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.
I Need A Love Song
Babyface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fell in love about every summer.
And I would be calling up the radio.
To dedicate my favorite song to her.
And I sung along with everything.
The words in the song, they spoke to me.
Now I need to know, where did the music go.
Cause my heart is crying out.
I need a love song about now.
Don't need no ring tone songs now.
Please tell the DJ, slow it down.
I wanna think about my baby now.
I want a old school type of slow jam.
You know the kinda where they used to romance.
When Luther used to sing like 'baby'
And Michael made the world go crazy.
I need a 12-play, two step, kelly kinda record (Oh)
I need a love song right now.
(Oh. c'mon, c'mon, c'mon)
Back in the day when I got older.
The music in me had taken over.
So I wrote the songs that made the lovers dance.
Like "I'll Make Love" and "Breathe Again"
Now I want to know, where love has been.
Its just not the same, as it was back then.
And the world needs to fall in love again.
Cause my heart is crying out.
I need a love song about now.
Don't need no ring tone songs now.
Please tell the DJ, slow it down.
I wanna think about my baby now.
I want a old school type of slow jam.
You know the kinda where they used to romance.
When Luther used to sing like 'baby'
And Michael made the world go crazy.
I need a 12-Play, two step, Kelly kinda record (Oh)
I need a love song right now.
Remember when we used to slow dance.
And everybody used to electric-slide.
We'd be partying the whole night.
And we took it home,oh baby.
Rock the boat to the radio, don't ya' know, I miss it all right now.
Cause my heart is crying out.
I need a love song about now.
Don't need no ring tone songs now.
Please tell the DJ, slow it down.
I wanna think about my baby now.
I want a old school type of slow jam.
You know the kinda where they used to romance.
When Luther used to sing like 'baby'
And Michael made the world go crazy.
I need a 12-Play, two step, Kelly kinda record (Oh)
I need a love song right now.
I need a love song about now.
Don't need no ring tone songs now.
Please tell the DJ, slow it down.
I wanna think about my baby now.
I want a old school type of slow jam.
You know the kinda where they used to romance.
When Luther used to sing like 'baby'
And Michael made the world go crazy.
I need a 12-Play, two step, Kelly kinda record (Oh)
I need a love song right now.
I need a love song.
Please tell the DJ.
I need a love song.
Please tell the DJ.
"Love Song" by Babyface is a track about the yearning for classic love songs and romantic ballads that used to define music. The track reflects on how the singer used to call up the radio and dedicate his favorite love songs to his crush during the summer, but longs for that same feeling of connection to the music he loved. He asks the DJ to play an "old school type of slow jam" that he can sing along with and reminisce on a time when Luther Vandross and Michael Jackson made the world go crazy with their romantic songs.
As the track progresses, the singer reflects on his own experience as a songwriter, lamenting that love songs are not the same as they were back in the day. He mourns a lack of new music to put people in the mood for romance and feels that the world needs to fall in love again. The song ultimately serves as a tribute to the ballads of the past, capturing a desire to return to the times when music truly spoke to people's hearts and souls.
Overall, "Love Song" speaks to a broader cultural phenomenon that has seen modern music shift away from the earnest, love-focused ballads of the past. By capturing this sentiment so vividly, Babyface has crafted a track that is both nostalgic and searching, a reminder of the power of music to connect us to our deepest desires and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Back in the day when I was younger.
I used to fall in love frequently during my youth.
I fell in love about every summer.
I would fall in love every summer season.
And I would be calling up the radio.
I used to call the radio station to dedicate my favorite songs to my love interests.
To dedicate my favorite song to her.
I would dedicate my favorite songs to my love interests.
And I sung along with everything.
I would sing along with the lyrics and melody of the songs.
The words in the song, they spoke to me.
The lyrics of the songs had a personal and emotional impact on me.
Now I need to know, where did the music go.
I'm wondering where the type of music I used to enjoy has disappeared to.
Cause my heart is crying out.
My heart is yearning for a certain type of music.
I need a love song about now.
I am in need of a contemporary love song.
Don't need no ring tone songs now.
I don't want to listen to popular, trendy songs that are used as ringtones.
Please tell the DJ, slow it down.
I'm requesting the DJ to play some slower, romantic tracks.
I wanna think about my baby now.
I want to reminisce and think about my loved one now.
I want an old school type of slow jam.
I desire a classic and nostalgic-style slow-paced music.
You know the kind where they used to romance.
I mean the type of songs that involved expressions of love and romance.
When Luther used to sing like 'baby'.
I'm referring to the soulful style of singing that Luther Vandross used to perform.
And Michael made the world go crazy.
I also refer to Michael Jackson's ability to create musical hits that were very popular and beloved.
I need a 12-Play, two step, Kelly kind of record
I would like a love song similar to the styles of R. Kelly's '12 Play' and 'Step in the Name of Love'.
(Oh) - C'mon, c'mon, c'mon
(Oh) - An added word to express excitement and eagerness towards the type of music I want.
Back in the day when I got older.
As I grew older and more mature, I began creating the type of music I once loved listening to.
The music in me had taken over.
My passion for music had become my driving force in life.
So I wrote the songs that made the lovers dance.
I began writing songs that brought people together and made them feel joy and happiness.
Like 'I'll Make Love' and 'Breathe Again'.
I created popular love songs like 'I'll Make Love to You' and 'Breathe Again'.
Now I want to know, where love has been.
I am unsure of where the true essence of love has gone in today's modern society.
It's just not the same, as it was back then.
The way people connect, love and express their feelings is drastically different nowadays.
And the world needs to fall in love again.
I feel like the world today needs to put an emphasis on loving one another again.
Remember when we used to slow dance.
I reminisce about the good old times when slow dancing was a popular and romantic activity.
And everybody used to electric-slide.
Electric sliding was a common dance that everyone participated in with joy and excitement.
We'd be partying the whole night.
We would have a great time at parties and dance the night away.
And we took it home, oh baby.
The connections and romances we made sometimes didn't end at the party, but continued on further.
Rock the boat to the radio, don't ya' know, I miss it all right now.
I reminiscence of being young, partying and listening to music on the radio which I still miss deeply.
I need a love song.
I am still in need for a heartfelt love song.
Please tell the DJ.
I kindly ask the DJ to play the type of music I desire.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DAMON MINCHELLA, OSCAR LLOYD HARRISON, SIMON FOWLER, STEPHEN CRADOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind