From EL DEBARGE
Written by Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager & Bruce Roberts
El DeBarge was the lead singer and main songwriter of the successful R&B group DeBarge. During the first half of the eighties, DeBarge had great success with delicious songs like “All This Love,” Time Will Reveal” and “Rhythm of the Night.” One of their bigger hits, “Who’s Holding Donna Now,” was co-written by David Foster with Jay Graydon and Randy Goodrum. Produced by Graydon, this sweet ballad became a top hit on the Pop, R&B and Adult Contemporary charts. In 1986, El Debarge went solo and released a self-titled debut album that included collaborations with top notch music makers like Burt Bacharach, Peter Wolf and Graydon. “El DeBarge” features the up-tempo “Who’s Johnny,” produced by Wolf and featured in the movie “Short Circuit.” It was the debut single and reached #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and #1 on the R&B chart. This album offers some very interesting musical moments like the intense ballad “Lost Without Your Love” and the smooth “Someone,” both beautifully co-written, arranged and produced by Graydon.
Burt Bacharach’s “Love Always” became the second single off the album. This bittersweet ballad, co-written with Carole Bayer Sager and Bruce Roberts, is one of Bacharach’s best productions of the era with a memorable melody and a heartfelt vocal performance by the singer. “Love Always” was another top ten R&B and Adult Contemporary hit for DeBarge.
There were many big names appearing on the album including David Foster who tickled the ivories on two tracks – “Love Always” and the Graydon produced ballad “When Love Has Gone Away.”
Listen
[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/love_always.mp3|titles=Love always|artists=El DeBarge]
Lead Vocals: El DeBarge
Drums: John Robinson
Bass: Neil Stubenhaus
Guitars: Marty Walsh & Dann Huff
Fender Rhodes/DX7 & Synthesizer: Robbie Buchanan
Additional Synthesizers: Burt Bacharach & David Foster
Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
Produced & Arranged by Burt Bacharach & Carole Bayer Sager
Lyrics
I got a secret for you
Can’t believe myself
But ever since you’ve been gone
I think of no-one else
I’ve even tried to forget
But nothing can make me
I know that it’s so hard to be true
Under summer skies
I’ll write your name in my cook
At least a thousand times
And every day you’re away
It’s drivin’ me crazy
So I’ll write you every night
And I’ll sign my name “Love always”
And even if the sun falls down
I will always be around
Forever and always
Darlin’, if we both can wait
We’ll have a time to celebrate
For the rest of our lives, love always
And lots of people I know
Try to shake your mind
But that can’t happen to me
I’m not the jealous kind
No-one can change what I feel
And nothing can make me
Still I’ll write to you every night
And I’ll sign my name, “Love always”
And even if the sun falls down
I will always be around
Forever and always
Darlin’, if we both can wait, oh
We’ll have a time to celebrate
For the rest of our lives, love always
For the rest of our lives, love always
For the rest of our lives
We’ll always be
So faithfully
Just hang on to me forever
So I’ll write to every night
And I’ll sign my name, “Love always”
Oh, and if by now you haven’t guessed
I will let one more be asked
For the rest of our lives, love always
For the rest of our lives, love always
I’ll sign this letter to you, “Love always”
Oh, no
Ohohoho
Oh, and if I do
Oh, over and over again
Sign my name over in full
And at the end and rest of our lives, love always
Love always
Oooh
Sounds so good to me, oh
For the rest of our lives, love always, oh
For the rest of our lives, love always, oh
Oh, I, I gotta, I gotta sing it for you
I don’t wanna stop, sounds so good to me
always