In 2005, Amerie burst back onto the music scene with her fourth single "1 Thing", which was used as the theme song for the Will Smith movie "Hitch". "1 Thing" went to the top of the charts in various international markets, including the US, UK and others around the world. It earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (the album "Touch" was also nominated for the "Best Contemporary R&B Album" Grammy ). The album sold an estimated 800,000 copies worldwide and went gold in the US and silver in the UK.
Amerie's third album 'Because I Love It' was released in the UK , Europe and Asia in 2007. The single "Take Control" was released in October 2006, and it enjoyed international success. The second single "Gotta Work" did not fare as well in the charts, despite receiving heavy airplay on UK and European music video channels. The album has sold a combined total of 310,000 copies worldwide and is her most critically acclaimed album.
In late 2007, was reported that Amerie had left her label Columbia Records, and signed with the Island Def Jam Music Group.
Amerie revealed the album title to be changed from 'Breakups To Makeups' to 'In Love & War'. Amerie also announced that her first single off the album will be titled "Why R U?" produced by The Buchanans. The single premiered online in the week of May 11th and received fairly mixed reviews. The track itself is even compared to Mary J. Blige's "What's The 411?" and "My Life" album, because of the old school feel.
Amerie changed her artist name to Ameriie (extra I) in 2010. She said that it gave her more positive energy as an artist. She changed her artist name back to Amerie (without the extra I) with the double EP releases '4AM Mulholland' and 'After 4AM' in 2018.
Right now her main focus is on books, youtube channel and her son and husband.
Swag Back
Amerie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm so surviving
Cause you're not here
But I'm not crying, no
I finally got my swag back
So I don't need that broken heart
No more, you can have that
My head is clear
I'm so surviving
Cause you're not here
But I'm not crying, no
I finally got my swag back
Too many years I spent here puttin' up with you, with you, oh
Now baby, I'm feelin' like I heard so many of your lies
I don't know what's true
So I gotta move on
Now you been running that game for too long
(Thinking about all the time I've wasted)
And we sit back and let you do wrong, oh
My head is clear
I'm so surviving
Cause you're not here
But I'm not crying, no
I finally got my swag back
So I don't need that broken heart
No more, you can have that
Cause baby I got my swag back, yeah
My head is clear
I'm so surviving
Cause you're not here
But I'm not crying, no
I finally got my swag back
I can't believe I let myself fall hard for you
Cause I'm way too fly to be played like a fool
But in life you learn what and what not to do, yeah
Got me a new bag and some walking shoes
Now you been running that game for too long
(Thinking about all the time I've wasted)
And we sit back and let you do wrong, oh
My head is clear
I'm so surviving
Cause you're not here
But I'm not crying, no
I finally got my swag back
So I don't need that broken heart
No more, you can have that
Cause baby I got my swag back, yeah
My head is clear
I'm so surviving
Cause you're not here
But I'm not crying, no
I finally got my swag back
You know you ain't got swagga' like mine
I walked out and I won't come back this time
Cause baby I'm just doin' fine, yeah
So you can take that big slip
Clear your desk keep it moving
Cause I move on, I don't care what you're doing on
Baby that broken heart don't fit me
My head is clear
I'm so surviving
Cause you're not here
But I'm not crying, no
I finally got my swag back
In the song Swag Back by Amerie, the opening lines suggest that the singer is feeling strong and determined. She is in a more positive state of mind than when she was with her previous partner. She is glad that he is no longer with her, and she is not sad about the breakup. She has finally gotten over the pain of their separation and has regained her confidence, or "swag" back. The singer is aware of how much time she has spent on her past relationship and has finally realized that she needs to move on.
In the chorus, the singer repeats how she has finally regained her swag and does not need a broken heart anymore. She is letting go of the past and stepping into new beginnings. In the bridge, the singer sings about how she won't allow herself to be played like a fool anymore. She is confident that she has learned from her past mistakes and is ready to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
My head is clear
I have a clear mind
I'm so surviving
I am surviving well
Cause you're not here
Because you are not present with me
But I'm not crying, no
But I am not shedding tears for you
I finally got my swag back
I have regained my confidence and style
So I don't need that broken heart
I don't need my heart to be broken anymore
No more, you can have that
You can have the broken heart
Cause baby I got my swag back, yeah
Because I have confidence and style again
Too many years I spent here puttin' up with you, with you, oh
I spent too many years tolerating you
Now baby, I'm feelin' like I heard so many of your lies
Now I feel like I have heard too many of your lies
I don't know what's true
I am unsure of what is true
So I gotta move on
So I have to move on
Now you been running that game for too long
You have played games for too long
(Thinking about all the time I've wasted)
(Reflecting on all the time I've wasted)
And we sit back and let you do wrong, oh
And we allowed you to do wrong without intervening
I can't believe I let myself fall hard for you
I can't believe I allowed myself to fall deeply in love with you
Cause I'm way too fly to be played like a fool
Because I am too cool to be fooled
But in life you learn what and what not to do, yeah
But in life, you learn from your experiences
Got me a new bag and some walking shoes
I bought myself a new bag and shoes
You know you ain't got swagga' like mine
You know that you don't have as much style and confidence as I do
I walked out and I won't come back this time
I walked out and I won't return this time
Cause baby I'm just doin' fine, yeah
Because I am doing well
So you can take that big slip
You can take that big loss
Clear your desk keep it moving
Clean your desk and move on
Cause I move on, I don't care what you're doing on
Because I move on, I don't care about what you are doing
Baby that broken heart don't fit me
That broken heart is not meant for me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RICHARD BUTLER, AMERIE ROGERS, JAMES SCHEFFER, DAVID SIEGEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind