Biography
Early years
?uestlove's father was Lee Andrews of Lee Andrews & the Hearts, a 50s doo-wop group. His parents did not want to leave him with babysitters, and took ?uestlove on tour with them. He grew up in backstages of doo-wop shows, and began drumming at the age of two. By the age of seven, ?uestlove began drumming on stage at shows, and by 13, had become a musical director.
As a teenager, ?uestlove's parents enrolled him at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts. By the time he graduated, he had founded a band called The Square Roots (later dropping the word "square") with his friend Tariq Trotter (Black Thought). ?uestlove's classmates at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts included Boyz II Men, jazz bassist Christian McBride, and jazz organist Joey Defrancesco.
?uestlove began performing on South Street (akin to Greenwich Village and Haight Ashbury) in Philadelphia using drums, while Tariq rhymed over his beats and rhythms.
Professional music career
The Roots' roster was soon completed, with ?uestlove on percussion, Tariq Trotter and Malik B on vocals, Josh Abrams (Rubber Band) on bass (who was replaced by Leonard Hubbard in 1994), and Scott Storch on keyboards. While the group was performing a show in Germany, they recorded an album entitled "Organix", released by Relativity Records in 1993.
The group continued recording, releasing two critically acclaimed records in 1995 and 1996, "Do You Want More?!!!??!" and "Illadelph Halflife", respectively. In 1999, The Roots entered mainstream pop cosciousness with "You Got Me" (featuring Erykah Badu); a song which would earn the band the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for 2000. ?uestlove shines in the final minute of this song as he unleashes a massive drum n' bass groove over the last chorus. The song helped fuel the success of their "Things Fall Apart" album which has since been hailed as a classic, eventually selling gold. The group went the experimental route and returned in 2002 with the rock-influenced "Phrenology", which also went gold. Two years later, The Roots released "The Tipping Point", which contained a more mainstream sound, due to demands from Geffen records. The album did not sell very well (400,000 copies), although ?uestlove shines in the bonus track remake of George Kranz's "Din Da Da."
Besides being the drummer for The Roots, ?uestlove has also lent his talents to other artists, projects, and productions.
He was the drummer for The Philadelphia Experiment, a collaborative album released on Rope-a-Dope Records in 2001 and the DJ of the compilation "?uestlove Presents: Babies Making Babies", released on Urban Theory Records in 2002. He also served as executive producer for D'Angelo's 2000 album "Voodoo", Slum Village's album "Fantastic, Vol. 2" and Common's albums "Like Water for Chocolate" and "Electric Circus". Besides the aforementioned albums, he has also contributed as a drummer or producer to Erykah Badu's "Baduizm" and "Mama's Gun", Dilated Peoples "Expansion Team", Blackalicious' "Blazing Arrow", Bilal's "1st Born Second", N.E.R.D.'s "Fly Or Die", Joshua Redman's "Momentum", and Zap Mama's "Ancestry In Progress", among others.
Played drums on Christina Aguilera's song "Loving Me 4 Me" for her 2002 album "Stripped".
In 2005, ?uestlove appeared, along with such luminaries as Madonna, Iggy Pop, Bootsy Collins, and Little Richard, in a television commercial for the Motorola ROKR phone.
In 2006, ?uestlove appeared as himself in the film Dave Chappelle's Block Party and served as arranger and producer of the concert and soundtrack. With the exception of The Fugees, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu, ?uestlove served as the drummer for nearly every performer at the 2004 Brooklyn street concert.
?uestlove was given an Esky for Best Scribe in Esquire magazine's 2006 Esky Music Awards in the April issue.
Can We Pretend
?uestlove Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can we pretend
That from now on
There is no yesterday
Paint a portrait of tomorrow
With no colors from today
[Chorus]
That takes my feeling wraps them around your need
But there's shadow hiding in your heart sometimes
That makes my feelings turn back in on me
Can we pretend
The pain is gone
And go our merry way
Paint a portrait of tomorrow
With the colors bright and gay
[Chorus]
The lyrics of "Can We Pretend" by Questlove speak of trying to escape from the past and the pain that comes with it. He asks if it is possible to pretend that the past did not exist and to focus solely on what lies ahead. The phrase "paint a portrait of tomorrow with no colors from today" gives the sense that he wants to start anew, without bringing any baggage from his past experiences.
The chorus sheds some light on the complex emotions that the singer is feeling for their significant other. The light that shines in their face sometimes represents their partner's positive qualities that draw him close. However, there is also a shadow hiding in their heart, which represents a flaw or a negative trait that can turn the singer's feelings back in on himself. Despite these ups and downs in their relationship, the singer still wants to forget the past, and move forward with their partner by painting a bright and gay portrait of tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Can we pretend
Can we imagine or act as if something is true or real
That from now on
From this moment forward
There is no yesterday
Let's forget the past
Paint a portrait of tomorrow
Create a picture of the future
With no colors from today
Without any influence from the present
[Chorus]
Repeated refrain
There's a light that shine in your face sometimes
You have moments of happiness and joy
That takes my feeling wraps them around your need
My emotions are tied to your desires
But there's shadow hiding in your heart sometimes
You have moments of sadness and darkness
That makes my feelings turn back in on me
My emotions become conflicted
Can we pretend
Let's imagine
The pain is gone
Let's forget about the hurt
And go our merry way
Let's move forward happily
Paint a portrait of tomorrow
Create a picture of the future
With the colors bright and gay
Using vibrant and cheerful hues
[Chorus]
Repeated refrain
Lyrics ยฉ Peermusic Publishing
Written by: D. NICHOLAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@willgillis4207
I'm pretty sure it was Sting who said no one ever wrote more simplistic and yet more powerful melodies and lyrics than Bill Withers....we miss you so much Bill. RIP
@brunoscocozza7531
Will, do you have a link to the article or interview where sting said that. Would love to read it out watch it
@willgillis4207
@@brunoscocozza7531 Hello Bruno, unfortunately I don't. I did spend a little time looking for it after I posted but without success. I do recall he was giving interview, I believe before Bill's passing and it was definitely Sting.
@willgillis4207
The hardest thing in songwriting is to be simple and yet profound. And Bill seemed to understand, intrinsically and instinctively, how to do that,โ Sting said in โStill Bill,โ a 2010 documentary of Withers.
@willgillis4207
You motivated me to find it....you owe me lunch!๐
@willgillis4207
Still Bill Trailer 00:24 mark!
@timbernard8783
This should be studied by all young singer songwriters to understand the magic that can be created with a voice and an acoustic guitar. Of course he makes it look so easy.
@JeffKay-lu4xo
Hey... I'm Jeff I've been loving this tune all of my it's a part of me and it happened to me
But at last... We finally learn to live again..โ๏ธ
@RaySpainPlayer
I think it's because he's authenticity expressing who he is and we connect with the person. The essence of any good art. Imao
@infoscholar5221
I was seven in 1973. My mother had to have a certain female operation. In those days, that meant a hospital stay of 2-3 weeks. Dad ran the needle through this song every evening after we came home from visiting her. There were five kids at home, so he needed to be there to get us off to school. They are both gone, now, but I can't hear this song, without thinking how much he loved her.