Early life
Jermaine was born December 11, 1954, at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana, after his brother Tito Jackson. He is the fourth child born to Joseph and Katherine Jackson. His siblings are Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, La Toya, Marlon, Brandon (Marlon's twin who died shortly after birth in 1957), Michael, Randy, and Janet. Father, Joe had musical aspirations, playing guitar with his brother Luther in an R&B band, the Falcons, and mother Katherine a devout Jehovah's Witness was a passionate pianist and singer,. Their large family and limited means made them refocus, with Katherine becoming a housewife and Joe a steel mill worker at nearby Inland Steel Company in East Chicago, Indiana, where they lived before moving to Gary in 1950.
When his father, Joe worked long hours as a crane operator, Jermaine and his brothers, Tito and Jackie, secretly practiced their own songs using Joe's guitar, and they sang harmonies with mother Katherine . Jermaine became the original lead singer, and also played the bass in the Jackson Brothers, an earlier incarnation of the Jackson 5 until 1966, when younger brother Michael began singing lead. Father Joe began rehearsing his sons under a strict regimen when he realized their potential, seeing his sons’ talent as a way out of Gary. Jermaine would continue to provide some leads over the years. Jermaine graduated from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, in 1973.
Jermaine and his brothers first signed as The Jackson 5 with Gordon Keith of Steeltown Records in November 1967, and their first single "Big Boy", was released on January 31, 1968. After the group recorded three more songs with the Steeltown label (on two records) they were signed with Berry Gordy of Motown Records in 1969. As the co-lead singer of The Jackson 5 after his brother Michael, Jermaine sang notable parts of "I Want You Back", "ABC", "I'll Be There", "The Love You Save", "Dancing Machine", and many other Jackson 5 songs. Jermaine performed as part of the group for six years. Not feeling that they were being paid fair royalties by Motown Records for their success as well as their desire for creative control, the Jackson 5 decided to leave the label and sign with Epic Records in 1975. However, Jermaine decided to stay with Motown Records, citing loyalty to the company as the reason. Others argue that Jermaine's marriage to Motown founder Berry Gordy's daughter Hazel, whom he married in 1973, was a deciding factor.
Jermaine split from the Jackson Five to start a solo career at Motown, and was replaced by his brother Randy Jackson. Unbeknownst to the group, Gordy had trademarked the name The Jackson Five and did not allow the group to continue using the name when they left the label. Once signed with Epic, the group became known simply as The Jacksons. In 1983, Gordy asked the group to perform at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special. After the success of the broadcast, Jermaine finally rejoined the band to record the album Victory which featured all six brothers on the Jackson's album cover. Jermaine also participated in the band's Victory Tour. He stayed with the group for their final album, 2300 Jackson Street, in 1989. Jermaine performs the song If You'd Only Believe, from their 2300 Jackson Street album, on March 15, 1993, with his brothers Jackie, Tito and Randy, on the stage of the Grand Théâtre de Genève for the evening of the Nations. He also performed this song alone, on January 14, 1990, in Atlanta, in tribute to Martin Luther King, during King Week 90 '. In 1997, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Jackson 5. In 2001, he reunited with his brothers to perform for the Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Special.
Solo career
Like Michael, Jermaine began a solo career while still a member of The Jackson 5, and had a hit with the 1972 Shep and the Limelites cover "Daddy's Home". It sold over one million copies by March 1973, and was awarded a gold disc. When The Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975, Jermaine left the group and stayed at the label until 1983, when he finally rejoined his brothers for the Motown 25 television special, and their album Victory the following year. Jermaine was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for his 1980 album Let's Get Serious. He had a number of Billboard top-30 hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s, including "Daddy's Home" (No. 9), "That's How Love Goes", "Let's Be Young Tonight", "Bass Odyssey", "Feel the Fire", "Let Me Tickle Your Fancy" (featuring Devo on backing vocals) (No. 18), "Let's Get Serious" (No. 9, also one of his only two UK hits, peaking at No. 8), "Dynamite" (No. 15), "Do What You Do" (No. 13), and "I Think It's Love" (No. 16). A duet with his brother Michael, "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)", hit number one on the dance chart in 1984. Michael and he also collaborated with Rockwell, both providing guest vocals on his 1984 hit single, "Somebody's Watching Me".
