Jodeci is an American musical group, active from 1990 to 1996, whose repert… Read Full Bio ↴Jodeci is an American musical group, active from 1990 to 1996, whose repertoire included R&B, soul music, and new jack swing. The group consisted of two pairs of African-American brothers from Charlotte, North Carolina: the DeGrates (Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate, the group founder/leader, and Dalvin DeGrate) and the Haileys (main lead singer Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey and second lead singer Joel "Jo-Jo" Hailey). The group's name is a combination of the names of its members: Jo-Jo, DeVante and Dalvin, and K-Ci.

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

Jennifer
Jodeci Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Here I'm all alone again
Thought I could settle down, my friend
Hoping for something to last
Hoping for something to last
Then you left me all alone
Called me on the telephone
Said you found someone and you found him fast
Girl you found him fast

All of my dreams are shattered
As soon as I came home
Now that I lost you, girl
Jennifer is gone
I want you to know this pain is real
I wish I could show you how I feel
I want you to know this pain is real
I wish I could show you how I feel

Now what is this other guy about?
What does he have that I have not?
Is it because I'm too far?
Is it because I'm too far?
The distance is not so far away
Why is this the price I have to pay?
To feel the touch of your beautiful star
Beautiful star

Now all my dreams are shattered
As soon as I came home
Now that I lost you, girl
My Jennifer is gone
I want you to know this pain is real
I wish I could show you how I feel
I want you to know this pain is real
I wish I could show you how I feel

As soon as I get home
My Jennifer is gone

I want you to know this pain is real
I wish I could show you how I feel
I want you to know this pain is real
I wish I could show you how I feel

Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer

I want you to know this pain is real
I wish I could show you how I feel

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jodeci's song "Jennifer" are a painful admission of heartbreak and confusion. The singer is left alone yet again, having hoped to settle down and find someone who will stick around. But just as he thought he had found that someone in Jennifer, she up and leaves him for someone new. His dreams are shattered, and he is left to wonder what the other guy has that he doesn't. The distance between them doesn't seem like it should be a big deal, but it's enough to cost him the touch of Jennifer's beautiful star.

The repeated refrain of "I want you to know this pain is real, I wish I could show you how I feel" is a common plea of someone who has been left behind. The singer is desperate for Jennifer to understand the hurt she has caused him, and it's clear that his feelings for her run deep. But at the same time, he seems resigned to the fact that she's moved on and he's just going to have to live with the pain of losing her. In the end, all he can do is say her name over and over again, as if trying to hold onto the memory of what they once had.

Line by Line Meaning

Here I'm all alone again
I am alone once again.

Thought I could settle down, my friend
I thought I could have a stable relationship.

Hoping for something to last
I had high hopes for a long-term relationship.

Then you left me all alone
You left me by myself.

Called me on the telephone
You contacted me via phone.

Said you found someone and you found him fast
You told me that you found someone else quickly.

Girl you found him fast
You found him quickly.

All of my dreams are shattered
My dreams have been broken.

As soon as I came home
As soon as I returned home.

Now that I lost you, girl
Now that I have lost you.

Jennifer is gone
Jennifer is no longer with me.