As the son of a vicar, he had his first singing experiences in a church choir. He attended Ripon College, where he also sang non-professionally with a group called the Indigos, and graduated in 1962. He went on to earn a master's degree in Vocational Rehabilitation from the University of Iowa, and worked as a rehabilitation counselor in San Francisco before joining a small jazz club trio headed by George Duke and deciding that he would make professional singing his life in 1968
He appeared in such Los Angeles hot spots as Dino's, the Troubador and Bitter End West. Television exposure came from Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin and David Frost, while he expanded his nightclub appearances to include performing at the Improv between the acts of such rising-star comics as Bette Midler, Jimmie Walker, and John Belushi, among others.
He was spotted by Warner Bros. in 1975 and soon thereafter released his critically acclaimed debut album, We Got By, which catapulted him into international fame and garnered him a German Grammy Award. A second German Grammy would follow with the release of his second album, Glow.
One of Jarreau's most commercially and artistically successful albums is Breakin' Away (1981), which includes the hit song "We're in This Love Together." He wrote and performed the Grammy-nominated theme to the 1980s American television show Moonlighting. Among other things, he is well-known for his scat singing and the ability to perfectly imitate conventional guitar, bass and percussive instrumentation. He was also a featured vocalist on USA for Africa's "We are the World" and sang the line, "...and so we all must lend a helping hand."
He has toured and performed with such greats as Joe Sample, Kathleen Battle, Miles Davis, David Sanborn and Rick Braun. He also performed the role of the Teen Angel in a 1996 Broadway production of Grease. On March 6, 2001 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and La Brea Avenue.
Accentuate the Positive
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eliminate the negative,
Latch on to the affirmative,
Don't mess with Mr. In-Between.
You've gotta spread joy up to the maximum,
Bring pain down to the minimum,
Have faith or pandemonium,
You gotta think all,
All things are possible
End all thought of the improbable
Having all really ain't that remarkable
After all it's all what you believe
To illustrate my last remark,
Jonah in the whale,
Noah in the Ark,
What did they do,
Just when everything looked so down?
You've got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive,
Eliminate the negative,
Latch on to the affirmative,
Don't mess with Mr. In-Between,
You've got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive,
Eliminate the negative,
Latch on to the affirmative,
Don't mess with Mr. In-Between,
It's how you think
All how you think about it
To illustrate my last remark,
Jonah in the whale,
Noah in the Ark,
What did they do,
Just when everything looked so down?
Man, they said you gotta ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive,
Eliminate the negative,
And latch on to the affirmative,
Don't mess with Mr. In-Between,
No, don't mess with Mr. In-Between
No, don't mess with Mr. In-Between
The lyrics of Al Jarreau's "Accentuate the Positive" carries a message of optimism and positivity amidst the challenges and setbacks in life. The song encourages listeners to focus on the good things and eliminate negativity. The first stanza instructs one to accentuate the positive things in life, remove negative thoughts or energy, cling to the affirmative or optimistic way of thinking, and avoid being undecided or indifferent by not messing with Mr. In-Between. In other words, one needs to be intentional and deliberate in choosing positive thoughts and attitudes to overcome life's challenges.
The second stanza continues with the theme of choosing a positive outlook by spreading joy and reducing pain, having faith over chaos, and believing that anything is possible. The lyrics suggest that anything is possible with faith and a positive outlook. The last stanza uses examples of Jonah in the whale and Noah in the Ark, where both characters maintained positivity in their darkest moments, and because they chose to accentuate the positive, they overcame their trials.
In summary, Al Jarreau's "Accentuate the Positive" emphasizes positive thinking, choosing optimism over negativity, and faith over chaos. It is a reminder to be intentional in our thinking and actions, focusing on the good things despite life's difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got to ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive,
You need to focus on and highlight the good things in life.
Eliminate the negative,
Get rid of thoughts, feelings, and actions that bring you down.
Latch on to the affirmative,
Hold onto the optimistic, positive things in life.
Don't mess with Mr. In-Between.
Don't waver, be decisive and committed to your positive mindset.
You've gotta spread joy up to the maximum,
Share happiness and positivity with the people around you as much as possible.
Bring pain down to the minimum,
Try to avoid or minimize negative experiences as much as possible.
Have faith or pandemonium,
Believe in yourself or you will be overwhelmed by chaos and confusion.
Li'ble to walk upon the scene.
You will attract attention and influence the mood of the environment you are in.
You gotta think all,
Believe in the possibility of achieving anything you wish.
All things are possible
Anything is achievable if you have confidence, determination and a positive attitude.
End all thought of the improbable
Dismiss thoughts of what cannot be done, forget about the impossible.
Having all really ain't that remarkable
Possessing everything you want is not all that significant in the grand scheme of things.
After all it's all what you believe
Your mindset and your beliefs strongly influence your life experiences and outcomes.
To illustrate my last remark, Jonah in the whale,
As an example of these concepts, consider the story of Jonah in the whale.
Noah in the Ark,
And also the story of Noah and his ark.
What did they do,
What did these figures do in difficult situations?
Just when everything looked so down?
At the point when everything seemed hopeless?
Man, they said you gotta ac-cent-tchu-ate the positive,
They believed and lived by the principles of focusing on the good.
And latch on to the affirmative,
And holding onto the optimistic and positive things in life.
Don't mess with Mr. In-Between,
Being decisive and committed to positive mindset when faced with uncertainty or ambiguity.
Contributed by Kaylee K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.