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.
Love Is Real
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is just a fairy tale
Maybe true love is sold
And bought
Hansel and Gretel found
Their candy getting stale
And you're gonna find
You ain't no Goldilocks
When those bells just
Keep on ringing
And that song you're singing
And you want to share
Your Mondays-
Right through to Sundays
Your best friend is softly speakin'
She won't call this weekend
No way-it's only a fling you say
But
[Chorus]
Love is real, yes it is girl
Never let anyone
Tell you different
When you can feel it
Love is real, yes it is mama
Never let anyone
Tell you different
When you can feel this
Feeling's for real
Let me tell you something
Don't go away
Don't you stray
Let me tell you something
Don't go away
Don't you stray
You think that love's
What's on that silver screen
Raquel and Redford are the tops
You've been misled
By all those movies you've seen
Love ain't a robber
Hidin' from the cops
When you toss 'n' turn all morning
And you wake up yawning
And you walk that floor all evening
And you should be leaving
And you find yourself pretending
You've got a happy ending-
No way-it's only a fling you say
But
[Chorus: x3]
"Love Is Real" by Al Jarreau talks about the concept of true love and the common misconceptions that people have about it. The opening lines suggest that the persona is skeptical about the existence of true love and that in their experience, it's just a fairy tale. The persona then points out that "true love is sold and bought," implying that people don't find true love but rather purchase something that looks like it.
The second verse of the song tries to dispel some of the common misconceptions that people have about love. For example, the persona points out that true love is not like what people see on the big screen or in Hollywood movies with Raquel and Redford as in reality, these movies are misleading. He suggests that true love is not something to be chased, rather it manifests in a person's heart at any moment in time, but most people do not recognize this as true love.
Line by Line Meaning
You think that love
Is just a fairy tale
You believe true love is not real and only exists in stories and movies.
Maybe true love is sold
And bought
You think that real love can be bought and sold like a commodity.
Hansel and Gretel found
Their candy getting stale
And you're gonna find
You ain't no Goldilocks
You refer to fairy tale characters who realized that something that once seemed sweet is no longer appealing, and you know that finding true love is not always easy.
When those bells just
Keep on ringing
And that song you're singing
And you want to share
Your Mondays-
Right through to Sundays
Your best friend is softly speakin'
She won't call this weekend
No way-it's only a fling you say
But
You know you are in love when the thought of sharing every moment of your life with someone else feels right, even though others may not take it as seriously.
Love is real, yes it is girl
Never let anyone
Tell you different
When you can feel it
Love is real, yes it is mama
Never let anyone
Tell you different
When you can feel this
Feeling's for real
Love is real and true, and one should never let anyone else tell them otherwise when they feel it.
Let me tell you something
Don't go away
Don't you stray
You insist that the other person not leave or walk away from the feelings you share.
You think that love's
What's on that silver screen
Raquel and Redford are the tops
You've been misled
By all those movies you've seen
Love ain't a robber
Hidin' from the cops
You believe that movies often present an unrealistic view of love and relationships, and love should not be something hidden or concealed.
When you toss 'n' turn all morning
And you wake up yawning
And you walk that floor all evening
And you should be leaving
And you find yourself pretending
You've got a happy ending-
No way-it's only a fling you say
But
Being in love can lead to a variety of emotions, including restlessness, and despite wanting to leave, you find yourself pretending that everything is okay.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AL JARREAU, THOMAS KELLOCK, TOM CANNING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind