Kenneth Edmonds was born on April 10, 1958, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Marvin and Barbara Edmonds. Barbara was a pharmaceutical plant manager. Edmonds, who is the fifth of six brothers (including future After 7 band members Melvin and Kevon Edmonds, the latter of whom went on to have a modestly successful solo career), attended North Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana, and as a shy youth, wrote songs to express his emotions.
When he was in eighth grade, Edmonds's father died of lung cancer, leaving his mother to raise her sons alone. At this stage, Edmonds became determined to have a career in music.
Edmonds later played with funk performer Bootsy Collins, who tagged him "Babyface" because of his cute face while he was still a teen.
He also played in the groups Manchild (which had a 1976 hit "Especially for You" with band member Daryl Simmons), as he was a guitarist for the band. Then, as a keyboardist in the light-funk and R&B group The Deele (which also included drummer Antonio "L.A." Reid, with whom he would later form a successful writing and producing partnership).
One of his first major credits as a songwriter for outside artists came when he wrote the tune "Slow-Jam" for the R&B band Midnight Star in 1983. The tune was on Midnight Star's double-platinum No Parking on the Dance Floor album, and while it never hit the charts, the song is still played on quiet storm shows. Babyface remained in The Deele until 1988, when both he and Reid left the group.
In the late 1980s, he contributed to the creation of new jack swing, writing and producing music for the likes of Bobby Brown, Karyn White, Pebbles, Paula Abdul and Sheena Easton.
In 1989, Edmonds co-founded LaFace Records with Reid. Three of the label's early artists TLC, Usher, and Toni Braxton were successful, the former becoming one of the best selling female groups in music history.
Braxton's eponymous 1993 debut album went on to sell over eight million copies, and earned her the 1994 Grammy Award Best New Artist. TLC's first two albums on LaFaceβ1992's Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip and 1994's CrazySexyCoolβcombined to sell more than 15 million copies in the U.S. CrazySexyCool won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best R&B album.
Babyface helped form the popular late-90s R&B group Az Yet.
Edmonds works with many successful performers in contemporary music. βIβm Your Baby Tonight,β produced for Whitney Houston, was his first #1 Top 40 hit in the US.
He also wrote and produced Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" and "I'll Make Love to You," both of which established records for the longest stay at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
He co-wrote, co-produced, and provided backing vocals on Madonna's 1994 Bedtime Stories, which featured the 7-week #1 hit "Take a Bow," and shared billing with Eric Clapton on the chart-topping Grammy winner "Change the World" from the Phenomenon soundtrack.
He also wrote and produced the #1 hit "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" for Whitney Houston as well as the rest of the critically acclaimed 10 million selling Waiting to Exhale soundtrack in 1995, which spawned additional hits for Houston, Brandy and Mary J. Blige.
Additionally, Edmonds has produced and written music for many artists including Carole King, Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Faith Evans, Al Green, BeyoncΓ©, Diana Ross, Sheena Easton, Toni Braxton, Michael Jackson, Michael Bolton, Paula Abdul, Pebbles, Tevin Campbell, Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Tamia, Shola Ama, 3T, SisqΓ³, Dru Hill, Fall Out Boy, CΓ©line Dion, Honeyz, Katharine McPhee, Mariah Carey, Vanessa L. Williams, ChantΓ© Moore, En Vogue, Kenny G, Kristinia DeBarge, Lil Wayne, Japanese singer Ken Hirai, P!nk, Marc Nelson, TLC, and Phil Collins among others.
He received three consecutive Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year in 1995β1997.
In 1994, he appeared and performed on an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 entitled "Mr. Walsh Goes to Washington (Part 2)".
In the mid-1990s, Edmonds and his then wife Tracey Edmonds expanded into the business of motion pictures, setting up Edmonds Entertainment Group and producing films such as Soul Food (1997), Josie and the Pussycats (2001), and also the soundtrack for the film The Prince of Egypt, which included contributions from numerous artists, including Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.
They are the current executive producers of the hit BET reality series College Hill. Edmonds also worked with David Foster to compose "The Power of the Dream," the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics, performed by superstar CΓ©line Dion. Linda Thompson provided the lyrics.
Babyface also participated as a duet partner on the Fox reality show Celebrity Duets.
Babyface was in the studio for about two years with Ashanti to produce her album The Declaration.
His album Playlist consists of eight cover songs and two original works. It was released on September 18, 2007. It was the first album on the newly re-launched Mercury Records label.
He worked on the Lil Wayne album Tha Carter III, on the Kanye West-produced "Comfortable." He also worked with R&B singer Monica for her sixth studio album Still Standing.
He has written and produced over 26 #1 R&B (many of which hit the pop charts at either #1 or the top ten) hits throughout his career.
