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.
Sometimes ((Mix
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes
I don't love you anymore
I'm in love with you
I think that I'm going mad
I do
Well
You been runnin' through my dome
Won't leave me alone
Ooh chile
Why it got to be this way
Gone on!
Can you tell me where, oh where
Oh where, oh where?
Where did the love go
Sometimes
I think that you're draining me
I want you at home
I feel like forgiving you
I don't
Meanwhile
I cannot blame you, my love
I'm sitting here alone
Ooh chile
This love affair ain't what it was
Gone on
Can you tell me where, oh where
Oh where, where?
Where did the love go
Ye yo ye yo ye yo ye yo ye yo
The lyrics of Erykah Badu's "Sometimes" depict the tumultuous nature of a romantic relationship. The first two lines encapsulate the conflicting emotions that the singer experiences - on some days, they don't love their partner anymore, but on other days they are completely devoted to them. The line "I think that I'm going mad" emphasizes the emotional instability of the singer, suggesting that they feel overwhelmed by their feelings for their partner.
The second verse explores the idea of a partner who is constantly on the singer's mind, "running through my dome" and refusing to let go. Despite this, the singer acknowledges that their love is not what it used to be, and that they are struggling to forgive their partner for whatever transgressions have occurred. The repetition of "gone on" suggests a sense of resignation - the singer is tired of the situation, and is ready to move on.
The chorus, "Can you tell me where, oh where / Oh where, oh where? / Where did the love go", highlights the central question of the song - what happened to the love between the singer and their partner? The repetition of "ye yo" throughout the song adds a sense of urgency and unease, underscoring the turmoil of the relationship.
Overall, the lyrics of "Sometimes" offer a nuanced portrayal of the complexities of love and relationships. The singer's conflicting emotions - love and hate, devotion and exhaustion - capture the ups and downs of romantic love, while the repetition of "where did the love go" speaks to the universal experience of trying to understand the shifting dynamics of a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes
At times
I don't love you anymore
I have lost the romantic feeling towards you
I'm in love with you
I have a strong emotional attachment towards you
I think that I'm going mad
I feel like I am losing my mind
I do
It's true
Meanwhile
At the same time
You been runnin' through my dome
You've been constantly on my mind
Won't leave me alone
I can't stop thinking about you
Ooh chile
Oh my goodness
Why it got to be this way
I wonder why our relationship has to be like this
Gone on!
Go ahead (and leave)
Can you tell me where, oh where Oh where, oh where?
Can you give me some insight or explanation?
Where did the love go
What happened to the love that was once there?
Sometimes
Occasionally
I think that you're draining me
I feel like you're emotionally exhausting me
I want you at home
I want you around me, close to me
I feel like forgiving you
I have an inclination to forgive you
I don't
But I can't ignore the hurt you caused me
I cannot blame you, my love
I realize that you're not entirely to blame, my dear
I'm sitting here alone
I'm by myself
This love affair ain't what it was
Our relationship is not like it used to be
Gone on
Go ahead (and leave)
Can you tell me where, oh where Oh where, where?
Can you give me an explanation?
Where did the love go
What happened to the love that we once had?
Ye yo ye yo ye yo ye yo ye yo
Vocalization or expression of emotions
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ERICA WRIGHT, AHMIR K. THOMPSON, LEONARD N. HUBBARD, KENYATTA SAUNDERS, MEL LEWIS, JAMES JASON POYSER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind