Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)

The epitome of Philadelphia Soul, "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" is a heartbreaker, with the guy in the song getting his heart broken by the same girl over and over, yet still going back for more. He keeps trying, figuring his persistance will pay off, but every time he's disappointed. After his latest attempt, he asks, "Didn't I blow your mind this time?" but the answer is no. It might be time to fold the tent.

Delfonics frontman William Hart wrote the lyric, with the group's producer, Thom Bell, adding the music. Bell and The Delfonics come together at Cameo-Parkway Records in Philadelphia. At the time, the group had five members and played instruments. Bell wasn't impressed with how they played or with the vocal talents of one member, so he reduced them to a trio (one guy joined the military) and had them just sing - Bell himself played many of the instruments on their early recordings. In 1968, an executive at Cameo started a new label called Philly Groove and brought The Defonics (and Bell) with him. Their first single with the label was "La-La Means I Love You," a big hit that got them off and running. They ran off a string of minor hits until 1970, when "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" got them back near the top of the charts. Bell left soon after to work with another Philadephia start-up, Philadelphia International Records, where he produced The Stylistics. He started getting pigeonholed as a maker of slow, often melancholy ballads, but showed his range with The Spinners, leading them to a string of hits from 1972-1977. The Delfonics didn't do nearly as well without Bell at the helm, and broke up in the mid-'70s.

This song has been covered extensively, by the likes of Aretha Franklin, Regina Belle, Jackie Jackson, Millie Jackson, The Trammps, Maxine Nightingale, and Patti LaBelle. The most successful cover, and also the most unexpected, is by the boy band New Kids On The Block, who took it to #8 in 1989. Their version was originally released on their self-titled debut album in 1986.