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.
The Charade
D'Angelo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it pains to demise
Pain in our eyes
Strain of drownin', wading into your lies
Degradation so loud that you can't hear the sound of our cries (doo, doo)
All the dreamers have gone to the side of the road which we will lay on
Inundated by media, virtual mind fucks in streams
'Stead we only got outlined in chalk
Feet have bled a million miles we've walked
Revealing at the end of the day, the charade
Perpetrators beware say a prayer if you dare for the believers
With a faith at the size of a seed enough to be redeemed (doo, doo)
Relegated to savages bound by the way of the deceivers
So anchors be sure that you're sure we ain't no amateurs
All we wanted was a chance to talk
'Stead we only got outlined in chalk
Feet have bled a million miles we've walked
Revealing at the end of the day, the charade
With the veil off our eyes we'll truly see
And we'll march on
And it really won't take too long
And it really won't take us very long
Revealing at the end of the day, the charade
All we wanted was a chance to talk
'Stead we only got outlined in chalk
All we wanted was a chance to talk
Revealing at the end of the day, the charade
All we wanted was a chance to talk
The lyrics of D'angelo and The Vanguard's song "The Charade" talk about the struggles of society today. It paints a picture of individuals crawling through a systematic maze of lies and deceit, unable to express themselves and feeling drowning in the media's constant bombardment of information. The pain is evident in the eyes of the people, and they are left helpless with no way to make themselves heard. They yearn for a chance to have a conversation and be understood, but they are only silenced with outlines of chalk.
The song speaks about the struggle of living in a society controlled by deceivers and perpetrators. The dreams have gone unheeded, and the believers are relegated to the status of savages. The lyrics call for those in power to beware, and to say a prayer if necessary, as there are still those with a faith that can never be erased. The song ultimately calls for action and for the veil to be lifted from our eyes so we can see the truth and march on towards a better future where the charade is revealed.
Line by Line Meaning
Crawling through a systematic maze
Trying to navigate a planned-out and complicated system
And it pains to demise
The difficulty of the situation is causing emotional pain and destruction
Pain in our eyes
The pain they are experiencing is evident in their eyes
Strain of drownin', wading into your lies
Feeling overwhelmed and suffocated by the lies they are being fed
Degradation so loud that you can't hear the sound of our cries (doo, doo)
The devaluation and mistreatment is so loud that their pleas for help are ignored
All the dreamers have gone to the side of the road which we will lay on
The optimistic and hopeful people have given up and they too will eventually be defeated
Inundated by media, virtual mind fucks in streams
The constant bombardment of media messages is corrupting their thoughts and beliefs
Feet have bled a million miles we've walked
They have been through a lot and have been walking a long and difficult path
Revealing at the end of the day, the charade
They will eventually see through the false pretense
Perpetrators beware say a prayer if you dare for the believers
Those who are responsible for the wrongdoing should beware of the consequences and those who have faith can pray for justice
With a faith at the size of a seed enough to be redeemed (doo, doo)
Even though their faith is small, it is enough for them to be saved or forgiven
Relegated to savages bound by the way of the deceivers
They feel like they are being treated like animals and forced to follow the lies of those in power
So anchors be sure that you're sure we ain't no amateurs
The people speaking up are not unskilled or inexperienced and should be taken seriously
With the veil off our eyes we'll truly see
Once they can see through the deception, they will gain clarity
And we'll march on
They will continue to fight and rebel
And it really won't take too long
They believe that justice will be served soon
'Stead we only got outlined in chalk
Instead of being heard, they were silenced and left as markings on the ground
All we wanted was a chance to talk
All they wanted was to have their voices heard
Revealing at the end of the day, the charade
Again emphasizing that eventually the truth will be revealed
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ahmir Thompson, Kendra Foster, Michael Archer
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ZaimahBeloved
Great job to the song writers, Kendra Foster and D'Angelo. Lyrics are so profound. Melody is dazzling. Pure art. How do you drop such a heavy message, in a song that is perfect for either a long drive or a day at the beach. So dope.
Lyrics
"Crawling through a systematic maze
And it pains to demise
Pain in our eyes
Strain of drownin', wading into your lies
Degradation so loud that you can't hear the sound of our cries (doo, doo)
All the dreamers have gone to the side of the road which we will lay on
Inundated by media, virtual mind fucks in streams
[CHORUS]
All we wanted was a chance to talk
'Stead we only got outlined in chalk
Feet have bled a million miles we've walked
Revealing at the end of the day, the charade
Perpetrators beware say a prayer if you dare for the believers
With a faith at the size of a seed enough to be redeemed (doo doo)
Relegated to savages bound by the way of the deceivers
So anchors be sure that you're sure we ain't no amateurs
[CHORUS]
All we wanted was a chance to talk
'Stead we only got outlined in chalk
Feet have bled a million miles we've walked
Revealing at the end of the day, the charade
[BRIDGE]
With the veil off our eyes we'll truly see
And we'll march on
And it really won't take too long
And it really won't take us very long
Add song meaning
!
Songwriters
Foster, Kendra / Archer, Michael Eugene
@colossus112785
Man i wish D'Angelo and Prince would've done a whole album together that would've been fire 🎸🎶
@CR00K
The Prince influence in D'Angelo's music is so strong. The unique harmonizing. The production. Man....just so good.
@johanponin1360
I had this thought today, D'angelo fuzzy phrasing/vocals are also reminiscent of Cocteau twins
@CharlesGJ1
I thought I was the only one who thought that.
@KingNapz
Yup, the beginning of this track even sounds like Prince's - The Line .
@amazingm2516
Sly stone too!!
@amazingm2516
specially that maestro drum machine
@remixisthis
The production on this album was insane. He overdubbed his voice in different styles and with different singers. It's very rare to find such a mature and deep album. Hope he continues to put out content.
@mstov8490
Marvin Gaye was one the first to do the voice overdub. Love it.
@pablumpicasso9207
I wish the mixing and mastering was better on this album! You’re right - the performances and vocal arrangements are amazing, it’s just a shame we can barely hear them.