Ingram went from playing local bars with Revelation Funk to Los Angeles, where he landed the types of gigs that most aspiring musicians only dream about: singing background vocals and playing piano for Ray Charles’ recording studio sessions; recording studio sessions and playing keyboards behind the Coasters for Dick Clark; and recording background vocals for his mentor, Marvin Gaye.
Then fate brought Ingram together with Quincy Jones and to a pivotal breakthrough in his career. Up to this point, Ingram had not yet surfaced as a solo artist, but after a chance listen to Ingram’s demo of “Just Once” — which had been recorded for the sum of $50 — Jones immediately recognized the man, the voice and the music as the musical triumvirate that would both captivate listeners and command the music industry’s attention.
Jones quickly chose Ingram to perform both “Just Once” and “One Hundred Ways” on Jones’ upcoming album, The Dude. Released in 1980, The Dude was a multi-platinum international success and resulted in three Grammy nominations for Ingram: Best New Artist, Best Pop Male Vocal, and Best R&B Vocal for “One Hundred Ways,” for which he won his first Grammy. Ingram also made Grammy history when — in his first live performance ever as a singer — he performed “Just Once” as the telecast’s opening act and became the first artist to open a Grammy ceremony with a ballad and the only artist to win a Grammy without having his own album in release. The Dude remains the most Grammy-nominated album in history and marked the first of 15 nominations Ingram has received to date (see attached award list and discography for complete information).
After this stunning debut, Ingram’s much-anticipated 1983 solo album, It’s Your Night, surpassed industry expectations. The album was the debut for the Michael McDonald collaboration “Yah Mo Be There,” (Ingram’s 2nd Grammy) which was honored with the Grammy for Best R&B Performance for a Group or Duo, and “There’s No Easy Way” was considered one of the year’s stand-out ballads. It’s Your Night sold nearly one million copies; secured an unprecedented achievement by appearing simultaneously on both The Top 20 Pop and The Top 5 R&B Charts. Ultimately, “Yah Mo Be There” became the most-played song of the year.
Ingram’s talents as a songwriter and performer were tapped by some of the most celebrated artists of the era, most prominent was his “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” for Michael Jackson’s Thriller (1982), which sold more than 50 million units,. He performed “Baby Come To Me,” with Patti Austin (1984) on her debut album, which went on to become a No. 1 Pop record. Other chart-topping, Top 10 collaborations include “The Secret Garden,” the No.1 hit with Barry White, Al B. Sure and El Debarge on Quincy Jones’ multi-platinum Back on the Block album, (1990). James, as a song writer is timeless he received Grammy recognition for his participation on the song entitled “Good Life”, in the “Best Rap Song” category, performed by Kanye West (featuring T-Pain) in 2007.
Hollywood soon called for Ingram’s wide-ranging songwriting and vocal abilities and several hit singles for blockbuster motion and animated pictures followed. “How Do You Keep The Music Playing” — a songwriting collaboration between Michel Legrand and Marilyn and Alan Bergman, performed by Ingram and Patti Austin — was featured in Best Friends (1982) and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Duo/Group as well as an Academy Award nomination in the Original Song category.
Other important contributions to feature films include “Don’t Make Me No Never Mind,” co-written with Quincy Jones and Roy Gaines for Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple (1985), and Ingram’s duet with Anita Baker, “When You Love Someone,” by Bryan Adams, for Forget Paris (1995). “Somewhere Out There,” performed by Ingram and Linda Ronstadt for Steven Spielberg’s animated American Tail (1986) also received a Grammy for Song of the Year. Then 1993 and 1994 brought Ingram back-to-back Academy Award nominations. His duets with Dolly Parton, “The Day I Fall in Love,” featured in Beethoven 2 (1993), and Anita Baker, “Look What Love Has Done,” the theme song from Junior (1994), were songwriting collaborations with Carole Bayer Sager and recognized in Oscar’s Original Song category.
The '90s were a fruitful decade for Ingram, who began it by co-producing “I Don’t Have the Heart” with Thom Bell — the first and only time Bell has co-produced on any project — and taking it to No. 1 in 1990. In 1999, Ingram released Forever More: The Best of James Ingram, which included some of his biggest hits as well as new material
Worldwide acclaim has led to concert tours in the U.S. and abroad, where he continues to play before sold-out stadiums in The Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Dubai, Brunei, Indonesia and Hong Kong. Fans at home have been able to see Ingram perform live everywhere from Compton to The White House.
The blessings of success also have allowed Ingram to pursue two of his personal passions: humanitarian work and composition for live theater. In 1987, Ingram was hand-picked by Quincy Jones to perform in “We are the World,” the universal gift and legendary singing and fund-raising effort from the recording industry, which raised more than $100 million in aid for those suffering from famine in Africa. Ingram also continues to work with long-time collaborator, choreographer/ producer Debbie Allen on a number of musical projects. Most recently, they partnered on Stand (In the Light) and several musical theater works including "Brothers of the Night, “The Legend” and “Alex in Wonderland."
Faith and family are Ingram’s main sources of inspiration, driving his industry achievements; legendary collaborations with revered mentors and peers; humanitarian work; and celebrated performances at some of the most-high-profile events of our time, including The Oscars, The Grammy Awards and The Super Bowl. The son of a Deacon, Ingram is one of six children and a self-taught musician, adept at piano, guitar, bass, drums and synthesizer. He made his home in Los Angeles with Debbie, his wife of 36 years, and their six children.
Baby Be Mine
James Ingram Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've been tryin' to tell myself I don't need you
Trying to hold back the feelings I feel for you
Knowing in the end there's no future for you and I
I can't tell no lie
(Baby, be mine) You never really got to know me
(Words left unspoken)
They only gave you a token of my love, ooh
Take a second chance, see what you're missing
I'm just somebody you don't know as well as you think you do
So understand me this time
Baby, be mine
(Baby, be mine) You never really got to know me
(Baby, be mine) I should have said it at the time
(Words left unspoken)
They only gave you a token of my-my love
Ooh...ooh...hoo...
Ooh...
Ooh...hoo...
Hey...hey...hey...hey...
(Baby be mine) Yeah, yeah...oh...yeah, come on, come on
(Baby, be mine) Maybe I should have said at the time
(Words left unspoken)
They only game you a token of my love, my love
(Baby, be mine)
(Baby, be mine) Oh, baby, baby, baby, baby
(Words left unspoken)
They only game you a token of my-my-my-my-my love, hey...hey...yeah...
Come on, you sweet thing
You know I-I need love everyday
No way
(Baby, won't you be mine) Oh, come on , boy
Give me just a little bit, just a little bit, just a little bit lovin', baby
(Baby, won't you be mine) Won't you be mine, won't you be mine, oh, yeah, yeah
Oh...baby, baby, baby, baby, be mine
(Words left unspoken)
(They only game you a token of my love)
You haven't even begun to know me, boy, oh...ho...ho...yeah
(Baby, be mine) Come on and be my love
Say that you will, say that you will, say that you will
(Words left unspoken)
(They only gave you a token of my love)
My-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my love
(Baby, be mine) Come on, baby
Say that you love me too, say that you'll be my forever love
Always together love
(Words left unspoken) I promise you
The lyrics to James Ingram's song "Baby Be Mine" seem to be a plea to a lover to give a relationship a second chance. The singer has been trying to convince himself that he doesn't need the lover anymore and has been holding back his feelings for them. However, he knows that there is no future for them together. He wants the lover to give him a chance and see what they are missing out on.
The refrain "Baby, be mine" is repeated several times throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's desire for the lover. He regrets not telling the lover how he felt earlier ("I should have said it at the time/Words left unspoken"). The singer tries to convince the lover that they don't really know him as well as they think they do and that he has a lot to offer. He promises that if the lover gives him a chance, they will not regret it.
The last part of the song is a desperate plea from the singer to the lover to be his forever love. He promises to always be together and fulfill the lover's need for love everyday. The singer is hoping that the words left unspoken and the token of love he gave to the lover will be enough to convince them to give him a chance.
Overall, the lyrics to "Baby Be Mine" are a heartfelt plea for a second chance at love.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been tryin' to tell myself I don't need you
I am in denial about needing you
Trying to hold back the feelings I feel for you
I am trying to suppress my feelings for you
Knowing in the end there's no future for you and I
I am aware that we don't have a future together
I can't tell no lie
I am being honest with you
(Baby, be mine) You never really got to know me
I think you don't really know me
(Baby, be mine) I should have said it at the time
I should have told you how I felt earlier
(Words left unspoken)
I didn't communicate my feelings well
They only gave you a token of my love, ooh
My actions didn't fully convey my love for you
Take a second chance, see what you're missing
Give me another chance, you might like it
I'm just somebody you don't know as well as you think you do
You might be surprised to learn new things about me
So understand me this time
Please listen to me and try to understand my perspective
(Baby, be mine) You never really got to know me
I don't think you've taken the time to know me
(Baby, be mine) I should have said it at the time
I should have spoken up about my feelings sooner
They only gave you a token of my-my love
My attempts to show my love were incomplete
Come on, you sweet thing
Hey cutie
You know I-I need love everyday
I require love frequently
(Baby, won't you be mine) Oh, come on , boy
Please give me a chance, man
Give me just a little bit, just a little bit, just a little bit lovin', baby
Please give me some love
(Baby, won't you be mine) Won't you be mine, won't you be mine, oh, yeah, yeah
Please be mine
Oh...baby, baby, baby, baby, be mine
Please be with me
You haven't even begun to know me, boy, oh...ho...ho...yeah
You haven't even scratched the surface of who I am
(Baby, be mine) Come on and be my love
Please be my love
Say that you will, say that you will, say that you will
Please say yes
My-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my-my love
I love you so much
(Baby, be mine) Come on, baby
Please be with me
Say that you love me too, say that you'll be my forever love
Please love me back and stay with me forever
Always together love
Our love should last forever
I promise you
I am making a promise to you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ASHLEY INGRAM, JACKIE RAWE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dan De Jianne
on No Need To Say Goodbye
Wrong song. These are not the lyrics to No need to say goodbye.