As a child, Dennis was singing as part of a church choir in Brooklyn at the age of 7, but later moved to Virginia, and signed up to the US Air Force at 18, with whom he served for six years. Taylor then returned to New York, and following his earlier success in a talent competition, was able to secure a minor recording contract, although he failed to garner any wide-scale success. His biggest break came when he was asked to perform backing vocals on the Robin S hit Gonna Raise The Child in the early 1990s.
It wasn't until the year 2000 that he recorded his first album, 'Enough is Enough' at the Homeboy Studios in New Jersey, working with producers Fred McFarlane and Darryl James, a DJ well-known for his mixes on New York radio station WRKS. The album was received favourably, particularly among UK soul critics. Taylor performed his first UK concert at the Jazz Café in London, a gig that was partially responsible for the artist securing a contract with UK-based record label Dome in 2001. Dennis was well-received by the UK audience who particularly loved his songs 'Enough is Enough' and 'Out of Control'. His second album 'Unconditional' also won over reviewers, and owed its success in part to the heavy airplay of singles Steppin' and It's Over on the London radio station 102.2 Jazz FM (and then jazzfm.com which relaunched as Jazz FM). A subsequent UK tour followed.
Taylor also duetted with soul performer Beverlei Brown on her album 'Next To You', collaborating on the song Could Be You.
Taylor's most recent album, 'In The Mood', was released in 2003 and included the Sam Dees-penned duet Am I Dreaming?, recorded with Wincey Terry. He continues to sporadically tour the UK.
Enough is Enough
Dennis Taylor Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the front of my class
Who I swear I've never seen
Do anything but laugh
She's tall and she's smart
Beaultiful and strong
And When someone's down
How does someone so perfect
Feel so insecure
And to scar her skin with cuts and burns
And still want to hurt more
How does someone so loving
Learn to hate her own guts
Drawing a picture on her arms with a blade
As if her mind isn't dark enough
There is a girl
In the front of my class
Who's eyes are glazed over
Like newly cut glass
The gost of a smile
Hints at ger face
And she laughs as they tell her
Who's one first base
How does someone so perfect
Feel so insecure
And to scar her skin with cuts and burns
And still want to hurt more
How does someone so loving
Learn to hate her own guts
Drawing a picture on her arms with a blade
As if her mind isn't dark enough
There is a girl
In the front of my class
Who's so sad that you find it rare
To see her smile or laugh
Her friends tell her jokes
Like that one with the guy
But all she does is close her eyes
And enter her mind
How does someone so perfect
Feel so insecure
And to scar her skin with cuts and burns
And still want to hurt more
How does someone so loving
Learn to hate her own guts
Drawing a picture on her arms with a blade
As if her mind isn't dark enough
For her imperfections
There is a girl
In the front of my class
Who yesterday took
The breath that was her last
She wrote a few notes
"I'm sorry I didn't say
But my mind was messed up
You couldn't save me anyway
And to the girl in the back of the class
Who feels the way I did"
How does someone so perfect
Feel so insecure
And to scar her skin with cuts and burns
And still want to hurt more
The lyrics of Dennis Taylor's song "Enough is Enough" tells a heart-wrenching story of a girl who seems to have it all. Her charm, intelligence, and strength are undeniable, yet she battles with mental health issues that lead her to engage in self-harm. The first verse paints a picture of a girl who always laughs with others but may be struggling to keep up the façade. Her insecurities run deep, and she copes by hurting herself physically. Despite her loving nature, she loathes herself, as evidenced by the scars on her skin. The second verse describes a girl whose smile has faded away. She withdraws from her social circle even though they try to cheer her up with jokes. There seems to be no getting through to her. In the final verse, we learn of her tragic end. She takes her own life and apologizes to the people she has left behind, especially to the one who feels the way she does. The lyrics leave a poignant message - that even those who appear to have it all together may be deeply troubled, and it is our responsibility to be kind and attentive to those who need our help.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a girl
The singer is talking about a girl in their class.
In the front of my class
The girl sits at the front of the singer's class.
Who I swear I've never seen
The singer doesn't know this girl but she's been in their class.
Do anything but laugh
The girl always laughs in class.
She's tall and she's smart
The girl is intelligent and likely an ideal role model.
Beautiful and strong
The girl is perceived to be attractive and independent.
And When someone's down
When someone is struggling or unhappy,
She tries to fix what is wrong
The girl helps them, possibly by providing emotional support.
How does someone so perfect
The artist is questioning how someone with so much going for them
Feel so insecure
can feel so unsure and unconfident.
And to scar her skin with cuts and burns
The girl has self-harmed by injuring herself.
And still want to hurt more
Even though she has hurt herself before, she continues to be drawn to harming herself again in the future.
How does someone so loving
The singer is wondering how someone who seems so compassionate,
Learn to hate her own guts
can suddenly begin to dislike or feel negatively about their own character and personality.
Drawing a picture on her arms with a blade
The girl has created drawings or designs on her flesh using a sharp object, likely as a form of self-harm.
As if her mind isn't dark enough
The artist feels that the girl's internal struggles and emotional pain is already too much for her to bear, so why add to it?
Who's eyes are glazed over
The girl's eyes appear cloudy, like they're unfocused or staring off into the distance.
Like newly cut glass
The girl's eyes are similar in appearance to glass that has been freshly cut or polished (shiny, clear, etc.)
The gost of a smile
The girl's smile appears to be an imitation or faint impression of what it should be.
Hints at ger face
Her lips hint at the shape of her smile.
And she laughs as they tell her
Even though she is coping with difficult emotions and feelings,
Who's one first base
the girl understands what the other students are joking about when they talk about romantic relationships.
There is a girl
The same girl is still the focus of the song.
Who's so sad that you find it rare
The girl seems to be so unhappy that it's difficult to find times when she's happy or content.
To see her smile or laugh
The girl hardly ever smiles or laughs anymore.
Her friends tell her jokes
Even with friends around who try to lift her mood,
Like that one with the guy
the girl can't seem to find joy or amusement in everyday things.
But all she does is close her eyes
She retreats further into her own mind, likely due to sadness or apathy.
And enter her mind
She spends all her time lost in her own thoughts.
There is a girl
The same girl is still the focus of the song.
Who yesterday took
This is now a past-tense event.
The breath that was her last
The girl has passed away and is likely referring to suicide.
She wrote a few notes
Before she passed away, the girl left a written message behind.
"I'm sorry I didn't say
The girl feels remorseful for not sharing her struggles or communicating with others.
But my mind was messed up
The girl recognizes that her mental state was not healthy and may have influenced her actions.
You couldn't save me anyway
She thinks that even with the help of others, her fate was already set.
And to the girl in the back of the class
She addresses another girl in the class (or perhaps anyone else who hears the message).
Who feels the way I did"
The girl assures others that they are not alone in their struggles and that she understands their pain.
Contributed by Camden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Fh
The WRONG lyrics
Ulrike Wolfrum
Love it ❤🎶
SynthMusicX
Just GREAT!
Stefano Caneschi
Serious adult soul.. 🖤🤘🏿
Karen Diamonds
♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
James Davis
This one of my favorite jam let’s go
Top Gun
Memories 👊🏾🙌🏾
arthur daniels
been looking for this song forever shout out for the upload
Lisa Lopez
Oldie but goodie
Lenard Shaw
211 Passaic st Trenton New Jersey jamming with my children the Jackson 6 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