The Stylistics//You Are Everything

I think that for a really long time I thought the Stylistics were girls. In fact, I know I thought they were girls when I was a kid and my dad used to sing their songs to me, along with their music on the stereo. Turns out, they’re just dudes singing in falsetto. Well, ok, they’re still totally good!

70s Philly-Sound Soul groups have the coolest names. The Stylistics—come on! Apparently they were formed from the ashes of The Percussions and The Monarchs—come on! Band names: they don’t make ‘em like that anymore.

The Stylistics only wrote ballads and also worked with legendary Philly Soul producer Thom Bell, who also produced The Delfonics (another Dad favorite: Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time)) and The Spinners—come on! Usually I don’t like ballads, but I like the Stylistics, maybe because they remind me of being a little kid and hanging out with my dad, watching him emphatically pantomime heartbreaking lyrics. Am I embarrassing you, dad? See how the tables have turned.

This song is about MAJOR heartbreak. The lyrics always stuck with me and I can remember, as a kid, imagining that the person (remember: I thought it was a girl singing) saw the other person they were in love with in a semi-darkened train station and that it was raining outside. What an imagination.

Almost as vivid are the weird sitar sounds (which are probably just synths and seem to be present in every single Stylistics song) and the super wide phaser.

My band is going on tour next week and we’re starting in Philly. Maybe we should cover a Stylistics song. Maybe we should cover this one.



You Are Everything.mp3

Today I saw somebody
Who looked just like you,
She walked like you do;
I thought it was you.
As she turned the corner,
I called out your name.
I felt so ashamed
When it wasn't you.