Jermaine Stewart (September 7, 1957 – March 17, 1997) was an American pop s… Read Full Bio ↴Jermaine Stewart (September 7, 1957 – March 17, 1997) was an American pop singer, best known for his androgynous image as well as his twin dance pop hits: "The Word Is Out", from his 1984 debut album of the same name, and "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off", from 1986's 'Frantic Romantic'. Born in Columbus, Ohio to parents Ethel M. Stewart and Eugene Stewart, Jermaine always enjoyed dancing and, in school, he would often give dance lessons to other children for a $1 a lesson.

In 1972, the Stewart family (which consisted of his parents, Jermaine, his sisters Norma, Sondra, Leandra, and Leanna, and finally his brother Gene) moved to Chicago, Illinois. He took his first steps towards a career in entertainment there. Stints on both American Bandstand and later Soul Train as a dancer helped to fuel his ambition.

Soon, Jermaine became a backup singer and dancer for several artists such as The Chi-Lites, The Staple Singers and Shalamar while recording backup vocals for such artists as Culture Club. He was featured prominently on the group's 1983 album Colour by Numbers and as a result the group used their influence to help him land a solo recording deal with Arista Records.

The 1986 Frantic Romantic album with the hit single "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off" quickly went on to become a million seller, and a second single, "Jody" was released, the inspiration of the song being Jody Watley of Shalamar. A modest success, "Jody" reached both the U.K. and U.S. top 50. Another U.K. only single "Don't Ever Leave Me" was released, reaching number 76 on the British charts. The song was a ballad, and indicative of Jermaine's versatility in any musical style.

Jermaine's third album was probably his most successful internationally. Entitled Say It Again, the production was handled largely by André Cymone who had previously worked with Prince and Jody Watley. The result was an almost flawless collection of pop and dance funk tracks, of which almost any song could have been a successful single.

Supported by international live dates with his band, "The Party", the title track became Jermaine's second U.S. top 40 Billboard hit and also reached the R&B top 10. In the U.K., it made it all the way to number 7, helping the album into the top 40.

The next three singles all received the remix treatment from the production company behind such hits as "You Spin Me Round" by Dead Or Alive and Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." "Get Lucky," "Don't Talk Dirty To Me" and "Is It Really Love" found considerable European success, particularly Germany, where "Don't Talk Dirty To Me" was one of the biggest selling records of 1988, making the top 5.

At this point, Jermaine was highly focused on the mainstream pop market. His fourth and final album under his contract with Arista Records, What Becomes a Legend Most?, was filled with radio friendly catchy pop tunes. The first single "Tren De Amor" reached number 76 in the UK charts, while the follow-up, "Every Woman Wants To," didn't fared as well, only making it to number 95. Commercial success eluded this album, and a label change followed.

In 1992, Jermaine teamed up with Chicago producer Jesse Saunders for his last recorded work, an album for Reprise Records. Entitled Set Me Free, the album marked a return to the dance funk style of Say It Again. The title track was released as a single in the U.S., but found little success. The album remains unreleased.

He died in 1997 of liver cancer, caused by AIDS. Ironically, his hit "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off" gained popularity as it was referring to the AIDS scare of the 1980s. In 2003, the song was placed by VH1 in its 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders list.

In 2005, a compilation CD celebrating Jermaine's underrated contribution to '80s R&B which included several of his hits and a few previously unreleased tracks was released by BGF Records, an Ohio record label ran by Jermaine's brother.

Got To Be Love
Jermaine Stewart Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Seen you at the party
Now I'm seeing you in my scene
Must be something special
Whatever it is, it's getting kinda neat
I just wanna touch you
I just wanna hold your body tight
I must confess
You got the best of what I like

Whenever I'm near you
Whenever I'm near you
I could feel it!
Love
Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa

Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be
Get off of my place!
It's got to be love, mmm
Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be love
Get off of my place!
Oh, it's got to be love

Do you like my music?
Would you like to join me in a kiss?
Ah...
Mmm, all of this romance
Got me thinking 'bout the love
I could miss
You got the action
Makes the other boys just wanna stop
You give me this feeling
And, boy, this feeling's getting kinda hot

