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.
Téléphone
Erykah Badu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's Ol' Dirty
He wants to give you directions home
Said it won't be too long
The day is gone
It's 3:30
To hungry for sum love, love
Last forever
Just fly away to heaven brother
Make a place for me brother
Fly away to heaven brother
Save a place for me brother
Fly away to heaven brother
Put in a word for me
Telephone
Hmmm
Telephone
It's so dirty
He wants to give you directions home
Said it won't be too long
Said it won't be too long
Telephone
It's too early
We want to hear a long song
Transition with a real slow fade
Just fly away to heaven brother
Make a place for me brother
Fly away to heaven brother
Save a place for me brother
Fly away to heaven brother
Put in a word for me
Telephone
Oh
Transition time to go away
Time to go away
Slow fade
Slow, slow fade oh
Just fly away to heaven brother
Make a place for me brother
Fly away to heaven brother
Save a place for me brother
Fly away to heaven brother
Put in a word for me
Fly away to heaven brother
Celebrate (celebrate)
Gather on the hill
Two hearts up in the sky
Celebrate your life
Oh, say I love you
Gather on the hill
Two hearts up in the sky
Celebrate your life
Oh, say I love you
Gather on the hill
Two hearts up in the sky
Celebrate your life
Oh, say I love you
Mmm, mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm, mmm
The song Telephone by Erykah Badu expresses wanting to connect with someone through the use of a phone. The caller, Ol' Dirty, wants to give directions home, but also expresses the desire for love that will last forever. The lyrics reference flying away to heaven and asking for a place to be saved by his brother, perhaps indicating a longing for a relationship with a higher power. The repetition of the phrase "just fly away to heaven brother" reinforces this theme of seeking spiritual transcendence. The idea of celebrating one's life is also present in the song, with the lyrics "celebrate your life, oh say I love you" providing a positive and affirming message.
Overall, the song seems to explore themes of connection, both with a higher power and with others. The phone serves as a symbol for this desire to communicate and bridge distances. The lyrics hint at a search for meaning and purpose, with the idea of flying away to heaven representing a longing for transcendence and a higher truth. At the same time, the repeated phrase "say I love you" provides a message of hope and affirmation, emphasizing the importance of human connection and positive relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Telephone
This song is about a phone conversation
It's Ol' Dirty
The person on the other end of the phone is Ol' Dirty Bastard
He wants to give you directions home
Ol' Dirty Bastard is offering to help the person on the other end of the phone find their way home
Said it won't be too long
Ol' Dirty Bastard promises that the directions won't take too long
The day is gone
It's getting late in the day
It's 3:30
The time is 3:30
To hungry for sum love, love
The person on the phone is feeling a strong desire for love
Last forever
The person on the phone wants this feeling of love to last forever
Just fly away to heaven brother
The person speaking wants Ol' Dirty Bastard to go to heaven
Make a place for me brother
The person speaking wants Ol' Dirty Bastard to save a place in heaven for them
Fly away to heaven brother
The person speaking continues to ask Ol' Dirty Bastard to go to heaven
Save a place for me brother
The person speaking continues to ask Ol' Dirty Bastard to save a place in heaven for them
Put in a word for me
The person speaking wants Ol' Dirty Bastard to put in a good word for them in heaven
Hmmm
A vocal interjection without a clear meaning
It's so dirty
The person on the other end of the phone is still Ol' Dirty Bastard
Telephone
Repetition of the initial line, indicating another phone call
It's too early
It's early in the morning
We want to hear a long song
The person on the phone wants to listen to a long piece of music
Transition with a real slow fade
The music should change gradually and fade out slowly during the transition
Time to go away
It's time to depart
Just fly away to heaven brother
Repetition of the desire for Ol' Dirty Bastard to go to heaven
Celebrate (celebrate)
A call to celebrate
Gather on the hill
The people should come together on a hill
Two hearts up in the sky
Two people will have their hearts lifted up to the sky
Celebrate your life
Celebrate the people's lives
Oh, say I love you
Expressing love for the people gathered on the hill
Mmm, mmm, mmm
Vocal interjections without a clear meaning
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: James Jason Poyser, Ahmir K Thompson, Erica Wright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind