Bessie Regina Norris (born December 21, 1953 - died May 10, 2020), better k… Read Full Bio ↴Bessie Regina Norris (born December 21, 1953 - died May 10, 2020), better known professionally as Betty Wright, was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter and background vocalist born in Miami, Florida, who rose to fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight is the Night". Wright was also prominent in regard to the use of whistle register, the highest human singing register. She influenced a generation of female singer-songwriters and also influenced the world of hip hop who sampled some of her more popular material.
Starting singing gospel with the family group, the Echoes of Joy, Wright began switching to R&B music in 1965 when she was only 11. In 1968, she released her first album, My First Time Around, at the age of 15, and scored her first hit, "Girls Can't Do What Guys Can Do".
It was not until the end of 1971 that Wright's most successful phase of her career took place. The song, "Clean Up Woman", became a Top 5 pop and R&B hit, and would later influence a remix of Mary J. Blige's "Real Love" single with the sample of its guitar riffs; R&B girl group trio SWV's "I'm So Into You" also featured a sample from "Clean Up Woman", as did Afrika Bambaataa's song "Zulu War Chant". In 1974, Wright scored big with the songs "Tonight is the Night" (about a real-life love affair that happened with Wright when she was a teenager) and "Where is the Love" (which won her a Grammy for Best R&B Song).
After experiencing a brief slump in the early 1980s, she rebounded founding her own record label, Ms. B Records, and in 1988 made music history by being the first woman to have a gold record on her own label, with the release of Mother Wit, which featured two of her biggest hits in years, "No Pain (No Gain)" and the "After The Pain". On both songs, Wright displays her powerful upper register capabilities and five-octave range. In 1989, Wright released 4u2njoy which features the hit songs "From Pain To Joy", "Quiet Storm" and "Keep Love New". Her subsequent albums Passion and Compassion, B-Attitudes and Fit For A King kept her fanbase satisfied.
By 2001, a compilation album, The Very Best of Betty Wright, was released. In 2007, Wright scored her most successful single in over a decade with "Baby", a duet with fellow Soul singer, Angie Stone. The song peaked at #22 on the R&B chart and #2 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
Wright mentored several young singers, and did vocal production for the likes of Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez and Joss Stone.
In December 2010, Wright was given another Grammy Award nomination for the song, "Go", for the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.
In January 2011, Wright released her first album in ten years, Betty Wright: The Movie, and was credited to Betty Wright & The Roots .
On May 10, 2020, Wright sadly passed away due to cancer at age 66.
Starting singing gospel with the family group, the Echoes of Joy, Wright began switching to R&B music in 1965 when she was only 11. In 1968, she released her first album, My First Time Around, at the age of 15, and scored her first hit, "Girls Can't Do What Guys Can Do".
It was not until the end of 1971 that Wright's most successful phase of her career took place. The song, "Clean Up Woman", became a Top 5 pop and R&B hit, and would later influence a remix of Mary J. Blige's "Real Love" single with the sample of its guitar riffs; R&B girl group trio SWV's "I'm So Into You" also featured a sample from "Clean Up Woman", as did Afrika Bambaataa's song "Zulu War Chant". In 1974, Wright scored big with the songs "Tonight is the Night" (about a real-life love affair that happened with Wright when she was a teenager) and "Where is the Love" (which won her a Grammy for Best R&B Song).
After experiencing a brief slump in the early 1980s, she rebounded founding her own record label, Ms. B Records, and in 1988 made music history by being the first woman to have a gold record on her own label, with the release of Mother Wit, which featured two of her biggest hits in years, "No Pain (No Gain)" and the "After The Pain". On both songs, Wright displays her powerful upper register capabilities and five-octave range. In 1989, Wright released 4u2njoy which features the hit songs "From Pain To Joy", "Quiet Storm" and "Keep Love New". Her subsequent albums Passion and Compassion, B-Attitudes and Fit For A King kept her fanbase satisfied.
By 2001, a compilation album, The Very Best of Betty Wright, was released. In 2007, Wright scored her most successful single in over a decade with "Baby", a duet with fellow Soul singer, Angie Stone. The song peaked at #22 on the R&B chart and #2 on the Hot Dance Club Songs chart.
