He was born in Fyzabad, Trinidad and Tobago to Grenadian parents, and moved to England with his family at the age of eight. Oceans' musical influence came at an early age of his life, as his father was a musician, and realised he was inline to follow those ambitions as he was growing up. During his teenage years, he sang regularly in London clubs while also working as a tailor in London's Savile Row. He released his first single in 1972 on Spark Records as Les Charles.
When in Trinidad as a boy he adopted the name Billy Ocean, taking the surname from the local football team 'Ocean's Eleven', who had gotten the name from the famous film of the same name. The next year, 1976, was when he recorded his first album, Billy Ocean, with its first single release, "Love Really Hurts Without You," charting at number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and number 22 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. More successes ensued, including "L.O.D. (Love On Delivery)". He also wrote songs for other artists, such as La Toya Jackson. In 1981, he scored the U.S. R&B chart with "Nights (Feel Like Getting Down)".
Ocean's period of greatest success began with Suddenly during 1984, and its main single, "Caribbean Queen". The song's title and lyrics were changed for different regions, such that the song is also known as "African Queen" or "European Queen". The song won Ocean the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 1985 Grammy Awards. The album's title track also became a success, its score maximizing at #4 in both the US and the UK; and the song "Loverboy", while also being a #2 US success during 1985, from the album, was also the background music for the first scene of the popular UK BBC One TV series, Casualty, during 1986.
Ocean appeared at Live Aid in 1985, singing "Caribbean Queen" and "Loverboy", from the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
His 1986 album Love Zone also sold well. It included the successful singles "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" (the theme from the film The Jewel of the Nile); this was a number one success in the UK and a number two in the U.S.; and "There'll Be Sad Songs (To Make You Cry)" (a U.S. number one, and also a major UK success). Also included were the title track and "Love Is Forever", which were #10 and #16 U.S. successes for Ocean, respectively.
In February 1986, Ocean's video of "When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going" was banned by the BBC, owing to non-union members (including Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito) miming to backing vocals.
Ocean's next album, Tear Down These Walls (1988) featured another number one single, "Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car", while the album was certified platinum.
His 1993 album Time to Move On failed to produce any major successes, but his 1989 Greatest Hits collection has been a steady seller over the years, and his 1997 compilation Love Is For Ever made #7 on the UK album chart. Ocean's last studio album for Jive Records was Time to Move On, which he recorded in Chicago with R&B star R. Kelly. It turned out that R. Kelly had been a long-time admirer of the way Ocean was able to mix the more emotive soul style with a crossover popular style.
In 2002, the University of Westminster awarded Ocean an honorary doctorate of music. The awards ceremony took place in the Barbican Centre, in London. He continues to tour and record in Europe. He lives in Sunningdale, Berkshire with his wife of 27 years, Judy; and their three children Cherie, Antony and Rachel. Ocean is now a patron for Tech Music Schools in London, made up of Drumtech, Vocaltech, Guitar-X and Keyboardtech. He regularly visits to hold clinics and seminars for the students.
In October 2007, Ocean commenced his first British tour in over 15 years. In February and March 2008 he toured Australia and the Far East. His new album, Because I Love You was released on 2 February 2009. To coincide with this new tour and album launch, Ocean has been working with Adoseof Design on a website revision which is due March 2009.
For more information got to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Ocean
Syncopation
Billy Ocean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I guess I'll never really understand.
She gave no indication
That she was loving any other man.
When she holds me
Her body does strange things to mine.
When she loves me
She's really special.
She knows what good love is all about.
Ooh, yeah.
She's got something
I don't want to live without.
Ooh, yeah.
I miss that syncopation.
I guess I'll never really understand.
She gave no indication
That she was loving any other man.
I can't imagine
My baby with somebody new.
Oh, no, no. I'm so confused
That I don't know what to do.
Ooh, ee.
I took love for granted,
And now I'm left here all alone.
Alone and crying.
You're all I'm wanting
So girl won't you come back home?
Ooh, I miss that syncopation.
I guess I'll never really understand.
She gave no indication
That she was loving any other man.
Ooh, I miss that syncopation.
I guess I'll never really understand.
She gave no indication
That she was loving any other man.
You see I never had a lover
Who could make me over like this, like this.
And there'll never be another
Who could take me over like this, like this.
Ooh, how I miss that syncopation.
