1) US soul singer, songwrit… Read Full Bio ↴D'Angelo is the name of more than one artist
1) US soul singer, songwriter & producer
2) Brazilian jazz/samba group
1) D'Angelo (born Michael Eugene Archer on 11 February 1974 in Richmond, VA, United States) is a neo-soul singer, keyboardist, and guitarist. He has released three albums, "Brown Sugar" (1995), "Voodoo" (2000), and "Black Messiah" as D'Angelo and the Vanguard (2014).
D'Angelo signed a publishing deal with EMI Music in 1991 after catching the attention of record executives with a demo tape. He penned the hit song "U Will Know" on the Jason's Lyric soundtrack. It was performed by Black Men United for the Jason's Lyric motion picture soundtrack. Shortly after, he was signed by Gary Harris and he began recording his debut album for EMI records.
Brown Sugar was released in June 1995. Though sales were sluggish at first, the album was eventually a hit, due in large part to "Lady," a Top Ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, peaking at #10. The album earned platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, following sales in excess of one million copies in the U.S., while its total sales have been estimated within the range of 1.5 million to over two million copies. The album helped give commercial visibility to the burgeoning neo soul movement of the 1990s, along with debut albums by Maxwell, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill. The album was a critical success as well, and appeared on many critics' "best of" lists for the year.
Following his debut album's success, D'Angelo went into a four and a half year absence from the music scene and releasing solo work. His recordings for soundtracks included Belly ("Devil's Pie"), frequently singing covers like "Girl You Need a Change of Mind" (Eddie Kendricks, Get on the Bus), "She's Always in My Hair" (Prince, Scream 2) and "Heaven Must Be Like This" (The Ohio Players, Down in the Delta), as well as appearing on Lauryn Hill's landmark The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill on the duet "Nothing Even Matters".
The much-delayed follow-up to Brown Sugar, Voodoo, was finally released in 2000. It debuted at #1 and went on to win two Grammy Awards, one for Best R&B Album, and the other for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The lead single, 1999's "Left & Right" (featuring Method Man and Redman) did well, but it was the second single, "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" (a tribute to artist Prince), that became a huge R&B hit buoyed by an innovative yet infamous video featuring a nude D'Angelo from his face to his hips while singing the song. The video was nominated for 4 MTV Video Music Awards and currently ranks #44 in VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Videos. He also performed "Be Here" (with Raphael Saadiq) from Saadiq's album Instant Vintage.
After the release D'Angelo embarked on what would become one of the most fabled series of live soul shows in history, "The Voodoo Tour." Consisting of a live group entitled "the Soultronics," (presumed to have been assembled by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson of The Roots) which engulfed arena-size stages with various dancers and instrument players, it was one of the most attended shows of the year. The tour was taken all around the world, one of the most notable performances being the Free Jazz Festival in Brazil. The live show was a thinly-disguised homage to Prince's late 80's shows, in its grandeur and conceptual stage set-up & setlist. Slum Village (then in its original line-up of Jay Dee, Baatin & T3) opened for D'Angelo on several dates, and soul-tinged R&B singer Anthony Hamilton sang backup in the band.
In 2002, Q magazine named him in their list of the "50 Bands To See Before You Die", and in 2003 Voodoo was ranked at number 488 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Pitchfork Media rated it at #44 on their list of the best albums of the 2000s.
Another Life
D'Angelo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The kind of friend that you would want to keep?
I just want to say to thee
Even though it might be hard to believe
The candy-coated thoughts that drift through my sleep
Lets me know it's you that holds the key
I got a craving for confection so sweet
For the taste of when our lips first meet
Oh, in another life, I bet you wouldn't know that
Oh, in another life, I bet you were my girl
I just wanna take you with me
To secret rooms in the mansions of my mind
Shower you with all that you need
Take my hand, I swear I'll take my time
I'm not surprised to find that angels compete
For the chance to lay down at your feet
I'm gonna touch in all of the places that please
Pull you close
I wanna feel you breathe
Oh, in another life, I bet you wouldn't know
Oh, in another life, I bet you were my girl
It's another reason for the season
I don't wanna break your heart
Oh, in another life, I bet you were my girl, oh!
The lyrics of D'Angelo's Another Life explores the longing for a deeper connection with someone who is already a friend. The singer is searching for ways to be the kind of friend that the person would want to keep. Even with doubts, the singer recognizes that their thoughts about this person revolve around them holding the key to whatever they are seeking. The lyrics express a yearning for intimacy and a fantasy of a sweet romantic relationship with their close friend.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the idea that maybe in another life, the two of them could have been together as a couple. The singer longs for the possibility of a different reality where they can be more than friends. The lyrics of the chorus could be considered a product of their imagination, where they imagine a life in which they are together as lovers.
Throughout the song, the lyrics remain vivid and imaginative, portraying vivid images of secret rooms in mansions, angels fighting to lay down at the feet of the person. These vivid images further emphasize the strong desire for a deeper connection and longing for something more.
Line by Line Meaning
How does one attempt to be
Being a good friend is important, but how can one achieve that?
The kind of friend that you would want to keep?
What qualities should one have to be deemed worthy of being a kept friend?
I just want to say to thee
This is what I really need to tell you
Even though it might be hard to believe
You might find it difficult to believe, but it is still true
The candy-coated thoughts that drift through my sleep
My dreams of happiness and beautiful imagery
Lets me know it's you that holds the key
You are the source of my happiness and fulfillment
I got a craving for confection so sweet
I have an intense desire for something so pleasurable
For the taste of when our lips first meet
The unforgettable feeling of how it felt when we first kissed
Oh, in another life, I bet you wouldn't know that
If we were to exist in a different reality, this wouldn't be apparent
Oh, in another life, I bet you were my girl
I imagine in another lifetime, you would be my romantic partner
I just wanna take you with me
I just want you to come with me
To secret rooms in the mansions of my mind
To the private spaces in my imagination where I keep my deepest thoughts and feelings
Shower you with all that you need
Provide you with everything that will make you happy or fulfilled
Take my hand, I swear I'll take my time
I will be patient because I want to do everything right and give you the best experience
I'm not surprised to find that angels compete
It's not a surprise to me that angels would be fighting over you
For the chance to lay down at your feet
They want to be as close to you as possible and serve you in any way they can
I'm gonna touch in all of the places that please
I will make sure to satisfy you in every way possible
Pull you close, I wanna feel you breathe
I want to hold you tight so I can feel you breathe
It's another reason for the season
It's another reason to celebrate
I don't wanna break your heart
I don't want to hurt you
Oh, in another life, I bet you were my girl, oh!
Once again, I think that in another life, you and I would have been lovers
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ahmir Thompson, Kendra Foster, Michael Archer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kitsontuli2713
How does one attempt to be
The kind of friend that you would want to keep?
I just want to say to thee
Even though it might be hard to believe
The candy-coated thoughts that drift through my sleep
Let me know it's you that holds the key
I got a craving for confection so sweet
For the taste of when our lips first meet
[CHORUS]
Oh, in another life, I bet you wouldn't know that
Oh, in another life, I bet you were my girl
I just wanna take you with me
To secret rooms in the mansions of my mind
Shower you with all that you need
Take my hand, I swear I'll take my time
I'm not surprised to find that angels compete
For the chance to lay down at your feet
I'm gonna touch in all of the places that please
Pull you close
I wanna feel you breathe
[CHORUS]
Oh, in another life, I bet you wouldn't know that
Oh, in another life, I bet you were my girl
It's another reason for the season
I don't wanna break your heart
Oh, in another life, I bet you were my girl, Oh!
@Worthy_Joshua_12
Whenever I hear musical artists with real musical talent among us so called African American people there is a distinct sound in the essence of their music that can touch the spirit of a person good or bad. I call it the sound of Judah. Brother D'Angelo exhibits this in his musical piece superbly. When I hear this piece I imagine TMHs "chariots" coming back for our people that were scattered across this earth via the slave trade. I also evision regeneration into a new life free from our oppressors. The tribe of Judah has a heavy presence in America and you can hear it in our music good or bad. Its a spiritual gift from TMH on the tribe of Judah.
Btw Judah means "praise", or "to praise God".
Gen 29:35 (NIV) She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "This time I will praise the Lord." So she named him Judah...
Isaiah 14:1-3
1. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors.
3 And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,
@pgarande23
"I'm not surprised Angels compete, for the chance to lay up at your FEET!"
I'm done. This guy is too good
@k-sader6326
🔥
@AyeJye
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@david_king_music
The way he digs down into his lower range for "at your feet" 👏👏👏
@elspethboyd8074
@@david_king_music you're right that sounds fantastic. I also love the way he references this line again with the angelic singing at the very end of the song. It's all done in such perfect taste - absolutely gorgeous.
@deano9110
This song is so good, I'm about to cry and I'm a 44 year old man.
@winnumber101
Yessssss the realness!!! People in these comments truly appreciate good, meaningful music and I love it.
@rusticization
That is what a sweet song is supposed 2 make u do.
@jocemat
i feel u on that one! (and i'm the same age and from Paris, France). when it's good, it's good!
@nativesun9151
This song has bought tears, yelps of joy, awe.....I had to pull the car over the first time I played it while driving and I had already listened to it like 10 times that day in the crib.