O.V. Wright - Eight Men, Four Women (1967)

Mr. Overton Vertis "O.V." Wright

You can't go wrong with O.V. You just can't. Simple but effective lyrics set to a culminating paramount of intrumental backing, so prevailing that if for some inane reason the lyrics were missing, it would be a masterpeice in it's own right.
Wright was active between the years of 1961 and 1980 and in those 19 years he released 10 albums and a plethora of singles on several labels, most prodominantly the Back Beat label of Leno, Tennessee.
His first single was released in 1963 on Goldwax (a soul label responsible for Irma Thomas) and subsequently all other releases were pressed on Back Beat, the label with whom he had his biggest hits. Prior to this he recorded and sang with several street corner and doo wop groups including The Safaris, who enjoyed a top 10 hit in 1960 with 'Image Of A Girl'.

Eight Men, Four Women

By the time 1967 rolled around O.V. Wright had already made a name for himself for releasing well produced and fabulous sounding rhythm and blues records, notched up 6 top 10 singles on the R&B charts in the US, released 3 LP's and toured the U.K. with Archie Bell & The Drells.
Although reletively unknown in the 'white' world, having no hits on the pop charts, he was almost a superstar in his own race and followers.
In April of '67 he released arguably his best album. 'Eight Men And Four Women' was his first LP of that year and the prodominant single was 'Eight Men, Four Women' (R&B #4).
Writen by Deadric Malone in 1966, the song was intended for Wilson Pickett, who regrettably declined the song because he was busy elsewhere working on his next recordings.
The song tells of a melancholy dream, in which the dreamer finds himself in a world where love is a crime, and subsequently ends up in a court room, guilty of loving his girl. It goes on to give a heartfelt account of how the love he holds for her is naturally unstoppable and that the 'mean jury must (indeed) be blind'.


The Lyrics

(Eight men, four women
Lord, that's the jury of love)

I dreamed that love was a crime
I was alone, so lonely and blue
You know why?
Because eight men and four women
Lord, they found me guilty of loving you (loving you)

As they were taking me away
You were taking
I saw you when you were taking the witness stand
You know what?
I heard the lawyer when he asked you, my love
"Do you really love that man?"

It was eight men and four women (guilty)
How could they be so blind (guilty)
How could they?
I know they sat there
And called true love a crime
This is what killed me

But a tear rolled down my cheek
I felt so sorry for you
You know why?
Because in my heart I knew
Oh yes, baby I knew
That they would find you guilty too

Judge, your honor and to the jury
I intend to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt
That we are innocent
And true love is not a crime

(Lord, that's the jury of love)
Lord, that's the jury of love

A mean judge, a mean jury, oh, that's the jury of love
(Lord, that's the jury of love)

(Lord, that's the jury of love)
Oh that's just the way it goes baby
They found me guilty of love