Brenda's greatest success came in 1988 with the release of her third album, "Get Here". It featured the hit singles "Get Here" and "Piano In The Dark". At the 31st Grammy Awards, Brenda was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female for "Get Here". "Piano In The Dark" was nominated for Song of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group (there was a duet? -- duet vocal was by Joe Esposito of Brooklyn Dreams). "Get Here" was later a huge hit covered by Oleta Adams.
Nearly all of her songs were written by herself. Some of her compositions are also performed by others like Roberta Flack, Diana Ross, Patrice Rushen, Patti Austin, Donna Summer, Chaka Khan, Fantasia, Ruben Studdard, Justin Guarini, and very successfully by the aforementioned Luther Vandross and Oleta Adams.
Russell is also a chief songwriter and lyricist for the hit Broadway musical "The Color Purple". In 2005 she saw a Broadway musical version of Alice Walker's The Color Purple. Produced by Oprah Winfrey, the show's score is written by Russell and lyricists-composers Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. Russell and her co-writers were nominated for a Tony Award (for Best Score) and a Grammy Award (in the Best Musical Show Album category).
If Only For One Night
Brenda Russell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If only for one night
Let me keep you near
To ease away your fears
It would be so nice
If only for one night
I won't tell a song
No one has to know
If you want to be totally discrete
I'll be at your side
If only for one night
Yeah
If only for one night
Your eyes say things I never hear from you
And my knees are shaking too
But I'm willing, willing to go through
I must be crazy standing in this place
While I'm feeling all disgrace for asking
Let me hold you tight
If only for one night
Let me keep you near
To ease away your fears
It would be so nice
If only for one night
Yeah
If only for one night
(doo doo doo doo)
Ohhh
(doo doo doo doo)
Doo doo doo doooo
Let me take you home
To keep you safe and warm
Till the early dawn
Closer to the sun
It would be so nice
If only for one night
Yeah
If only for one night
Ohhhhh
Doo doo doo
I don't wanna know
I don't wanna know 'bout tomorrow
I just wanna feel you today
I don't wanna know whoa whoa
I just wanna feel you today
Yeah yeah
Ohhhh
I don't wanna know
Oh no
I say, I just wanna feel you today
Brenda Russell's song "If Only for One Night" is a romantic ballad that deals with the idea of finding love that one can hold onto, even if it's just for one night. The song speaks to the desire for human affection and the willingness to forego one's inhibitions for that brief moment of intimacy. The song opens with the lyrics "Let me hold you tight / If only for one night / Let me keep you near / To ease away your fears," and this sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is offering solace and comfort to someone who is emotionally troubled or in need of love.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "If only for one night," which underscores the brevity of the connection that the two people are sharing. The "night" in the song represents a temporary sanctuary, a time to forget about the troubles of the world and focus on the present moment of love. The second verse sings "Your eyes say things I never hear from you / And my knees are shaking too / But I'm willing, willing to go through / I must be crazy standing in this place / While I'm feeling all disgrace for asking." The verse represents both the hope and the fear of opening up to another person. The singer is acknowledging that their own feelings are hard to articulate, but they also suggest that a fleeting moment of love is worth the risk of being rejected.
Line by Line Meaning
Let me hold you tight
I want to embrace you tightly in my arms
If only for one night
Even if it is just for one night, please let me hold you
Let me keep you near
I want to be close to you
To ease away your fears
I want to comfort you and chase away your fears
It would be so nice
I can only imagine how wonderful it would be
I won't tell a song
I will keep this secret between us
No one has to know
We can keep this to ourselves
If you want to be totally discrete
If you want to keep this completely private
I'll be at your side
I'll be there for you
Your eyes say things I never hear from you
Your eyes express emotions I've never heard from you
And my knees are shaking too
I'm also nervous and excited
But I'm willing, willing to go through
Despite the fear, I'm willing to give this a chance
I must be crazy standing in this place
I feel crazy for taking this risk
While I'm feeling all disgrace for asking
I feel embarrassed for even asking you
Let me take you home
Allow me to take you to my place
To keep you safe and warm
To protect you and make you feel comfortable
Till the early dawn
We can spend the entire night together
Closer to the sun
Until the early morning, closer to when the sun rises
I don't wanna know
I don't want to think about the future
I just wanna feel you today
I just want to focus on the present moment and feel close to you
Writer(s): Brenda Gordon Russell
Contributed by Alexis J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fee
I am in utter shock I had no clue my favorite song from Luther is not an original π±
michaelwarren875
House is not a home is not either
Cornell Watts
Superstar, Creepin, etc are all covers that he sung into being his!
Labeaud_on_ the_ Geaux
They never are.lol
Michael Brooks
If this world were mine also. But Luther has written plenty of songs in his catalog
Walter Fox
β@michaelwarren875, 'House' was Dionne Warwick''s. He was a background singer for her.
Nicholas Furaitar
Just learned Luther covered this. Hearing it for the first time. Wonderful!
B. F.
I just learned this today lol
Steven
Yep. That is why I am here.
michaelwarren875
@Steven just learned it by watching the bow wow Luther video