Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.: In Concert (Live)

Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.: In Concert is a live concert performance from 1980 that was part of a series for international television and was broadcast throughout the world. The Grammy-winning duo perform a collection of popular songs from the 1960s and 1970s with their signature brand of smooth pop and R&B.

Song Selection:

1. Got To Get You Into My Life
2. You Are So Beautiful To Me
3. Interview with Marilyn McCoo
4. Heartache Tonight
5. Sad Eyes

About Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr.

Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. have enjoyed tremendous success through the years as recording artists, performers and authors. They have received 7 Grammy Awards and earned 15 gold and 3 platinum records, and enjoyed starring roles on television and stage. They have performed to sold-out concerts around the world. They are currently celebrating 40 years in the entertainment business with a musical tribute to the hits and productions that have made up their multi-faceted careers.

The husband and wife team celebrate 38 years of marriage in 2007. In 2004 the couple wrote a book, which shares their secrets of staying happy and committed to each other in Hollywood. It’s entitled Up, Up and Away…How We Found Love, Faith and Lasting Marriage in the Entertainment World. It was written in collaboration with Mike Yorkey and was released by Northfield Publishing Company. In it, they talk about how they met, their successful musical careers, and their major struggles behind closed doors, offering practical marriage advice and spiritual encouragement along the way.

As lead vocalists of one of the top singing groups of the late 60’s and early 70’s, The 5th Dimension, they recorded such classics as UP, UP & AWAY, AQUARIUS/LET THE SUNSHINE IN, WEDDING BELL BLUES, ONE LESS BELL TO ANSWER, and STONED SOUL PICNIC to name a few.

After a decade with The 5th Dimension, Billy & Marilyn decided to leave the group and establish themselves as a duo. They had immediate success with the single, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A STAR (TO BE IN MY SHOW). It was a #1 hit and earned them a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group.

That success peaked network interest and CBS-TV premiered THE MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS, JR. SHOW as a prime-time summer series in 1977. Marilyn & Billy entered the 80’s as an international success. They headlined in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Atlantic City, played to SRO crowds in concerts across the country, and won the prestigious Grand Prize at the international Tokyo Music Festival. Back home, they were sought-after guests for every major television show.

About the Songs

Got To Get You Into My Life

Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. (both original members of The 5th Dimension) transform this Beatles tune into a soul and funk infused upbeat jam. The repetitive use of the verse “Got to get you into my life” gives the song a jazzy feel. Their performance revives the original and imbues it with new meaning while retrofitting it with the spirit of the persons performing the songs. “Got To Get You Into My Life” is a popular Beatles song from the 1960s. The song is a homage to the Motown Sound, with colorful instrumentation and lyrics that suggest a psychedelic experience. “It’s actually an ode to pot,” McCartney explained.

You Are So Beautiful To Me

“You Are So Beautiful To Me” is a popular song from 1974, famously performed by Joe Cocker – the song peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. (members of The 5th Dimension) alternate leads and come together again as a duet seamlessly throughout this jazz-style romantic ballad. What makes their performance of the song special is that McCoo and Davis Jr. are a couple in real life, and the proclamations of love in the song’s verses are completely authentic.

Heartache Tonight

Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., original members of The 5th Dimension, sing a fast, vivacious, and blues-tinged rendition of this classic rock song. The singers show off their powerful voices (McCoo has a three-octave range) in this energetic performance. “Heartache Tonight” is an Eagles song that went on to reach No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The song originated from an electric jam session between the composers Glen Frey and J.D. Souther in 1979. In the heat of jamming, Frey called Bob Seger on the phone and sang him the verse. Seger then blurted out the chorus. According to Frey, “J.D., Don (Henley), and I finished that song up. No heavy lyrics — the song is more of a romp — and that’s what it was intended to be.”

Sad Eyes

Recorded in 1979 by Robert John, Sad Eyes went on to reach the top of the chart on Billboard Hot 100. The lyrics of this song describe the sadness experienced by a woman with whom the lyricist had a fling while his normal significant other was away when he has to leave her behind to return home to his normal life with his primary partner. Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. perform a fast tempo, bluesy Jazz rendition of the song. Marilyn’s silky voice and Davis’ crooning vocals along with accompanying piano, bass and drums, create a full, lush sound.