They moved to New York to study theatre at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Their original plan was to pursue a career on Broadway, but they soon changed their mind and returned to music. After moving to Atlanta, Georgia in 2003, Monáe founded the Wondaland Arts Society with like-minded young artists, and made a couple of appearances on OutKast's 2006 album Idlewild, where they are featured on the songs "Call the Law" and "In Your Dreams".
By 2007, Monáe was ready to release her first solo work, titled Metropolis. It was originally conceived as a concept album in four parts, or suites, which were to be released through her website and mp3 download sites. After the release of the first part of the series, Metropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase in mid-2007, these plans were altered following them signing with Sean "Diddy" Combs' label, Bad Boy Records, later in the year. The label gave an official and physical release to the first suite in August 2008, which was retitled Metropolis: The Chase Suite (Special Edition) and included two new tracks. The EP was generally well-received by critics, gaining Monáe a 2009 Grammy nomination in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance for their single "Many Moons", festival appearances, and opening slots for the indie pop band Of Montreal. Monáe also toured as the opening act for band No Doubt on their summer 2009 tour.
In a November 2009 interview, Monáe revealed the title and concept behind her album The ArchAndroid. The second and third suites of Metropolis are combined into this full-length release, in which Monáe's alter-ego, Cindi Mayweather - also the protagonist of Metropolis: The Chase Suite - becomes a messiah-like figure to the android community of Metropolis.
Cloud 9
Janelle Monáe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do do do do do do do
Do do do
Every five minutes checkin my phone
Sittin on the edge of my bed
Just to see if you called
See I been waitin all day
Walkin round like I'm in a trans
_______________________?
And that ain't me at all
See I tried to brush it off as just a silly game
That young girls like to play
But as time moved on I knew
My heart only beats for you
See what I'm trynna say is
You make me feel
The way I felt when I first met you
And my soul got chills
You make me feel
Like I can't breathe without you love
And that's oh so real
See I never thought I'd find love
A girl like me, it was impossible
And now I find myself in love
Boy, you got my nose wide open
I can't believe that you would be the one
Who would end my childish games for good
See I've tried to brush it off
As just a silly game that young girls like to play
But as time moved on I knew
My heart only beats for you
See what I'm trying to say is
You make me feel
The way I felt when I first met you
And my soul got chills
You make me feel
Like I can't breathe without you love
And that's oh so real
Ever since you walked in my life
Boy I swear I ain't been the same
Ain't it funny how things do happen
You came in and you re-arranged
My heart
And I'm so grateful baby
I mean I'm truly grateful baby
You made a difference in my life
And I can't explain the way that I feel
This journey through my life
Cloud 9
In Janelle Monáe's song Cloud 9, she sings about being in love and how it makes her feel. She starts off the song by constantly checking her phone, waiting for a call from her lover. She feels like she's been acting strange lately and wants to get back to her normal self. She states that she tried to brush off her newfound feelings as just a silly game young girls like to play, but as time went on, she realized that her heart only beats for her lover. She then expresses how her lover makes her feel like she did when they first met and how he re-arranged her life. The song ends with Janelle expressing her gratitude towards her lover for making a difference in her life and how she feels like she's on Cloud 9.
The lyrics of Cloud 9 showcase Janelle Monáe's vulnerable side and how love has changed her. The upbeat tempo and Janelle's smooth vocals compliment the lyrics and showcase her range as an artist. The song is an ode to love and how it makes us feel, and Janelle Monáe has done an excellent job of capturing those feelings in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Every five minutes checkin my phone
I cannot stop checking my phone every few minutes to see if you have called or not.
Sittin on the edge of my bed
I am sitting on the edge of my bed anxiously waiting to hear from you.
Just to see if you called
I am eagerly waiting for you to call me back as soon as possible.
See I been waitin all day
My entire day has been spent waiting for you to call me back.
Lately I've been actin strange and things
I have been feeling different and behaving in a weird way lately.
Walkin round like I'm in a trans
I have been walking around aimlessly as if I am in a trance.
And that ain't me at all
This is not how I usually behave.
See I tried to brush it off as just a silly game
I previously thought this was just a trivial matter that could be ignored.
That young girls like to play
I figured this was just something young girls indulge in.
But as time moved on I knew
As things evolved, I soon realized that my feelings were real.
My heart only beats for you
I have fallen in love with you, and there is no turning back.
See what I'm trynna say is
What I want to express is that...
You make me feel
You make me experience emotions...
The way I felt when I first met you
That are similar to the first time we met.
And my soul got chills
It sends chills down my spine.
Like I can't breathe without you love
I feel like I cannot go on without your love.
And that's oh so real
This feeling is genuine and authentic.
See I never thought I'd find love
I never imagined that I would be able to find love.
A girl like me, it was impossible
As a person like me, I thought it was impossible to find love.
And now I find myself in love
Now I am deeply in love with you.
Boy, you got my nose wide open
I am totally under your spell.
Who would end my childish games for good
I never thought there would be someone who could end all my childish games, but you did.
Ever since you walked in my life
Since you came into my life.
Boy I swear I ain't been the same
I promise you, I am not the same person I used to be.
Ain't it funny how things do happen
It is amusing how things eventually turn around.
You came in and you re-arranged
You came and reorganized.
My heart
My emotions and feelings.
And I'm so grateful baby
I am very thankful to you, baby.
I mean I'm truly grateful baby
I genuinely and deeply appreciate you, baby.
You made a difference in my life
You had a significant impact on my life.
And I can't explain the way that I feel
I cannot put into words how I truly feel right now.
This journey through my life
The experiences I have had in my life.
Cloud 9
I am on top of the world, feeling the best I have ever felt.
Contributed by Jayce K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cool And The Gang
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