CHIVALRY
Babyface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That he's been cheating on you
And that he treats you unkindly
He's using you
My friends tell me
That he keeps messing around
And that your love is so blinded
You think that it's it cool
Well, he never sends you roses
He never kisses you goodnight
He never thinks about your anniversary
He says he don't have time
Well, I might be wrong to think
A little bit confused
That a girl like you is too beautiful
For a guy like him to use
[Chorus:]
What ever happened to chivalry
What ever happened to love and true honesty
What ever happened to chivalry
What ever happened to love and true honesty
My friends tell me
That he's been bragging about
All of the girls that he's doing
All over town
My friends tell me
He's putting you down
And you're so in love you can't tell
He is turning you out
Well, he never sends love letters
He never takes you out at night
He never wines and dines your heart
He says he don't have time
Well, I might be wrong to think
A little bit confused
That a girl like you is too beautiful
For a guy like him to use
[Chorus: Repeat 3X]
The song "Chivalry" by Babyface speaks about a man's concern for his friend's girlfriend who is in a toxic relationship. The singer's friends have informed him that the boyfriend is cheating on her, mistreating her, and using her. However, the girlfriend is unable to see his true colors, believing that his behavior towards her is acceptable. The singer then highlights the various ways in which the boyfriend is neglecting the relationship, such as not sending her roses, not making time for her, and not celebrating their anniversary. He contrasts the boyfriend's behavior to what he thinks should be expected in a relationship, which is chivalry, honesty, and true love.
The song conveys the singer's disbelief that a girl as beautiful as his friend's girlfriend would settle for a guy who treats her poorly. He is confused as to why chivalrous behavior, which was once a norm in relationships, has now become a rarity. The song presents the need for people to hold their partners accountable for their actions and to demand respect in relationships. It highlights the importance of chivalry, which has become seemingly extinct in modern times, and true love, which is based on honesty and respect.
Line by Line Meaning
My friends tell me
I have been informed by people I know
That he's been cheating on you
That he's been unfaithful to you
And that he treats you unkindly
And that he is not nice to you
He's using you
He is taking advantage of you
He keeps messing around
He keeps fooling around with other women
And that your love is so blinded
And that your love for him is stopping you from seeing the truth
You think that it's it cool
You think that it's okay
Well, he never sends you roses
He never buys you flowers
He never kisses you goodnight
He never gives you a goodnight kiss
He never thinks about your anniversary
He doesn't remember or care about your anniversary
He says he don't have time
He claims to be too busy
Well, I might be wrong to think
It's possible that I am mistaken in my thoughts
A little bit confused
A little uncertain or unsure
That a girl like you is too beautiful
That someone as attractive as you
For a guy like him to use
Should not be with someone like him
[Chorus:]
Chorus:
What ever happened to chivalry
What happened to being respectful and courteous
What ever happened to love and true honesty
What happened to being honest and sincere in love
My friends tell me
I have been informed by people I know
That he's been bragging about
That he's been boastful about
All of the girls that he's doing
All of the women he's been with
All over town
Everywhere in the city
He's putting you down
He's insulting you
And you're so in love you can't tell
And you love him so much that you can't see what he's doing
He never sends love letters
He never writes you love letters
He never takes you out at night
He never takes you out in the evening
He never wines and dines your heart
He never treats you to a fancy or romantic night out
He says he don't have time
He claims to be too busy
Well, I might be wrong to think
It's possible that I am mistaken in my thoughts
A little bit confused
A little uncertain or unsure
That a girl like you is too beautiful
That someone as attractive as you
For a guy like him to use
Should not be with someone like him
[Chorus: Repeat 3X]
Chorus repeated three times
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O CAPASSO, Peermusic Publishing, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: KENNETH EDMONDS, SIDNEY JOHNSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brianna Bush
My friends tell me
That he's been cheating on you
And that he treats you unkindly
He's using you
My friends tell me
That he keeps messing around
And that your love is so blinded
You think that it's it cool
Well, he never sends you roses
He never kisses you goodnight
He never thinks about your anniversary
He says he don't have time
Well, I might be wrong to think
A little bit confused
That a girl like you is too beautiful
For a guy like him to use
What ever happened to chivalry
What ever happened to love and true honesty
What ever happened to chivalry
What ever happened to love and true honesty
My friends tell me
That he's been bragging about
All of the girls that he's doing
All over town
My friends tell me
He's putting you down
And you're so in love you can't tell
He is turning you out
Well, he never sends love letters
He never takes you out at night
He never wines and dines your heart
He says he don't have time
Well, I might be wrong to think
A little bit confused
That a girl like you is too beautiful
For a guy like him to use
[HOOK 3 times]
Brianna Bush
My friends tell me
That he's been cheating on you
And that he treats you unkindly
He's using you
My friends tell me
That he keeps messing around
And that your love is so blinded
You think that it's it cool
Well, he never sends you roses
He never kisses you goodnight
He never thinks about your anniversary
He says he don't have time
Well, I might be wrong to think
A little bit confused
That a girl like you is too beautiful
For a guy like him to use
What ever happened to chivalry
What ever happened to love and true honesty
What ever happened to chivalry
What ever happened to love and true honesty
My friends tell me
That he's been bragging about
All of the girls that he's doing
All over town
My friends tell me
He's putting you down
And you're so in love you can't tell
He is turning you out
Well, he never sends love letters
He never takes you out at night
He never wines and dines your heart
He says he don't have time
Well, I might be wrong to think
A little bit confused
That a girl like you is too beautiful
For a guy like him to use
[HOOK 3 times]
Slim From Nola
Babyface songs are the the soundtrack for my life
Monica Malv
OMG!!! I love this song so much β€
Ronnie Garrett
Monica Malv fa real
Zayous Hamilton
One of the truly great Male Vocalist of all time.
Tim L
@tony ebiere his brothers are the true vocalist but Babyface did his thing
tony ebiere
producers not vocalist, he is not a great vocalist but one of the best producers of all time
Any Right
So so true
Jeaninne Herod
Yesssss!!!! All time
Cavin Smallwood
And his brothers.