There’s technically no rule that says that you have to have at least one hit single to be a music superstar. But you won’t find too many high-profile names throughout music history who haven’t delivered chart smashes now and again.
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Lou Rawls was a well-known and highly respected singing star long before his first hit. That song, “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine”, showcased his strengths and added sweet icing on the cake of a standout career.
Sweet Lou
Born in Chicago in 1933, Lou Rawls was singing at a very young age, which also led to him starting a professional music career pretty early as well. As he grew to be a young man, Rawls’ voice deepened into a rich baritone, over which he learned to exert immaculate control.
Rawls crossed paths as a young singer with Sam Cooke, for whom he would sing backing vocals on a couple of early 60s singles. Meanwhile, Rawls also started his own recording career. At first, he stuck with mostly soft ballads. But he eventually started recording R&B tunes in the second half of the 60s, which advanced his popularity.
Rawls also made himself a regular presence on network television, where he parlayed his easy-going nature and rich voice into many gigs. But his pop chart success was limited to three songs that made the Top 20 but didn’t ascend into the Top 10. A label change in the mid-70s helped change all that.
The Philly Feel
By the time Rawls joined up with them, Philadelphia International Records had risen to the top of the R&B crossover world. Mastering the so-called “Philly Soul” sound, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who helped found the label, churned out a string of hits for a variety of artists as writers and producers.
In Lou Rawls, Gamble and Huff heard an artist whose recording potential hadn’t yet been fully tapped. Meanwhile, Rawls loved the fact that these two men understood that there were certain types of songs that fit his low register quite well. Gamble and Huff wrote “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” for him.
While ladling plenty of the studio’s trademark elegant strings over the production, Gamble and Huff also understood how to get out of the way and let Rawls do his thing. After around two decades as a professional musician, Rawls finally had the undisputed pop smash that had eluded him. It made it all the way to No. 2 in 1976.
Behind the Lyrics of “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine”
Most songs coming from a jilted lover play up the histrionics and sorrow. But Rawls stays cool and composed throughout this song. And Gamble and Huff give him lyrics that play to that. The narrator knows that this girl has given up the best things she’s ever had. “Whoa, I’m not braggin’ on myself, baby,” he says about his devotion. It’s just a matter of fact.
“You’ll never find the rhythm, the rhyme,” he suavely promises. “You’re gonna miss my lovin’,” he insists. Even as he bids her farewell, he reminds her of her mistake. “Whoa, I don’t wish you no bad luck, baby,” Rawls coos. “But there’s no ifs and buts or maybes.”
It’s hard to imagine that anyone else could have delivered these lyrics with just the right combination of smooth and spicy. “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” represented by far and away the biggest hit of Lou Rawls’ career, the song that punctuated a massive musical legacy.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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