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.
Closer to Your Love
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the highest heights
On the wings they carry-
Searching for the high
They can never find-
Thinking love is blind.
Never mind.
They'll never see
'Til they turn to love.
Crying through the eyes
Of my own disguise-
Came to know the truth
From the lies.
So,I hope you'll understand how
I'm another kind of man now.
All I want is just to stand
Closer to your love.
[Chorus]
Don't wanna climb a mountain.
Don't wanna swim a river.
I wanna feel the fire,power,
And all I can dream of.
Don't wanna climb a mountain.
Don't wanna swim a river.
I wanna move in
Closer to your love.
If you try to fly
From the highest heights
On the wings you carry-
Searching for the high
Of your own design,
You may come to find
You been blind.
So I hope you'll understand how
I'm another kind of man now.
All I want is just to stand
A little closer to your love.
The song "Closer to Your Love" by Al Jarreau talks of a search for love and the realization that the highest heights one seeks to attain will not bring them closer to love. The opening lines of the song talk about people who fly from the highest heights in search of the high they can never find, thinking love is blind. The following lines suggest that these people will never see the forest for the tree until they turn towards love. The poet sees through his own disguise and discovers the truth from the lies, explaining that he is now an entirely different man, and all he wants is just to stand closer to his love.
The chorus of the song is a repetition of the poet's desire just to be closer to the love he so desperately desires. He mentions that he does not want to climb a mountain, swim a river, or seek any other means of satisfaction, as he wants to feel the fire, power, and all he can dream of by moving closer to his love. The song then ends with a reminder that if anyone tries to fly from the highest heights on the wings he carries, he may come to realize that he has been blind all along.
In summary, the song "Closer to Your Love" is a call to people to seek love rather than seeking ephemeral heights. It presents the idea that love is the most important experience that anyone can ever have, and it is worth pursuing above all else.
Line by Line Meaning
There are those who fly From the highest heights On the wings they carry- Searching for the high They can never find- Thinking love is blind.
Some people try to find love but end up searching aimlessly, believing it to be a meaningless pursuit.
Never mind. They'll never see The forest for the trees 'Til they turn to love.
People will never understand love until they embrace it fully, like a transformative experience.
Crying through the eyes Of my own disguise- Came to know the truth From the lies. So,I hope you'll understand how I'm another kind of man now. All I want is just to stand Closer to your love.
The singer used to be in denial about his past and his own true self, but now he understands the truth and wants to be closer to the love he's found.
[Chorus] Don't wanna climb a mountain. Don't wanna swim a river. I wanna feel the fire, power, And all I can dream of. Don't wanna climb a mountain. Don't wanna swim a river. I wanna move in Closer to your love.
The singer doesn't want to go through any great effort or obstacle to find love. He just wants to be close to it, feel its warmth and power exactly where he is.
If you try to fly From the highest heights On the wings you carry- Searching for the high Of your own design, You may come to find You been blind.
If people try to find love in their own chosen ways, they may find that their search leads them nowhere.
So I hope you'll understand how I'm another kind of man now. All I want is just to stand A little closer to your love.
The singer hopes his past experiences have made him a better and wiser man, and he just wants to be near the love he's found now.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL JARREAU, TOM CANNING, JAY GRAYDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind