BlueGamma2, May 15, 2013
Lyrics:
If I didn't care
More than words can say
If I didn't care
Would I feel this way?
If this isn't love, then why do I thrill?
And what makes my head
Go 'round and 'round
While my heart stands still?
If I didn't care
Would it be the same?
Would my every prayer
Begin and end with just your name?
And would I be sure that this is love
Beyond compare?
Would all this be true
If I didn't care for you?
"If I didn't care, honey child
More than words can say
If I didn't care, baby
Would I feel this way?
Darlin', if this isn't love
Then why do I thrill so much?
What is it that makes my head
Go 'round and 'round
While my heart just stands still so much?"
If I didn't care
Would it be the same?
Would my every prayer
Begin and end with just your name?
And would I be sure that this
Is love beyond compare?
Would all this be true
If I didn't care for you?
Music in this video
Song: If I Didn't Care
Artist: Ink Spots
Album: Inkspots
Writers: Jack Lawrence
This pancocojams post showcases a sound file of The Ink Spot's 1939 recording of the song "If I Didn't Care".
This post also provides information about The Ink Spots along with information about why that Jazz group was named "The Ink Spots".
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to The Ink Spots (the original group) for their musical legacy. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this sound file on YouTube.
INFORMATION ABOUT WHY THAT JAZZ GROUP WAS NAMED "THE INK SPOTS"
From
"The Ink Spots
A number of black male quartets have billed themselves as the Ink Spots,
cashing in on the tremendous success of the original singing group which performed
during the 1930s and ’40s. Famous for their song “If I Didn’t Care,” with its
smooth tenor lead and spoken refrain, they were the best known act of their
kind and served as a huge influence on later rhythm and blues groups. The Ink
Spots were also one of the first black acts to become a hit with white
audiences. The Ink Spots made numerous recordings, had regular radio shows, and
performed with the biggest musical stars of their time, including Count Basie
and Ella Fitzgerald. While they were at their peak of popularity, the group
appeared in two Hollywood movies.
After the quartet split up, however, their reputation became blurred by the splinter groups that were created. And so the Ink Spots have lost some of the recognition they deserve, according to David Hinckley of the Daily News; he reflected in 1995 that “the Ink Spots are too often relegated to the wallpaper of pop music history as if they were one more group that was bright and new for a while, then got covered over by something brighter and newer.” Original members of the Ink Spots struggled for many years to distinguish themselves from copycat acts and to perpetuate the reputation of the group, but were often fighting amongst themselves. Now that all of these men have passed away, several “Ink Spots” groups continue to perform, and if they do not have an authentic pedigree, they do serve to keep the many songs popularized by the Ink Spots in the public’s ear.
[…]
The group’s founding members were all from Indianapolis.
They were Jerry Daniels, who played guitar and sang lead tenor; Orville “Hoppy”
Jones, who sang bass and played the cello; Ivory “Deek” Watson, a baritone and
songwriter; and Charlie Fuqua, the second tenor and guitarist. The Ink Spots
are sometimes described as having evolved out of the Percolating Puppies, a
group that Deek Watson performed with on street corners in Indianapolis. Watson
was on the road when he met up with Fuqua and Daniels, whom he knew from
Indianapolis. This meeting resulted in the formation of a trio that went by the
name King, Jack and the Jester; the addition of Jones and an “s” to the name
made a quartet.
This foursome moved to New York with hopes of making it big, but struggled to make a living. For a time, all worked as ushers at the Paramount Theater. Subsequently, the quartet billed themselves as the Riff Brothers until one day in 1932 when, according to Deek Watson in his book The Story of the ‘Ink Spots, ’ the group happened upon the idea of the “Ink Spots.” Watson told of how he was inspired by a splash of ink from a fountain pen and how he had to overcome the protests of his fellow members. He remembered Jones as saying that he was “always wanting us to be something colored. ’Black Dots, ’ ‘Ink Spots’—next thing you know he’ll be wanting to call us the ’Old Black Joe’s’.” But the members agreed to try the new name, and its adoption coincided with better fortunes for the struggling quartet.”…
-snip-
The words in italics refer to the group name "The Ink Spots".
Here's a short answer to the question about why that Jazz group was named "The Ink Spots":
That group’s name referred to the fact that the group’s members were African American
(i.e. Their skin color was dark like the color of
ink).
I think that the group (or specifically Hoppy Jones) wanted the group to have a name that would distinguish them from White singing groups and/or specifically refer to their group as an African American group. That said, the statement quoted above implies that the names "Black Dots", "Ink Spots", and "Old Black Joe's" were perceived by members of the group as being somewhat insulting, and particularly that last possible name because of the negative connotations of the minstrel song "Old Black Joe" and the other group members may have thought.
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