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.
No Love
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never thought you'd do me
The way you do
How can anyone be so cruel
When you know I love you, yes I do
Misunderstood
Turned your back on me and left me lonely
I wish I could
How can we make love when you don't love me?
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
No no
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
No no
You have me calling out your name
What is this strange thing inside me
How can anyone be such a fool
When you know you love me, yes you do, yes you do
When I first met you
I could hardly see
But now I'm blind, for real
I wish you knew how to rescue me
(Da-de-ya-dup-dub-dub-day)
From this misery
How can we make love when you don't love me?
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
No no
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
No no
How can we make love when you don't love me?
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
No no
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
You don't show no love
No no
You make me feel like we can make love
But I know too much, much too much
You make me feel like we can make love
But I know too much, much too much
You make me feel like we can make love
But I know too much, much too much
Baby you
are so cold
Leaving me out in the open, exposed
The lyrics to “No Love” by Erykah Badu speak of a love that is not reciprocated. The singer questions how they can make love when the other person does not show any love. They feel neglected and lonely, left to call out the other person’s name in desperation. The lyrics indicate that the singer has been hurt before, but they still love the other person deeply. They wish they could open up their heart to be truly known, but they feel that they are misunderstood and abandoned.
The lines “When I first met you, I could hardly see, but now I'm blind, for real” indicate a loss of clarity or perspective in the relationship. The singer acknowledges that they are blind to the true nature of the other person’s feelings, and they wish that the other person knew how to rescue them from their misery. The song is a lament, a cry for help from a person who feels trapped and alone.
Line by Line Meaning
You can see straight through me
I am transparent to you.
Never thought you'd do me
I never expected you to treat me this way.
The way you do
Your actions towards me are hurtful.
How can anyone be so cruel
Your behavior is unbelievably heartless.
When you know I love you, yes I do
Despite your cruel behavior, I still love you.
Misunderstood
You have misinterpreted my intentions and feelings.
Turned your back on me and left me lonely
You abandoned me and left me feeling isolated.
I wish I could
I desire to do something I cannot currently do.
Open up my heart so you can know me
I want to show you who I really am by sharing my deepest feelings and thoughts.
How can we make love when you don't love me?
It is impossible for us to have a genuine romantic relationship if you do not reciprocate my love.
You don't show no love
You do not express any love towards me.
No no
Absolutely not.
You have me calling out your name
I cannot help but think of you and long for your attention.
What is this strange thing inside me
I am experiencing confusing emotions about my relationship with you.
When you know you love me, yes you do, yes you do
Despite your actions, I can tell that you love me too.
When I first met you
At the beginning of our relationship.
I could hardly see
I did not understand how I truly felt about you.
But now I'm blind, for real
Now I am extremely emotionally invested in our relationship.
I wish you knew how to rescue me
I hope that you will be able to help me through my pain and confusion.
You make me feel like we can make love
You create an atmosphere that feels romantic and intimate.
But I know too much, much too much
Despite the romantic feelings, I am aware of the underlying issues in our relationship.
Baby you
Addressing the person causing the artist pain and confusion.
Lyrics © SILENT GIANT PUBLISHING CO., BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert Bradford, Erica Wright, Leroy Hutson, Charles Boyd, Gerald Dickerson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind