She is best known for her singles You Got Me her collaboration with The Roots, as well as her own songs Tyrone, Love of My Life, On & On, Bag Lady, The Healer, Honey and Soldier. Her lyrics are highly personal urban philosophy which throw emotional challenges in the face of the listener. She weaves unusual musical influences together creating a rich texture of sound.
Some music journalists have labeled her Nu soul, nouvelle-soul or neo soul, often comparing her to Billie Holiday in lyrical delivery and grouping her with Maxwell and D'Angelo in musical genre.
Baduizm, Badu's highly acclaimed debut album, was released in early 1997 and debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts. Lead single On & On reached #12 on the singles charts in both the U.S. and UK. Badu received notice for her introspective lyrics and jazzy, bass-heavy sound, and was hailed as one of the leading lights of the burgeoning neo soul genre. Her sophisticated style of singing drew many comparisons to Billie Holiday. Baduizm eventually went triple platinum and, along with On & On, won Grammy Awards at the 1998 ceremonies.
During that year, Badu became involved with rapper André 3000 of OutKast, with whom she had a child, Seven, who was born in 1997. Their relationship ended sometime in the late 90s. Badu recorded her first live album, Live, while pregnant with Seven, and the release of the recording coincided with the birth to her child. Live reached #4 on the Billboard charts, selling double platinum, and spawned another R&B hit single in Tyrone a song chiding a selfish, cheap, and inattentive boyfriend. Badu also collaborated with The Roots (who had previously handled production duties on a number of tracks on Baduizm) on their breakthrough 1999 release, Things Fall Apart. She was featured on the song You Got Me co-written by Jill Scott, which hit the top 40 and won a Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
After taking some time off to raise her child, Badu returned in 2000 with Mama's Gun, an album more organic in sound than her previous studio album, and primarily produced by the Soulquarians and noted bassist Pino Palladino. A remix of one of the album's songs, Bag Lady was issued as the first single and topped the R&B charts for seven weeks. The album was well-received, with the lyrical content winning notices from many publications who found some of her lyrics hard to decipher on her initial releases. Despite not charting as high as her first two albums, Mama's Gun was another platinum-selling success, and Bag Lady was nominated for a Grammy.
By 2000, Badu was in a romantic relationship with fellow Soulquarian Common, and Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop) was released as a collaboration between the two on the Brown Sugar soundtrack. Love of My Life hit #9 on the pop charts, topped the R&B listings, and Badu was awarded her fourth Grammy for the song in 2003.
After the release of Mama's Gun and Love of My Life, Badu went through a period of writer's block. She hit the road throughout 2002 and much of 2003 on what she dubbed the "Frustrated Artist Tour," in search of inspiration to write and perform new material. The conclusion of the tour saw Badu head back to the studio with new material, and in September of 2003, the Worldwide Underground was released. More jam-oriented than any of her prior releases, Badu was quoted as saying that the release was designed to serve as one continuous groove. Worldwide Underground reached #3 on the Billboard charts and was certified gold not long after its release, and Badu received four further Grammy nominations for the EP.
After almost four years and the birth of a daughter, Puma, it was revealed in 2007 that Badu had three albums in the works over the course of 2007 and 2008. Honey, a new single produced by 9th Wonder, was leaked online in November 2007, and the new album, titled New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), was released on February 26, 2008.
On August 23, 2008, Badu joined the rock band My Morning Jacket on stage at their show in Dallas, Texas to perform her song Tyrone. Her surprise appearance was met with an enthusiastic reaction from the audience.
On February 1, 2009 Badu gave birth to her third child, a girl named Mars Merkaba with her boyfriend Jay Electronica.
Her album New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) was released on March 30, 2010.
Boogie Nights / All Night
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A feeling I've been holded back so long
You got me surge down surge down on your lovin'
And boy I can't wait to get started loving you
All night long I'm waiting for you, I know
And for this loving I've been waiting for your loving
Disappending, hurry I said cause I can't wait to get it on
I'm gonna give it to ya
Give it to ya (3x)
I can't wait to love you baby
Ooh something got me so delighted baby
I see your face everywhere I go
You got me surge down surge down on your lovin'
And boy there is just nowhere I'll ever get over you
All night long I'm waiting for you, I know
Of on this rooftop I'll be waiting for your loving
Disappending, hurry up I said cause I can't wait to get it on
All night long
I can't wait to love you baby
I'm gonna give it to ya
Give it to ya (3x)
Come on over don't be late
What I got for you won't wait, baby
Climb up on the rooftop don't stop
My love's waiting when you reach the top
Jamaica funk that's what it is
Let it get in to you
Jamaica funk that's what it is
Coming form Jamaica
Can you feel it
Let it get in to you
'Cause I feel the funk right now in my soul
Coming from Jamaica
I'm gonna give it to ya
Give it to ya (3x)
I can't wait to love you babe
In this song, Erykah Badu expresses her excitement and anticipation about being with her lover. She's been holding back her feelings for so long, and now she's ready to let go and give her love fully. The imagery of "surging down" on her lover's love conveys the intensity of her desire.
She's waiting for her lover all night long, and she can't wait any longer to make love. She wants to feel the connection that she's been craving for so long. She beckons her lover to come to her as soon as possible because she can't wait to get it on.
The chorus, "I'm gonna give it to ya," reinforces Badu's determination to express her love and passion towards her partner. She wants to love him all night long, and there's no stopping her. The addition of the Jamaican funk element to the song adds another layer of energy and excitement that drives the song's momentum, connecting the audience to the Jamaica-inspired sound of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh something got me so excited baby
I am feeling excited about something, baby
A feeling I've been holded back so long
I have been holding back this feeling for a long time
You got me surge down surge down on your lovin'
Your love is making me feel a surge of excitement
And boy I can't wait to get started loving you
I am eager to start loving you, boy
All night long I'm waiting for you, I know
I will be waiting for you all night long, I know
And for this loving I've been waiting for your loving
I have been waiting for your love to give my love
Disappending, hurry I said cause I can't wait to get it on
I am getting impatient, so hurry up and let's get started
I'm gonna give it to ya
I am going to give you my love
Give it to ya (3x)
I am going to give you my love (repeated 3 times)
Ooh something got me so delighted baby
I am feeling delighted about something, baby
I see your face everywhere I go
I keep seeing your face wherever I go
And boy there is just nowhere I'll ever get over you
I will never be able to get over you, boy
Of on this rooftop I'll be waiting for your loving
I will be waiting for your love on this rooftop
Disappending, hurry up I said cause I can't wait to get it on
I am getting impatient, so hurry up and let's get started
All night long
All night long
Come on over don't be late
Come over soon, don't be late
What I got for you won't wait, baby
What I have for you cannot wait, baby
Climb up on the rooftop don't stop
Climb up on the rooftop without stopping
My love's waiting when you reach the top
My love will be waiting for you when you reach the top
Jamaica funk that's what it is
This is Jamaica funk we are grooving to
Let it get in to you
Let the music get into you
Coming form Jamaica
Coming from Jamaica
Can you feel it
Can you feel it
'Cause I feel the funk right now in my soul
I am feeling the funk in my soul right now
I'm gonna give it to ya
I am going to give you my love
Give it to ya (3x)
I am going to give you my love (repeated 3 times)
I can't wait to love you babe
I am looking forward to loving you, babe
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind