Prior to her appearance on The Wiz, Cheryl taped an episode of the Gong Show in the early part of 1976. She went on to win the competition while singing Joe Cocker's "You Are So Beautiful." Lynn later told Dick Clark during her appearance on American Bandstand that after the episode aired, in the fall of 1976, record industry executives were calling about her soon after the win.
Success and later career
After signing with Columbia Records, Lynn released her first and biggest hit, "Got to Be Real," which was penned by Toto's keyboardist David Paich, David Foster and Lynn. The song peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the R&B chart. The success of the single prompted a full scale debut album. Titled, Cheryl Lynn, it was produced by Paich. The album sold over a million copies and peaked at #5 on Billboard's R&B albums chart and #23 on Billboard's top 200 album charts. The follow-up single, "Star Love," also became a hit —reaching the top twenty on both the R&B and Dance charts.
During Cheryl's debut album's run, members of the rock group Toto were putting together their debut album. During the production Lynn was asked to provided the female backing vocal on the single, "Georgy Porgy." The single peaked at #48 on Billboard's Pop charts. Although Toto would go on to chart more than a dozen pop hits throughout the years, it was Lynn's vocal on "Georgy Porgy" that aided the group in charting their one and only R&B (#18) and Dance (#80) hit on the Billboard charts.
In 1981, Ray Parker, Jr. produced "Shake It Up Tonight," a major club R&B hit from Lynn's third album, In The Night. The following year, Luther Vandross was called on to produced Cheryl's fourth album, Instant Love. The second single off the album, "If This World Were Mine" —a 1982 duet with Luther Vandross that covered a Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell song, has become an urban contemporary classic. For her fifth album, Preppie, Cheryl took it upon herself to produce most of the tracks with the exception of the single "Encore" (#1 R&B hit) —written and produced by the Minneapolis funk duo, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. It became Lynn's second #1 single on the U.S. Billboard R&B Charts. Her final top ten hit in the 80s was released in 1989: "Every Time I Try To Say Goodbye," from her eighth album, Whatever It Takes.
The 1990's
Cheryl began the 90's without a record contract. During this period she did session work on Richard Marx albums Rush Street and Paid Vacation. She also worked with Luther Vandross on his album Your Secret Love . In 1995, after a six year hiatus from recording her own material, Lynn teamed up with producer/songwriter Teddy Riley, (formally of the New Jack Swing group Guy), to record her ninth album, Good Time. It was released in Japan, the UK and later in the United States as an imported CD and featured the club favorite single "Guarantee For My Heart."
2000 to present
During the new millennium Lynn toured Japan and did the occasional gig in the U.S., performing at charity events in her hometown of Los Angeles. She performed on ABC's The Disco Ball... A 30-Year Celebration, which aired in January 2003. In 2004 she recorded the song, "Sweet Kind Of Life," which was also written and produced by Jam & Lewis, for the animated film and soundtrack to Shark Tale.
On September 19, 2005, Lynn's signature song "Got to Be Real" was inducted into the Dance Music Hall of Fame. She is considered an influence on some of today's R&B female singers, including Mary J. Blige, who, along with Will Smith, covered Lynn's signature song, "Got to Be Real", also for the soundtrack of the animated film Shark Tale.
Give My Love to You
Cheryl Lynn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm in love with you
But you play your games
'Cause you say love has brought you pain
Giving my love to you now
That's all I wanna do
Is give my love to you now
I, I don't care
'Bout how long you've been wrong
Just take your time
You will find love can be so kind
I'm giving my love to you now
That's all I wanna do
Is give me love to you now
I'll always be true
I'm in love, so in love with you
I'm in love, so in love with you
I'm in love, so in love with you
I'm in love, so in love with you
I'm giving my love to you now
That's all I wanna do
Is give me love to you now
I'll always be true
And I'm giving my (giving my love)
All of my love (giving my love)
My sweet, sweet, sweet (my love)
Sweet love to you now
I'm (giving my love)
I'm (giving my love)
(Always be true)
I wanna give my love to you now (giving my love)
Wanna give my love
I gotta give you my love (giving my love)
(My love is true)
Come on, darling (giving my love)
Come on, baby (giving my love)
(Always be true)
I wanna give my love to you
I wanna give my love
I gotta give my love
I wanna give my love
(Giving my love to you, to you)
I'm giving my, my love to you, darling
I'm giving my, my love to you, baby
I'm giving my, my love to you, darling
I'm giving my...
(Giving my love to you, to you)
The lyrics of Cheryl Lynn's "Give My Love to You" express the singer's desire to love and be loved, despite the emotional baggage her partner carries with him. The opening lines set the tone, expressing her unwavering love for her partner, despite his tendency to play games with her emotions. She recognizes that he is dealing with past trauma and the pain of lost relationships, but she is determined to stay true to her intentions of giving her love to him.
As the song progresses, Cheryl Lynn wants her partner to understand that love can heal old wounds and that she is willing to take her time to prove her love to him. Her desire to give her love is sincere, and she's not concerned about how long he has been guarding his heart or how long it may take for him to reciprocate her feelings.
The chorus reinforces her message- that she wants to give him her love, and she'll always be true to him. Her love is pure, and she hopes that her partner will recognize it and appreciate it for what it is.
The repetition of the line "I'm in love, so in love with you" further emphasizes the depth of Cheryl Lynn's feelings, and her willingness to put everything on the line for her partner. In the end, the lyrics express her eagerness to give her love to him, with no reservations or conditions.
Line by Line Meaning
You know that
I don't have to tell you how I feel about you because you already know.
I'm in love with you
My heart belongs to you and no one else.
But you play your games
You're not ready to accept my love yet because you're playing hard-to-get.
'Cause you say love has brought you pain
You have been hurt before by love, and you're afraid to open up to me fully.
Giving my love to you now
I want to express my love to you and give you my heart.
That's all I wanna do
My love for you is all-encompassing; there's nothing else I'd rather do than love you.
I'll always be true
I promise to love you faithfully and stay true to you.
I, I don't care
I don't judge you for your past; I'm ready to accept you for who you are right now.
'Bout how long you've been wrong
I don't judge you for your past mistakes or failures.
Just take your time
There's no need to rush; I'm willing to wait for you.
You will find love can be so kind
I hope that my love can heal you and help you rediscover the beauty of love.
And I'm giving my (giving my love)
I am pouring my love out to you with all my heart.
All of my love (giving my love)
I am offering you every part of myself, and my love.
My sweet, sweet, sweet (my love)
My love for you is sweet and genuine.
Sweet love to you now
I'm giving you all my sweet love at this very moment.
I wanna give my love to you now (giving my love)
I long to express my love for you right now deeply.
Wanna give my love
I want to shower you with love and affection with all my heart.
I gotta give you my love (giving my love)
I must give you my love because it's a part of who I am.
(My love is true)
My love for you is real and pure.
Come on, darling (giving my love)
Let me give you all the love I have to offer, my precious one.
Come on, baby (giving my love)
Let me shower you with love and affection, my darling baby.
(Always be true)
I will always stay true to you and love you with all of my heart no matter what.
I wanna give my love to you
My heart is all yours, and I want to share my love with you.
(Giving my love to you, to you)
I am pouring all the love in my heart out to you, and only you.
I'm giving my, my love to you, darling
I'm giving you all my love, my sweetheart.
I'm giving my, my love to you, baby
I'm giving you all my love, my precious baby.
I'm giving my...
I am giving you all the love I can muster.
Writer(s): Martha Lynn Amado
Contributed by Connor D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.