THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

322-Lou Rawls-You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine.

1976-Number 10 single.

Best Bit-At 2.13. Lou Rawls released 53 Albums, he also had a substantial acting career, performing in 15 films, he was also a voice over in cartoons, and appeared in commercials endorsing products. In 1955 he enlisted in the United States Army as a paratrooper, where he made 26 jumps, he left the army three years later as a Sergeant. In 1980 he started the charity, the ‘Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telephon,’ an annual event which has raised to date over US$200 million. I don’t know what he did in his spare time though!

Lou Rawls was born Louis Allen Rawls on December 1st, 1933, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, he died of cancer on January 6th, 2005, at the age of 72. He started singing Gospel at the age of seven, and after graduating from high school he briefly sang with Sam Cooke (1931-1964) (see also best songs 156) in the ‘Teenage Kings of Harmony’ Gospel group, before moving to Los Angeles, where he joined another Gospel group, the ‘Pilgrim Travelers.’ Lou Rawls would later sing again with Sam Cooke, as backing vocalist on Cooke’s 1962 single ‘Bring It On Home to Me,’ (Billboard Number 13 hit) and ‘That’s Where It’s At,’ in 1964. In 1958, while touring the American South with the ‘Pilgrim Travelers,’ and Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls was involved a car crash. He was pronounced dead before arriving at the hospital, where he stayed in a coma for five and a half days. He spent a year recuperating, and it was several months before his memory returned. He considered the crash a life changing event. In 1980 Lou Rawls began the ‘Lou Rawls Parade of Stars Telephon,’ which benefits the ‘United Negro College Fund’. It became an annual event, and in 1998 it became known as ‘An Evening of Stars: A Celebration of Educational Excellence.’ The event raised over $200 million in 27 shows for the charity, through until 2006. In 1982 he received a star on the ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame,’ and in 2021 he was posthumously inducted into the ‘Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.’

The discography of Lou Rawls who was known for his rich baritone voice, includes 53 Albums released between 1962-2006, and at least 36 singles released between 1959?-1987. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, six of his singles have reached the top 40, with ‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,’ peaking the highest at Number 2, while 18 of his singles have made the Billboard ‘Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs’ top 40, with ‘Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing,’ (1966) and ‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,’ (1976) both reaching the Number 1 position. In the UK, Lou Rawls only top 40 charting single is ‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,’

‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine’ was co-written, and co-produced by the legendary songwriting team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, (see also best songs 1001-896-725-648-604-571-448 and 258) and was the first of two singles released from Lou Rawls’ 27th Album release, and his first of six Albums for ‘Philadelphia International Records,’ ‘All Things in Time,’ from June 1976. In an attempt to lure Lou Rawls to their record label ‘Philadelphia International,’ Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff pacifically wrote ‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine’ for him.

By 1976 ‘Philadelphia International Records’ had taken over from ‘Tamla Motown’ as the worlds number one producers of quality ‘Soul’ music, and they were now also leading the way in the production of ‘Disco’ music, with many of the labels artists, including this song, being backed by the labels in house studio band ‘M.F.S.B.’ In total ‘M.F.S.B.’ had 32 different members come and go between their forming in 1971, through until their disbanding in 1985. Due to a disagreement with Gamble and Huff shortly before the recording of this song over finances, several of the group members moved on to ‘Salsoul Records,’ where they became known as the ‘Salsoul Orchestra,’ other members began performing as ‘The Ritchie Family Orchestra.’ As for what ‘M.F.S.B.’ stood for, there are two explanations. The clean one is ‘Mother, Father, Sister, Brother,’ and the rude one is ‘Mother-Fuc#in’, Son of-a-Bitch,’ an expression which was used among the musicians to compliment a person’s musical prowess. The discography of ‘M.F.S.B.’ who also recorded for ‘Philadelphia International Records’ in their own right, includes seven studio Albums released between 1973-1980, and 17 singles released between 1973-1994, there are also six official compilation Albums available. In America on the Billboard Hot 100, their only top 40 charting single was ‘TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia,’ featuring The Three Degrees,’ which reached Number 1 in 1974, the song had been written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff as the theme for the American musical television program ‘Soul Train.’ In the UK, ‘M.F.S.B.’ have had three top 40 hits, with ‘TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia,’ featuring The Three Degrees,’ peaking the highest at Number 22.

‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine’ which provided Lou Rawls with his first Billboard hit in seven years, had it’s instrumentation provided by ‘M.F.S.B. Due to the splintering of ‘M.F.S.B.’ the ‘house band’ at ‘Philadelphia International Records’ at around the time of recording, it is difficult to find information as to which musicians played on the track. It is safe to assume that ‘M.F.S.B.’ founding member Bobby Eli (1946-2023) provided instrumentation, as he was credited as the Albums arranger. The American guitarist Dennis Harris (see also best songs 258) played the guitar intro, while fellow American T. J. Tindall, (1950-2016) who played on over 30 hits produced by Gamble and Huff, was also a guitarist on the track.

‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,’ is a warning to the girl, that if she let’s the guy go, she will spend the rest of her life looking for someone just like him. The song was written around the time that Kenny Gamble was going through a divorce from the singer Dee Dee Sharp (see also best songs 1001.)

‘You’ll never find, it’ll take the end of all time, someone to understand you like I do. You’ll never find the rhythm the rhyme, all the magic we shared just us two.’