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
It's Alright
Jodeci Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you're lookin' good, said you're lookin' fine
Everything's gonna be alright, yeah
Let the music take control of your body tonight
Whoa, everything's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright
Let the music take control of your body tonight
Father break it down
Roll about eight deep now what's my next move
Waitin' to nightfall so I can enjoy
System pumped by four Jeeps, runnin' like a convoy
Roll to the park, kinda crowded, what a scene
Pullin' up with Jodeci blastin' out the fifteen
So I park my ride, girls see my ???
Notice my grill that cause the pointin' and starin'
[Chorus]
Everything's gonna be alright
Let the music take control of your body tonight
Ooh, everything's gonna be alright
Let the music take control of your body tonight
Now I sign a couple autographs, take a few flicks
Order Don Perionne and lay back with my chicks
Michael's on the left of me, Smooth is flippin'
Took ??? away, I'm on the dance floor rippin'
?? is for the cutie, the ??? I'm tryna' find 'em
Tim is in the front and Mobat is right behind him
And me, I'm just layin' on the prowl
Got say what's up as the girls cry out
She grabbed her man, I think she tried to play him
My only thought, was to step to the A-M
Cause I came to have a good time
And at the end of the night, no doubt, I'm gonna get mine
Cause I don't have to raise my voice to be seen
I maintain, if you know what I mean
Understand I'm not conceded, Father's just mellow
I'm a smooth, dark Romeo, freak kinda fellow
[Chorus]
Do that dance, do that dance, baby
Do that dance, let's work it out
(Both) Do that dance, do that dance, baby
(Both) Do that dance, let's work it out
Do that dance, do that dance, baby
Do that dance, let's work it out
(Both) I said do that dance, do that dance, baby
(Both) Do that dance, let's work it out
Loungin' on the DL, this type of night is rare
I glanced to the right, oh who do we have here
Puffin Sweet, gettin' ripped, what the hell
I see Mr. Uptown, it's Andre Farwell
Conversatin' with his boys
I say stop and barge straight through the crowd,
It's time to get charged
It's kinda mellow so I leap,
To the center where the soul's rollin' five deep
Mark Currey, a ??, kin and nephew
Doin' the wild thing 'cause the soul is true
And every time I see bodies gettin' biz'
Girls are gettin' wild 'cause Father's known for his
And every time ya hear the music thumpity-thump
And all the girls gettin' bumped right in ya rump
So everybody who feel the mood is right
Get on the dance floor tonight
[Chorus:Repeat x2]
Everybody dance with me, oh yeah
Everybody move with me, everybody
Everybody dance with me
Everybody move with me
Everything's gonna be alright
Let the music take control of your body tonight
The lyrics to Jodeci's "It's Alright" describe a night out with friends, filled with good music and good vibes. The singer, possibly one of the members of Jodeci, describes driving to a park with loud music blasting from his car, and hanging out with friends while sipping on Don Perignon. The chorus reinforces the message that everything will be alright as long as the music takes control of your body. The song encourages listeners to let loose and dance, even if they have been feeling down or stressed.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of camaraderie and the importance of living in the moment. There is no need to raise one's voice to be seen, and the singer emphasizes that he is not conceited, just a "smooth, dark Romeo, freak kinda fellow". The song resonates with the importance of letting go of worries and just enjoying life, even during difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
I see ya movin' baby yeah
The singer sees someone dancing
And you're lookin' good, said you're lookin' fine
The singer thinks the person they see dancing looks great
Everything's gonna be alright, yeah
The singer believes the night will go well
Let the music take control of your body tonight
The artist is encouraging the person to let go and enjoy the music
Whoa, everything's gonna be alright, it's gonna be alright
The artist reiterates their belief that things will go well
Let the music take control of your body tonight
The singer repeats their encouragement to let loose and enjoy the music
Father break it down
This line serves as a transition into the next verse and encourages the DJ to start the next track
Well I begin the weekend with a groove
The artist is describing how their weekend started off well
Roll about eight deep now what's my next move
The artist is with a group of eight people and is deciding where to go next
Waitin' to nightfall so I can enjoy
The artist is excited about the night to come
System pumped by four Jeeps, runnin' like a convoy
The singer and their friends are driving around in four Jeeps and enjoying the music
Roll to the park, kinda crowded, what a scene
The group decides to go to the park, which is crowded and lively
Pullin' up with Jodeci blastin' out the fifteen
The singer's car has a system with fifteen speakers and is playing Jodeci's music loudly
So I park my ride, girls see my ???