In 1985, his duet with Pia Zadora, "When the Rain Begins to Fall", topped several singles charts in Europe. His final chart success, 1989's "Don't Take It Personal", hit number one on the R&B singles chart. Some of Jermaine's finest moments as a singer can be heard in the soulful "Castles of Sand" and the Earth Wind & Fire-inspired "You Need to Be Loved". Jermaine was the executive producer of The Jackson Family Honors concert televised from the MGM Grand on February 22, 1994 . On May 19, 2003, he performed "Let's Start Right Now" live on the talk show "The View", hosted by Barbara Walters.
Jackson is proficient on the electric guitar and is a talented bass guitar player. At an early age, he performed the parts of legendary bass player James Jamerson and others when the Five performed live. His main instrument was a Gibson EB-3. Jermaine also composed and produced for other artists, such as Switch and he produced and sang duets on Whitney Houston's debut album for Arista Records. Jackson is featured on the Switch track "Tahiti Hut" released in 2019, recorded during the Reaching for Tomorrow sessions.
Reality television
Jackson was the first housemate to enter the Celebrity Big Brother 5 house in 2007, which he placed 2nd. After leaving Big Brother, Jackson did several interviews on UK television explaining why and how he took his peaceful and mediating stance in the Big Brother house. He also spoke about the Jackson Five reuniting for a performance. Jackson was part of the second season of the CMT reality show Gone Country. On the premiere episode of season three of the ABC reality show Celebrity Wife Swap on April 15, 2014, Jackson and his wife Halima swapped places with Daniel Baldwin and his on-again, off-again girlfriend Isabella Hofmann.
Later work
In April 2007, Jackson returned to the UK to take part in a one-off special of ITV's Challenge Anneka. On the same trip, he appeared in Glasgow with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, speaking in support of Searchlight magazine's anti racism campaign, the Daily Mirror "Hope Not Hate bus".
On November 23, 2007, Jackson appeared on Katie & Peter: Unleashed and again talked of a reunion with his brothers on a tour the following year. In 2008, Jackson flew to Australia to be a guest judge and mentor for the top-five Michael Jackson night on Australian Idol. In March 2008, Jackson was the guest of honor at the Muslim Writers Awards in Birmingham. In 2009, following his brother Michael's passing, Jermaine appeared on the A&E television series The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty, documenting what was supposed to be a 40th-anniversary reunion between Jermaine and his brothers. The series lasted one season and Jermaine, along with his three brothers, was listed as an executive producer. In October 2010, Jermaine played a concert at the Planet Hollywood hotel and casino in Las Vegas, naming it "40 Years of Jackson Music" and dedicating the concert to Michael. He wrote the memoir You Are Not Alone: Michael Through a Brother's Eyes (2011).
In a 2012 interview with Luka Neskovic, for The Huffington Post, Jackson said that his brother planned a reunion with him: "... the plan was to do some shows with the brothers, as well, after he finished his commitment with the "This Is It" [concert], and we probably gonna do some songs with him on the "This Is It" tour". In October 2012, Jackson released I Wish You L.O.V.E, his first solo album in 21 years, consisting mostly of jazz covers. The album was arranged and produced by French opera singer David Serero, who recorded a duet on "Autumn Leaves" with Jermaine, and was released by David Serero Productions. They both performed You Are Not Alone: The Musical, written, directed and produced by Serero, in France in January 2013. The following year, You Are Not Alone: The Musical Live was released on video and audio.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jermaine_Jackson
Studio albums
Jermaine (1972)
Come into My Life (1973)
My Name Is Jermaine (1976)
Feel the Fire (1977)
Frontiers (1978)
Let's Get Serious (1980)
Jermaine (1980)
I Like Your Style (1981)
Let Me Tickle Your Fancy (1982)
Dynamite (1984)
Precious Moments (1986)
Don't Take It Personal (1989)
You Said (1991)
I Wish You L.O.V.E (2012)
Give a little love
Jermaine Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ain´t nobody giving an inch...
Such a shame
The beat of our hearts
They´re just so far apart
That we can´t even feel the pain
So tell me how long
Not another day
Well you know it´s so sad
To watch a good love go so bad...
Just thrown away
Give a little love
Give a little love
Both of us talking
Ain´t nobody listening at all...
It´s such a sin
It´s time we start facing
This love we are wasting
Ain´t never gonna come back again
Just tell me how long
Can we go on this way...
Not another day
You know Iit´s so sad
To watch a good lovego so bad...
Just thrown away
Give some love
Got to let her know
Take some time
You got to give her some time
Give a little love
Just a little love
Give her some love
Just a little love
Give a little love
Changing like the weather
So hard to stay together
It´s hard to give that much all the time
We´ve got to stop and give back
We´re on the wrong track
We´re coming to the end of the line
Just tell me how long
Can we keep holding on...
Not another day
You know it´s so wrong
To let a love that was so strong...
Just slip away
You got to give a little love
To get a little love
We´re gonna have to make up our minds
Take a little..make a little time
To put our hearts together tonight
Give a little love
Just a little love
Give a little love
Give a little love
Give a little love
Give some love
Give a little love
Take some time
Give a little love
The song "Give a Little Love" by Jermaine Jackson is a ballad that talks about a love that is slowly dying due to lack of communication and attention from both parties involved. The first two lines of the first verse establish the fact that both lovers are talking but nobody is willing to compromise, resulting in distance between them. Although their hearts still beat, they don't feel the pangs of love anymore because they are too far apart. The singer asks how long they can go on like this, clearly stating that they cannot keep up this charade for much longer. He acknowledges the sadness of watching love that was once strong fall apart and fade away without any attempt to salvage it.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of giving love, just a little bit, to save the relationship. It's a call to action to both partners to take the initiative to show love, be patient and attentive to each other. The second verse repeats the same theme of two people talking but not listening, which is a clear indication that they have lost interest in each other. The line "This love we are wasting ain´t never gonna come back again" is a reminder that once love dies, it's impossible to revive it if both parties are not willing to put in the work.
The song ends on a hopeful note, with the chorus reminding the lovers that they can still salvage their relationship if they take the time to give a little love. The importance of communication, patience, compromise, and attention is emphasized throughout the song as vital elements in any relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Both of us talking
Both of us speaking, but neither of us willing to compromise.
Ain´t nobody giving an inch...
No one is willing to make any concessions.
Such a shame
It's unfortunate.
The beat of our hearts
Our emotions.
They´re just so far apart
Our feelings for each other are distant and unconnected.
That we can´t even feel the pain
The emotional disconnect has led us to not even feel the pain of losing love.
So tell me how long
I ask for a timeframe.
Can we go on this way...
Can we continue in our current state?
Not another day
We must change soon.
Well you know it´s so sad
It's truly sorrowful.
To watch a good love go so bad...
To see a love we once shared decay into nothingness.
Just thrown away
All our work and feelings have been wasted.
Give a little love
We need to show some affection to each other.
Both of us talking
We strive to communicate with each other.
Ain´t nobody listening at all...
We aren't paying any attention to each other.
It´s such a sin
It's regrettable.
It´s time we start facing
We must confront the issue head-on.
This love we are wasting
Our love is being neglected and thrown away.
Ain´t never gonna come back again
Our love is gone forever.
Just tell me how long
I inquire again for a timeline.
Can we go on this way...
Can we continue to let our love decay?
Not another day
We must take action promptly.
You know it´s so sad
It's heartbreaking.
To watch a good love go so bad...
To witness our once-strong love turn weak and dilapidated.
Just thrown away
All our emotional investments have gone to waste.
Give some love
We must display affection for each other if we want our love to survive.
Got to let her know
We must communicate our feelings to each other.
Take some time
We must spend time rebuilding our love.
You got to give her some time
We must show patience to each other.
Changing like the weather
Our feelings towards each other keep fluctuating.
So hard to stay together
It is extremely difficult to hold our relationship together.
It´s hard to give that much all the time
It is difficult to consistently show affection.
We´ve got to stop and give back
We must reflect and show love again.
We´re on the wrong track
Our current path is leading towards a failed relationship.
We´re coming to the end of the line
Our relationship is reaching its end.
Can we keep holding on...
Is there any point in continuing to hold on to this dying partnership?
You know it´s so wrong
It's unjust.
To let a love that was so strong...
It is painful to let our once strong love dissipate.
Just slip away
Our love is vanishing slowly and completely.
You got to give a little love
We must demonstrate love for each other.
To get a little love
To receive love, we must give love in return.
We´re gonna have to make up our minds
We need to make a decision.
Take a little..make a little time
Invest some time and effort into our love.
To put our hearts together tonight
To reconnect and strengthen our love tonight.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RODNEY J CROWELL, DAVID MALLOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind