You're My Song
The singing duo of Yarbrough & Peoples burst on to the music scene with the… Read Full Bio ↴The singing duo of Yarbrough & Peoples burst on to the music scene with the million-selling single "Don't Stop the Music," a sinewy slab of synth-based R&B/funk that was ahead of its time and had a far-reaching influence in the years following. The sizzling track held down the number one R&B spot for five weeks and hit number 19 pop on Billboard's charts in the spring of 1981. Calvin Yarbrough and Alisa Peoples first met when they were small children, growing up in Dallas, TX; he was six-years-old and she was four. They were both taking lessons from the same music teacher and attended the same neighborhood church, where both sang solos in the church choir. After their college years, Peoples worked a regular job while Yarbrough played keyboards and sang in a band called Grand Theft. Tulsa, OK, musicians Robert, Ronnie, and Charlie Wilson were in the audience for one of the band's shows and offered the keyboardist/singer a background vocals job on the Leon Russell tour that they were a part of. Once the tour was over, Yarbrough returned to Dallas, playing local gigs with Grand Theft. Around 1977, Peoples sang a song with the band during one of their club dates. Everyone there knew it was the beginning of musical magic. The Wilson brothers, then known as the Gap Band, were having hit after hit ("Shake," number four R&B, spring 1979, "Steppin' (Out)," number ten R&B, late 1979, "I Don't Believe You Want to Get up and Dance (Oops, Up Side Your Head)," number four R&B, early 1980). When the group came to Dallas to perform, Yarbrough had them listen to an audio tape he and Peoples had recorded. Impressed, Charlie Wilson enthusiastically woke up their manager/producer Lonnie Simmons in his hotel room. Wilson, followed by the singing duo, entered the room and stayed while Simmons listened to the tape. Simmons was taken by the couple's humble, genteel manner and good attitudes. Exchanging phone numbers, he bid them all a good night. One day while in the lobby of his Los Angeles-based label Total Experience Records, Simmons was surprised to see Yarbrough & Peoples. He suggested that the duo make a record demo and teamed them with staff producer Jonah Ellis. They recorded seven songs, the last of which was "When the Music Stops." Ellis felt the song was a filler; if they had enough studio time left, they would record it on the demo, if not it was no big deal. Yarbrough liked the song, so Ellis recorded a track with both a drum machine and drummer Jonathan Moffett. Retitled "Don't Stop the Music" and co-written by Peoples (producers Jonah Ellis and Lonnie Simmons, issued on Mercury), the song inherited the number one R&B spot from the Gap Band's "Burn Rubber (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)" during February 1981. Their debut album The Two of Us went gold, peaking at number 16 on Billboard's album charts. The follow-up, The Third Degree, peaked at number 74 R&B, summer 1981. The next LP, Heartbeats, was issued on Total Experience as part of a distribution deal producer Simmons had with Polygram in spring 1982. Two singles were released with strong "Don't Stop the Music" leanings: "Heartbeats" (number ten R&B, late 1982) and "Feels So Good" (number 20 R&B, spring 1983). Their next album, Be a Winner, produced by Yarbrough, Ellis, and Oliver Scott, and released spring 1984, yielded another number one R&B single. Mixed by Nick Martinelli and David Todd (who co-mixed Evelyn Champagne King's "Shame" with Al Garrison), "Don't Waste Your Time" clocked in at number one R&B, spring 1984. The LP's title track climbed to number 20 R&B in summer 1984. Guilty was the name of Yarbrough & Peoples' best album, issued in late 1985. The title track "Guilty" — not to be confused with the Alexander O'Neal hit — went to number two R&B around the time of the LP's release. The track was written and produced by Jimmy Hamilton and Maurice Hayes of the band Prime Time, who had a hit on Total Experience with "I Owe It to Myself," number 21 R&B, fall 1984. The Hamilton/Hayes follow-up, the percolating "I Wouldn't Lie" went to number six R&B in spring 1986. The gentle ballad "Wrapped Around Your Finger" peaked at number 46 R&B, summer 1986. Although they're known for their up-tempo hits, "Guilty" proved that Yarbrough & Peoples could handle ballads. Listen to the airy, ethereal ballad "I'll Give Anything to Have You Back." Another standout track is the Oliver Scott-produced "Anytime," with its rumbling, tumbling, comin'-to-get-ya funk groove. The duo worked with the other acts signed to Total Experience including the Gap Band and Penny Ford. On the singer's Pennye LP, the singing duo co-wrote and produced the heart-tugging ballad "Never Let Go." Ford was featured on the Gap Band's "I Found My Baby," number eight R&B, spring 1985 (available on Smooth Grooves: Vol. 1-New Jack Ballads, Rhino, 1998), and was the lead vocalist on Snap's 1990 multi-platinum worldwide hit "The Power" and its gold follow-up "Ooops Up." Yarbrough & Peoples sang "Christmas Dreams" on the 1984 multi-artist LP A Total Experience Christmas on Total Experience/RCA. Sometime during the '80s, Yarbrough & Peoples became a married couple. Total Experience folded in the late '80s and the couple returned to Texas. PGD/Polygram Pop/Jazz issued Best of Yarbrough & Peoples (which includes the 12" version of "Heartbeats") in May 1997, and "Don't Stop the Music" is on the label's compilation Dance Funk, released November 1997.