Baby's found another.
Baby's found another.
She's found another lover.
Ooh my baby.
Woo.
Ooh, how I miss that syncopation.
Baby's found another.
Baby's found another.
She's found another lover.
Ooh my baby.
Woo.
Ooh, I miss that syncopation.
I guess I'll never really understand.
She gave no indication
That she was loving any other man.
Baby come back 'cause I
Miss your syncopation.
Baby come back 'cause I
Miss your syncopation.
Baby, why'd you go?
Baby come back 'cause I
Miss your syncopation.
Baby come back 'cause I
I'm really missing your love!
Baby come back 'cause I
Miss your syncopation.
Baby come back 'cause I
Miss your syncopation.
M' m' m' my baby.
In "Syncopation," Billy Ocean describes missing the syncopation of a lover who has left him for someone else, someone he cannot imagine her with. He admits to taking her love for granted and to being left alone and crying. When he holds her, her body does strange things to his, making him realize that she is one of a kind. Although she gave no indication that she was loving any other man, she has found another lover, leaving Billy Ocean confused and wanting her back. He is missing the unique aspect of their relationship and the way that they move together. He is lost without her and cannot imagine loving anyone else in the same way.
The song is full of soulful, passionate, and emotional lyrics that are characteristic of Billy Ocean's sound. The song was written by Billy Ocean, Barry Eastmond, and Robin Smith and was released in 1993 as a single from the album "Time to Move On." The song's title, "Syncopation," refers to the type of rhythm that is used in jazz music where the emphasis is placed on the off-beat rather than the downbeat.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, I miss that syncopation.
The singer misses the rhythm and energy of his former lover's passionate love.
I guess I'll never really understand.
The singer is struggling to comprehend why his lover left him.
She gave no indication
That she was loving any other man.
The singer believed his lover was loyal and committed to their relationship.
When she holds me
Her body does strange things to mine.
The artist experiences overwhelming physical desire for his lover when they are intimate.
When she loves me
Then I know she's one of a kind.
The artist recognizes his lover's exceptional love when she expresses it.
She's really special.
She knows what good love is all about.
The singer views his lover as unique and knowledgeable about love.
She's got something
I don't want to live without.
The singer cannot imagine his life without his lover.
I can't imagine
My baby with somebody new.
Oh, no, no. I'm so confused
That I don't know what to do.
The artist cannot fathom his lover being with another person, causing him confusion and uncertainty.
Ooh, ee.
I took love for granted,
And now I'm left here all alone.
Alone and crying.
The artist realizes he undervalued his lover's love and now feels regretful and alone.
You're all I'm wanting
So girl won't you come back home?
The artist still desires his lover and asks her to come back.
You see I never had a lover
Who could make me over like this, like this.
And there'll never be another
Who could take me over like this, like this.
The singer believes his ex-lover is irreplaceable in their capacity to change and influence him through love.
Baby's found another.
Baby's found another.
She's found another lover.
Ooh my baby.
Woo.
The artist expresses that his lover has moved on and found someone else.
Baby, why'd you go?
The singer questions why his lover left him.
I'm really missing your love!
The singer confesses to missing his lover's love.
Baby come back 'cause I
Miss your syncopation.
The singer invites his lover to return since he misses the energy of their passionate love.
M' m' m' my baby.
The artist affirms that his lover is still special to him.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BILLY OCEAN, JAMES WOODLEY, KEITH DIAMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@charleswarui2951
He remains the best and greatest of our time, before us and for decades to come. Long live Leslie Sebastian Charles
@alexbartocho2914
2024 still listening to this;Lesli Charles is an hero
@shakilahbirungi8134
I have listened to Syncopation on a daily but it is as amazing as the first time.
@christinekimuyu5031
Brings me so many memories way back an present
@user-po2jh3er8f
Beautiful oldies.
@bismarkpule2522
Wow my favourite Billy track wow 👌 👏 ❤😊
@PresMugabe
I love this song so much that I can play it all over and over again...infact 24/7
@ItsNdiba
I have been teleported to the 80's. Wow!
@fabioc.escritaseimagens4086
Baby come back 'cause I miss your syncopation...a great,great song! The bass line is fantastic.
#BlackMusicBrazilianFan
@curtisdarby7410
Yes, yes bro..... ya feeling me.