Clay Aiken (born on November 30, 1978) is a popular American singer who ros… Read Full Bio ↴Clay Aiken (born on November 30, 1978) is a popular American singer who rose to fame on the American Idol television program, and who has become the most successful second-place finisher in that show's history, even handily eclipsing that year's "Idol" winner in sales. His first single, "Bridge Over Troubled Water"/ "This Is The Night" debuted at Number One, and became the best-selling single of the year — and he was just getting started.

Clay's first CD, Measure of a Man (Number One, Top 200), went triple platinum selling more than 613,000 copies in its first week. Including singles like "Invisible", "The Way," "I Will Carry You" and the Neil Sedaka cover "Solitaire," it was the subject of conflicting reviews. Billboard Magazine called it the best pop album of 2003. Many fans and some critics recognized and admired the pure pop sound ("so pure it floats") and top-notch production values while others heard only a manufactured sound, noting that the singer hadn't earned his musical chops but "merely" sang his way to the hearts of millions on television, a perceived unjust leap-frogging of "the true path of the true artist."

Aiken fronted a country band, Just By Chance, pre-Idol and recorded 3 demo CDs. As a young man he was a member of the Raleigh Boy's Choir and was in numerous musical productions in North Carolina Theater.

The National Inclusion Project (formerly the Bubel/Aiken Foundation) was launched in 2003, supporting the integration of children with disabilities into the life environment of their non-disabled peers. In November 2004, Clay was appointed as a National Ambassador for UNICEF, with a mission to help ensure that children everywhere are afforded a primary education.

In November 2004, Clay released Merry Christmas With Love (Number One, Top 200). His first Christmas album, it went platinum, won 2 Billboard Music Awards and spurred a yearly holiday tour and a follow-up EP, All Is Well - Songs for Christmas. 2004 was also the year Clay made #2 on the New York Times Best Seller List with his "inspirational memoir" titled Learning to Sing: Hearing the Music in Your Life.

His next studio album, 2006's A Thousand Different Ways (Number Two, Top 200), was, through the direction of mega-producer Clive Davis, largely a covers CD. Ten of the fourteen cuts being well known melodic pop songs ranging from Richard Marx, Bryan Adams, Dolly Parton, Mister Mister, and Elton John. Two other songs, available only on digital versions of the album, are "If You Don't Know Me By Now" (through K-Mart.com) and "Lover All Alone" (through iTunes and co-written by Aiken himself). Many fans have wondered about the relative exclusion of the latter song, left languishing from the song list present on the physical CD, as its intimate emotional material and Aiken's own writing handiwork produce a spellbinding effect.

In May of 2008 Aiken released On My Way Here (Number Four, Top 200), his first album of original material since his 2003 chart-topping debut Measure of A Man. While searching for songs for this album, he fell in love with a song written by OneRepublic front man Ryan "Alias" Tedder called "On My Way Here." The message of the lyrics -- how the lessons we learn while growing up shape us into who we become as adults -- struck such a deep chord with Clay that it wound up inspiring the theme (and title) of his new collection. In addition to enlisting Grammy-Award winning British songwriter and producer Kipper, On My Way Here also included the talented musicians of none other then the Steely Dan band.

A fifth album, The Very Best of Clay Aiken, was released at the end of March 2009 on Sony's Legacy Recordings Playlist Series.

To date, Aiken has headlined 8 tours., one of them co-headlining with Kelly Clarkson.

Aiken made his Broadway debut playing the role of Sir Robin in Monty Python's Spamalot in January 2008. His first run ended in May. He rejoined the cast as Sir Robin in September and remained through January 4, 2009.

In August of 2008 Clay became a father to Parker Foster Aiken with producer Jaymes Foster, the sister of record producer David Foster.

Clay will release a brand new album, titled "Tried and True", on June 1, 2010 on the Decca Records label.

Clay also has made numerous TV appearances, guest-starring on everything from Scrubs to Days of Our Lives to the season finale of the popular show 30 Rock. He has earned a place on such talk-shows as Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tonight Show, Late Night With David Letterman, Tyra Banks, Rachel Ray, Ellen and has cooked with both Martha Stewart and Paula Deen.

Though clearly, based on his television and concert appeal, a performing artist whose live presentations show consummate showmanship, bringing surprising dynamism to studio songs, Aiken has had to endure a persistent hammering from entertainment critics and a tenacious (not to say malevolent) interest on the part of some in the media relating to questions about his personal life.

Always full of surprises, fans look forward to the continued ways in which this multi-talented artist expresses himself and uses his voice in ways that will expand his appeal in and beyond the US.

