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.
The Word Is Out
Jermaine Stewart Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You couldn't keep it
Our secret, oh, no
All over town
Everybody's talking
It ain't no secret anymore
And that's phony information
My confidence
You've been betraying
I don't know what
(I don't know what) to do
Because the word is out
That you and I are lovers (oh, yeah)
That you and I are lovers
That you and I been getting it on
The word is out
That you and I are lovers (oh, yeah)
That you and I are lovers
That you and I been getting it on
It on, it on, it on, it on
There's nothing left
To do but stop it
I won't be beaten
Oh, no, I won't
I can't stand the gossip
Out on the streets now
How could they see us
Behind closed doors
Why did you have to tell them
I told you not to say a word
Why did you have to say it
We were never seen (never seen)
Now I can't believe the word is out
That you and I are lovers
That you and I are lovers (oh, yeah)
That you and I been getting it on
The word, the word, the word is out
That you and I are lovers
That you and I are lovers
That you and I been getting it on
The word is out
That you and I are lovers
That you and I are lovers (oh, yeah)
That you and I been getting it on
The word, the word, the word is out
That you and I are lovers (oh, yeah)
That you and I are lovers
That you and I been getting it on
It on, it on, it on, it on
You are the one they're saying
And that's phony information
My confidence
You've been betraying
I don't know what
(I don't know what) to do
Because the word is out
That you and I are lovers
That you and I are lovers
That you and I been getting it on
The word, the word, the word is out
That you and I are lovers (oh, no)
That you and I are lovers (ooh, yeah)
That you and I been getting it on
The word is out
That you and I are lovers
That you and I are lovers
That you and I been getting it on
I told you not to tell your friends
Oh, yeah
That you and I are lovers
That you and I are lovers
That you and I been getting it on
The word is out
That you and I are lovers
That you and I are lovers
That you and I been getting it on
In Jermaine Stewart's "The Word Is Out," the singer confronts his partner about breaking their secrets and spreading news of their relationship. He begins by acknowledging that his partner was the one who spread the news of their relationship with everyone in town. Stewart sounds disappointed and hurt that their secret was no longer safe. He refers to the information that's now out as "phony information" and emphasizes that he had put his confidence in his partner, which they've now betrayed.
Stewart then reveals that he doesn't know what to do because the word is out that they're lovers, and everyone is talking about it. He repeats this line several times, emphasizing how much the news has spread and how he can't escape it. He's frustrated with the situation and knows that there's nothing left to do but to stop it. He adds that he won't be beaten and that he can't stand the gossip that's out in the streets. He wonders how people were able to see them behind closed doors and is upset that his partner betrayed his trust by not keeping their secret.
Overall, the song is a lament about the loss of a cherished secret in a relationship that was supposed to be private. Stewart seems to be struggling to come to terms with the news that has been released and is uncertain about how to deal with its consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
You had to be the one to say it
You couldn't keep our love a secret and had to tell someone.
You are the one they're saying
You are the person people are talking about and saying false things.
My confidence
You've been betraying
You have broken my trust and shared our private information with others.
Because the word is out
That you and I are lovers
Our secret is out and now everyone knows that we are in a romantic relationship.
That you and I been getting it on
People are gossiping that we have been physically intimate with each other.
There's nothing left
To do but stop it
We must put an end to the rumors and stop acting on our romantic feelings.
I don't know what
(I don't know what) to do
I am confused and unsure of how to handle the situation now that our romantic relationship is no longer a secret.
Why did you have to tell them
I told you not to say a word
I am upset and questioning why you betrayed my trust and shared our secret with others when I explicitly asked you not to do so.
Now I can't believe the word is out
That you and I are lovers
I am in disbelief that everyone knows about our romantic relationship and that our secret is no longer safe.
I told you not to tell your friends
Oh, yeah
I had explicitly asked you not to share our private information with anyone, but you still told your friends.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GREGORY CHARLES AUGUSTUS CRAIG, JERMAINE STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind