Born Peter Nitollano, of African-American/Filipino parents, Joe Bataan grew up in Spanish Harlem, where he ran with Puerto Rican gangs and absorbed R&B, Afro-Cuban and Afro-Rican musical influences. His music career followed a pair of stints in Coxsackie State Prison. Self taught on the piano, he organized his first band in 1965 and scored his first recording success in 1967 with "Gypsy Woman" on Fania Records, . The tune was a hit with the New York Latin market despite the English lyrics sung by Joe, and exemplified the nascent Latin Soul sound. In early anticipation of the disco formula, "Gypsy Woman" created dance energy by alternating what was fundamentally a pop-soul tune with a break featuring double timed hand claps, . Joe would take this tendency even further on his influential Salsoul, which fused funk and latin influences in slick yet soulful orchestrations. Salsoul remains influential as a rare groove cult item, but pointed to the future at the time of its release. The LP embodied the artist's highly deliberate and culturally aware musical concept. Bataan theorized the '70s next big thing as a hybrid: an Afro Cuban rhythm section playing Brazilian influenced patterns over orchestral funk. In many ways, his vision was on the money, though most of the money would go to others, and mainstream stardom would elude him. He did, however, get in on the ground floor of the new trend as an early hit maker. His biggest commercial move was a Salsoul production released under the Epic umbrella, and promoted to the new disco market as Afrofilipino, which included 1975's "The Bottle", a much anthologized classic that drives an R&B horn arrangment with a relentless piano montuno.
Always in touch with the street, Joe Bataan picked up on rap very early in the game. His minor rap hit, "Rap-O, Clap-O" was a bit more successful in Europe than in the States, and is remembered as rap's debut in the European market. Nevertheless, his legacy remains his gritty and realistic Latin soul lyrics, his self identification as an "Ordinary Guy", and his highly personal and prophetic merger of Latin and soul influences.
If I Were A King
Joe Bataan Lyrics
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I'd share my throne
And if I were a millionaire, oh baby baby)
You'd have all that I own
Just say to me, that you care
And you're going where I want to
If you say you love me (if you say love me)
Just whisper that you want me
And you'll be me girl
And, you can have pearls in your hand
Just as long as I'm your man
Darling, theres gonna be no road in the whole wide world
That's gonna stop this guy from walking against you
There's gonna be no river deep enough baby
That I can't swim, to be beside you
(If I were a king) (If I I were a king)
And if that's all to???, I write a song to you
I'll climb the highest mountain top
And shout out that I love you, (you)
If I were a beggar (if i were a beggar)
Id beg for your hand
And if I were a poor boy, I'd offer you a toy
But, nothing's gonna stop me, yeah
from trying to get next to you,
Just as long as I can, I'm your man
That's right darling
There"s gonna be no road long enough
in the whole wide world
That's gonna stop this guy from getting to you
Believe if you find one day
that all the riches and all the treasures in the whole wide world
Aren't enough to satisfy you, darling
then you can have my heart
And believe me, yes you better believe
With my heart you can go a long, long way
I'm telling you
All it's gonna take, all it's gonna take
Is for you to be my queen
Let this daddy here be your king
The lyrics of Joe Bataan's song "If I Were A King" convey an unwavering desire of a man to love and cherish his significant other. The singer expresses his willingness to bestow his riches and offer his heart to his beloved, he would share his throne and yield all that he owns if he were a king and a millionaire. In return, all he seeks is his lover's affection and her willingness to reciprocate his love. He asserts that there is nothing that can prevent him from being beside her- no river too deep, no road too long. He declares that his love is genuine, and he will climb the highest mountain and shout out his love for his lover.
The song encapsulates the delirious emotions one experiences in the peaks of love. The weight of the lyrics and the vibrant, upbeat rhythm is a classic representation of Latin Soul music. Joe Bataan was a pioneer of Latin Soul music, fusing Latino-inspired rhythms with African American contemporary music. This song was released in 1970 as a single from his album of the same name. The song highlights the soulful voice of Joe Bataan and the interplay of the brass instruments with guitar and percussion, characteristic of soul music.
Line by Line Meaning
If I were a king (if I were a king)
If I had all the power and wealth of a king
I'd share my throne
I would share my power and rule alongside someone I love
And if I were a millionaire, oh baby baby)
If I had all the money in the world
You'd have all that I own
I would give you everything I have
Just say to me, that you care
Just tell me that you love me and want me
And you're going where I want to
And we will go wherever I want to go together
If you say you love me (if you say love me)
If you tell me that you love me
I'll give you diamonds and pearls
I will give you everything you want and more
Just whisper that you want me
Just let me know that you want me
And you'll be me girl
And you will be my one and only
And, you can have pearls in your hand
And I will give you all kinds of treasures
Just as long as I'm your man
As long as you love me and stay with me
Darling, theres gonna be no road in the whole wide world
My love for you is so strong that no obstacles can keep me away from you
That's gonna stop this guy from walking against you
I will always be there for you and support you
There's gonna be no river deep enough baby
Even if we are faced with challenges, I will still be by your side
That I can't swim, to be beside you
I will do anything to be with you
(If I were a king) (If I I were a king)
And if that's all to???, I write a song to you
If that's what it takes to make you love me, I will write a love song for you
I'll climb the highest mountain top
I will go to great lengths to win your heart
And shout out that I love you, (you)
And proclaim my love for you from the mountain top
If I were a beggar (if i were a beggar)
Even if I had nothing
Id beg for your hand
I would do anything to be with you
And if I were a poor boy, I'd offer you a toy
Even if I had little, I would still try to make you happy
But, nothing's gonna stop me, yeah
No matter what happens
from trying to get next to you,
I will do everything I can to be close to you
Just as long as I can, I'm your man
As long as you love me, I will be with you
That's right darling
Yes, my love
There's gonna be no road long enough
No distance is too far
in the whole wide world
Anywhere in the world
That's gonna stop this guy from getting to you
No obstacle can keep me from being with you
Believe if you find one day
Trust me, if you ever realize
that all the riches and all the treasures in the whole wide world
That money and material things are not enough
Aren't enough to satisfy you, darling
Do not feel fulfilled
then you can have my heart
You can have all of me
And believe me, yes you better believe
And trust me, you must believe
With my heart you can go a long, long way
With my love and commitment, we can go far together
I'm telling you
I'm saying this from the bottom of my heart
All it's gonna take, all it's gonna take
All we need is
Is for you to be my queen
For you to marry me and rule beside me as my queen
Let this daddy here be your king
Let me be the one you love and cherish forever
Contributed by Madelyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.