Technically this should have been credited to The New Gladhanders because there is already another set of Gladhanders that has been around in some form or another in Philadelphia since 1961, has-been being the operative word. Since their inception they have been recording songs no one on either side of the R&B or pop chart divide can identify with, from “Lipstick on Your Car Door” to “Lollygaggin'” to “None of Your Shenanigans” to “Show Me The Fool Again.”
By 1973, lead singer Melvin Hampton was ready to pack it in and return to his first love, resource consumption accounting, but as he puts it, “that’s when disco saved The Gladhanders and gave them years of exposure.
“Meeting Don Cornelius, man, that was THE moment the Gladhanders knew we had made it,” laughs Hampton. “Usually, Don might just raise a fist in the direction of a guest he sorta liked, but he actually came over and talked to us ON THE AIR. He said to us, ‘Fellas, I’ve seen the Four Tops, I’ve seen the Miracles, The Temptations, The Pips, The Bluenotes and The O’Jays. But I’ve never seen a band lip-sync and fadeout as good as The Gladhanders.’ I take that with me every day that I toil in obscurity now.”
The New Gladhaners is led by, you might have guessed, Melvin Hampton Jr., who named his group the same thing just to piss off his dad. Yes, they are estranged. Thank you for asking.
lyrics
lyrics
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Nevah Shoulda Left
Written and produced by Serene Dominic for Onus Records, 2015.
I'm running back
Back to where I should've always stayed
Running back
Back to where I should've never strayed
Nevah shoulda left, nevah shoulda left, nevah shoulda left
Where are the children
Now that they've grown
They're got super sized fears
And children of their own
Where is the big old rock where
We used to play
Why are there grown men hanging around it every day
I tried to make a better life
Somewhere so far away
Meanwhile every hurtful change
Why has every future sorrow
Ruined my present day
That's why I'm running back
Back to where I should've always stayed
Running back
Back to where I should've never strayed
Nevah shoulda left, nevah shoulda left, nevah shoulda left
There's tattoo parlors and nail salons
On the spot where the old candy store stood on
There's a supermarket and a coffee shop
They're corporations now not someones's mom and pop
Where's the worlds greatest coffee now
Someone tell me please
Why does it feel like the new worlds come to gut these memories
I'm running back
Back to where I should've always stayed
Running back
Back to where I should've never strayed
Nevah shoulda left, nevah shoulda left, nevah shoulda left
When You were signing off
I should've known
I regret saying goodbye through the telephone
I know you are in a better place
But I can't help wishing I could relive one of our days.
Whether We made good or not
Is subject to debate
Why did I have to find my greatest love so far away so late
I'm running back
Back to where I should've always stayed
Running back
Back to where I should've never strayed
Nevah shoulda left, nevah shoulda left, nevah shoulda left
credits
released May 31, 2015
credits
from Cutting Tailor Modern,
released September 14, 2015
Vocals by The Gladhanders, with assist from The Danger Crew
Instrumental Track by The Shark Cage 6
New on the always-great label Velvet Blue Music is “Slow Parade” from Gileah Taylor, boasting warm songs built on piano and guitar. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 26, 2024
