Songfacts®:

• Sometimes a couple has to break up to realize they belong together. At least that's what the guy in this song is hoping as he tries to convince his ex to give him another chance. "Love can still be found the second time around," he tells her.
• This song was written by Leon Sylvers and William Shelby. Sylvers was part of the family group The Sylvers and wrote many of their songs (but not their big hit "Boogie Fever"). Shelby did various jobs at Solar Records, where Shalamar was signed. He got the idea for the lyric thinking about a girl he left behind in Dayton, Ohio, when he moved to Los Angeles. He thought there was a chance he could return to Dayton and they would get back together.
• This was the first Shalamar song with their classic lineup of Jeffrey Daniel, Jody Watley, and Howard Hewett. At first, Shalamar was just a studio group put together to release a single called "Uptown Festival," a medley of Motown hits. When that song landed on the charts in 1977, their label needed to form an actual group. They were signed to Soul Train Records, which was associated with the TV show and its founder, Don Cornelius. He decided the group should comprise Hewett, who sang on the record, along with the two most popular Soul Train dancers: Daniel and Watley. Hewett handled the lead vocals while Daniel and Watley sang and danced in the background.
• You have to really dig through the Shalamar catalog to find a lead vocal by Jody Watley, which seems strange considering she became a star after leaving the group in 1983 and issuing her first solo album in 1987. She got the lead on "Take That To The Bank" (1978) and "Right In the Socket" (1979), but was certainly underutilized, which led to her departure. The group was still active while she was emerging as a solo artist, but with little impact.
• "The Second Time Around" was a #1 hit on both the Dance and R&B charts, the only Shalamar song to top either tally. As a solo artist Watley had two songs that topped both charts: "Looking For A New Love" and "Real Love."
• Missy Elliott borrowed the "not like the first time" line in her 2003 track "Is This Our Last Time?"