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 LaFace—1992's Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip and 1994's CrazySexyCool—combined 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. “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” 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, Beyoncé, 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, Sisqó, Dru Hill, Fall Out Boy, Céline Dion, Honeyz, Katharine McPhee, Mariah Carey, Vanessa L. Williams, Chanté 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 1995–1997.
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 Céline 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.
Change The World
Babyface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pull one down for you,
Shine it on my heart
So you could see the truth:
That this love I have inside
Is everything it seems.
But for now I find
It's only in my dreams.
And I can change the world,
I will be the sunlight in your universe.
You would think my love was really something good,
Baby if I could change the world.
And if I could be king,
Even for a day,
I'd take you as my queen;
I'd have it no other way.
And our love would rule
This kingdom we had made.
Till then I'd be a fool,
Wishing for the day...
That I can change the world,
I would be the sunlight in your universe.
You would think my love was really something good,
Baby if I could change the world.
Baby if I could change the world.
I could change the world,
I would be the sunlight in your universe.
You would think my love was really something good,
Baby if I could change the world.
Baby if I could change the world.
Baby if I could change the world.
The lyrics of Babyface's song "Change the World" is a heartfelt expression of love and longing for a soulmate. The song begins with the singer declaring his ardor for his beloved, using the metaphor of reaching for the stars and bringing one down to shine on his heart. He wants his beloved to see the truth of his love, which is "everything it seems," but he acknowledges that for now, it's only a dream.
Then, he sings of his desire to change the world for his loved one. He wants to be the light that brightens her universe and wants her to see his love as something good. The singer goes on to imagine himself as a king, ruling his kingdom with his queen, who is his true love. He dreams of a world where they can be together, ruling side by side in a kingdom of their own.
The song's chorus emphasizes the theme of changing the world for love. The singer repeatedly states that he would be the sunlight in his beloved's universe if he could change the world. He wants his love to be seen as something special, something that can make a difference in the world. The song ends on this hopeful note, with the singer wishing for the power to change the world so that he can finally be with his soulmate.
Overall, "Change the World" is a beautiful love song that expresses the powerful and transformative nature of love. The singer's desire to change the world for his beloved highlights the lengths that people will go for love, and the dreamy quality of the lyrics makes it a romantic and heartwarming song.
Line by Line Meaning
If I can reach the stars,
I wish I could achieve the impossible.
Pull one down for you,
I'd do anything for you.
Shine it on my heart
I'll wear my heart on my sleeve and show you how I really feel.
So you could see the truth:
I want to be transparent, so you know how much you mean to me.
That this love I have inside
My feelings for you run deep.
Is everything it seems.
My love is as authentic as it appears.
But for now I find
Unfortunately, it's not a reality yet.
It's only in my dreams.
Right now, it's just a wishful thought.
And I can change the world,
I believe I can make a difference.
I will be the sunlight in your universe.
I will bring brightness and positivity to your life.
You would think my love was really something good,
My love for you is extraordinary.
Baby if I could change the world.
If only I had the power to make things right.
And if I could be king,
If I had ultimate control.
Even for a day,
Even if it were just temporary.
I'd take you as my queen;
You would be the most important person in my life.
I'd have it no other way.
It would be my greatest pleasure to spoil you and make you happy.
And our love would rule
Our love would be the most significant thing in our lives.
This kingdom we had made.
Together, we would create a beautiful, loving partnership.
Till then I'd be a fool,
Until we can make it happen, it's all just a silly dream.
Wishing for the day...
I'll continue to hope and desire for a better reality.
That I can change the world,
That someday, I can make a difference.
I would be the sunlight in your universe.
I would bring joy and positivity to your life.
Baby if I could change the world.
If only I had the power to make things right.
Baby if I could change the world.
If only I had the power to make things right.
I could change the world,
I have faith that I can make things better.
I would be the sunlight in your universe.
I want to bring light and love into your life.
You would think my love was really something good,
My love is true and meaningful.
Baby if I could change the world.
If only I had the power to make things right.
Baby if I could change the world.
If only I had the power to make things right.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Gordon Scott Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Tommy Sims
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jakebenrubi
5:41 percussionist just launches her gourd shaker into orbit 😂
@alangreen8030
LOL 😂
@joanicejohnson2663
Lol, the percussionist is Sheila E.
@ArtInTheWild24
I hear It’s still floating to never never land until this day.
@ericwilliams3466
That is Sheila E.
@nicksundstrom7341
@@ericwilliams3466exactly! Not just any percussionist
@reallife0728
MTV UNPLUGGED HAD SO MANY AMAZING LIFE PERFORMANCES!!!!🎤🎤🎤🔥🔥🔥🤎🤎🤎
@natalie651
Babyface, one of the most underrated artists in music history.
@NoNo-ks4gg
UNDERRATED!? What? You need to re-read the definition again, sis! He's called a lot of things --- and that word is NOT it, child! 😖
@deborahwilliamson5655
I have a difficult time feeling sorry for anyone who appears in good health, and has a bank account such as his. Underrated for me are the people who have similar talent, but won't ever get the opportunity to see their dreams come to fruition. His voice is beautiful, no doubt!!!