's desires. The catchy chorus provides cathartic release for the pleading verses and entices the audience to join in singing along.
Overall, the lyrics to Give Me Your Love are a celebration of the power of attraction and love, and highlight the role of luck in finding that special someone. They effectively convey the overwhelming feeling of desire, and the intoxicating allure of the object of the singer's affection.
Line by Line Meaning
From the day we met you had me on the run
Since we met, I've been chasing after you.
I tried to fight it but it's about to take it's toll
I resisted my feelings for you, but they're becoming too strong to ignore.
I can't stop it now I think I found the groove
I can't resist my feelings for you anymore, I think I've found the right rhythm.
One more night and I'll make my move
One more night and I'm going to confess my feelings and make a move on you.
See Lady Luck came on my side
Luck finally turned in my favor.
It's a hard knock line strung with some vibe
I've been through some tough times, but now things are looking up and I feel good vibes.
No matter what you'll say or do
No matter how you respond, I still want you.
I can't live my life without you
I need you in my life to be happy.
Give me some satisfaction just to hear of your action
Just hearing about the things you do makes me happy and satisfied.
I want your love (I want your love)
I desire and crave your love.
Gimme your love (gimme your love)
Give me your love, I need it.
Early in the morning you had my pony jonnin'
From early in the morning, I've been wanting and longing for you more and more each day.
I need your love (I need your love)
I can't live without your love.
Gimme your love (gimme your love)
Give me your love, I crave it more and more each day.
I can't go to work without a taste of your love
I need a taste of your love before I can even start my day.
I never hold or take, leads me right back home
No matter where I go or what I do, it always leads me back to you.
It might sound strange but I'm addicted to your smile
I might sound crazy, but I'm addicted to your smile and everything about you.
And the way you move girl it drives me wild yeah
The way you move and everything about you drives me crazy and wild with desire.
Never know it's wrong til want so bad
I didn't realize it was wrong until I wanted you so badly.
when the want is right I think the wrong can´t be bad
When the feeling is good and true, it doesn't matter if it seems wrong or bad to others.
I want to spend my life with you
I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.
Hey come on! hey
Let's go for it, come on!
Gimme yor love, I want your love
Give me your love, I need it.
Gimme gimme gimme your love
Give me, give me, give me your love - I can't get enough.
Contributed by Josiah N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
pat g-money
Straight and forward FUNK!
MPS1064
Groovin’
MThomas
Dang!