It was after relocating to New York City in the early '90s (to study at N.Y.U.'s film school) that Osborne began to take a singing career seriously after singing Billie Holiday's classic "God Bless the Child" at a local bar's "open mic night." In addition to Holiday, Osborne looked to such legendary vocalists as Etta James and Ray Charles as role models, as the up-and-coming singer decided not to cater to major record companies and formed her own label, Womanly Hips, which resulted in such releases as 1992's in-concert Soul Show, among others. But eventually, Osborne decided to sign on with a major label, Mercury, which in turn issued the singer's next release, 'Relish,' in March 1995. The album eventually racked up sales of three million copies and proved to have a long life, as almost a year after its initial release the track "One of Us" became a massive MTV and radio smash, camping out at the number-one spot on the U.S. singles chart for 2 weeks. Other tracks ("Right Hand Man" and "St. Teresa") failed to match the success of Osborne's first hit, but the singer still managed to connect with a large and appreciative audience, especially while touring as part of the 1997 edition of Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour. Osborne received numerous Grammy nominations in both 1996 and 1997.
Producing a worthy followup to Relish proved to be a time-consuming challenge for Osborne. Mercury tried to buy her some time by issuing a compilation release, 'Early Recordings' (which collected the early releases 'Live at Delta '88' and 'Blue Million Miles'). In the meantime, Osborne focused on supporting a few groups/causes she felt strongly about, such as Rock the Vote and Planned Parenthood (eventually being named an honorary member of Planned Parenthood's Board of Advocates), besides covering "I'm Just a Bill" as a duet with Isaac Hayes on the 1998 'Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote' benefit album. Osborne also studied briefly with the late Qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and performed alongside such notables as Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge, Taj Mahal, Luciano Pavarotti, Spearhead, Bob Dylan, and the Chieftains.
September 2000 finally saw the release of Osborne's second all-new studio album, titled 'Righteous Love'; but it failed to match its predecessor's commercial success and sank from sight shortly after its release. In 2002, Osborne bounced back with 'How Sweet It Is,' a collection of covers that leaned heavily on classic soul and R&B tunes from the 1960s and '70s. A career retrospective, 'One of Us,' came out in 2005.
Osborne played a prominent role in the 2002 film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," performing with the legendary Motown house band the Funk Brothers in a concert performance segment, and appearing with several members of the group in an interview segment. She and her band accompanied the Dixie Chicks for a national tour in the summer of 2003, during which time she also joined veteran San Francisco jam-rockers the Dead as a vocalist, and released her fourth album, titled 'How Sweet It Is,' a collection of classic rock and soul covers.
During 2005 and 2006, she performed on numerous occasions with Phil Lesh and Friends. In February 2007, she appeared at the Grand Ole Opry.
In November 2006, Osborne released 'Pretty Little Stranger,' her self-described "Nashville album."
In May 2007, Osborne issued 'Breakfast in Bed,' a return to the soul music that she had covered on 'How Sweet It Is'. 'Breakfast in Bed' also featured the two songs ("Heatwave" and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted") that she had covered for the film Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
She sings lead vocals on the cover of "Spoonful" on Vivian Campbell's solo album 'Two Sides Of If'.' Osborne also provided some vocals for "Wayfaring Stranger" on Spearhead's 1997 album 'Chocolate Supa Highway.' Joan is featured on The Holmes Brothers 2007 collection 'State of Grace' performing "Those Memories of You," an old Allan O'Bryant and Bill Monroe bluegrass tune.
Her album Bring It On Home was released on March 27, 2012. It is a collection of vintage blues and soul covers, and it received a 2013 Grammy Awards nomination for Best Blues Album.
Osborne was a member of Trigger Hippy from 2012 to 2018.
Osborne released the original album Love and Hate in 2014, and in 2017 the album Songs of Bob Dylan. A new album of original songs, Trouble and Strife, is due in September 2020.
Can't Say No
Joan Osborne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But here we are and I refuse to go
I can't go on without the love we make
Your touch is all I need to cure this day
I can't say no, how hard I've tried
How long I've run to try and hide
How deep my love, so sweet tonight
And if you say to me it's all a dream
Then let me sleep so happily deceived
Don't wake me up without the love we make
Your touch is all I need to cure this day
I can't say no, how hard I've tried
How long I've run to try and hide
How deep my love, so sweet tonight
I can't say no anymore
I can't say no, I can't say no
I can't say no anymore
I can't say no, I can't say no, I can't say
I can't say no, I can't say no
I can't say no anymore
I can't say no, I can't say no, I can't say
I can't say no, I can't say no
I can't say no anymore
I can't say no, I can't say no, I can't say
I can't say no, I can't say no
I can't say no anymore
I can't say no, I can't say no, I can't say
I can't say no, I can't say no, I can't say
I can't say no, I can't say no, I can't say
I can't say no, I can't say no, I can't say
I can't say no, I can't say no, I can't say
The lyrics to Joan Osborne's "Can't Say No" express the singer's inability to resist the love and touch of her partner, even if it is wrong. Though she knows that what they are doing is likely not approved of, she cannot bring herself to leave or say no to their advances anymore. She has tried to stay away, to hide her feelings and suppress her desires, but her love is too deep and all-consuming, and she cannot resist the temptation to be with her partner. In essence, the song is a passionate and emotional plea for the singer to be allowed to follow her heart, even if it means risking everything that she has.
The repeated refrain of "I can't say no" seems to emphasize the singer's helplessness in the situation. Though they may want to resist, whether for moral or practical reasons, they simply cannot. The lyrics also suggest that the singer is aware that what they are doing is a kind of deception - if someone were to tell them it was "all a dream," for instance, they would be willing to believe it, so long as they could keep the love of their partner. Ultimately, the song expresses the pain and frustration of being unable to resist one's own desires, and the fear and uncertainty that can come with following them.
Line by Line Meaning
And if you say to me it's wrong, I know
I am aware that you might tell me that what I am doing is erroneous
But here we are and I refuse to go
I am steadfast in my decision to stay with you, even if it seems inappropriate
I can't go on without the love we make
The passion we share is essential to my existence
Your touch is all I need to cure this day
The affection you affectionately show me is the remedy I need to overcome any obstacle
How hard I've tried, how long I've run to try and hide
I've attempted to resist my feelings and evade the situation, but I've failed every time
How deep my love, so sweet tonight
My love for you is profound and very delightful, especially in this moment
And if you say to me it's all a dream, then let me sleep so happily deceived
Even if you tell me that everything is just my imagination, I want to continue being blissfully unaware
I can't say no anymore
I cannot decline or reject what we have any longer
I can't say no, I can't say no, I can't say
I am unable to resist what I feel, no matter how hard I try
I can't say no anymore
I am powerless to deny my emotions any further
Lyrics © A SIDE MUSIC LLC D/B/A MODERN WORKS MUSIC PUBLISHING, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ERIC M BAZILIAN, RICHARD CHERTOFF, ROBERT EDWARD HYMAN, JOAN OSBORNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind