With her classy, refined brand of romantic soul, Anita Baker was one of the definitive quiet storm singers of the '80s. Gifted with a strong, supple alto, Baker was influenced not only by R&B, but jazz, gospel, and traditional pop, which gave her music a distinctly adult sophistication. Smooth and mellow, but hardly lifeless, it made her one of the most popular romantic singers of her time.
Baker was born January 26, 1958, in Toledo, OH, and raised in nearby Detroit, where she grew up listening to female jazz singers like Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and Ella Fitzgerald. At age 12, she began singing a gospel choir, and by age 16 she was performing with several local bands. In 1975, she successfully auditioned for Chapter 8, one of Detroit's most popular acts at the time; the group eventually signed with Ariola and released an album in 1979, but were immediately dropped when the label was acquired by Arista (which didn't care for Baker's vocals). Chastened, Baker worked low-paying jobs in Detroit and eventually found steady work as a receptionist at a law firm. In 1982, Otis Smith -- an executive who'd worked with Chapter 8 -- contacted Baker about recording for his new label Beverly Glen. Happy with her employment benefits and skittish over the experience with Arista, Baker was reluctant at first, but eventually flew out to the West Coast to record her debut album, The Songstress, in 1983. Though it didn't gain quite enough exposure to become a hit, it did help Baker build a strong fan base through word-of-mouth and she was signed by Elektra in 1985.
Working with producer Michael J. Powell (an old Chapter 8 cohort), Baker released her major-label debut Rapture in 1986. It was a platinum, Grammy winning smash, appealing to both urban and adult contemporary listeners and producing two all-time quiet storm classics in "Caught Up in the Rapture" and "Sweet Love." Baker toured the world in 1987 and her guest appearance on the Winans track "Ain't No Need to Worry" won a Grammy. Her equally stylish follow-up album, Giving You the Best That I Got, appeared in 1988, spawning more staples in the title track and "Just Because." "Giving You the Best That I Got" also won Baker two more Grammys, for Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song. For her third Elektra album, Baker decided to handle a greater share of the songwriting, hence the title Compositions, which was released in 1990 and featured even stronger jazz inflections than Baker's previous work (not to mention all live instruments).
Following Compositions, Baker took a break from recording and touring; after having her first son in 1993, she returned to the studio to craft Rhythm of Love, which was released in 1994. In the years that followed, Baker was mostly silent, despite her fans' clamoring for a jazz album; instead, she raised her family and became embroiled in contract disputes with Elektra, which eventually led her to move to Atlantic. She began working on a new album in 2000, but had to start over from scratch due to defective recording equipment that made the original tracks unsalvageable. In 2004 it was announced that she had signed with Blue Note and still working on her new album. In the meantime, the Atlantic imprint Rhino released Night of Rapture: Live, a 1987 concert originally available on video. Baker finally returned to the studio in 2003 and issued My Everything, her first album in 10 years. Two years later she released her first holiday album, Christmas Fantasy.
Watch Your Step
Anita Baker Lyrics
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Baby, I've felt your kind of pain before
Change your mind
Like revolving doors
Change your women
Like you change your clothes
I'm telling you
You'll fall and hurt yourself one day
Baby, listen, you'd better watch your step
You'll fall and hurt yourself one day
I don't understand your thinking
Don't know why you do the things you do
Break my heart
Disregard my feelings
Breaking hearts
Some kind of game to you
I'm telling you
You better watch your step
You'll fall and hurt yourself one day
Baby, listen, you'd better watch your step
You'll fall and hurt yourself one day
It's so easy to tease me
It's so easy to let me down
It's so easy to mislead me (so easy, so easy)
So easy to leave me hanging around
Oh
Nowhere to come down
Baby, we should just forget this
Oh baby, just throw me out of your mind
I won't stay
Not while you mistreat me
I won't stay
It's just a waste of my time
Oh, I'm telling you
(You better watch your step) oh, you
(You'll fall and hurt yourself one day)
You better stop it, baby
(You'll fall and hurt yourself one day)
The way you live your life
(You'll fall and hurt yourself one day) oh, baby
You better stop it, mm (you'll fall and hurt yourself one day)
You go and stop it
Ooh, you
(You'll fall and hurt yourself one day)
The way you live
(You'll fall and hurt yourself one day)
The way you live, the way you live your life
(You'll fall and hurt yourself one day) oh, baby
Take it easy
(You'll fall and hurt yourself one day) oh, you better
Better take it easy
Easy (you'll fall and hurt yourself one day)
Take it easy (you'll fall and hurt yourself one day)
You better stop it, baby (you'll fall and hurt yourself one day)
You, oh, you you
Oh, you (you'll fall and hurt yourself one day)
Oh, you, you, you
I said slow down (You'll fall and hurt yourself one day)
Anita Baker's "Watch Your Step" is a powerful ballad about the emotional turmoil of being in an unhealthy relationship. The lyrics speak about the singer's frustration with her partner's careless behavior and insensitivity towards her feelings. She does not comprehend why her lover keeps breaking her heart, and she believes that he treats it like a game. She warns him, repeatedly, to watch his step, as he may end up hurting himself one day.
The chorus echoes this warning, as she reminds him that he must take responsibility for his actions and treat her better. The song's lyrics depict a love that is harmful to the singer and how she takes a stand to preserve herself.
The song is an exemplar of 1980s and 1990s R&B, with its soulful melody and powerful vocals. It captures the essence of the era's love ballads, with Baker's stunning vocals elevating the song to remarkable heights. Her dynamic range, soaring from a low, sultry whisper to a high, crystalline falsetto, underscores the lyrics' passion and deep emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't understand your thinking
I don't comprehend the reasoning behind your actions
Don't know why, you do the things you do
I am clueless about the motive behind your behavior
Break my heart, and disregard my feelings
You hurt me emotionally and are insensitive towards my emotions
Breaking hearts, some kind of game to you
You take pleasure in causing emotional pain and playing with people's affections
I tell you, you better watch your step
I warn you to be careful about your actions
You'll fall and hurt yourself one day
You will suffer the consequences of your own actions someday
Baby listen, you better watch step
I implore you to be cautious about your behavior
It's so easy, to tease me
You find it effortless to mock or tease me
It's so easy, to let me down
You find it effortless to disappoint me
It's so easy, to mislead me
You find it effortless to deceive or misguide me
It's so easy, to leave me hangin around
You find it effortless to abandon or neglect me
No where to come down
I feel lost and stranded with no way out
Maybe we should just forget this
Perhaps it's best to put an end to this relationship
Maybe, just put me out of your mind
Perhaps it's better if you forget about me
I won't stay, not while you mistreat me
I will not endure your mistreatment any longer
I won't stay, It's just a waste of my time
I will not invest my time in something that has no value and is detrimental to my well-being
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Anita Baker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind