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

Debarge were a good, r&b group formed in the early eighties by four brothers and one sister. They had a string of hits with mellow songs like “All This Love”, “Time Will Reveal” and “I Like It” . They took the place on the pop/r&b charts that once belonged to the Jackson 5 and their leader and most talented singer/songwriter, Eldra, shared some very strong vocal similarities with Michael Jackson. In 1985 they surely had their best year ever, reaching the top ten twice and recording their most successful album, “Rhythm Of The Night”. The title track, with its Caribbean rhythms, was a #1 r&b and #3 pop hit, and it is a nice dance number but the best moments on the album were those produced by Jay Graydon and “Who’s Holding Donna Now” is the best of the bunch.

It is a delicious midtempo track, with some smooth vocals sung by Eldra and the usual, fantastic rhythm arrangements by Graydon and Foster. The tune is completely dominated by keyboards and synths played by Foster with the help of Steve Porcaro, Jay Graydon and Robbie Buchanan with a cute synth solo that echoes the one played on Jarreau’s “Mornin’” a couple of years before.

The song reached #2 on the r&b chart and #6 on the pop chart. After the great success of this record, Eldra left the group and released a solo cd simply entitled “El De Barge” with Graydon back producing and many other big names involved like Foster and Burt Bacharach, it is a good work and sure worth a listen.

There are a couple of interesting covers of “Who’s Holding Donna Now” made by two of its co-writers. David Foster did an instrumental version, in 1991, on his “Rechordings” cd, while singer/songwriter Randy Goodrum sang his own lyrics on his “Words And Music” cd back in 1994.

Listen

[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/debarge.mp3|titles=WHO’S HOLDING DONNA NOW|artists=El DeBarge]

Lead Vocals : El DeBarge
Synthesizers: Steve Porcaro, Jay Graydon & Robbie Buchanan
Synthesizer and Piano: David Foster
Drums: Carlos Vega
Bass: Abraham Laboriel
Background vocals: Richard Page & Steve George
Arranged by David Foster & Jay Graydon
Produced by Jay Graydon

Lyrics

Sometimes a love won’t let go
Hard as I try I know it shows
Everybody’s telling me
You’ll be over her eventually
But how am I supposed to feel so secure?

When I keep wondering who’s holding Donna now
And I keep wondering who’s heart she’s knocking around
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do
To be in his shoes somehow
And I keep wondering who’s holding Donna now
And I keep wondering what magic can be found
To turn me back to the one who’s holding Donna now

The letter started with good-bye
I’ve read it half a million times
Tell me this is just a dream
When I wake up she’ll be here next to me
Tell me it will be just the way it was

Well, I keep wondering who’s holding Donna now
And I keep wondering who’s heart she’s knocking around
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do
To be in his shoes right now
And I keep wondering who’s holding Donna now
And I keep wondering what magic can be found
To turn me back to the one who’s holding Donna now

[break]

Who’s holding Donna now?
I keep wondering who’s heart she’s knocking around
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do
To be in his shoes right now

And I keep wondering who’s holding Donna now
Oh, Donna, what magic can be found?
To make me be the one who’s holding Donna now
I can’t get Donna off my mind