You're My Song
Yarbrough & Peoples Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

With pains all through my solar plexus
I Facebook-stalk my ex's exes
Google the lyrics in her status
Then throw up at how pathetic that is

I write poems of my pathetic plight
Clicked every tagged picture again last night
And of her conquests in the city
They're all just so fucking pretty

With pains all through my scabs and scars
I walk with her past empty cars
We play pretend, we're cigaretted
In the morning, I'll regret it

I write poems of how I'm thick
I make myself so fucking sick
And of the things that I keep hidden
It feels so good; I wish it didn't

So here I am before you, naked
What's mine is yours, you should take it
Don't mind the charcoal; I was branded
By some girl who left me stranded
And barely even knew it

She was major surgery
I was maybe a skinned knee

With pains all through my solar plexus
I facebook stalk my ex's exes




Google the lyrics in her status
Then throw up at how pathetic that is

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to this song are about the painful experience of being heartbroken and obsessing over an ex-lover. The singer describes physically feeling the pain in their solar plexus, which is a complex network of nerves located in the upper abdomen. This is a common physical manifestation of emotional pain, as the body and mind are intricately connected. The singer then goes on to describe how they obsessively stalk their ex's social media accounts and feel pathetic for doing so.


The lyrics also mention the singer writing poems about their "pathetic plight" and clicking through every tagged picture of their ex's conquests. They feel sick and ashamed of their behavior, yet they continue to indulge in it. The singer even admits to playing pretend with their ex and regrets it in the morning.


Line by Line Meaning

With pains all through my solar plexus
I am experiencing deep emotional pain.


I Facebook-stalk my ex's exes
I obsessively check the social media profiles of the people my ex-partner has been with since we broke up.


Google the lyrics in her status
I search online for hidden meanings in my ex-partner's social media posts.


Then throw up at how pathetic that is
I realize how unhealthy and desperate my behavior is.


I write poems of my pathetic plight
I express my feelings of despair and hopelessness through creative writing.


Clicked every tagged picture again last night
I spend hours reviewing every photo of my ex-partner on social media.


And of her conquests in the city
I am envious of the new people my ex-partner is with.


They're all just so fucking pretty
I feel inferior to the people my ex-partner is dating now.


With pains all through my scabs and scars
I have physical wounds that reflect my emotional pain.


I walk with her past empty cars
I imagine being with my ex-partner again, even though it is not happening.


We play pretend, we're cigaretted
I fantasize about sharing intimacy, even if just the simulated act of smoking together.


In the morning, I'll regret it
I know that I will feel guilty and ashamed for having these thoughts and desires.


I write poems of how I'm thick
I try to cover up my vulnerabilities with a façade of toughness.


I make myself so fucking sick
I am consumed by my own negative thoughts and emotions.


And of the things that I keep hidden
I have secrets and insecurities that I do not share with anyone.


It feels so good; I wish it didn't
I derive comfort from these negative thoughts, even though I know they are harmful.


So here I am before you, naked
I am vulnerable and honest with you, without any pretenses.


What's mine is yours, you should take it
I am sharing my deepest thoughts and feelings with you, and I hope you will understand and accept me.


Don't mind the charcoal; I was branded
I have been hurt deeply in the past, and these wounds are still visible on me.


By some girl who left me stranded
I was abandoned by someone I loved.


And barely even knew it
I was blindsided by this betrayal, and it still haunts me.




Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: satah cameron

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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