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.
Make You Feel My Love
Joan Osborne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the whole world is on your case
I could offer you a warm embrace
To make you feel my love
When the evening shatters
And the stars appear
And there is no one there
I could hold you for a million years
To make you feel my love
I know you haven't made your mind up yet,
But I would never do you wrong
I've known it from the moment that we met,
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'd go crawling down the avenue
No there's nothing that I wouldn't do
To make you feel my love
The storms are raging on the the rolling sea
And on the highway of regret
The winds of change are blowing
Wild and free
You ain't seen nothing like me yet
I could make you happy,
Make your dreams come true
There is nothing that I wouldn't do
Go to the ends of the earth for you
To make you feel my love
In Joan Osborne's song “Make You Feel My Love,” the singer expresses the depths of her love and devotion towards someone who is going through a rough patch in life. The first verse talks about offering a warm embrace to someone who is facing the challenges of the world, indicating the singer's willingness to be a source of comfort and support for this person. She promises to be there during difficult times, to hold them close and make them feel safe.
The second verse suggests that the person might be going through an emotional crisis, with no one to turn to for support or guidance. The singer is ready to be that person, to hold them close and listen to their woes. She promises to remain by their side for as long as they need her, even if it means going hungry or facing physical harm.
The lyrics in the chorus emphasize the depth and intensity of the singer's love. She assures her lover that she will do anything to make them happy, to make their dreams come true, even if the storms of life are raging against them. The lyrics are powerful and emotive, showing the depth of the singer's love for the person she is addressing.
Line by Line Meaning
When the rain is blowing on your face
When you're feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, I'm here to be your comfort and support.
And the whole world is on your case
You might feel like everyone is against you, but I'm the one person you can always count on to have your back.
I could offer you a warm embrace
I'm here to provide you with a sense of belonging and security, no matter how lost or alone you might feel.
To make you feel my love
All I want is to show you how much I care--and that nothing you go through will ever change that.
When the evening shatters
Sometimes life can be tough, and things can fall apart--but I'm here to help you pick up the pieces and start again.
And the stars appear
In moments of darkness, I want to show you that there is still hope.
And there is no one there
Even when you feel like you're completely alone, I'm here to offer you my love and support.
To dry your tears
I'm here to be the shoulder you can cry on, to provide comfort and reassurance when you need it most.
I could hold you for a million years
I want to show you that I'm always here for you, no matter what--that my love is never-ending.
I know you haven't made your mind up yet,
I understand that you might still be unsure or hesitant--but I want you to know that I'm here to support you, and that I'll never hurt you.
But I would never do you wrong
My love is genuine and sincere--I would never betray your trust or hurt you intentionally.
I've known it from the moment that we met,
I've always felt a special connection to you, and I know deep down that we're meant to be together.
No doubt in my mind where you belong
I truly believe that you and I are meant to be together, and that our love is meant to last a lifetime.
I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue
I'm willing to go through anything to prove my love to you--even if it means making sacrifices or enduring hardship.
I'd go crawling down the avenue
I'm willing to humble myself and put aside my pride for the sake of our relationship.
No there's nothing that I wouldn't do
When it comes to you and our love, there are no limits or boundaries on what I'm willing to do or sacrifice.
To make you feel my love
All I ever wanted was to show you how much I love you--and I'll keep trying, no matter what.
The storms are raging on the the rolling sea
Life can be tumultuous and uncertain--but I want to provide you with a sense of stability and security during even the toughest times.
And on the highway of regret
I know life isn't always easy, and that we all have regrets--but I'm here to help you navigate those challenges and find happiness again.
The winds of change are blowing
Life is always evolving and changing--but I want to be the one constant that you can always rely on.
Wild and free
With me, you can be yourself and feel free to express yourself--without fear of judgement or rejection.
You ain't seen nothing like me yet
I'm here to blow your mind, to inspire you and push you to be your best self--and to show you what true love really feels like.
I could make you happy,
All I've ever wanted was to see you smile, to know that you're content and fulfilled--and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen.
Make your dreams come true
I want to support you in achieving your goals and aspirations, to be your biggest cheerleader and champion.
There is nothing that I wouldn't do
No matter what obstacles we might face, I want you to know that I'm always here for you, and that I'll do whatever it takes to make our love last.
Go to the ends of the earth for you
I'm willing to go to any lengths to show you how much I care--even if it means traveling the world or doing something completely out of my comfort zone.
To make you feel my love
At the end of the day, all I want is for you to know that I love you deeply and sincerely--and that I'll do anything to make sure you never forget it.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Unison Rights S.L., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind