- published: 24 Oct 2014
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The Commodores are an American funk/soul band, which was at its peak in the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour.
The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was co-lead singer. The band's biggest hit singles are ballads such as "Easy", "Three Times a Lady", and "Nightshift"; and funky dance hits which include "Brick House", "Fancy Dancer", "Lady (You Bring Me Up)", and "Too Hot ta Trot". However it was in 1986 that the Commodores won their first Grammy for the song "Nightshift".
The Commodores originally came together from two former groups, the Mystics and the Jays. There was even a Jazz aspect to one of the groups. They wanted to change the name. Together, a six-man band was created from which the notable individuals were Lionel Richie, Thomas McClary, and William King from the Mystics; Andre Callahan, Michael Gilbert, and Milan Williams were from the Jays. To choose a new name, William "WAK" King opened a dictionary and randomly picked a word. "We lucked out", he remarked with a laugh when telling this story to People magazine. "We almost became 'The Commodes!
Sail on down the line, 'bout a
Half a mile or so, and I
Don't really wanna know, a
Where you're going
Maybe once or twice, you see
But time after time, I tried
To hold onto what we got, but
Now you're going
And I don't mind
'Bout the things you're gonna say Lord
I gave all my money and my time
I know it's a shame
But I'm givin' you back your name, yeah, yeah
Yes, I'll be on my way
I won't be back to stay
I guess I'll move along
I'm looking for a good time
Sail on down the line, ain't it
Funny how the time can go, all my
Friends say the told me so, but it
Doesn't matter
It was plain to see, that a
Small town boy like me, just a
Wasn't your cup of tea, I was
Wishful thinkin'
I gave you my heart
And I tried to make you happy
But you gave me nothin' in return
You know it ain't so hard to say
Would you please just go away, yeah, yeah
I've thrown away the blues
I'm tired of bein' used
I wanna everyone to know
I'm looking for a good time
Good time
Woah, sail on, honey
Good times never felt so good
Sail on, honey
Good times never felt so good
Sail on, sugar
Good times never felt so good