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.
Since I Fell For You
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You'd better let love depart,
I know it's so and still I know,
I can't get you outta my heart.
You made me leave my happy home,
You took my love and now you're gone,
Since I fell for you.
My life has been such misery and pain,
I guess I'll never be the same,
Since I fell for you.
[Chorus]
Well, it's too bad and it's too sad,
That I'm in love with you.
Well, you love me and then you snub me,
But what can I do... I'm still in love with you.
I guess I'll never see the light,
I get these blues most every night,
Since I fell for you.
[Chorus]
Well, it's too bad and it's too sad,
That I'm in love with you.
Well, you love me and then you snub me,
But what can I do... I'm still in love with you.
I guess I'll never see the light,
I get these blues most every night,
Since I fell for you.
Since you love me... then you snub me,
I prayed you'd put the world above me,
And now I ... black and blue... scoo, doo, doo, doo...
Since I fell for you
Al Jarreau's song "Since I Fell for You" tells the story of a person who remains in love with someone who does not reciprocate the same feelings. The lyrics convey the pain and sorrow of a love that is unrequited and the hopelessness of being tempted to move on from the relationship. The first verse reveals that the person recognizes the necessity to give up on the love if it is not mutual, but cannot seem to let go, as they cannot get the person out of their heart. The second verse tells the story of how the person gave up everything to be with the other, only to be left behind, causing them so much misery and pain that they feel they will never be the same. The chorus repeatedly emphasizes the frustration and sadness the person feels that they cannot help but still love the one who causes them such distress.
The bridge of the song portrays an image of someone who kneels before and prays for their love to see the error of their ways and make things right between them, but the person remains ignored and out of their reach. The closing lines of the song offer a hint of how damaging this experience has been on the person's psyche when they sing, "And now I ... black and blue... scoo, doo, doo, doo... Since I fell for you," which may be interpreted as the person being beaten down emotionally and physically because they cannot overcome their feelings for this person.
Overall, "Since I Fell for You" is an emotional and powerful song about unrequited love, the pain of longing for someone who does not feel the same way, and the struggle to move on. Al Jarreau's soulful and heartfelt delivery accentuates the ache embedded within the lyrics and makes this song a timeless classic.
Line by Line Meaning
When you give love and never get love,
You'd better let love depart,
I know it's so and still I know,
I can't get you outta my heart.
If you love someone and they do not return that love, it is best to move on. Even though I know this, I can't help but still love you and can't forget about you.
You made me leave my happy home,
You took my love and now you're gone,
Since I fell for you.
Since I fell in love with you, you have caused me to leave my happy life and you took my love, but now you're no longer in my life.
My life has been such misery and pain,
I guess I'll never be the same,
Since I fell for you.
My life has been filled with grief and heartache since I fell in love with you. I don't think I'll ever be the same because of the pain caused by loving you.
[Chorus]
Well, it's too bad and it's too sad,
That I'm in love with you.
Well, you love me and then you snub me,
But what can I do... I'm still in love with you.
It's unfortunate that I am still in love with you, even though you only love me sometimes and ignore me other times. I can't help but still love you.
I guess I'll never see the light,
I get these blues most every night,
Since I fell for you.
Since falling in love with you, my life has been filled with sadness and I can't seem to shake this feeling. I don't know how to move on from this pain.
[Chorus]
Well, it's too bad and it's too sad,
That I'm in love with you.
Well, you love me and then you snub me,
But what can I do... I'm still in love with you.
Once again, it's unfortunate that I still love you even though you push me away sometimes. I don't know what to do because I can't help but love you.
Since you love me... then you snub me,
I prayed you'd put the world above me,
And now I ... black and blue... scoo, doo, doo, doo...
Since I fell for you
It hurts me that you love me sometimes and then ignore me other times. I was hoping that you would prioritize me above all else, but instead, I am left feeling beaten down and heartbroken. All because I fell in love with you.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BUDDY JOHNSON WOODROW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DubGDJ
Thank you Moonlighting for introducing me to the real Al Jarreau.
@areturntosanitywithjeremy
One of the rare, and most brilliant, pieces i ever heard. And years later it still pulls my heart strings just as strongly. Maddie and David, thank you.
@luluokafor7601
One of my absolute favourites
@mouthai4089
RIP AJ the greatest of all times jazz singer, man you’re GREAT!🎊 🎉
@warriorpoet9629
Had this one for years. One of the very best.
@njabulokhumalo1380
Thanks to all these jazz giants.
@JimCerone
I've listened to this 1,000 times - usually late at night in my empy apartment, or on long drives on winding roads in the rain.
@yolandalee2575
I love it like that too. It takes me somewhere else.
@steelydougie6947
Even though I have performed this song at least 15 times......no matter how hard I try, I still can't match his pain.....or his Eloquence
@MrRafaelmuller99
Me too