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.
Telepathy
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Coming through to me
In my mind's eye I can see
Telepathy
Feel it, I know you're there
Somewhere, everywhere
Like static in the atmosphere
It's all around
That I saw you
I knew I'd lose control
Don't have to tell me
That you want to
[Chorus]
Show me the passion
Give me the fire
Can't you see, oh yeah
You got my attention
I got the desire
We got telepathy
Oh
No point trying to hide it
It's invisible...can't fight it
Like static in the atmosphere
I'm lost and found
Before the moment
That I saw you
I knew I'd lose control
Don't have to tell me
That you want to
[Chorus]
The closer you get
The stronger I feel it
Before the moment
That I saw you
I knew I'd lose control
Don't have to tell me
That you want to
[Chorus]
We got telepathy
We got telepathy
We got telepathy
The closer you get
The stronger I feel it
In Al Jarreau's song "Telepathy," the artist sings about a special connection he has with someone else that goes beyond verbal communication. He describes feeling a message coming through to him "in my mind's eye" and sensing the other person's presence "somewhere, everywhere." Jarreau likens this connection to static in the atmosphere, something that's all around and impossible to ignore. He even says that he knew he'd lose control before he ever met the other person.
The chorus of the song speaks to the passion and desire that comes with this telepathic connection. Jarreau sings about being lost and found and the idea that the closer he gets to the other person, the stronger he feels this connection. Ultimately, the song is about the power of non-verbal communication and the intensity of emotions that can come with feeling truly seen and understood by another person.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a message
I am receiving a message
Coming through to me
The message is being sent to me and I am receiving it
In my mind's eye I can see
I am receiving the message mentally and can visualize it
Telepathy
The message is being sent through telepathy
Feel it, I know you're there
I can sense your presence and the message you are sending
Somewhere, everywhere
You are present in every location
Like static in the atmosphere
The message is like an energy that surrounds me like static electricity in the air
It's all around
The message is present in everything around me
Before the moment That I saw you I knew I'd lose control
I knew that meeting you would have a strong emotional impact on me before we even met
Don't have to tell me That you want to
I already know what you want to communicate without you having to say it
[Chorus] Show me the passion Give me the fire Can't you see, oh yeah You got my attention I got the desire We got telepathy Oh
Our telepathic connection allows us to communicate our passion and desire to each other
No point trying to hide it It's invisible...can't fight it Like static in the atmosphere I'm lost and found
There is no point in trying to hide the telepathic connection, as it is invisible and cannot be fought. It is like static in the atmosphere, making me feel both lost and found.
The closer you get The stronger I feel it
The closer you are to me, the stronger the telepathic connection becomes.
We got telepathy We got telepathy We got telepathy The closer you get The stronger I feel it
Our telepathic connection is something we have and can feel growing stronger the closer we are to each other
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Fintage House Publishing
Written by: IAN PRINCE, PAUL BLISS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind