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.
Pleasure Over Pain
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The autum moments of a night without you
Endless seconds
Watching one window pain fight back the rain
While I'm trapped here inside your love
[Chorus]
Once upon a time
Scattered like the stars in the sky
Are the feelings that I have for you that never got to shine
And it cuts me to the core
But I keep coming back for more
As long as love remains, then it's pleasure over pain
Saying every line I should have said,
Knowing every little move that I should have made instead
Tortured by a mind that won't forget
And my heart is like a butterfly trapped inside your net
And it's breaking me into
But for you it is the least I'd do
As long as love remains, then it's pleasure over pain
Hear the seconds ticking by
Praying that you'll change your mind
Breaking every rule I know
Ready to give up my pride
Waiting for a second chance
Have I waited way too long
If I had you here again
You would never leave I know
Here I am again tonight
Chanting out this little rhyme
Am I gettin' through to you or am I wasting time
[Chorus]
In Al Jarreau's song "Pleasure Over Pain", the singer is grappling with the aftermath of a lost love. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the singer's loneliness and longing as he spends endless moments alone in a room, watching raindrops fall on a windowpane. He mourns the end of his once-everlasting love, feeling the pain of what could have been. Despite his heartbreak, however, he is willing to endure the torment of his memories and feelings for the sake of love. He recalls every misstep and mistake, wishing he had done things differently. He knows that his love for this person will always remain, even if their relationship did not stand the test of time. The chorus reiterates this idea that as long as love remains, pleasure will always prevail over pain, no matter how much it hurts.
Line by Line Meaning
Three after two
It has been over two hours since you left, and I am still counting every minute.
The autumn moments of a night without you
As I sit here alone, I can feel the coldness of the season creeping into my heart, which has been empty since you left.
Endless seconds
Time has ceased to move forward, and every second feels never-ending without you by my side.
Watching one window pain fight back the rain
I am observing the struggle between the rain pouring against the only window that separates me from the outside, just as I am struggling with my inner demons since you left.
While I'm trapped here inside your love
I am stuck in the overwhelming emotions that your love once brought, unable to move on from the paradise that I have lost.
Once upon a time
There was a beautiful tale of love between you and me.
You And I had an everlasting love that ended way before it's time
Our love was something meant to last forever, but it was cut short before it could truly come to fruition.
Scattered like the stars in the sky
The love I still hold for you is infinite, yet it is fragmented and spread out like the countless stars in the vast universe.
Are the feelings that I have for you that never got to shine
The love I had for you was never given a chance to fully bloom and flourish.
And it cuts me to the core
The pain of losing you feels like a constant knife to my heart, carving deeper and deeper each day.
But I keep coming back for more
Despite the agony, I keep seeking out the blissful memories of our past, hoping to relive them once again.
As long as love remains, then it's pleasure over pain
For as long as there is love within me, I will always choose the fleeting moments of happiness amidst the lingering pain of losing you.
Saying every line I should have said
I am haunted by the words I should have expressed to you, the things I should have done differently.
Knowing every little move that I should have made instead
The memories of the times I failed to take certain actions that could have made a difference replay in my mind like a broken record.
Tortured by a mind that won't forget
My mind is plagued with the memories of our love and your absence, which I am unable to shake off or ignore.
And my heart is like a butterfly trapped inside your net
Like a delicate butterfly caught in a spider's web, my heart is ensnared in the tangled web of my love for you, unable to escape.
And it's breaking me into
The weight of my longing for you is slowly causing me to crumble apart, piece by piece.
But for you it is the least I'd do
Even though the pain is unbearable, I would endure it all if it meant having you by my side once again.
Hear the seconds ticking by
Every passing second is a haunting reminder of the time that has passed since you left.
Praying that you'll change your mind
Desperately, I hold onto the hope that you'll come back to me, that we'll be able to reignite the flames of our love.
Breaking every rule I know
I am willing to do anything, even if it means going against everything I value, to have you back in my life.
Ready to give up my pride
My ego and self-worth mean nothing in the face of my love for you, as I'll do whatever it takes to win you back.
Waiting for a second chance
Above all, I long for one more chance to make things right, to have you back in my arms where you belong.
Have I waited way too long
The fear of losing you forever gnaws at me, as I'm unsure if waiting for you to come back will ultimately end in my heartbreak.
If I had you here again
In my dreams and fantasies, I replay the moments we shared together, imagining a different reality where we're together once more.
You would never leave I know
In this alternate world, I imagine that your love for me is just as strong, and that you'd never leave me again.
Here I am again tonight
As I sit in this lonely room, I'm once again consumed by the memories of our love and the pain of your absence.
Chanting out this little rhyme
In my despair, I repeat this song like a prayer, hoping that the repetition of the words will bring you back to me.
Am I gettin' through to you or am I wasting time
I'm unsure if this message I'm sending is reaching you, or if I'm foolishly holding onto a love that's already gone.
As long as love remains, then it's pleasure over pain
For as long as there is love in my heart, I am willing to endure the pain of my loss if it means I can bask in the memories of our happier times together.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing, GARDEN RAKE MUSIC
Written by: JAY GRAYDON, RANDY GOODRUM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind