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.
Trouble In Paradise
Al Jarreau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you can't hold it back much longer
And when it seems as though you're runnin' out of time
That's the time you should be stronger
Well, if you care about her
Don't you ever doubt her love
Would you turn around and throw it all away?
[Chorus: Repeat 2X]
That it looks like trouble in paradise
And you're burnin' love that's cold as ice
Go out and find a flame
So you can warm it up again
May you always have somebody to depend on
And may your days be celebrations
And may there always be an angel on your shoulder
To help the awkward situations
And if you love each other
You'll never need another love
When the whole wide world has finally got you down,
She'll still be around
[Chorus:]
[repeat to fade]
The lyrics of Al Jarreau's song Trouble In Paradise are about keeping faith in a relationship when it's going through a rough patch. It talks about the moment when you feel like your love is slipping away and the time is running out to fix things. Al Jarreau advises that this is the time when you need to be stronger and not give up on your relationship. He emphasizes that if you really care about your partner, you should never doubt their love, even when things get difficult. Instead, you should express your emotions and let them know how much they mean to you.
In the second verse, the song talks about wishing for someone to depend on, celebrate happy moments with, and an angel to guide us through tough times. Al Jarreau emphasizes that if we love someone truly, they will be everything we need, and we'll never have to look for love elsewhere. The chorus says that when you're facing trouble in paradise, and your love is cold as ice, you should go out and find a flame that can warm it up again.
Overall, the song is about hope and perseverance in difficult times. When things get tough in a relationship, it's easy to feel like love isn't enough, but the song encourages us to keep the faith, express our love, and trust in the strength of our connection.
Line by Line Meaning
When it appears your love is finally on the line
When you feel like your relationship is at risk of falling apart
And you can't hold it back much longer
When you can't avoid the issues anymore
And when it seems as though you're runnin' out of time
When the problems need to be addressed immediately
That's the time you should be stronger
It's important to be clear-headed and strong when facing relationship problems
Well, if you care about her
If you truly care about her and the relationship
Don't you ever doubt her love
Don't doubt her feelings for you
Would you turn around and throw it all away?
Do you really want to risk losing everything you have with this person?
Just let her know today
Communicate with her and don't wait any longer
[Chorus: Repeat 2X]
Repeating the chorus twice
That it looks like trouble in paradise
There are problems in the relationship
And you're burnin' love that's cold as ice
Your love is struggling and needs to be rekindled
Go out and find a flame
Find a way to reignite your passion and love
So you can warm it up again
Work on reestablishing the warmth and love in your relationship
May you always have somebody to depend on
Wishing for the presence of a reliable support system
And may your days be celebrations
Wishing for happy and joyous days
And may there always be an angel on your shoulder
Wishing for guidance and support during difficult times
To help the awkward situations
To assist in navigating uncomfortable or difficult situations
And if you love each other
If you have genuine love for one another
You'll never need another love
There won't be a need or desire for anyone else
When the whole wide world has finally got you down,
When the world is against you, and everything seems to be going wrong
She'll still be around
She will still be there to support and love you
[Chorus:]
Repeating the chorus
[repeat to fade]
Continuing to repeat the chorus until the song ends
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, GARDEN RAKE MUSIC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GREG MATHIESON, JAY GRAYDON, TREVOR VEITCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
stephen spouse
there are no words to describe the talent of this man, he is sadly missed.
DJosephWells
Al was a true don!
RiverSong
Love my Al Jarreau. Forever !!!!!!!!!!!
RiverSong
My love and soul belongs with this man !!! Forever !!!
Tyrone Epps
U can go to you tube and download all his album that what I did Stephen
Bengie Adams
Great song from Al Jarreau. 1983. Ahead of his time. Never be forgotten.
Odis Smith
Al jarreau is the only vocalist in history with Grammy awards in three different categories, Jazz, Pop, R&B. What a great singer he was.
Will Weems
This song just makes you feel like living is easy to bear. Thanks Al for all the feel good music.
Sebastian Raynor
I will listen to something like this while I'm walking in the gym.🙂
Robert White
Tracey Sims I’ve always liked Al Jarreau ! He also sang Moring ! Which was one of his hits as well all & all he was a very great singer of all times !