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.
Don't Take It Personal
Babyface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't' meant to lead you one
But there was something in your eyes
Your look so fly
Reminds me of my girl back home
Had it been another time
I surely wouldn't
If you and I were gettin it on
And She's my world
Thought you should know
Chorus:
Don't take it so personal(personal babe)
Don't you know there's nothing wrong with you
Nothing wrong with me
Its just the way it be
Don't take it so personal
Ain't got nothin to do with you
Sometimes you win or lose
Get chose or chooose
There's really nothing you can do
Its alright
Don't apologize
You didn't mean to turn me on
There was something bout that night'
That felt so right
Even I was bout to lose control
I could think of you
No lie its true
I knew I had to stop myself
'Cause I got me a girl
And she's my world
I thought you should know
[Chorus]
You could've been my girl
I could've been with you
You could have been my baby too
I could've been your man
You could've been my boo
I could be makin love to you
I coulda been your sweetheart
Always down for you
Spending all my time with you (spending all my time)
But see I got me a girl
And she's my world
And I just want to say to you
[Chorus]
Don't take it so
Don't take it so personal Baby
Don't take it so
Don't take it so personal
The song "Don't Take It Personal" by Babyface is about a man who expresses regret to a woman for leading her on even though he has a girlfriend. He admits that he was wrong and didn't mean to hurt her feelings but there was a connection between them which reminded him of his girlfriend. He clarifies that his commitment to his girlfriend is strong and is not interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with the woman he led on in the song. He advises her not to take it personally and that sometimes relationships work out and sometimes they don't. The song mentions that he can't help but think of the woman he led on even though he loves his girlfriend so his expression of love and loyalty to his girlfriend doesn't mean he can't feel desire for others. The chorus repeats the message of not taking it personally because sometimes it just isn't meant to be and everything will be alright in the end.
The song has a bittersweet tone as the lyrics describe the sadness of missed opportunities and the difficulty of navigating romantic relationships. It highlights the importance of communication and honesty in relationships and the fact that sometimes things don't work out even if there's mutual attraction.
Line by Line Meaning
I was wrong I was out of line
I made a mistake and I was not behaving appropriately
I didn't' meant to lead you on
I didn't intend to make you think there was something between us
But there was something in your eyes
Your eyes were captivating and attractive
Your look so fly
You looked so attractive
Reminds me of my girl back home
You reminded me of my girlfriend who is back home
Had it been another time
If the circumstances were different
I surely wouldn't
I wouldn't have acted this way
If you and I were gettin it on
If we were involved romantically
But see I got me a girl
I have a girlfriend
And She's my world
My girlfriend means everything to me
Thought you should know
I wanted you to be aware of this
Don't take it so personal(personal babe)
Please don't take it personally
Don't you know there's nothing wrong with you
You did nothing wrong
Nothing wrong with me
I didn't do anything wrong either
Its just the way it be
This is just the way things are
Ain't got nothin to do with you
This has nothing to do with you personally
Sometimes you win or lose
Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't
Get chose or choose
Sometimes you are chosen and sometimes you choose
There's really nothing you can do
There is no way to change the way things are
Its alright
It's okay
Don't apologize
There is no need to apologize
You didn't mean to turn me on
You didn't intend to make me attracted to you
There was something bout that night' That felt so right
There was something about that night that made me feel good
Even I was bout to lose control
I was about to act impulsively
I could think of you
You were on my mind
No lie its true
I am telling the truth
I knew I had to stop myself
I realized I had to control my actions
'Cause I got me a girl
Because I have a girlfriend
And she's my world
My girlfriend is everything to me
You could've been my girl
It could have been possible for us to be together
I could've been with you
I could have had a romantic relationship with you
You could have been my baby too
You could have been my significant other
I could've been your man
I could have been your romantic partner
You could've been my boo
You could have been my girlfriend
I could be makin love to you
We could have been intimate with each other
I coulda been your sweetheart
I could have been your romantic interest
Always down for you
I would always be supportive of you
Spending all my time with you (spending all my time)
I would have loved spending all my time with you
And I just want to say to you
I want to tell you
Don't take it so
Please don't take this to heart
Don't take it so personal Baby
Don't take this personally, baby
Don't take it so
Please don't take it personally
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANTHONY NANCE, ERIKA NURI-PRATHER, JAMES BRION, KENNETH EDMONDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind