Born in Providence, RI, Jeffrey Osborne was the youngest of 12 children and was constantly bombarded with music as he was growing up. He had five brothers and six sisters, some of whom went on to have music careers. His father, Clarence "Legs" Osborne, was a popular trumpeter who played with Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington, and died when Jeffrey was only 13. His mother, Wanita, is ancestored by a Pequot Indian sachem. His oldest brother, Clay Osborne, is a singer and pianist, and Billy, another brother, is a songwriter and producer in Los Angeles. But Osborne's father had the greatest influence on his musical career; Clarence "Legs" Osborne turned down many top band offers during his career to be with his family. It was only after receiving his mother's encouragement that Jeffrey left for Los Angeles to play with L.T.D. At the age of 15, he sat in with the O'Jays when the drummer was too tired to play, and went on to play with them for two weeks. It was at a Providence nightclub that fate brought him together with the band Love Men Ltd. in 1969.
Osborne's solo career has brought him five gold and platinum albums, including Stay With Me Tonight, Aymuk, and Only Human. He also recorded an album of duets with popular singer James Ingram, and scored an international hit with "On the Wings of Love" in 1982. Osborne's touring and recording continue to keep him busy much of the time, but he also devotes some of his time to charity work.
I'll Make Believe
Jeffrey Osborne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh why did it slip away
I thought two hearts like yours and mine
Combine would be so hard to separate
But you go move on
So I pretend nothings change
Bring back yesterday
I make believe our love is still alive
I make believe what use to be is somewhere deep inside
I make believe it never really happened
I make believe you never said goodbye
I make believe the future still belongs to you and I
If love is hiding in your heart
Then now don't you leave me in the dark
Cause now my nights are long and cold
Hold on since you left me here alone
So I'll breathe its ok with me
Back together again but baby until then
I make believe we never lost the magic
I make believe our love is still alive
I make believe what use to be is somewhere deep inside
I make believe it never really happened
I make believe you never said goodbye
I make believe the future still belongs to you and I
Oh stars use to shine
Like the glow in your angel eyes
When our passion burns sweet in the night
You never knew who much I miss
The softness of your tender kiss
But for now I guess I'll go on dreaming
I make believe we never lost the magic
I make believe our love is still alive
I make believe what use to be is somewhere deep inside
I make believe it never really happened
I make believe you never said goodbye
I make believe the future still belongs to you and I
I make believe we never lost the magic
I make believe our love is still alive
I make believe what use to be is somewhere deep inside
I make believe it never really happened
I make believe you never said goodbye
I make believe the future still belongs to you and I
Make believe our love is still alive
I'll make believe the future still belongs to you and I
In this song, Jeffrey Osborne sings about a lost love and his desire to bring back the love they once shared. He reminisces about the past when he thought time was on their side and believed their love was strong enough to never separate. However, the woman he loved has moved on and left him feeling alone and in the dark. Despite this, he remains hopeful and "makes believe" that their love is still alive and they have a future together.
The chorus of the song, "I make believe we never lost the magic, I make believe our love is still alive, I make believe what use to be is somewhere deep inside," reflects on the idea of holding onto memories of a relationship that has ended. He is trying to ignore the fact that the relationship is over and is still holding onto hope for a future together.
The lyrics also describe the beauty of their past love, using imagery such as "stars use to shine like the glow in your angel eyes." The softness of her tender kiss and the passion they once shared makes him long for her even more.
Overall, "I'll Make Believe" is a song about the struggle of moving on from a lost love, while still clinging onto hope for a future together.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought that time was on our side
I believed we had a lot of time to spend together
Oh why did it slip away
Unfortunately, time passed by too quickly
I thought two hearts like yours and mine
I believed that our hearts were meant to be together
Combine would be so hard to separate
It would be hard to separate our hearts, as they were meant to be together
But you go move on
Unfortunately, you decided to move on
So I pretend nothings change
I would try to pretend that nothing has changed since you left
Bring back yesterday
I wish we could go back in time and relive yesterday
If love is hiding in your heart
If you still love me, but are hiding it
Then now don't you leave me in the dark
Please don't keep me in the dark about how you feel
Cause now my nights are long and cold
I am feeling lonely and cold now that you're gone
Hold on since you left me here alone
I'm holding on, even though you left me alone
So I'll breathe its ok with me
I'll try to take it one day at a time and breathe, even though it's hard
Back together again but baby until then
I hope we can be back together again, but until then
Oh stars use to shine
Before, the stars used to shine bright and beautiful
Like the glow in your angel eyes
Just like the way your eyes used to light up
When our passion burns sweet in the night
When we used to share our passion in each other's arms
You never knew who much I miss
I don't think you knew how much I longed for you
The softness of your tender kiss
I miss the way your lips felt gentle on mine
But for now I guess I'll go on dreaming
But for now, I'll continue to have dreams about us being together again
Make believe our love is still alive
I'll pretend our love is still alive
I'll make believe the future still belongs to you and I
I'll pretend that our future is still bright, and you and I will be together
Writer(s): JEFFREY L. OSBORNE, JEFF PARIS
Contributed by Hudson W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Angelique Domini
Sir Jeffrey Osborne, I bought your album Stay with me tonight in 1983 and this song "Ill make believe" was my number one then. Now, today I found it again after so many years , this song must have won a Grammy. You are such a soul full singer. We love you. Thank you for your beautiful voice. Respects.
S Williams
I don't this song hardly got any airplay. I think its my favorite cut on that album as well. Beautiful song sung by a voice that is a wonder of the universe.
Sylvia Daley
Such a great singer with a wonderful voice I just love all his songsπππΉππ
Tina Edwards
I enjoy Jeffrey Osborne music but this song will stay in my heart forever.God bless you Mr. Jeffrey Osborne!!
Dorothy Washington
Sing the damn song, Jeffrey. Love it.
Debra Wright
Amazing
Ray Ransom
WOW, this brings back a lot of memories, Jeffrey Osbourne one of my all time favorites from him
Phyllis Ntebaleng Rasibone Mhlongo
The beauty in this song is timelessπ€β₯οΈ
Jane Porter
I love this songβ€
Celeste Nicole
Beautiful, what happened to the state of our music. Wow I forgot how much I liked his voice