Wright mentored several young singers, and did vocal production for the likes of Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez and Joss Stone.
In December 2010, Wright was given another Grammy Award nomination for the song, "Go", for the Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance.
In January 2011, Wright released her first album in ten years, Betty Wright: The Movie, and was credited to Betty Wright & The Roots .
On May 10, 2020, Wright sadly passed away due to cancer at age 66.
After The Pain
Betty Wright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Well, I couldn't resist the urge
To tell you the end of my story
For all those who wanted to know
Was there life after the pain?
After the pain, you come and love me
And I welcome you, you're a glad sight to see
And after the rain and all that I have been through
I still can't explain how I can still love you like I do?
But I do, yes, I do
Still love you like I do
(After the pain)
Though you still do me like you do
(After the pain)
After the pain, we sit and we talk awhile
And I fight with all my might
To hold back the tears from falling with a pleasant smile
And after the rain, I can't believe you
Got the nerve to still call me, baby
And I try to tell you, “No, it ain't so”
But I guess “No” just ain't in me
‘Cause boy, I still love you like I do
(After the pain)
Though you still do me like you do
(After the pain)
Yeah, I know you're laughin'
Those of you who heard 'Pain'
Yeah, you're right, I sure did
I said I'd never take him back again
Well, it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind isn't it?
But we do it all the time
Don't laugh, you probably done the same thing too
It's just that you know me and I don't know you
You know one thing, time has taught me that
Havin' a piece of man is better than havin' no man at all
So I'ma just take what I got and work with it
You understand what I mean
And don't you remember thinkin' back just a few years
When people used to try to help you stay together
They find out you're on the verge of breakin' up
They used to cook up a little food and throw a little party
And whisper things in your ear like
Don't blame Mr. Charlie, Mr. Charlie is just a man
And he's doing the best he can
I heard 'em say, “Don't blame Mr. Charlie, Mr. Charlie is just a man
And he's doing the best he can”
That's why I still love you like I do
(After the pain)
Though you still do me like you do
(After the pain, the pain)
I know that you know it's true
After all I've been through
I should be through with love
But there's a God up above
That keeps sayin', “Betty try
Don't give up, you know why
The sun is gonna shine
'Cause you are mine, all mine”
You just keep doin' your best
And I will do the rest
'Cause I love you, love you, Betty, like I do
That's why I still love you like I do
(After the pain, the pain)
Though you still do me like you do
(After the pain, the pain)
My love is deeper than any ocean
And my love is higher than any mountain
It's, oh, it's full of emotion
My love is full of devotion
My love is in and out of season
And I love you with or without a reason
You see God is gonna bless me for lovin' you
For all the times that you treated me wrong and I kept bein' true
You see, God's eyes they're not closed
He's not asleep
Said He's watchin' everything move you make
Every secret you keep
Boy, you better be careful
Hoo hoo hoo hoo
Said if you treat me bad or make my sad
My Father in heaven is watching you
But I still love you like I do
(After the pain)
And nobody's ever gonna love you like I do
(After the pain)
No one's ever gonna love you like I do
No one's ever gonna love you like I do
No one's ever gonna love you like I do
I don't know why I do, but I do, yes, I do
(After the pain)
Oh, there's a woman in me that keeps on lovin' you
(After the pain, the pain)
I don't know why, oh, I don't know why
(I don't know why, baby)
(After the pain, the pain)
I don't know why
(I don't know why, baby)
But I do
(I do)
Said I do
(I do, I do, I do)
Said I
(After the pain, the pain)
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
(Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa)
(After the pain, the pain)
Do, I don't know why, baby
(After the pain, the pain)
But I love you so, yes, I do
(After the pain, the pain)
Baby, don't you know it's true, yes, I do
Baby, no strain
(After the pain, the pain)
Still love you after the pain
(The pain)
After the pain
To tell you the end of my story
For all those who wanted to know
Was there life after the pain?
