Remarks:
Written by Gamble & Huff and sung by Billy Paul, it was the number one song on the American R&B charts for most of December 1972. I love the first 25 seconds, the part before any singing.
Gamble & Huff songs have appeared in this space at least three times before:
- Keke Wyatt: If Only You Knew
- The Three Degrees: When Will I See You Again
- Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes: If You Don’t Know Me By Now
Lyrics:
Me and Mrs.Jones
We got a thing goin’on
We both know that it’s wrong
But it’s much too strong
To let it go now
We meet every day at the same cafe
Six-thirty and no one knows she’ll be there
Holding hands, making all kinds of plans
While the juke box plays our favorite songs
Me and Mrs.Jones
We got a thing goin’on
We both know that it’s wrong
But it’s much too strong
To let it go now
We gotta be extra careful
That do we don’t build our hopes up too high
Because she’s got her own obligations
And so, and so, do I
Me and Mrs. Jones
We got a thing goin’on
We both know that it’s wrong
But it’s much too strong
To let it go now
Well, it’s time for us to be leaving
It hurts so much, it hurts so much inside
Now she’ll go her way snd I’ll go mine
Tomorrow we’ll meet
The same place, the same time
Me and Mrs.Jones
We got a thing goin’on
We both know that it’s wrong
But it’s much too strong
To let it go now
Oooh baybay, Me and Mrs. Jones will always hold a place of tender sentiment for me. It was to the smooth groove of Billy Paul, I experienced my first jr. high school (totally innocent, no grinding) slow dance to this song. Whenever I would hear it afterward, I was reminded (and blinded) by the initial thrill, so much so, it wasn’t until much later in life, I would come to understand why my mother would immediately turn off the radio, whenever the song was played.
It offended her moral sensibilities!
Thanks for the memory Abagond, I hadn’t thought about Billy Paul in…decades!
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Classic!
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I don’t care how old or young you are, this is THE jam, and it was made before I was born lol.
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@brothawolf
Just looked up when this first came out – it was made before I was born too but it seems to have always been part of the background in terms of soundtracks in my life. I remember my mama singing this vividly using the hairbrush as a microphone lol
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This song reminds me of other great old soul CLASSICS:
Hey There Lonely Girl
Let’s Get It On
Beauty’s Only Skin Deep
Have You Seen Her
Goin’ Out Of My Head
Stop To Start
Baby I Need Your Lovin’
Walk On By
Dr FeelGood
Midnight Train To Georgia
Come See About Me
Reasons
Somebody Loves You
Stay In My Corner
Tears Of A Clown
This Old Heart Of Mine
Got To Be There
🙂
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I love this song…brings back many good memories! It also makes me think of the Isley Brothers’ “Who’s That Lady?” – wonderful tunes! 😎
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This is one of those songs that you know you shouldn’t like, but you can’t help yourself! My mother said that a lot of people were very offended when it first came out; she even remembered her pastor preaching against it! It seems innocent compared to what’s on the radio nowadays.
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It kind of reminds me of that Shirley Murdock song “It’s morning.” I remember singing that song in junior high school until my mother pointed out it was about cheating. I guess I wouldn’t want my kid singing about adultery either!
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@ An Old Soul:
Cosign! They don’t make music like that anymore! I wonder sometimes where these people get their lyrics from nowadays.
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[…] listening to this non-stop since clicking on this Abagond post. Share this:DiggFacebookEmailRedditTwitterPrintStumbleUponLike this:LikeBe the first to like this […]
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Hmmm, well, I don’t believe in adultery either from either side of the camp. If you marry somebody both people in the relationship should stick to their vows and not cheat.
@ An old soul,
I listen to most of those songs in your list….I like those old classics too.
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This song is so smooth, I’ll dance to this with my significant other without thinking about the adulterous lyrics. The way he sang it makes you just want to sing like him.
@ An Ols Soul
Those song were and still are very cool 🙂
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The first 25 sec instrumental intro really suites a romantic setting 🙂
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Me and Mrs. Jones we got a thing going on. Ohoooo! Abagond. You are a bad bad boy. People sneaking of to the No Tell Motel. Naughty Naughty.
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Billy Paul was a smooth love balladeer. I also like Thanks For Saving My Life. Billy Paul recorded that one too. They had good artist on the Philly Soul Label. That whole Philladelphia soul sound was great back in the day.
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@mochasister; Good point to ponder.
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I do remember being in church as a kid and the preacher was saying it was a wicked song and good christian folks shouldn’t be listening to it.
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Billy Paul passed away on Sunday at age 81.
More:
http://httpjournalsaolcomjenjer6steph.blogspot.com/2016/04/billy-paul-passed-away.html
https://brothawolf.wordpress.com/2016/04/25/r-i-p-billy-paul/
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RIP to him
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RIP Mr Paul!
That song (Me & Mrs Jones) kind of catapulted him into the same league as Smokey Robinson, Barry White and Issac Hayes… that smooth distinctive old school singing rap/ballads style (before HipHop!) that only a few dudes could master.
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Very sad to hear about Billy Paul. I hope he had a good life and was surrounded by love and family in his last hours.
Me and Mrs Jones was one those stand alone songs,in a league of its own.
Maze by Frankie Beverley is another one of those.
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