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.
Jam
D'Angelo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
James Dean, you said it all so clean
And I know my life would look alright
If I could see it on the silver screen.
You were the low down rebel if there ever was
Even if you had no'cause.
James Dean, you said it all so clean
And I know my life would look alright
We'll talk about a low-down bad refrigerator,
You were just too cool for school.
Sock hop, soda pop, basketball and auto shop,
The only thing that got you off was breakin' all the rules.
James Dean, James Dean, so hungry and so lean.
James Dean, you said it all so clean
And I know my life would look alright
If I could see it on the silver screen.
Little James Dean up on the screen
Wond'rin' who he might be.
Along came a Spyder, picked up a rider,
Took him down the road to eternity.
James Dean, James Dean, you bought it sight unseen.
James Dean, James Dean, you bought it sight unseen.
You were too fast to live, too young to die, bye bye.
You were too fast to live, too young to die, bye bye.
Bye bye too fast to live too young to die
Bye bye too fast to live too young to die
Bye bye too fast to live too young to die
Bye bye too fast to live too young to die
Too fast to live too young to die
Oo-oo-oo-oo too fast to live too young to die
Bye bye too fast to live too young to die
Oh, James Dean too fast to live too young to die
- Jackson Browne, Glenn Frey, Don Henley &
John David Souther
The lyrics to D'Angelo's song "Jam" are actually quite different from the above-mentioned song. Nonetheless, the lyrics to "Jam" have a lot to offer. The song starts off with the phrase "All we wanted was a chance to talk, 'stead we only got outlined in chalk," which highlights a sense of lost opportunity and ill fate. The song has a sense of urgency and passion, with D'Angelo urging the listener to "Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up" and "Get up, get up, get up, get up." It's as though he realizes how precious life is and wants to make the most of it.
The lyrics touch upon themes of social justice and equality, with lines like "We're the people and we want our power back" and "When they're standing on our necks we know they're not telling us the truth." D'Angelo's lyrics encourage the listener to stand up and fight for what's right, to not just accept what's been handed to them, but to actively work towards change.
Line by Line Meaning
James Dean, James Dean, I know just what you mean.
Addressing James Dean, the persona engages with him, remarking how much he comprehends what James Dean stands for
James Dean, you said it all so clean
James Dean manages to eloquently articulate the feelings of the song persona, so much that he doesn't want to add anything further
And I know my life would look alright
If I could see it on the silver screen.
Having James Dean reflect the song persona's emotions enables them to imagine their life being acceptable if only it could mirror the portrayal of life on film
You were the low down rebel if there ever was
Even if you had no'cause.
The persona compares themselves to James Dean, who is characterized as a rebellious figure even when there is seemingly no instigating factor
We'll talk about a low-down bad refrigerator,
You were just too cool for school.
The persona uses a metaphor to describe themselves as a faulty appliance while contrasting James Dean, who is praised for being chilled yet composed
Sock hop, soda pop, basketball and auto shop,
The only thing that got you off was breakin' all the rules.
The persona highlights some of James Dean's interests and how breaking rules is what captured his fancy
James Dean, James Dean, so hungry and so lean.
James Dean, you said it all so clean
The persona reiterates the initial sentiment of admiring James Dean, being struck by how he is slim and hungry, and is able to keep it real
Little James Dean up on the screen
Wond'rin' who he might be.
Along came a Spyder, picked up a rider,
Took him down the road to eternity.
The persona uses an anecdote about James Dean watching himself on screen, with a Spyder taking him off for eternity. The notion that James Dean was taken forever at such an impressionable age is scary yet admirable
James Dean, James Dean, you bought it sight unseen.
James Dean, James Dean, you bought it sight unseen.
The persona remarks that even though James Dean was unaware of the consequences, he still went ahead in pursuit of his actions until the end
You were too fast to live, too young to die, bye bye.
Summing up the whole song, the persona expresses sadness over James Dean passing away too early in life
Bye bye too fast to live too young to die
Bye bye too fast to live too young to die
Bye bye too fast to live too young to die
Bye bye too fast to live too young to die
Too fast to live too young to die
Oo-oo-oo-oo too fast to live too young to die
Bye bye too fast to live too young to die
Oh, James Dean too fast to live too young to die
The persona repeats the phrase "too fast to live too young to die" to emphasize how much it bothers them. The use of a lyrical refrain underlines the melancholic tone and the effect James Dean had on people despite his early demise
Contributed by Micah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Juniversal
The only man that can release two albums total over the span of damn near 20 years and still remain relevant.
@moonsofourmother2815
Wait up ... was it not three?
@RobTaitMusic
@@moonsofourmother2815 He commented seven years ago...now it's three over the course of TWENTY-SIX YEARS
@boonesergio2600
I dont mean to be so offtopic but does anybody know a tool to log back into an instagram account?
I somehow lost the login password. I love any tricks you can offer me.
@salvadormarley75
@Boone Sergio instablaster ;)
@boonesergio2600
@Salvador Marley Thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im trying it out now.
I see it takes quite some time so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@craftyexpat4863
D'Angelo smiling onstage again is the best thing I've seen in forever. Tears in my eyes.
@cain2927
You can tell Dangelo studied the hell out of Prince. From the band members to covering the original version of The Latest Fashion. I always admired Dangelo for that . And he’s authentic.He didn’t wait until after Prince died to show love for his hero.
@brendagordon9513
Yes he did.
@brendagordon9513
The boy is bad.