When You Say You Love Me
Clay Aiken Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've been watchin' you from afar
And the way you make your way around the bar
You laugh like your really entertained
And you smile like it's your favorite game

Now you're movin' closer to me
Then our eyes are connected emotionally
I'm not lookin' for a one night stand

Or a place for a broken heart to mend

I know everybody here wants to hold ya
I know what it's like cause I feel the same
When you look in my eyes
There's a part of me that's still afraid

And when you say you love me
Do you mean it?
Baby when you hold me
Do you feel it?

Should I believe the magic in your eyes
I would wait until the end of time,
To hear you say you love me
Like you mean it
Baby when you hold me
Make me feel it

All I want to do is make you mine
I've been hurt way too many times

They say, if you want to make God laugh
Then all you gotta to do is tell him your plans
I know that the timing's not right
Didn't know that I would meet you tonight

It's not that I don't really like the attention
I feel like the only man in the room
Are you really sincere?
Is this just somethin' that you do?

And when you say you love me
Do you mean it?
Baby when you hold me
Do you feel it?

Should I believe the magic in your eyes
I would wait until the end of time,
To hear you say you love me
Like you mean it
Baby when you hold me
Make me feel it

All I want to do is make you mine
I've been hurt way too many times

Again and again and again
I've been hurt my friend til the end

You know I've been high, I've been low
I got no place left to go

Again and again and again
When will this search ever end?

And when you say you love me
Do you mean it?
Baby when you hold me
Do you feel it?

Should I believe the magic in your eyes
I would wait until the end of time,
To hear you say you love me
Like you mean it
Baby when you hold me
Make me feel it

All I want to do is make you mine
I would wait until the end of time

Baby say you love me
Come on baby say you love me

To hear you say you love me

Overall Meaning

Clay Aiken's "When You Say You Love Me" is a heart-wrenching ballad about a man who has been hurt too many times and is apprehensive about being vulnerable again. He sees a woman across the room who captures his attention with her radiant energy as she laughs and smiles. They exchange glances, and their eyes connect emotionally. However, the man questions if her affections are genuine or if she is just playing the game. He wonders if he should believe the “magic” in her eyes and waits for her to say she loves him and means it.

The lyrics describe the man's internal conflict as he wants to believe in love but has been hurt in the past. He is skeptical about the woman's intentions, and the song's mood reflects his emotional state. The melody is slow and sorrowful, adding to the weight of the man's doubts.

One interpretation of the song is about the struggle to trust others after experiencing heartbreak. The chorus's repetition emphasizes how strongly the man desires sincerity and commitment from the woman he is interested in. He wants her to be genuine and not just playing with his emotions, as he has experienced in the past.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been watchin' you from afar
I have been observing you from a distance

And the way you make your way around the bar
I have noticed how you move around the bar with ease

You laugh like your really entertained
You have a genuine and infectious laughter

And you smile like it's your favorite game
Your smile is so beautiful that it looks like you enjoy flashing it

Now you're movin' closer to me
You are coming towards me with every step

Then our eyes are connected emotionally
When our eyes meet, I feel a strong emotional connection

I'm not lookin' for a one night stand
I am not interested in a short-term fling

Or a place for a broken heart to mend
I am not looking for anyone to mend my broken heart

I know everybody here wants to hold ya
Everyone here desires to be with you

I know what it's like cause I feel the same
I understand their feelings because I feel the same too

When you look in my eyes
Whenever you gaze into my eyes

There's a part of me that's still afraid
I am still a little scared deep down inside

And when you say you love me
When you express your love for me

Do you mean it?
Are your words genuine and sincere?

Baby when you hold me
When you embrace me

Do you feel it?
Can you truly feel the love and connection between us?

Should I believe the magic in your eyes
Do I trust the chemistry and connection I see in your eyes?

I would wait until the end of time,
I'd wait forever

To hear you say you love me
Just to hear those words from you

Like you mean it
With complete sincerity and truthfulness

Make me feel it
Make me feel the love and connection in every way

All I want to do is make you mine
I want to be yours and have you be mine forever

I've been hurt way too many times
I have experienced heartbreak too many times in my life

They say, if you want to make God laugh Then all you gotta to do is tell him your plans
It's often said that our plans seldom go as we expect them to.

I know that the timing's not right
I recognize that the current timing might be off

Didn't know that I would meet you tonight
I did not realize that I'd meet you today

It's not that I don't really like the attention
It is not like I do not appreciate the attention I'm getting

I feel like the only man in the room
When I'm with you, it feels like I am the center of attention

Are you really sincere?
Are you really genuine and honest?

Is this just somethin' that you do?
Is this just a habit or is it genuine?

I've been hurt my friend til the end
I have been hurt and gone through lots of pain till now

You know I've been high, I've been low
I've experienced both the best and the worst times in life

I got no place left to go
I do not have any other option or place to go

When will this search ever end?
When will my search for love ever come to an end?

Baby say you love me
Please say you genuinely love me

Come on baby say you love me
Encouraging the person to express their love for him