Song Lyric Sunday: British Soul

Posted on by

This week Jim is inviting us to play some soul music, as you can read in his post Spirit Heart Essence. He gives us a detailed breakdown of the genre, though there are a couple of names in his piece that made me raise an eyebrow, albeit slightly. When I was growing up soul music was epitomised for me by Stax Records and just about everything released on the Tamla Motown label, and there were so many great acts there. We have already had a week in this series for Motown, though, and this was my offering for that. This time round I thought I’d do something different, and play a UK band who made music to which the label of soul music could be applied. Jim didn’t include them – or many other British acts – in his post and I feel the need to redress the balance a little! I’ll play two of their songs: their first UK hit and the one which was their debut in the US charts. This is the one which brought them to our attention here, and is still my favourite of all of their records:

The lyrics are beautiful and convey a wonderful message:

I have seen the way the earth takes a seed
And with care, gives us a flower, a tree
Or something on which you can feed
That is love, love is life, love, I love you

I will see the day when men will come together
Every blind man will use his eyes to see
There will come a day, I know, ’cause I’m a believer
And love will find a way

Every man will sing, love, I love you
Hear sweet voices ring, love, I love you
Together we will sing, love, I love you

I have seen the way God’s earth lives for the sun
Welcome, sun, shine on him, on me, on life, on everyone
That is love, love is life, love, I love you

I will see the day when men will come together
Every blind man will use his eyes to see
There will come a day, I know, ’cause I’m a believer
And love will find a way

Every man will sing, love, I love you
Hear sweet voices ring, love, I love you
Together we will sing, love, I love you
Yeah, yeah

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Brown / Errol Brown / Ian Wilson / Tony Wilson

Hot Chocolate were originally formed in 1968 as The Hot Chocolate Band, but by 1970 had gone through several line ups and a couple of name changes. Their first record was a reggae version of John Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance. Lennon liked it and the group was subsequently signed to Apple Records, but this was to be short-lived as the Beatles were starting to break up, and the Apple connection quickly ended. They then signed to Rak Records with producer Mickie Most and the rest, as they say, is history. The Lennon cover wasn’t a success but Love Is Life, their first single for their new label, hit the UK chart in August 1970 and made #6 the following month. This was the start of a ten year succession of UK hits, which gave them 29 top forty songs, 14 of which made the top ten including a #1 – So You Win Again in 1977. It’s funny how your memory plays you tricks, isn’t it: I’d always thought that their huge hit You Sexy Thing had been a UK #1 but it only got to #2. I’ve also always had the idea that it was played at our wedding reception, but as it wasn’t released until the next month that is obviously my memory at fault! Maybe the DJ had an advance copy and it was getting some pre-release airplay, though…

The band was nowhere near as successful in the US, though they did manage to have five top forty hits there, three of which reached the top ten. This was the first of those:

Emma was released as a single in February 1974, and peaked at #3 in the UK and #8 in the US. It was written, like several of their hits, by band members Errol Brown (vocals) and Tony Wilson (bass), and addresses some difficult themes including suicide, early death and lost childhood: in doing so, Errol’s lyrics celebrate his recently passed mother. The song has a rawness which was enhanced when the producer Mickie Most asked for further “depth and darkness” after a first draft of the lyrics was shared with him. The band has at various stages been deemed to have played funk, pop, and RnB as well as soul – I don’t think the definition of ‘soul’ can often have been better applied than to this song, which comes right from the heart.

So there you have it for today. Two great songs from a British soul band which show that the genre isn’t the province of just one country or record label! And by a kind of coincidence, they both feel right to be shared on Easter Sunday, too. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I’ll see you again for Tuesday Tunes 😊🎶

43 thoughts on “Song Lyric Sunday: British Soul”

  3. Pingback: April Skies | Take It Easy

Please leave a reply, I'd like to know what you think