Bobby Lyle is a soul jazz pianist. He was raised in Minneapolis, MN in a fa… Read Full Bio ↴Bobby Lyle is a soul jazz pianist. He was raised in Minneapolis, MN in a fabulous four square home near the corner of Park Avenue and 32nd Street. His first "gig" was at the age of 16 and in 1976 he was hired by Sly and the Family Stone. Others arragements were with with Al Jarreau and Anita Baker. From 1977 to present he has put out fifteen albums.

Also..... there is alot more about him than the info provided above

A flexible pianist and keyboardist, Bobby Lyle has long straddled the boundaries between straight-ahead and more commercial forms of jazz. He grew up in Minneapolis and at age six took piano lessons from his mother, who was a church organist. Lyle played clarinet for a period in junior high school before switching back to piano. He considers Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Bill Evans, Erroll Garner, and Art Tatum to have been his early influences. Lyle's first gig was when he was 16 and, after two years of college, in 1964 he became a full-time musician. He spent six years playing locally in Minneapolis and then toured for two years with Young-Holt Unlimited. After returning to Minneapolis for local work (recording a set in 1974 that was released just in Japan), in 1976 Lyle moved to Los Angeles where he quickly got a job with Sly & the Family Stone. After playing with Ronnie Laws, he recorded two solo albums for Capitol. Lyle made guest appearances on recordings by George Benson, Phyllis Hyman, and Esther Phillips and in the early '80s toured with Benson and became Bette Midler's musical director. After two years with Al Jarreau, Lyle recorded a straight-ahead combo date for King (which was reissued as an Evidence CD), conducted for Anita Baker in 1986, and worked with Gerald Albright. In 1988 he began a long association with Atlantic that resulted in the release of six albums between 1989 and 1997, with Pianomagic, a 1991 album of piano solos, being one of the highlights of his career. Bobby Lyle has remained a highly versatile and valuable keyboardist as both leader and sideman during the new millennium, releasing such albums as 2002's Joyful, 2004's Straight and Smooth, and 2006's Hands On on independent labels. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi

The Genie
Bobby Lyle Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I feel like I've been locked up tight
For a century of lonely nights
Waiting for someone to release me
You're lickin' your lips
And blowing kisses my way
But that don't mean I'm gonna give it away
Baby, baby, baby (Baby baby baby)

Ooh, my body's sayin' let's go
Ooh, but my heart is sayin' no

If you wanna be with me
Baby there's a price to pay
I'm a genie in a bottle
You gotta rub me the right way

If you wanna be with me
I can make your wish come true
You gotta make a big impression (Oh yeah)
Gotta like what you do

(I'm a genie in a bottle baby
Gotta rub me the right way honey
I'm a genie in a bottle baby
Come come, come on and let me out)

The music's fading and the lights down low
Just one more dance and then we're good to go
Waiting for someone
Who needs me
Hormones racing at the speed of light
But that don't mean it's gotta be tonight
Baby, baby, baby (Baby baby baby)

Ooh, my body's sayin' let's go
Ooh, but my heart is sayin' no (but my heart is sayin' no)

If you wanna be with me
Baby there's a price to pay
I'm a genie in a bottle (I'm a genie in a bottle)
You gotta rub me the right way

If you wanna be with me (Oh)
I can make your wish come true (Your wish come true oh)
Just come and set me free baby
And I'll be with you

(I'm a genie in a bottle baby
Gotta rub me the right way honey
I'm a genie in a bottle baby
Come come, come on and let me out)

I'm a genie in a bottle baby
Gotta rub me the right way honey
(If you wanna be with me)
I'm a genie in a bottle baby
Come come, come on and let me out

Ooh, my body's sayin' lets go
Ooh, but my heart is sayin' no

If you wanna be with me
Baby there's a price to pay
I'm a genie in a bottle (I'm a genie in a bottle)
You gotta rub me the right way

If you wanna be with me
I can make your wish come true
Just come and set me free, baby
And I'll be with you

If you wanna be with me
Baby there's a price to pay
I'm a genie in a bottle (In a bottle baby)
You gotta rub me the right way

If you wanna be with me (If you wanna be with me)
I can make your wish come true
Just come and set me free baby
And I'll be with you

I'm a genie in a bottle baby
Come come, come on and let me out

Overall Meaning

"The Genie" is a song by Bobby Lyle that tells the tale of a woman who feels trapped and desperately seeks freedom. In the introductory lines, she confesses to feeling locked up tight for many years and desires to be set free. She is drawn to a man who is showing interest in her by licking his lips and blowing kisses, but she is wary of giving in entirely. The woman sends out clear signals of what she wants and warns the man of the price he must pay. She is a genie in a bottle, and the right way to release her is by rubbing her the right way. The woman speaks of her body's desire to be set free, but her heart urges her to wait.

The central theme of this song is female empowerment. The woman expresses clearly her boundaries and expects her wishes to be respected. The Genie in the bottle is symbolic of the woman's desire to be free and not be forced into anything she is not comfortable with. The song is a call to action for women to be open about their desires and put their well-being first.

Line by Line Meaning

I feel like I've been locked up tight
The singer has been feeling stuck and unable to express themselves.

For a century of lonely nights
This feeling has been persistent and overwhelming for a very long time.

Waiting for someone to release me
The singer wants someone to help them break free from their current state of mind.

You're lickin' your lips
The person the artist is addressing is showing signs of attraction.

And blowing kisses my way
The person is being flirtatious towards the artist.

But that don't mean I'm gonna give it away
The singer is not going to give in to the person's advances just because they are flirting.

Baby, baby, baby (Baby baby baby)
A repeated phrase indicating frustration or desperation.

Ooh, my body's sayin' let's go
The artist's physical desires are overpowering their mental and emotional reservations.

Ooh, but my heart is sayin' no
Despite the physical attraction, the artist knows it's not the right choice emotionally.

If you wanna be with me
The person the artist is addressing wants to be in a relationship with them.

Baby there's a price to pay
Being in a relationship with the singer requires effort and sacrifice from the other person.

I'm a genie in a bottle
The artist has the power to fulfill someone's desires like a genie in a bottle.

You gotta rub me the right way
The other person needs to put in effort to make the relationship work.

I can make your wish come true
The singer is confident in their ability to make the other person happy.

Gotta like what you do
The other person needs to genuinely enjoy being in a relationship with the singer.

(I'm a genie in a bottle baby
Reinforcement of the artist's power and the expectations for the relationship.

The music's fading and the lights down low
The atmosphere is setting a romantic or intimate tone.

Just one more dance and then we're good to go
The singer is trying to convince themselves to leave the situation before anything goes too far.

Who needs me
The singer wants to feel needed and desired.

Hormones racing at the speed of light
The attraction between the artist and the other person is intense.

But that don't mean it's gotta be tonight
Despite the intense attraction, the artist wants to take their time and make a thoughtful decision.

I'm a genie in a bottle
Reinforcement of the artist's power and the expectations for the relationship.

The right way honey
Emphasis on the other person putting in the effort for the relationship.

(If you wanna be with me)
Repetition of the expectations for the other person in the relationship.

Just come and set me free baby
The singer wants someone to help them break free from their current state of mind and enter into a relationship.

And I'll be with you
The singer is open to a relationship if the other person meets their expectations.

In a bottle baby
Reinforcement of the singer's power and the expectations for the relationship.

If you wanna be with me (If you wanna be with me)
Repetition of the expectations for the other person in the relationship.

Just come and set me free baby
The artist wants someone to help them break free from their current state of mind and enter into a relationship.

Come come, come on and let me out
The singer is eager to begin the relationship.

Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: David Frank, Pamela Sheyne, Stephen Kipner

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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