La-La (Means I Love You)

"La-La (Means I Love You)"
"La-La (Means I Love You)"
Single by The Delfonics
from the album La La Means I Love You
B-side	"Can't Get Over Losing You"
Released	January 26, 1968
Recorded	1967
Genre	R&B, soul, Philadelphia soul
Length	3:21
Label	Philly Groove
Songwriter(s)	Thom Bell, William Hart
Producer(s)	Thom Bell, Stan Watson
The Delfonics singles chronology

"La-La (Means I Love You)" is an R&B/soul song by American vocal group The Delfonics. Released on January 26, 1968 by Philly Groove Records, the song was written by Thom Bell and William Hart, and produced by Bell and Stan Watson.

Background

The song was a number four U.S. Billboard pop,^[1] number two R&B in 1968, and number 19 UK pop single in 1971. The song is one of the Delfonics' most enduring recordings and perhaps their best loved, seeing a number of cover versions as well.

Pop culture

Billy Bragg quotes the chorus of the song on "The Saturday Boy" from his 1984 album Brewing Up with Billy Bragg.

The song was featured in Spike Lee's 1994 film, Crooklyn. It also appeared in Quentin Tarantino's 1997 film, Jackie Brown. Nicolas Cage sang this song to Téa Leoni in the 2000 film, The Family Man.

In 2004, rapper Ghostface Killah also sampled "La-La" for his song "Holla" from his album, The Pretty Toney Album. Swing Out Sister covered the song on their 1994 album, The Living Return, and Prince covered the song for his 1996 album, Emancipation.

Other versions

Alton Ellis and the Flames recorded a rocksteady version in 1968 on the Jamaican Supersonics label.

Booker T. & the M.G.'s covered an instrumental version of the song in their 1968 album, Soul Limbo.

The Jackson 5 covered the song in their 1969 album, Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (album),^[2] and it was featured in their early 1970s Saturday morning cartoon.^[3]

Egyptian rock group Les Petits Chats (aka The Cats) released a version b/w "With a Little Help from My Friend" in 1971 on the Sono Cairo label.^[4]^[5]

Todd Rundgren covered the song in his 1973 album, A Wizard, a True Star.

Samantha Sang covered "La-La (Means I Love You)" on her 1978 LP, Emotion.

Minnesota band The Jets covered this song for their 1985 self-titled debut album.

Tatsuro Yamashita covered the song on his 1989 album, Joy: Tatsuro Yamashita Live.

The Cantonese version of the song was sung by Grasshopper in 1992.

Swing Out Sister covered the song in their 1994 album The Living Return.

The Manhattan Transfer covered the song in their 1995 album Tonin'

Prince covered the song in his 1996 album Emancipation, retitling the song "La, La, La Means 👁 Love U".

References

^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
^ Jackson 5 - La-la (Means I Love You), YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxVWbdi7Ge4
^ La La Means I Love You, The Jackson 5ive Cartoon Series Music Videos, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEFlonm0AZg
^ Discogs - The Cats (9) – La La La Means I Love You
^ Popsike - auction details > Very Rare Arabic Egyptian Funk 45 The Cats La La La Means I Love You 31-71363

[1] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

[2] Jackson 5 - La-la (Means I Love You), YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxVWbdi7Ge4

[3] La La Means I Love You, The Jackson 5ive Cartoon Series Music Videos, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEFlonm0AZg

[4] Discogs - The Cats (9) – La La La Means I Love You

[5] Popsike - auction details > Very Rare Arabic Egyptian Funk 45 The Cats La La La Means I Love You 31-71363

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v t e Prince singles
1970s	"Soft and Wet" "Just as Long as We're Together" "I Wanna Be Your Lover"
1980s	"Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" "Still Waiting" "Sexy Dancer" "Uptown" "Dirty Mind" "Do It All Night" "Gotta Stop (Messin' About)" "Controversy" "Let's Work" "Do Me, Baby" "1999" "Little Red Corvette" "Delirious" "Let's Pretend We're Married" "When Doves Cry" "Let's Go Crazy" "Purple Rain" "I Would Die 4 U" "Take Me with U" "Paisley Park" "Raspberry Beret" "Pop Life" "America" "Kiss" "Mountains" "Anotherloverholenyohead" "Girls & Boys" "Sign "O" the Times" "If I Was Your Girlfriend" "U Got the Look" "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" "Alphabet St." "Glam Slam" "I Wish U Heaven" "Batdance" "Partyman" "The Arms of Orion" "Scandalous!"
1990s	"The Future" "Thieves in the Temple" "New Power Generation" "Gett Off" "Cream" "Diamonds and Pearls" "Money Don't Matter 2 Night" "Insatiable" "Thunder" "Sexy MF" "My Name Is Prince" "7" "Damn U" "The Morning Papers" "Pink Cashmere" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Peach" "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" "Letitgo" "Space" "Purple Medley" "I Hate U" "Gold" "Dinner with Delores" "Betcha by Golly Wow!" "The Holy River" "The Truth" "The Greatest Romance Ever Sold"
2000s	"U Make My Sun Shine" (with Angie Stone) "When Will We B Paid?" (with Audio Stepchild) "Supercute" "The Work, pt. 1" "Days of Wild" "Controversy (Live in Hawaii)" "Musicology" "Cinnamon Girl" "S.S.T." "Te Amo Corazón" "Black Sweat" "Fury" "Guitar" "F.U.N.K." "Dance 4 Me"
2010s	"Rocknroll Loveaffair" "Breakfast Can Wait" "Fallinlove2nite" "Breakdown" "This Could B Us" "Free Urself"
Promotional singles	"When You Were Mine" "Erotic City" "Nothing Compares 2 U" "Love Sign" (with Nona Gaye) "Somebody's Somebody" "It's About That Walk" "Call My Name" "The Song of the Heart"
Internet downloads	"Guitar (original "demo" version)"
New Power Generation	"Get Wild" "The War" "Come On"
EPs	The Beautiful Experience NYC 1999: The New Master
Other songs	"I Feel for You" "Partyup" "Private Joy" "International Lover" "How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?" "The Beautiful Ones" "Computer Blue" "Darling Nikki" "Baby I'm a Star" "17 Days" "Around the World in a Day" "Sometimes It Snows in April" "The Ballad of Dorothy Parker" "Starfish and Coffee" "Adore" "Don't Talk 2 Strangers" "I Can't Make U Love Me" "La, La, La Means I Love U" "One of Us" "Everyday Is a Winding Road" "A Case of U" "Crimson and Clover" "Moonbeam Levels"