The instruments commonly heard throughout this collection are guitars, a saxophone, a piano, and an organ. Lyrics to all songs can be found here.
1. Glad All Over (2:42) - The tempo is moderately fast. The narrator is "glad all over" that his girlfriend loves him. He will resist other girls' attempts to steal his heart, and will love her for eternity.
2. Bits And Pieces (1:58) - On my DC5 chart, this moderately fast song is #1. A tambourine beats on the first beat of every other measure. The beats of the bass drum and the rolls of the other drums are my favorite parts; I also like the backing vocals "I'm in pieces, bits and pieces." Only a few days before the setting, the girl told the narrator she'd love him forever; now she's left him.
3. Do You Love Me (2:43) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, was the group's first hit. An earlier, faster version had been the only hit for a Motown group named the Contours. One line in the Contours' version was "I can mash potato"; the DC5 replaced it with "I can do the blues."
4. Can't You See That She's Mine (2:21) - The tempo is fast. The way the organ plays is what I like best in the song. The narrator and his girlfriend will stay together no matter how hard other people try to tear them apart.
5. Because (I Love You) (2:22) - This moderate-tempoed song features chimes. The narrator thinks it's wrong for him to say he doesn't love the girl. If she kisses him once, simply her presence will make him happy. Dave's insistence on releasing this song paid off, for this and the previous song were a double-sided hit.
6. Don't Let Me Down (1:41) - This fast song is a different "Don't Let Me Down" from the one the Beatles sang. The narrator begs his girlfriend not to let him down because he loves her. In the last verse, his heart beats with joy because she didn't let him down.
7. Any Way You Want It (2:29) - Cymbal drums are used heavily in this moderately fast song. The narrator allows his girlfriend to call him any day. She says she doesn't want money or diamonds, only his love. But any way she wants it, that's the way he'll give it to her. I like how the guys' voices echo in some parts.
8. Everybody Knows (I Still Love You) (1:41) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. Cymbal drums are used a lot here, too. All the narrator's friends know that the girl has been treating him badly, running around with another man. She may not love the narrator, but he still loves her.
9. Any Time You Want Love (2:12) - This moderately slow song features cymbal drums. The narrator assures the girl that whenever she wants love, she can find it in him. He'll always be around; all she has to do is call him.
10. Thinking Of You Baby (2:31) - The tempo is very fast. The narrator thinks of his girlfriend "every day and night." He doesn't want any other girl, for the one he's got is gonna treat him right. At the end of most verses, he switches from talking to her to talking about her: "I know you're gonna treat me, she's gonna treat me right."
11. Whenever You're Around (2:54) - In this moderately slow song, the drums are subdued. Whenever his girlfriend is around, the narrator feels good and sees no need to cry. Other people say that the couple should never have met, but he knows they're wrong.
12. Little Bitty Pretty One (1:29) - The tempo is fast. I think this song is much too short, but my favorite parts are the ones where the guys sing "Ah ah ah ah ah." The narrator invites the girl to sit on his knee; he'll tell her a story about how he's watched her grow.
13. Crying Over You (2:08) - This song is slightly slower than moderate. The narrator tells the girl that if she no longer loves him, she should just say so; on the night of the day the song is set, he'll cry over her. But I see one paradox: he says she'll never know that he'll be crying. But he's talking to her, so he's already letting her know what he'll do!
14. Don't Be Taken In (2:22) - The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate. The narrator warns the girl not to fall for a certain other man. That man will tell the girl she's his only love, only to betray her later.
15. When (2:29) - The tempo is slightly slower than moderate but can be a bit difficult to follow in some places when the piano plays. When the girl sees nothing but darkness surrounding her, the narrator asks her to let his love shine the darkness. He hopes she will love him every minute of every day.
16. Reelin' And Rockin' (2:46) - This version has a similar tempo to the original version by Chuck Berry. Cymbal drums play on almost every beat.
17. Come Home (2:48) - The tempo is moderately slow. The narrator apparently is on a summer vacation or a long business trip. Anyway, he cries as he writes a letter to her. He hates being away from her, and he wants to come home to her as soon as he can.
18. Mighty Good Loving (2:39) - The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate. Some people tell the narrator that one day his girlfriend will leave him for another man, but he highly doubts it because he receives such good lovin' from her.
19. Hurting Inside (2:37) - The narrator is hurting because his girlfriend has left him. He wonders whether he has done anything wrong to her. If she doesn't care whether he cries, he tells her to let him go. But if she tells him she still loves him, he will hold her tight, and he won't hurt anymore.
20. Having A Wild Weekend (1:50) - The very fast tempo, the loud playing of the instruments, and the guys' shouts really show how wild the narrator's weekend is. He and his girlfriend are dancin', rockin', and rollin'!
21. Till The Right One Comes Along (1:55) - The tempo is moderate. Only guitars play, except during the last several seconds when a piano plays. Every girl the narrator falls in love with leaves him later; still, he will keep looking for the right girl until he finds her.
22. Catch Us If You Can (1:54) - This fast song features a harmonica. My favorite feature is the finger-snapping on every other beat in the verses. Just before they start running fast, the narrator and his friends yell the title as loudly as they can.
23. I'll Be Yours, My Love (2:42) - The tempo is difficult to follow at first, but it's moderately slow. The narrator promises that he'll be the girl's lover forever and that their togetherness will be like heaven. He is poor at words, so he begs her to forgive him if he ever makes a mistake.
24. I Am On My Own (2:31) - The slow, 3/4 tempo and the absence of drums are appropriate for the mood of this song. The narrator is on his own because his girlfriend no longer wants him. He sees no use in dreaming now that she's gone.
25. I Need Love (3:40) - My favorite parts of this fast song are the bass solos. The narrator tells the girl that if she wants love from him, she has only to let him know. But he also spends some time with other girls, so he tells her, "Please be patient." Well, if he needs love, why can't he forget all those other girls and turn to the one to whom he's singing?
1. (You Don't) Try Too Hard (2:08) - The tempo is fast. The girl makes very little effort to tell the narrator what her feelings for him are. Tired of waiting around, the narrator demands that she tell him whether she wants his love or not. But if she's trying to make a fool of him, he warns her that she'll be crying later.
2. All Night Long (3:10) - This fast piece features a harmonica. I hear plenty of scat shouting, especially "Wo ho ho!" But aside from that, this piece is an instrumental.
3. Look Before You Leap (2:18) - This song, slightly faster than moderate, is quite a goody. I like it because it's one of those songs in which the narrator, having fallen in love with and then been left by a certain girl, tells other men to watch out for her.
4. Please Tell Me Why (1:32) - This slow, 12/8 song opens with a 3-second piano solo. The narrator has fallen in love with a girl he sits next to in class; he prays and asks why she won't give him love. Perhaps she's shy, or she already has a boyfriend, or she's simply not interested in him.
5. Somebody Find A New Love (2:00) - As in two songs back, the tempo is slightly faster than moderate. Love between the narrator and his current girlfriend has grown cold; he wants a new lover who will never leave him, on whom he can depend.
6. Satisfied With You (1:56) - This moderate-tempoed song features a harmonica. The narrator begs his girlfriend to put her trust in him, not to care what her friends say about their relationship. Then he'll be satisfied with her, and soon she'll also be satisfied with him. This is the DC5 love song on which Mike sings most beautifully.
7. At The Scene (1:51) - The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate. The narrator tells all lonely girls about a scene where music plays beyond 2 AM. He asks them to meet him at this scene, guaranteeing that they will live live queens.
8. I Miss You (2:12) - This song has a moderately slow, 12/8 tempo. Cymbal drums are used heavily. The narrator does nothing but miss the girl, who now prefers to walk alone. He wishes he could see her just one more short time.
9. Do You Still Love Me (2:02) - This moderately fast song has a similar title to the third song on Disc 1--"Do You Love Me," with "Still" inserted in the middle. The narrator of this song wonders whether the girl still loves him, since it's been a long time since they were last together. He certainly still loves her, and he longs to be with her again.
10. 19 Days (1:49) - The tempo is moderate. The narrator will be home from a business trip in 19 days (almost 3 weeks). But he can hardly wait until those 19 days are up because he is anxious to see his girlfriend again.
11. I've Got To Have A Reason (1:52) - This moderately fast song features tick-tock drums, hand-clapping, and a tambourine. The narrator offers to help his girlfriend, but first she must give him a reason why she's leaving him, crying, etc.
12. I Like It Like That (1:38) - This fast song was the only hit for Chris Kenner before it hit for the DC5. "I Like It Like That" is a weird name to give to a dance hall, but I still like this song. Anyway, the narrator offers to show his buddy where the place is; each boy will then take a girl there.
13. Over And Over (1:59) - I like the drum rolls, the instrumental in which a harmonica plays lead, and, most of all, the scat vocal "Ah-oooo." The narrator goes to a dance, as does everyone else in town. He thinks the dance will be boring until, suddenly, he sees the prettiest woman he's ever seen; he asks her to talk to him and become his girlfriend.
14. You Got What It Takes (2:58) - This moderately fast song features horns. The narrator's girlfriend isn't an actress, and she doesn't own a fancy car, mansion, or clothing. But she has what it takes to satisfy him, set his soul on fire, etc.
15. Dr. Rhythm (2:46) - This fast song features a harmonica and a tambourine. All the girls call the narrator Dr. Rhythm because he knows how to dance every dance; they dance with him so they can learn how. All the other boys, on the other hand, resent him for diverting all the girls from them.
16. Small Talk (2:20) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. When the narrator tells a friend that a girl the narrator just met will soon be his, the friend just laughs and walks away. Later, when the girl gives the narrator nothing but small talk, he finds out what his buddy's laugh meant. He then tells the girl to stop talking small talk and make up her mind about whether she'll love him. In the end, she decides that she WILL love him.
17. Concentration Baby (2:30) - The tempo is moderate. The narrator tells his girlfriend that she needs concentration to receive the messages he tries to send her when he talks to her.
18. Everybody Knows (2:20) - This moderately slow song is the second of another pair of similarly-titled songs; its mate is the eighth song on Disc 1. The theme is also similar: the narrator's girlfriend has left him and made him cry at a place full of people. So now all those people know that the narrator and the girl are through.
19. Inside And Out (2:53) - The tempo is moderate. This song was intended for, but never used in, Franco Zefferelli's film verison of Romeo and Juliet.
20. At The Place (2:24) - This song and the one 13 songs ago make up a third pair of similarly-titled songs. This one has a moderate tempo. The place in this song is one where the narrator always meets his girlfriend at night so they can walk and talk together.
21. Best Day's Work (2:36) - This dominant tempo is slightly faster than moderate; during the middle instrumental it's very fast. When the girl was the narrator's girlfriend, all she ever did was cheat on him. Therefore, leaving him for good was the "best day's work" she ever did for him.
22. Maze Of Love (2:37) - The tempo is slightly slower than moderate. It's interesting that the narrator compares love to a maze. When people look for love, they certainly will encounter plenty of dead ends before they find it.
23. Here Comes Summer (2:48) - Chronologically, this moderately fast song was the group's last single. The narrator is ecstatic that school's almost out; once it is out, he and his girlfriend can spend every day and night together.
24. Live In The Sky (2:41) - This marching tune features a tambourine and, not surprisingly, horns. During the beginning, the middle, and the end, I hear people cheering and the horns playing the Battle Hymn of the Republic. In the rest of the song, the narrator asks us if we'd ever like to live way up above and get a bird's-eye view of the world going by. According to most religions, we WILL live in the sky someday if we behave well while living on Earth.
25. Everybody Get Together (3:18) - This moderately slow song was previously the only hit for the Youngbloods under the title "Get Together." Toward the end, as the chorus is repeated many times, hands start clapping on every second and fourth beat. Then the instruments fade until only vocals and clapping are audible. Finally, the voices fade. I like both this version and the original; this is a perfect song with which to close this collection.