Opening line to I Was Made to Love Her

[daviddesper]

I never knew as a teenager and I can't tell now. What does Stevie say in the very first line? It sounds like "I Was Born in Luid Vark," which of course would make no sense.

[sophisticated_soul]

I could be wrong but I've always thought he sang "I was born in Little Rock"?

[soulster]

"I was born in Lil' Rock". The answer is on the 'net.

[motownjohnny]

I've always thought it was "I was born in Little Rock" although I've never understood why, when he was actually born in Saginaw, MI.

It is possible it was originally intended for someone else, who came from Little Rock? If
so anyone care to hazard a guess as to who that might have been?

The song was written by the Stevie, his mother Lula Hardaway, Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy, who I believe were all from the Detroit/Michigan area except for Lula, who was from Eufaula, Alabama.

[Bluebrock]

I always wondered what he was singing. Thanks for clearing that up. What a classic song it is. One of my many many favourites by this unique megastar.

[splanky]

I've always thought it was "I was born in Little Rock" although I've never understood why, when he was actually born in Saginaw, MI.

It is possible it was originally intended for someone else, who came from Little Rock? If
so anyone care to hazard a guess as to who that might have been?

The song was written by the Stevie, his mother Lula Hardaway, Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy, who I believe were all from the Detroit/Michigan area except for Lula, who was from Eufaula, Alabama.

It's just a song, albeit a very good one but basically a song nonetheless isn't it? A musical
fiction. Do they all have to be factually autobiographically correct? I've always heard it as
Little Rock. With "sweet heart" it makes a better imperfect ,vowel stressed rhyme. Later
Stevie recorded a song which he sang about going back to Saturn which started out as going
back to Saginaw until he embellished the lyric. Anyway, the thing about I Was Made To Love Her that struck me the hardest was his harmonica solo introduction. I knew a kid who busted
his lip trying to play it on a diatonic harp not realizing Stevie was playing a chromatic!...

[jobucats]

Wow! As daviddesper brought up the "Little Rock" misunderstanding, it brought up another line I never understood:
"You know my papa disapproved it
My mama boohooed it"
Until I just took time to google the lyrics, I had never understood what Stevie was singing after 'my mama.....' LOL I thought the lyrics were , "My mama blew a hoof."
I'm sure we could all resurrect those postings where we were confused as to a lyric we were listening to. [[yes, I ended that sentence with a preposition....you're allowed to these days...LOL)

[sansradio]

Jobucats, a preposition is a wonderful thing to end a sentence with.😆

[soulster]

I've always thought it was "I was born in Little Rock" although I've never understood why, when he was actually born in Saginaw, MI.

It is possible it was originally intended for someone else, who came from Little Rock? If
so anyone care to hazard a guess as to who that might have been?

The song was written by the Stevie, his mother Lula Hardaway, Henry Cosby and Sylvia Moy, who I believe were all from the Detroit/Michigan area except for Lula, who was from Eufaula, Alabama.

Guys, I think you're overthinking this. It's just a song! It's a story. It doesn't have to be in the first person. It doesn't have to be autobiographical. The words were simply chosen because they rhyme with each other. I understood all the lyrics and what he was singing when I was four years old!

[detmotownguy]

Ouch! Hope your friend recovered ok.

[Jimi LaLumia]

and Miss Ross did not go to school in a worn torn dress that SUM BODY threw out!..LOLOLOL

[mysterysinger]

But she may have known "the way it felt to always live in doubt".

[StuBass1]

Forgetting the lyric [[I was born in Little Rock), where the mood of the song was intended to portray a "down south" feel...But what makes that song stand out above others, IMO, is the Funk Brothers track...specifically Jamerson and Joe Messina doubling and Jamerson's classic bassline...so magnificent it's been [[falsely) claimed by others...

[sophisticated_soul]

"My mama blew a hoof."

LOL!! That's great! And it could make sense too - if mama was a cow!

I think from now on whenever I hear the song, that is how I am going to hear the lyric. Mama was pretty darn angry - she blew a hoof. Thanks for laugh, it was a good one.

[psychedelic jacques]

"i was born an aardvark"?

[psychedelic jacques]

actually, it's when you get to the bridge that it begins to get really interesting...

"i would say hi to a chicken
and i love Maude Bentley
i haven't seen my wicked pants in years
oh if the info mountain tumbled
if the whole world crumbled
well, offside i'd still be standing there"

[arr&bee]

wow! As daviddesper brought up the "little rock" misunderstanding, it brought up another line i never understood:
"you know my papa disapproved it
my mama boohooed it"
until i just took time to google the lyrics, i had never understood what stevie was singing after 'my mama.....' lol i thought the lyrics were , "my mama blew a hoof."
i'm sure we could all resurrect those postings where we were confused as to a lyric we were listening to. [[yes, i ended that sentence with a preposition....you're allowed to these days...lol)

you must be drunker than me,hehehehehe!!!

[bradburger]

I never knew as a teenager and I can't tell now. What does Stevie say in the very first line? It sounds like "I Was Born in Luid Vark," which of course would make no sense.

Funny you should think that too, as I thought that was what Stevie said, for many years!

I'm sure there was a thread [[maybe on the old SD forum) about misheard lyrics.

Quite entertaining if I recall!

Cheers

Paul

[marv2]

The part I use to have problems with when I was a kid back then was:

"I was knee high to a chicken
When that love bug bit me"

I couldn't accurately make that part out for anything in the World! LOL!

[theboyfromxtown]

Funny you should think that too, as I thought that was what Stevie said, for many years!

I'm sure there was a thread [[maybe on the old SD forum) about misheard lyrics.

Quite entertaining if I recall!

Cheers

Paul

My favourite was from Tyrone......

Canary love........for You Cant Hurry love

[marv2]

My favourite was from Tyrone......

Canary love........for You Cant Hurry love

If think that was bad, I thought they were singing "Kangaroo Love" oh you just have to wait.....LOL!

[westgrandboulevard]

Although I was familiar with the Lou Rawls version of 'Love Is A Hurtin' Thing' when I bought the Temptations' 'Cloud Nine' album, I was still taken aback when I thought I heard Eddie come in with...... " the road is rough, go and get stuffed..."

[Bob]

From the notes in "The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 7": "Sylvia Moy crafted most of the lyrics. 'That song has a little bit of a country feeling to it,' she says. 'My mom and dad influenced that. She was born in Arkansas, and he in Louisiana.'"