Whenever I'm near you
Whenever I'm near you
I could feel it!
Love

Whenever I'm near you
Whenever I'm near you
I could feel it!
Hmm, hey, hey, hey

Love
It's got to be love
Oh, it's got to be love
Get off of my place!
It's got to be love, ooh, yeah
Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be
Get off of my place!
It's got to be love, mmm

You just don't know
What you do to me
I think I'm 'bout to lose my head
(Oh, oh, oh)
I never had a feeling
Quite like this
They got me so worked up in my mind
My eyes are seeing red

Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be
Get off of my place!
It's got to be love, mm-mmm
Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be
Gett off of my place!
Oh, it's got to be love, mm-mmm

Love
Sing, love

Whoo!
Love

Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be
Get off of my place!
Oh, it's got to be love, yeah
Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be love
Get off of my place!
Oh, it's got to be-ee-ee-ee-ee

(Repeat 4x until the end)
What it's got to be love
Got to be love

Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be
Get off of my place!
Oh, it's got to be love, yeah
Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be love
Get off of my place!
It's got to be, oh-oh-oh-oh

Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be love
Get off of my place!
It's got to be-ee-ee-ee, yeah
Love
It's got to be love
It's got to be love
Get off of my place!

Oh, it's got to be love, love, love, love
Stop!

Overall Meaning

In Jermaine Stewart's "Got to Be Love," the singer is expressing his desire for someone he recently met at a party. He is feeling a strong attraction towards this person and can't help but think about them constantly. He is confessing that this person has the qualities he likes and he wants to hold them tightly. The chorus repeats the phrase "It's got to be love" multiple times throughout the song, emphasizing the singer's feelings. He believes that this attraction is not just physical but emotional, and he wants to pursue a relationship with this person.

The lyrics also explore the singer's uncertainty about the other person's feelings towards him. He questions whether the other person likes his music and if they would like to kiss him. The line "all of this romance got me thinking 'bout the love I could miss" suggests that the singer is afraid of missing out on love if he fails to act on his feelings. The chorus serves as a declaration of the singer's commitment to pursuing this person and finding true love.

Overall, "Got to Be Love" is a catchy and upbeat song about the power of love and the excitement of pursuing a new relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Seen you at the party
I noticed you at the party

Now I'm seeing you in my scene
Now that I'm seeing you more often, I'm intrigued by you

Must be something special
You seem unique and special to me

Whatever it is, it's getting kinda neat
Whatever is between us is getting better

I just wanna touch you
I crave to be close to you physically

I just wanna hold your body tight
I want to embrace you tightly

I must confess
Honesty, I have to admit that...

You got the best of what I like
You have all the qualities I find attractive

Whenever I'm near you
Every time I'm in your presence

I could feel it! Love
I feel the emotion of love when I'm around you

Love
Love

It's got to be love
What I'm feeling must be love

Get off of my place!
This is my personal space, so leave me be

Do you like my music?
Do you enjoy the type of music I create or listen to?

Would you like to join me in a kiss?
Do you want to kiss me?

Ah...Mmm, all of this romance
All of these love feelings and actions I'm experiencing

Got me thinking 'bout the love
You got me thinking about love

I could miss
I could miss out on experiencing love with you

You got the action
You know how to move your body seductively

Makes the other boys just wanna stop
You're so attractive that it stops other guys in their tracks

You give me this feeling
Being around you provokes the feeling of

And, boy, this feeling's getting kinda hot
And, boy, this feeling is turning into intense desire

You just don't know
You have no idea how you're affecting me

What you do to me
The effect you're having on me

I think I'm 'bout to lose my head
I'm losing control of myself

(Oh, oh, oh)
Vocalization of pleasure or excitement

I never had a feeling
I've never felt this way before

Quite like this
Nothing compares to this feeling

They got me so worked up in my mind
I'm extremely emotional about this

My eyes are seeing red
I'm blindsided by this feeling of passion

Sing, love
Feel and express love

Whoo!
Expression of excitement or enthusiasm

Stop!
End of the song

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: ANDRE CYMONE, JERMAINE STEWART

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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