Jersey City loses two musical icons, original members of 'The Manhattans' - nj.com

About the Song

1. The Manhattans’ Soulful Legacy:

Originating from New Jersey, The Manhattans carved a niche for themselves in the R&B and soul music scene. “Wish That You Were Mine” stands as a testament to their ability to evoke deep emotions through their music.

2. The Birth of a Classic:

Released in 1983 as part of their album “Forever by Your Side,” “Wish That You Were Mine” quickly became a classic in the soul and R&B genres. Its emotional depth and soul-stirring composition resonated with audiences around the world.

3. Charting Success:

The Manhattans’ heartfelt rendition climbed the charts, reaching the hearts of many. “Wish That You Were Mine” not only touched the emotional chords of listeners but also secured its place on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, showcasing the widespread appeal of the song.

4. A Love Story in Melody:

The lyrical prowess of “Wish That You Were Mine” narrates a poignant love story, exploring themes of yearning and desire. The harmonious blend of vocals and musical arrangement creates an atmosphere of pure, unfiltered emotion.

5. Enduring Impact:

Decades after its release, “Wish That You Were Mine” remains an anthem for lovers and a classic in The Manhattans’ repertoire. Its enduring impact is a testament to the timeless nature of soulful ballads that transcend generations.The Manhattans | Spotify

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Lyrics: Wish That You Were Mine

Waiter, could we have the same table we had yesterday?

Here we are again
Sipping our drinks just like friends
I wonder if they see the sparkle in your eyes
I wonder if they know that I’m not your guy, mm-hm

I wonder if they see
That you don’t belong to me

Wish that you could be mine
Mine
All mine

It’ll be hard for him to understand
I am his friend and he is your man
I wonder what my lady would say
If she knew I met you everyday, mm-hm

Sooner or later
Don’t you know, they’re gonna find out and they’ll hate us

Oh, I wish that you could be mine
Mine
All mine

It’s 2 a.m., the place is gonna close
The bartender looks as though he knows
Everybody’s, everybody’s made it home
Here we sit again all alone

Mm-hm, I’ve got to get up at 8
Don’t you know, I’ve got to explain why I’m so late

Mm, I wish I didn’t have to go home
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-ooh, whoa-oh-oh-oh, go home
I wish that you were mine, baby
Oh, I’d give you the world
And every little thing your little heart desires

My, my, my, yeah

It’ll be hard
So hard for him to understand
I am his friend and don’t you know, he is your man?
I wonder what, I wonder what my lady would say
If she knew I met you everyday
Oh-oh-oh

You Missed

Thousands of fans filled the Nashville arena, restless after waiting two years to see Loretta Lynn again. She sat in the shadows beside the stage, weakened by the stroke that had taken her mobility in 2017 and the broken hip she suffered the following year. When the house band started the familiar rhythm of ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter,’ the room seemed to hold its breath. Her sister, Crystal Gayle, leaned over and encouraged her to sing. Loretta waved her off at first, looking down, apparently content to stay quietly in the wings. Then something changed. As the crowd pressed forward, humming the song that told her own story, their response seemed to reach her through the exhaustion. She reached out suddenly and firmly, closing her hand around the microphone’s cool metal. ‘Let me have that damn mic,’ she muttered. Her voice carried through the sound system with unmistakable authority. She was taking back the place she had held for more than fifty years, brushing aside every doctor and therapist who had told her to slow down. The crowd’s roar hit the stage and seemed to shake the rafters. For a moment, the frailty of the past two years faded from view. The audience saw the Kentucky girl who had lived through hardship and made music out of it. Loretta leaned into the song, her voice cracking a little but still carrying the grit that had defined her career. As the last note lingered, everyone in the room understood: she was giving them more than a performance. She was reminding them who was still in charge.

RCA’s doors stayed closed to Dottie West, enough to shake any performer’s confidence in Nashville. Her stints with Starday and Atlantic had left her with little beyond empty pockets and unpaid bills. By 1961, she and her husband, steel guitarist Bill West, were living in a small house in West Nashville. It felt less like a home than a place to make one last, desperate attempt. For years, they had driven back and forth from Cleveland, spending time and money on trips that brought them no closer to getting through the industry’s doors. At that house, Dottie began taking a different approach. Instead of chasing executives, she fed hungry songwriters. Willie Nelson, Roger Miller, and Red Lane started coming over, finding something at her kitchen table that the labels hadn’t offered: someone willing to listen. Auditions gave way to suppers, with Dottie hearing unfinished verses as her guests unpacked their battered guitar cases. If she couldn’t get into the business, she would bring it into her home. Each meal was a deliberate investment in the songwriting Nashville claimed to value but had yet to recognize in her. Things changed the night Jim Reeves heard her song, ‘Is This Me?’ and took it to Chet Atkins. One straightforward exchange over a melody opened a path that had been blocked for years. It wasn’t simply a lucky break. It grew out of her decision to stop asking for a place and create one herself. When she became the first woman to win a country Grammy, the award meant more than recognition. It confirmed that those lean years in the West Nashville house had produced some of the most important work of her life.

Tucked away in a private drawer, far from the polished sets of her television show, lay a bundle of 341 letters. These were not press clippings or scripts; they were brittle, handwritten testimonies from servicemen stationed in remote barracks, deep in war-torn tunnels, and across desolate battlefields. During the long years of the Second World War, as Hollywood presented a glossy, curated image of American life, Donna Reed spent her nights reading these letters and, more remarkably, personally answering them. This was the quiet, invisible work that defined her, long before the public labeled her the quintessential television mother. Behind the camera during her production years, Reed was a different person entirely. She was rarely seen holding a script for a scene; she was more likely to be found hunched over lighting diagrams or studying the intricacies of cinematography. She possessed an uncredited producer’s mind, constantly analyzing how the frame could better reflect the reality of the family she was trying to depict. The studio environment was frequently cold and high-pressured, but she moved through it with a meticulous attention to detail that frustrated those who wanted to treat her as merely another pretty face in the cast. These tactile remnants—the stacks of ink-stained paper and the forgotten notes on camera angles—tell the story of a woman who never truly fit the box Hollywood built for her. While the world remembers the steady, comforting image of a television home, she lived a life carved out of hard labor and deep empathy. She carried the weight of those soldiers’ stories and the technical burdens of the studio floor until her final days, forever balancing the fragility of her public image against the demanding, gritty reality of her actual life.