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.
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Babyface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let your heart be light
From now on, our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yuletide gay
From now on, our troubles will be miles away
Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Gather near to us once more
Through the years we all will be together
If the fates allow
So hang a shining star upon the highest bough (oh yeah baby, ooh baby)
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now
So hang a shining star upon the highest bough (ooh baby)
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now
Oh have yourself a merry little holiday baby, only
Have yourself baby a merry little Christmas right now
Have yourself a merry little Christmas now
The opening line of Babyface's song "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is an invitation for the listener to embrace the holiday spirit and be happy. The song's theme revolves around the idea of leaving worries and troubles behind and enjoying the spirit of the season. The lyrics refer to the Yuletide as a time for celebration and merriment, and encourages a renewed commitment to old friendships.
The second verse of the song emphasizes the theme of celebrating with old friends and building new memories. The line "here we are in the olden days, happy golden days of yore" represents the idea of taking time to appreciate the past and present. The lyrics go on to mention faithful friends who are dear to us, and the importance of gathering with them once again.
The bridge of the song emphasizes hope for the future, as it references the possibility of being together through the years. The line "if the fates allow" acknowledges that life is unpredictable, but there is still hope in the possibility of being together in the future. The song finishes with a repeat of the line about hanging a shining star upon the highest bough, emphasizing the idea of the holiday spirit and hope for the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Wishing you a happy and joyful Christmas holiday
Let your heart be light
Be stress-free and enjoy the festive season
From now on, our troubles will be out of sight
Forget about your worries and have fun with your loved ones
Make the Yuletide gay
Celebrate Christmas with happiness and merriness
From now on, our troubles will be miles away
All our problems will be far from our minds during the holiday season
Here we are as in olden days
We are gathered as we did in the past
Happy golden days of yore
Reminiscing about joyful times in the past
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Friends who we hold close to our hearts
Gather near to us once more
Reunite and come closer to share love and happiness
Through the years we all will be together
We will always be united as a group as time goes by
If the fates allow
If destiny permits us to stay together
So hang a shining star upon the highest bough (oh yeah baby, ooh baby)
Decorate your Christmas tree with a star as a symbol of hope and joy
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now
Enjoy Christmas as much as you can right now
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Hugh Martin, Ralph Blane
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Miss_Marnie
This has always been my favorite Christmas song. Toni Braxton and Babyface's rendition is mesmerizing. Toni's voice is perfection!!!
@andrewmurray1478
Toni braxton has one of the most beautiful voices in history :-)
@jadesy681
Woah! So intimate, so lovely, so romantic. You can never go wrong with these two. It seems like they are meant to sing with each other forever! Phenomenal voice!
@byronjfrank174
I'm normally not a Christmas person, however songs like this can make me change my mind. Great, Great song.
@apcg6423
Toni! Toni! Toni! You're amazing! Your voice is classic and timeless. Please don't ever leave us. BTW, they sound great together!
@babelookie9432
I am so in love with the way they talked to each other before the song really started. Such a beautiful duet <3
@ToniHighlander
This gave me the chills. There is no voice like Toni's!
@marving.harden7840
I Love this by Toni and Babyface ,so funny and vocally outstanding .I get chills listening to this. Can't wait for their CD to drop.Hey everyone lets get behind them and make this a number one album/CD AND A BIG HIT for them. Good to hear some good R& B again. Love and Peace.
@marving.harden7840
Get ready for #lovemarrriageanddivorce.
@kimberlywillis1887
Babyface voice is so beautiful and soothing and Toni's is amazing