After the pain, you come and love me
And I welcome you, you're a glad sight to see
And after the rain and all that I have been through
But I do, yes, I do
Still love you like I do
(After the pain)
Though you still do me like you do
(After the pain)
After the pain, we sit and we talk awhile
And I fight with all my might
To hold back the tears from falling with a pleasant smile
And after the rain, I can't believe you
Got the nerve to still call me, baby
And I try to tell you, “No, it ain't so”
But I guess “No” just ain't in me
‘Cause boy, I still love you like I do
(After the pain)
Though you still do me like you do
(After the pain)
Yeah, I know you're laughin'
Those of you who heard 'Pain'
Yeah, you're right, I sure did
I said I'd never take him back again
Well, it's a woman's prerogative to change her mind isn't it?
But we do it all the time
Don't laugh, you probably done the same thing too
It's just that you know me and I don't know you
You know one thing, time has taught me that
Havin' a piece of man is better than havin' no man at all
So I'ma just take what I got and work with it
You understand what I mean
And don't you remember thinkin' back just a few years
When people used to try to help you stay together
They find out you're on the verge of breakin' up
They used to cook up a little food and throw a little party
And whisper things in your ear like
Don't blame Mr. Charlie, Mr. Charlie is just a man
And he's doing the best he can
I heard 'em say, “Don't blame Mr. Charlie, Mr. Charlie is just a man
And he's doing the best he can”
That's why I still love you like I do
(After the pain)
Though you still do me like you do
(After the pain, the pain)
I know that you know it's true
After all I've been through
I should be through with love
But there's a God up above
That keeps sayin', “Betty try
Don't give up, you know why
The sun is gonna shine
'Cause you are mine, all mine”
You just keep doin' your best
And I will do the rest
'Cause I love you, love you, Betty, like I do
That's why I still love you like I do
(After the pain, the pain)
Though you still do me like you do
(After the pain, the pain)
My love is deeper than any ocean
And my love is higher than any mountain
It's, oh, it's full of emotion
My love is full of devotion
My love is in and out of season
And I love you with or without a reason
You see God is gonna bless me for lovin' you
For all the times that you treated me wrong and I kept bein' true
You see, God's eyes they're not closed
He's not asleep
Said He's watchin' everything move you make
Every secret you keep
Boy, you better be careful
Hoo hoo hoo hoo
Said if you treat me bad or make my sad
My Father in heaven is watching you
But I still love you like I do
(After the pain)
And nobody's ever gonna love you like I do
(After the pain)
No one's ever gonna love you like I do
No one's ever gonna love you like I do
No one's ever gonna love you like I do
I don't know why I do, but I do, yes, I do
(After the pain)
Oh, there's a woman in me that keeps on lovin' you
(After the pain, the pain)
I don't know why, oh, I don't know why
(I don't know why, baby)
(After the pain, the pain)
I don't know why
(I don't know why, baby)
But I do
(I do)
Said I do
(I do, I do, I do)
Said I
(After the pain, the pain)
(Whoa, whoa, whoa)
(Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa)
(After the pain, the pain)
Do, I don't know why, baby
(After the pain, the pain)
But I love you so, yes, I do
(After the pain, the pain)
Baby, don't you know it's true, yes, I do
Baby, no strain
(After the pain, the pain)
Still love you after the pain
(The pain)
After the pain
Betty Wright’s song “After The Pain” is a poignant and emotional reflection on love and the struggles one endures in a relationship. Wright sings about her decision to take her significant other back despite the hardships and pain they have caused her. She opens the song by addressing her listeners, acknowledging that they’ve been following her story and want to know if there is life after pain. Wright then goes on to describe her reconciliation with her partner, and how they sit and talk after the rain, despite the pain they’ve gone through. She explains that although she can’t explain how she still loves him, she does, and will continue to do so. Wright recognizes that people may laugh at her decision to take him back, but she asserts that it is her prerogative to change her mind, and that she’d rather have a piece of him than no man at all. She concludes the song by affirming her love for him, saying no one will ever love him like she does, even after the pain.
The lyrics in “After The Pain” are relatable and raw, painting a picture of the complex emotions involved in a broken relationship. Wright’s powerful voice conveys her message with honesty and truthfulness, leaving a lasting impression on listeners. The song is a reminder that despite the struggles and hardships we face in love, it is still possible to find happiness and joy with the right person.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BETTY WRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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