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
Interlude
Jodeci Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can I talk to you [echoed]
Comeee and talk to me [echoed]
Ohhhhho.
[Talking: kci]
I wanna love, I wanna luv you, I wanna luv u, I wanna luv u [repeated]
Girl I'm reachin out my hand, tryin to make you understand you don't have to be
Alone, cause I wanna be your man,girl I need u in my life, just wanna live
[chorus]
Im in need of love and baby ur in need of love so what about us on and on and
On til the break of dawn [repeated 2x]
[bridge]
Can u feel, can u feel me cause I can feel u baby.
[verse 2]
Satisfaction garanteed if u come and get wit me, gurl I can get down on knees,
So let me please do u lady, do u lady cause I know that's what u need, I'm need
A love, I need ur love girl listen to me.
[chorus]
Shoby doo wop show doo wop I wanna love u I wanna luv u baby.
[chorus]
[vamp out]
[ad libs K-ci and JoJo]
"Come and talk to me" is a song by the American R&B group Jodeci, released in 1992 as a part of their debut album "Forever My Lady." The song is seen as one of the group's signature hits, reaching #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song is an interlude solely composed of a conversation between K-Ci and the girl he's interested in, who's yet to give him a chance.
The lyrics revolve around a man who is madly in love with a woman and is trying to make her see that he's the one for her. The song opens with K-Ci saying, "Come and talk to me," echoing the same line multiple times. It's as if he wants permission to make his point and profess his love to her. He then goes on to say that he wants to love her, hold her, and make her feel special. He tells her that she doesn't have to be alone and he wants to be her man. K-Ci assures her that he will always be there for her and then asks her to give their love a chance.
The song reveals that K-Ci is willing to do whatever it takes to win her over, including getting down on his knees to please her. He's confident that he can satisfy her needs and wants to show her how much he loves her. The chorus repeats the phrase "On and on and on, till the break of dawn" several times, signifying the intensity and longevity of his love. The song ends with K-Ci struggling with his words as he tries to express his feelings, and JoJo providing backup vocals.
Line by Line Meaning
Come and talk to me [echoed]
The singer is inviting the other person to come over and talk to them.
Can I talk to you [echoed]
The singer is asking for permission to talk to the other person.
Comeee and talk to me [echoed]
The singer is persistently inviting the other person to have a conversation with them.
Ohhhhho.
The artist expresses excitement or anticipation for the conversation they are about to have.
I wanna love, I wanna luv you, I wanna luv u, I wanna luv u [repeated]
The artist is expressing their desire and interest in the other person.
Girl I'm reachin out my hand, tryin to make you understand you don't have to be Alone, cause I wanna be your man,girl I need u in my life, just wanna live Right by yo side, so gurl I hope ur satisfied, until u give this love a try.
The singer is telling the other person that they don't have to be alone and that they want to be with them. The singer also expresses their need and willingness to be with the other person, and hopes that they will be open to exploring a relationship together.
[chorus] Im in need of love and baby ur in need of love so what about us on and on and On til the break of dawn [repeated 2x]
The singer is emphasizing the mutual need for love between them and the other person. They suggest that they should explore a relationship and continue to pursue it for as long as possible.
[bridge] Can u feel, can u feel me cause I can feel u baby.
The artist is asking if the other person can feel the emotional connection between them. They express the sentiment that they can feel a similar connection themselves.
[verse 2] Satisfaction garanteed if u come and get wit me, gurl I can get down on knees, So let me please do u lady, do u lady cause I know that's what u need, I'm need A love, I need ur love girl listen to me.
The artist is promising the other person satisfaction if they engage in a relationship with them. They express willingness to please the other person in various ways, indicating that they are willing to put their needs first. The artist also reiterates their desire for the other person's love and asks them to listen to what they have to say.
[chorus] Shoby doo wop show doo wop I wanna love u I wanna luv u baby.
The artist again emphasizes their desire to be with the other person.
[chorus]
The singer repeats the chorus to emphasize their point and to express their enthusiasm for being with the other person.
[vamp out]
The song repeats the same musical phrase to create a sense of closure and to emphasize the central message of the song.
[ad libs K-ci and JoJo]
The singers improvise additional material as the song comes to an end.
Contributed by Anna B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.