The singer parks their car and notices that people are admiring something about it (the lyrics are unclear about what that is)
Notice my grill that cause the pointin' and starin'
The singer realizes that people are pointing and staring at their grill (again, the lyrics are unclear about what that is)
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats its message about enjoying the night and dancing
Now I sign a couple autographs, take a few flicks
The artist is popular and takes pictures and signs autographs with fans
Order Don Perionne and lay back with my chicks
The singer orders a high-end champagne and relaxes with their female friends
Michael's on the left of me, Smooth is flippin'
The singer is hanging out with Michael (Jackson?) and a person named Smooth
Took ??? away, I'm on the dance floor rippin'
The lyrics are unclear about what this line means, but it appears that the artist has left the group and is now dancing by themselves
?? is for the cutie, the ??? I'm tryna' find 'em
The lyrics are unclear about what this line means, but the artist seems to be looking for someone
Tim is in the front and Mobat is right behind him
The artist sees Tim and Mobat (friends?) in the crowd
And me, I'm just layin' on the prowl
The singer is wandering and looking for fun
Got say what's up as the girls cry out
The artist greets someone as girls excitedly react
She grabbed her man, I think she tried to play him
A woman the singer tries to talk to is already with her partner and the singer thinks she's being deceptive
My only thought, was to step to the A-M
The lyrics are unclear about what this line means, but it seems that the singer had a plan to leave or find something new
Cause I came to have a good time
The singer's goal for the night is to have fun
And at the end of the night, no doubt, I'm gonna get mine
The artist is confident that they will have a good time and will get what they want
Cause I don't have to raise my voice to be seen
The artist doesn't need to be loud or aggressive to stand out
I maintain, if you know what I mean
The singer is maintaining their coolness and confidence
Understand I'm not conceded, Father's just mellow
The singer is clarifying that they're not arrogant, just relaxed
I'm a smooth, dark Romeo, freak kinda fellow
The artist sees themselves as a smooth, charming, and adventurous person
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats its message about enjoying the night and dancing
Do that dance, do that dance, baby
The artist is encouraging everyone to dance
Do that dance, let's work it out
The singer is encouraging people to dance and have fun
(Both) Do that dance, do that dance, baby
The artist and someone else encourage people to dance
(Both) Do that dance, let's work it out
The singer and someone else encourage people to dance and have fun
Loungin' on the DL, this type of night is rare
The singer is enjoying a rare, low-key night
I glanced to the right, oh who do we have here
The singer sees someone interesting to their right
Puffin Sweet, gettin' ripped, what the hell
The lyrics are unclear about what this line means
I see Mr. Uptown, it's Andre Farwell
The artist sees someone named Andre Farwell, who is presumably from an affluent part of town
Conversatin' with his boys
Andre Farwell is talking to his friends
I say stop and barge straight through the crowd,
The singer pushes through the crowd to reach Andre
It's time to get charged
The artist is ready to party and have fun
It's kinda mellow so I leap,
The atmosphere is calm so the artist decides to dance and get the party going
To the center where the soul's rollin' five deep
The artist moves to the middle of the dance floor where people are dancing together
Mark Currey, a ??, kin and nephew
The lyrics are unclear about what this line means, but it appears that the singer recognizes someone named Mark Currey
Doin' the wild thing 'cause the soul is true
People are dancing in a wild and free-spirited way
And every time I see bodies gettin' biz'
The singer enjoys watching people dance and have fun
Girls are gettin' wild 'cause Father's known for his
The girls are having fun because the singer is popular and well-liked
And every time ya hear the music thumpity-thump
The singer is emphasizing the power and energy of the music
And all the girls gettin' bumped right in ya rump
People are bumping into each other as they dance, having fun even if it's a bit rough
So everybody who feel the mood is right
The artist believes that everyone is having a good time and is in the right mood to party
Get on the dance floor tonight
The singer encourages everyone to dance and have fun
[Chorus: Repeat x2]
The chorus repeats its message about enjoying the night and dancing
Everybody dance with me, oh yeah
The artist is encouraging every person at the party to dance with them
Everybody move with me, everybody
The artist repeats their encouragement for everyone to dance and have fun
Everything's gonna be alright
The artist is confident that the night will go well
Let the music take control of your body tonight
The singer reminds everyone to enjoy the music and have fun
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DONALD DEGRATE, DONALD EARLE DE GRATE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind