If Boyz II Men are portrayed as a clean-cut, wholesome R&B vocal group, then Jodeci's wild, sexual, bad-boy image represents the other side of the coin. Made up of two sets of brothers, the group's name is a consolidation of three members' aliases: "JoJo" Hailey, Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate, and Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey; the group also includes Dalvin DeGrate. Natives of Charlotte, NC, all four members toured the South as young boys singing gospel music, even recording albums; both families belonged to the Pentecostal church, and the DeGrates' father was a minister. The boys were able to hear each other's gospel songs played on the radio, and eventually were introduced through girlfriends as teenagers. However, when they did meet, K-Ci was with a girl Dalvin had been dating, and a fight nearly broke out. The Hailey brothers and DeVante started hanging out together, partying and talking about making R&B records together, coming up with the name Jodeci at this time.
At age 16, DeVante ran away to Minneapolis to get a job in Prince's organization, but was refused. He returned to Charlotte, where he wrote a song and recorded JoJo singing it. The two planned on going to New York to shop the demo around by themselves, but both K-Ci and Dalvin decided to tag along at the last minute. By the time they got to New York, they had demo recordings of 29 songs, which they brought to the offices of Uptown Entertainment. They were almost rejected, but rapper Heavy D overheard the tape and talked Uptown president Andre Harrell into hearing the group. Harrell was impressed, and just like that, Jodeci signed a recording contract. In 1991, they recorded Forever My Lady, which featured the gold single "Come and Talk to Me" and went on to sell over three million copies. A minor feud resulted over the band's follow-up album, Diary of a Mad Band; Jodeci, unhappy with their treatment by Uptown, flirted with the idea of leaving for Dr. Dre's Death Row Records, which resulted in almost zero promotion for their new album. It didn't matter much, as Diary went platinum. The group's troubles got worse in 1993; DeVante and K-Ci were involved in an incident with a woman K-Ci met at a club and brought back to DeVante's apartment. The woman filed charges against the two, saying that K-Ci had threatened her and fondled her breast, while DeVante pointed a gun at her. Both pleaded guilty, but that wasn't all; shortly afterwards, DeVante's house was robbed of over 160,000 dollars in jewelry and clothes as the singer was held with guns in his mouth and at the back of his head.
Jodeci's third album, The Show, the After Party, the Hotel, was released in the summer of 1995. DeVante also was afforded the opportunity to work with Al Green, one of his idols, writing and producing the song "Could This Be the Love." ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
Jodeci Albums:
* 1991: Forever My Lady #18 US (3x platinum)
* 1993: Diary of a Mad Band #3 US (2x platinum)
* 1995: The Show, The After Party, The Hotel #2 US (platinum)
* 2005: Back to The Future: The Very Best of Jodeci (300,000)
Jodeci Singles:
* 1991: "Gotta Love"
* 1991: "Stay" (US #41, R&B #1)
* 1991: "Forever My Lady" (US #25, R&B #1)
* 1991: "Come and Talk to Me" (US #11, R&B #1)
* 1993: "Cry For You" (US #15, R&B #1)
* 1993: "Feenin'" (US #25, R&B #2)
* 1993: "Lately" (US #4, R&B #1)
* 1993: "Let's Go Through the Motions" (US #65)
* 1994: "What About Us" (R&B #14)
* 1995: "Freek'n You" (US #14, R&B #3)
* 1995: "Love U 4 Life"
* 1996: "Get on Up" (US #22, R&B #4)
Jodeci Side-Projects:
(K-Ci & JoJo)
* 1997: Love Always
* 1999: It's Real
* 2000: X
* 2002: Emotional
* 2005: All My Life "Their Greatest Hits"
(Dalvin Degrate)
* 2000: Met.A.Mor.Phic
(K-Ci Solo)
* 2006: My Book
4 U
Jodeci Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All the things you told me.
You said you'd never leave me.
We'd be together for eternity.
Now it's all in the past.
Now I know our love will last.
Lady, I will do all I can.
Lady, I will be all I am.
So come on in and close the door.
Let me show you what I could be.
Could you just please tell me...
[Chorus]
Do you believe in love,
And the promise that it gives?
I want to love you for life,
'Cause your love is why I live.
Do you believe in love,
And the promise that it gives?
I want to love you for life,
'Cause your love is why I live.
I knew the thing, girl,
But my faith wasn't strong enough.
Now my heart is built to last.
My heart is beating for you, fast.
But now I know that you understand.
I want to take you by the hand,
And walk with you down that isle.
And with you, I'll live my life.
I give you all you had before,
So come on in and close the door.
Let me show you what I could be,
If you just please tell me...
[Chorus]
I want you to know that it's for real,
This feeling that I feel.
I want you to know that it's so real.
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Jodeci's song "4 U" express the singer's commitment to his lover and his desire to show her how much he loves her. The song begins with the singer recalling the promises his lover made to him and how she said she would never leave him. However, despite those promises, their love has gone through some tough times, but the singer is determined to ensure that they stay together forever. He promises to do all he can and give her all she had before.
The chorus focuses on the idea of love, its promise, and how it gives meaning to the singer's life. He asks his lover if she believes in love and its promises and expresses his desire to love her for life. He wants to know if she believes in the same idea of love that he does.
The second verse expresses the singer's previous doubts about their love, but he now feels that his heart is built to last and beats fast for her. He wants to take her by the hand and walk with her down the aisle and live his life with her. The singer knows that his love is real and wants his lover to know that too.
Overall, the lyrics of "4 U" communicate a deep love and commitment to a partner and the importance of love in the singer's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Promises you made me.
The commitments you gave me
All the things you told me.
Everything you said to me
You said you'd never leave me.
You reassured me that you'll always be with me
We'd be together for eternity.
Our love will last forever
Now it's all in the past.
Those times are done and gone
Now I know our love will last.
But I am confident that our love will endure
Lady, I will do all I can.
You can count on me to give my best
Lady, I will be all I am.
I will be my true self, just for you
I'll give you all you had before,
I promise to return everything you ever gave me,
So come on in and close the door.
Let's share private moments together
Let me show you what I could be.
Here is my chance to prove my love to you
Could you just please tell me...
Can you confirm to me...
Do you believe in love,
Do you trust in love
And the promise that it gives?
And what love brings to our lives
I want to love you for life,
I desire to love you forever
'Cause your love is why I live.
You complete me and give me a reason to live
I knew the thing, girl,
I understood what love is, girl,
But my faith wasn't strong enough.
But I was not sure if I could keep my promise
Now my heart is built to last.
But now I am confident in my love for you
My heart is beating for you, fast.
My heart races for you, with eagerness and passion
But now I know that you understand.
But now I am sure that you comprehend
I want to take you by the hand,
I want to hold your hand
And walk with you down that isle.
And share my life with you forever
And with you, I'll live my life.
Together, we will create a life of our own
I give you all you had before,
I vow to return everything you ever gave me,
So come on in and close the door.
Let's be together in privacy
Let me show you what I could be,
This is my chance to demonstrate my potential
If you just please tell me...
if only you could confirm to me...
I want you to know that it's for real,
You need to understand that this is authentic,
This feeling that I feel.
This immense emotion that I have for you
I want you to know that it's so real.
This love is the real deal.
Do you believe in love,
Do you trust in love
And the promise that it gives?
And what love brings to our lives
I want to love you for life,
I desire to love you forever
'Cause your love is why I live.
You complete me and give me a reason to live
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DONALD DEGRATE, DONALD EARLE DE GRATE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind