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.
Gimme What You Got
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The stormy weather
We promised we would
Stay together
We fell out of harmony
Singing Auld Lang Syne
But I've just found a
4-leaf clover
Over me and you
We are a symphony-
A sunny valentine
Don't resign
Gimme what you got, babe
And I'll be satisfied
Gimme what you got, babe
And love will turn the tide
Gimme what you got babe
And always sing keep loving me
Forever more
We made a ship to sail the seasons
To conquer all the waves and reasons
Why we never touched the shore
Or found the treasure you adore
Love's so fine
Ahead of us is stormy weather
We'll cuddle up and stay together
Finally a symphony (will sing)
And sing it one more time.
Don't resign.
In Al Jarreau's song Gimme What You Got, the lyrics convey the message of a resilient and unbreakable love. Despite facing difficulties, the two lovers have vowed to stay together and support each other. The line "We made it through the stormy weather" shows that they have already weathered many of life's challenges by each other's sides. "We fell out of harmony singing Auld Lang Syne" means that they had a falling out, yet they were able to patch things up and come out stronger in the end. The line "But I've just found a 4-leaf clover" signifies that everything is turning around for the better, and they're starting to feel lucky in their love.
The chorus emphasizes the importance of communication and mutual support in a relationship. "Gimme what you got, babe, and I'll be satisfied" means that the singer doesn't necessarily want material possessions, but rather emotional support from his partner. The line "And love will turn the tide" means that with the power of their love, they can overcome whatever troubles come their way. The final line of the chorus, "And always sing keep loving me forevermore," reinforces the idea that love is a continuous effort.
Overall, Gimme What You Got is a hopeful and enduring love song that encourages listeners to cherish and maintain their relationships, even during tough times.
Line by Line Meaning
We made it through
We have survived the difficulties that we faced in the past
The stormy weather
The challenges and problems we faced in our lives
We promised we would
We had committed ourselves to each other
Stay together
To be by each other's side no matter what
We fell out of harmony
We had disagreements and misunderstandings in our relationship
Singing Auld Lang Syne
Remembering the good times that we had shared in the past
But I've just found a
I have recently discovered
4-leaf clover
Something that brings good luck and happiness
So blue the sky all
The sky is clear and bright
Over me and you
Reflecting our lives together
We are a symphony-
Our lives together are like a beautiful musical composition
A sunny valentine
A joyful and happy day of love
Don't resign
Don't give up or give in to negativity and despair
Gimme what you got, babe
Give me your best effort and love
And I'll be satisfied
I will feel content and happy with what you give me
Love will turn the tide
Love can help overcome the obstacles in life
And always sing keep loving me
Keep telling me you love me and never stop
Forever more
For all eternity
We made a ship to sail the seasons
We built our relationship to last through all the ups and downs of life
To conquer all the waves and reasons
To overcome all the obstacles and challenges that we face
Why we never touched the shore
Why we never gave up on each other
Or found the treasure you adore
Or found the things that you value most in life
Love's so fine
Love is a wonderful and precious thing
Ahead of us is stormy weather
There will be more challenges and obstacles ahead of us
We'll cuddle up and stay together
But we will stay strong and supportive of each other
Finally a symphony (will sing)
Finally, our lives together will be harmonious and happy
And sing it one more time.
We will celebrate our love and happiness together and forevermore.
Don't resign.
Never give up on love or on each other.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL JARREAU, TOM CANNING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind