Love Affair and Steve Ellis: The hits that catapulted the band to glory | Music | Entertainment | Express.co.uk

About the Song

Love Affair’s 1968 hit, “Everlasting Love,” is more than just a catchy song; it’s a timeless declaration of unwavering devotion. Originally written by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden, the song gained international recognition through Love Affair’s soulful rendition, becoming a defining anthem of the late 1960s.

The song opens with a sense of regret and longing: “Hearts gone astray, leaving hurt when they go.” The protagonist acknowledges past mistakes and expresses a sincere desire to return to the love they once shared. The lyrics, “I went away, just when you, you need me so,” paint a picture of missed opportunities and a yearning for reconciliation.

However, the song quickly shifts to a hopeful and reassuring tone. The repeated chorus, “Everlasting Love,” becomes a mantra of unwavering commitment: “Need you by my side, girl to be my bride / You’ll never be denied, everlasting love.” The lyrics emphasize the permanence and strength of the love, promising that past transgressions won’t define the future.

“Everlasting Love” goes beyond a simple promise of fidelity. It speaks to the transformative power of love and its ability to overcome past hurts. Lines like “Open up your eyes then you realize, here I stand with my everlasting love” suggest a willingness to rebuild trust and create a stronger bond.

Musically, Love Affair’s rendition is a masterclass in soulful balladry. Steve Ellis’s powerful vocals convey both the pain of past mistakes and the unwavering hope for a brighter future. The song’s gentle rhythm and melancholic melody create a sense of intimacy and vulnerability, perfectly complementing the emotional depth of the lyrics.

“Everlasting Love” has transcended its time, becoming a popular choice for weddings and a cherished song for couples of all ages. Its enduring popularity speaks to the universal desire for love that endures through thick and thin, making it a timeless classic in the world of love songs.

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Lyrics: Everlasting Love

Hearts gone astray, deep in hurt when they go
I went away, just when you, you need me so
You won’t regret, I come back beggin’ you
Won’t you forget, welcome love we once knewOpen up your eyes then you realize
Here I stand with my everlasting love
Need you by my side, girl to be my bride
You’ll never be denied, everlasting love

From the very start, open up your heart
Feel that you’re part of everlasting love

Need a love to last forever
Need a love to last forever

Where life really flows, no one really knows
Till someone’s there to show the way to lasting love
Like the sun it shines, endlessly it shines
You always will be mine, if eternal love

Whenever love went wrong, ours would still be strong
We’d have our very own everlasting love

Need a love to last forever
Need a love to last forever

Open up your eyes then you realize
Here I stand with my everlasting love
Need you by my side, girl to be my bride
You’ll never be denied, everlasting love

From the very start, open up your heart
Be a lasting part of everlasting love
Whenever love went wrong, ours would still be strong
We’ll have our very own everlasting love

 

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“He Died the Way He Lived — On His Own Terms.” That phrase haunted the night air when news broke: on April 6, 2016, Merle Haggard left this world in a final act worthy of a ballad. Some say he whispered to his family, “Today’s the day,” and he wasn’t wrong — he passed away on his 79th birthday, at home in Palo Cedro, California, after a long battle with pneumonia. Born in a converted boxcar in Oildale, raised in dust storms and hardship, Merle’s life read like a country novel: father gone when he was nine, teenage years tangled with run-ins with the law, and eventual confinement in San Quentin after a botched burglary. It was in that prison that he heard Johnny Cash perform — and something inside him snapped into motion: a vow not to die as a mistake, but to rise as a voice for the voiceless. By the time he walked free in 1960, the man who once roamed barrooms and cellblocks had begun weaving songs from scars: “Mama Tried,” “Branded Man,” “Okie from Muskogee” — each line steeped in the grit of a life lived hard and honest. His music didn’t just entertain — it became country’s raw pulse, a beacon for those who felt unheralded, unseen. Friends remembered him as grizzly and tender in the same breath. Willie Nelson once said, “He was my brother, my friend. I will miss him.” Tanya Tucker recalled sharing bologna sandwiches by the river — simple moments, but when God called him home, those snapshots shook the soul: how do you say goodbye to someone whose voice felt like memory itself? And so here lies the mystery: he died on his birthday. Was it fate, prophecy, or a gesture too perfect to dismiss? His son Ben once disclosed that a week earlier, Merle had told them he would go that day — as though he charted his own final chord. This is where the story begins, not ends. Because legends don’t vanish — they echo. And every time someone hums “Sing Me Back Home,” Merle Haggard lives again.