Who sings betcha by golly wow full#

All versions of the single had 'Right Back Here In My Arms' as the B-side. The CD single was released in two formats in the UK, one with a picture sleeve and one with an orange cardboard sleeve that included a picture disc and a mini-poster. Prince had stated that he always wanted to release a cover version but his record company, Warner Bros. Prince version 'Betcha by Golly Wow!'Īnother cover version was released by Prince (his stage name at that time being a symbol with no known pronunciation, see cover art) on his 1996 album Emancipation. There are two mixes of the song-the 3:17 version released as a single is the one most familiar to listeners, while the 3:48 album version has an instrumental break prior to the song's finale.

The Stylistics' recording sold over one million copies globally, earning the band a gold disc The award was presented by the RIAA on April 17, 1972. In addition, it also climbed to #2 in the Billboard R&Bchart and reached number #13 in the UK Singles Chart in July 1972. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.An R&B ballad, it was the third track from The Stylistics' 1971 debut self-titled album and was released as a single in 1972 and reached #3 on the U.S. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. NORRIS: You're listening to ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News.Ĭopyright © 2007 NPR. And then, for the times when we were apart… THE THREE TENORS OF SOUL: (Singing) And now there's so much more I see. That's what friends are for, yeah.īLOCK: The new album from the Three Tenors of Soul is called 'All The Way From Philadelphia.' Our critic, Robert Christgau, is a contributing editor with Rolling Stone magazine. THE THREE TENORS OF SOUL: (Singing) In good times, in bad times, I'll be by your side forevermore. (Soundbite of song 'That's What Friends Are For') But on this album, they embody other kinds of human fellowship as well. Love Men, soul falsettos are often called. And it's a gift to hear their style of spiritual intensity renewed. The Stylistics and Blue Magic voiced a transcendent tenderness, never raunchy like the great falsetto Prince. Rock guys used to think falsetto groups were silly, but that's because rock guys have trouble letting go of their macho.

Who sings betcha by golly wow full#

That's why the more conventional tenor, William Hart, never gets a full lead here. Perhaps it's occurred to you that a more accurate sobriquet for these artists might be Legendary Three Falsettos of Soul. And this world can't erase his fantasies. TED MILLS (Vocalist, Blue Magic): (Singing) Every man has a place. Here's Mills on 'Fantasy,' a hit for Earth, Wind and Fire in 1977. The lead goes to The Stylistics' Russell Thompkins, still the greatest of these singers, even if he is less creamy three decades on, just as Blue Magic's Ted Mills is slightly less supple. It's as high as a mountain and harder to climb.ĬHRISTGAU: 'Too Much Love' sure sounds like a harmony-group chestnut - you can almost place it, and it is, only the harmony group is the Bee Gees in 1979, well after the Legendary Tenors' pop run ended. THE THREE TENORS OF SOUL: (Singing) Nobody gets too much heaven no more. But the new supergroup album, overseen by veteran Philly Sound guitarist Bobby Eli, avoids such obvious oldies. The Delfonics' members carefully cover renowned contemporaries like Al Green and The Temptations, while The Stylistics stick to their own deeper catalogue. But The Delfonics and The Stylistics both have recent live CDs out. THE THREE TENORS OF SOUL (Singers): (Singing) All the way from Philadelphia, I hear what's wrong and it brings me back to you, taking me home, taking me home.ĬHRISTGAU: Blue Magic hung it up after a sad attempt to disco album in 1995. (Soundbite of song 'All The Way From Philadelphia') And here's the title song especially composed by Philadelphians Darrell Hall and John Oates for their new album. of The Stylistics, born 1951, signature hit, 1972's 'Betcha By Golly Wow.' All three are from Philly. William Hart of The Delfonics, born 1945, signature hit, 1968's 'La-La Means I Love You.' Ted Mills of Blue Magic, born 1947, signature hit, 1974's 'Sideshow.' Russell Thompkins Jr. ROBERT CHRISTGAU: They're billed as The Legendary Three Tenors of Soul. Now, it's been revived.Īnd our music critic, Robert Christgau thinks this version is pretty credible for a revival. But as disco came on, Philadelphia produced a variant of its own, Philly soul. For many old-timers, soul music died when its Southern branch withered at the end of the '60s.