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.
Blue Angel
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blue, blue, blue, angel
She is my angel
My blue angel
Ow, do do, de do hey hey, hey hey
And cross the seven seas
Lookin' for my baby
She so good to me
When I find my angel
I'm won't give her up, no
Got a thing for my baby
Can't get enough
You know I love to fly away with her
I love to fly away
She's my blue angel
She's got a spark in her eyes
She's the kind of lover
Keeps a big surprise
I'm her brown sugar
Gonna drink it all night
Blue angel
Blue blue blue blue angel
Uh uh uh
Oh, got a girl whose an angel
Just can't deny
When she calls me up
Baby doesn't criticize, huh
Once I found my baby
Never gonna give her up, no
Got a thing for my baby
And I can't get enough
I love to fly away with her
I love to fly away
She's my blue angel
She's got a spark in her eyes
She's the kind of lover
Keeps a big surprise
I'm her brown sugar
Gonna drink it all night
Blue angel
She's my blue angel
Kick it
I'm never gonna give my baby up, no, no
She's my little blue angel
And my baby's so fine
I've got brown sugar waiting
For my baby each evening now
I love
I love to fly away with her
I love to fly away
She's my blue angel
She's got a spark in her eyes
She's the kind of lover
Keeps a big surprise
I'm her brown sugar
Gonna drink it all night
Blue angel
Blue angel
Mmmm, let me take it on down
Blue, blue, blue, angel (ha ha ha)
Blue, blue, blue, angel
Ooo, listen to me now girl
Blue, blue, blue, angel
Blue, blue, blue, angel
You're my kind of angel
Blue, blue, blue, angel
Blue, blue, blue, angel
Huh, my kind of angel
Blue, blue, blue, angel
Blue, blue, blue, angel
Watch it, kick it horns
Whoa, I'm never gonna give my baby up, no, no
She's my little blue angel
And my baby's so fine
Yeah, I've got brown sugar waiting
For my baby each evening now
Uuh huh huh uh huh
Oh I love to fly away with her
I love to fly away
I love to fly away with her
I love to fly away with her
Blue angel
Fly away, fly away, fly away
Dum da da da da da
Dum da da da da da
Love to fly away with her
Love to fly away with her
With her, with her
Blue angel
You know you are
Blue angel, angel, angel, angel...
The song "Blue Angel" by Al Jarreau is a lovely tribute to the singer's beloved lady. In the opening lines, he repeats the phrase "Blue, blue, blue, angel" multiple times, emphasizing her importance in his life. He then describes how he travels around the world and crosses the seven seas searching for her, and when he finally finds her, he will never give her up. He has a thing for his baby, and he can't seem to get enough of her. He loves to fly away with her and be with her.
The chorus of the song reveals that the woman Al Jarreau is talking about is his blue angel; she has a spark in her eyes and is the kind of lover who keeps a big surprise. On the other hand, Al Jarreau identifies himself as her brown sugar and will drink it all night to savor her taste. The song's outro emphasizes the importance of the woman as the singer repeats the phrase "Blue, blue, blue, angel," adds more adjectives to describe her, and declares his love for her.
Line by Line Meaning
Blue, blue, blue, angel
The singer is telling us that this song is about his blue angel.
She is my angel
The singer considers his lover to be his angel.
My blue angel
The singer emphasizes that his angel is blue.
Hey, travel around the world
The singer tells us that he has been travelling around the world.
And cross the seven seas
The singer has been travelling across all seven seas.
Lookin' for my baby
The singer has been searching for his lover.
She so good to me
The singer loves his lover as she is very good to him.
When I find my angel
The singer knows that he will find his lover someday.
I'm won't give her up, no
The singer will never let go of his lover.
Got a thing for my baby
The singer loves his lover very much.
Can't get enough
The singer can never get enough of his lover.
You know I love to fly away with her
The singer enjoys travelling with his lover.
She's got a spark in her eyes
The singer loves his lover's beautiful eyes.
She's the kind of lover
The singer describes his lover as a wonderful partner.
Keeps a big surprise
The singer tells us that his lover always surprises him in a good way.
I'm her brown sugar
The singer feels like he is his lover's sweet partner.
Gonna drink it all night
The singer intends to spend the night with his lover drinking brown sugar.
Oh, got a girl whose an angel
The singer emphasizes again that his lover is like an angel.
Just can't deny
The singer cannot deny his love for his lover.
When she calls me up
The singer is happy when his lover calls him.
Baby doesn't criticize, huh
The singer appreciates that his lover is not critical of him.
Once I found my baby
The singer is happy that he found his lover.
She's my blue angel
The singer reiterates that his lover is his blue angel.
Kick it
The singer shouts an instruction to the musicians to start playing.
I'm never gonna give my baby up, no, no
The singer reaffirms that he will never leave his lover.
Brown sugar waiting
The singer has arranged for some brown sugar to be waiting for his lover.
Uuh huh huh uh huh
The singer expresses his happiness with a few sounds.
Dum da da da da da
The singer starts humming to the music.
Love to fly away with her
The singer reiterates his love for travelling with his lover.
Blue angel
The singer remembers that his lover is his blue angel.
Writer(s): Narada Michael Walden, Jennifer Miro, Skyler Jett
Contributed by Nathan F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@yshuff7603
I MISS AL JARREAU soooo much😔💔 but ever grateful for the Music he left us with.🎶🎵💯💯💯 May he continue to RILove.🙏🏾☝🏾☝🏾💜💜💜🎶👑
@user-yg3tm6pe8b
Al the best ❤
@marksmusicobsession
Was lucky enough to have met him after one amazing show! A very nice guy and an amazing talent.
@janiceandreyka4902
It's playful and sweet ... love it !
@stergioskyanidis9424
One and only Al Jarreau! The girl on the clip is so beautiful, the chorus of the song even more!
@ianmartinez2370
Angelo Castro Jr
Frankie Evangelista and
Robert Arevalo rest in peace amen and amen
@ricksegal3065
Incredible voice and style.
@ianmartinez2370
Angelo Castro Jr
Frankie Evangelista and
Robert Arevalo rest in peace amen and amen
@hlm7483
👍❤️
@PrimitiveInTheExtreme
✨🎶🌈🎶✨