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.
Talk To Me
Babyface Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To get inside your head
Why must you always think
I want to get in your pants
And why I always gotta be
The closest thing to wrong
Sometimes the only thing a brother need
Well I ain't cryin', I ain't cryin'
Done 'bout run out of tears
But you're the closest thing to heaven
I need you to be near
Hear me darlin', hear me darlin'
I can't make it more clear
The only thing that's gonna get me through
Is if I got you right here
Ooo girl, talk to me
You're the only one that comforts me
My only reality is I want you for my woman
Ooo girl speak to me
Let me hear you sayin' that you're
Stayin' with me
I know my reality is without you
I ain't nothin' at all
Why does everything I say to you have
To be suspect
Feel like the only way I'll get with you
Somethin' blows off my head
Well I ain't tryin' to go out like that
I want to keep myself clean
Sometime the only thing a brother need
He need the strength from his queen
I ain't lyin', I ain't lyin', done 'bout
Run out of time
The only time I want to do right now
Is feel you by my side
Hear me darlin', hear me darlin'
I can't be more sincere
The only thing that's gonna get me through
Is if I got you right here
Ooo girl, talk to me
You're the only one that comforts me
My only reality is I want you for my woman
Ooo girl speak to me
Let me hear you sayin' that you're
Stayin' with me
I know my reality is without you
I ain't nothin' at all
Well I said everything's gonna be all right
When you stand by my side
Gonna work things out tonight
We're gonna make out just fine
For once I'd like for you to be
The one who has the faith in me
And I promise I won't
Let you down this time
Ooo girl, talk to me
You're the only one that comforts me
My only reality is I want you for my woman
Ooo girl speak to me
Let me hear you sayin' that you're
Stayin' with me
I know my reality is without you
I ain't nothin' at all
The song "Talk to Me" by Babyface is a plea to a woman to communicate more with him. In the first verse, the singer expresses his frustration with the woman's reluctance to confide in him, and her assumption that he only wants to have sex with her. He wants her to know that sometimes all he needs is emotional support, and that he wants her to be his strong partner. He admits that he has been hurt by her lack of communication but acknowledges that she is the closest thing to heaven for him.
In the second verse, the singer wonders why everything he says to the woman is viewed as suspicious. He wants to keep their relationship honest and clean, and he knows he needs her strength to do so. He again emphasizes the importance of her being the one to lean on. In the bridge, he promises her that everything will be alright if she stands by his side and has faith in him.
Overall, the song is a plea for open communication and emotional support in a relationship. The singer wants to be able to confide in his partner and wants her to be there for him when he needs her. He recognizes the importance of having a strong partner and promises to be there for her as well.
Line by Line Meaning
What must I say to you
I'm having a hard time understanding what you want from me
To get inside your head
I want to know what you're thinking about me
Why must you always think
I feel like you might not trust my intentions
I want to get in your pants
I want more from our relationship than just physical intimacy
And why I always gotta be
I feel like I'm always in the wrong in your eyes
The closest thing to wrong
I feel like you're quick to judge me and find fault in my actions
Sometimes the only thing a brother need
Sometimes all I need is the support and strength of a woman
He need a woman to be strong
I need you to be my rock, to lift me up when I'm down
Well I ain't cryin', I ain't cryin'
I'm not trying to make you feel sorry for me
Done 'bout run out of tears
I've been hurt before but I'm trying to move past it
But you're the closest thing to heaven
You bring me happiness like nothing else can
I need you to be near
I need you in my life, to be close to me
Hear me darlin', hear me darlin'
Listen to what I'm saying, really hear me
I can't make it more clear
I'm being as honest and straightforward as I can be
The only thing that's gonna get me through
I need you to be there for me, to support and comfort me
Is if I got you right here
I need you to be by my side
Ooo girl, talk to me
I need you to communicate with me
You're the only one that comforts me
You make me feel safe and secure
My only reality is I want you for my woman
All I can think about is being with you
Ooo girl speak to me
I need to hear your voice, I need you to tell me what you're thinking
Let me hear you sayin' that you're
I want you to confirm your feelings for me
Stayin' with me
I want to know that you're committed to our relationship
I know my reality is without you
I know that my life is empty without you in it
I ain't nothin' at all
Without you, my life has no meaning
Why does everything I say to you have
I feel like I can't do or say anything right in your eyes
To be suspect
I feel like you don't trust me
Feel like the only way I'll get with you
I feel like I need to jump through hoops to prove myself to you
Somethin' blows off my head
Trying to win your heart is overwhelming and confusing for me
Well I ain't tryin' to go out like that
I don't want to do anything that would make you lose faith in me
I want to keep myself clean
I want to be honest and true to myself and to you
I ain't lyin', I ain't lyin', done 'bout
I'm telling the truth, I'm not lying to you
Run out of time
I feel like we need to act fast if we're going to make this work
The only time I want to do right now
The only thing I want right now is to be with you
Is feel you by my side
I want to be close to you, to feel your love and support
For once I'd like for you to be
I want you to have faith in me
The one who has the faith in me
I want you to believe in me and trust me
And I promise I won't
I'm making a commitment to you
Let you down this time
I won't disappoint you, I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kenneth Edmonds
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind