Legend also played the piano on Lauryn Hill's 1998 song "Everything is Everything" and sang background vocals on Jay-Z's "Encore" and Alicia Keys' "You Don't Know My Name". Legend frequently cites gospel, R&B, and hip hop music as his main musical influences.
Legend released his critically acclaimed and Billboard Top Ten second album, Once Again, in October 2006. Produced by Raphael Saadiq, Kanye West and will.i.am, it is again a mixture of gospel and classic soul showcasing his extraordinary voice, particularly on "Show Me".
Grammy Award Wins:
*2005 Best New Artist
*2005 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: "Ordinary People"
*2005 Best R&B Album- Get Lifted
*2007 Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Heaven
*2007 Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group: Family Affair
Neo-soul singer and pianist John Legend combined the raw fervor of contemporaries Cody ChesnuTT and the burning precision of D'Angelo. Born John Stephens, Legend was a child prodigy who grew up in Ohio, where he began singing gospel and playing piano at the tender age of five. Legend left Ohio at 16 to attend college in Philadelphia, and it was there that he first found a larger audience. Not yet out of his teens, Legend was tapped to play piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything" in 1998. After completing college, he moved to New York, where he began to build a loyal following playing in nightclubs and releasing CDs that he would sell at shows. He also became an in-demand session musician, playing and occasionally writing for a wide array of artists, including Alicia Keys, Twista, Janet Jackson, and Kanye West. It wasn't until West signed the young talent to his new label that he adopted the Legend name with 2004's Solo Sessions Vol. 1: Live at the Knitting Factory. Get Lifted, his first studio album, was released later in the year. On the strength of enduring single "Ordinary People," the album reached the Top Five of the Billboard 200. This led to three Grammy Awards: Best R&B Album, Best R&B Male Vocal Performance, and Best New Artist. Once Again, which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, followed in October 2006. Live from Philadelphia, sold exclusively at Target stores, was a successful stopgap release that predated October 2008's Evolver.
Darkness and Light
John Legend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wanna go deep and dive in
It's heaven on Earth but hell of a night
To melt into one
She's never been afraid of sirens
Head down but keep drivin'
Damn we might crash moving so fast but baby
Release me, it's too hard for me to hold
My heart beating
Your touch
It thrills me to the bone
Oh Lord! Forgive us
Alas, we've lost control baby
Nothing can stop this love
Nothing can stop this love
Never gon' get enough
Nothing can stop it, oh
Darkness and light, streaming
The end of our life beginning
No longer alone, my will become gone
We melt into one
Both hands on the floor, you go low
Who was I before? I don't know
And who am I now? Your body shows how
The past just has no meaning
Don't stop, I need it
Release me, it's too hard for me to hold
My heart bleeding
Your touch
It thrills me to the bone
Oh Lord! Forgive us
Alas, we've lost control baby
Nothing can stop this love
Nothing can stop this love
Never gon' get enough
Nothing can stop it, oh!
Yeah
Oh, oh!
Don't stop, I need it
Release me, it's too hard for me to hold
My heart bleeding
Your touch
It thrills me to the bone
Oh Lord! Forgive us
Alas, we've lost control baby
Nothing can stop this love
Nothing can stop this love
Never gon' get enough
Nothing can stop it
In "Darkness and Light," John Legend sings about intense passion that feels like both heaven and hell. The opening lines juxtapose fire and ice, representing the conflicting emotions that the singer feels towards his lover. Despite the danger, he wants to dive in deeply and experience the thrill of being consumed by the heat of their passion. The chorus repeats "Nothing can stop this love," emphasizing the unstoppable nature of their connection.
As the song progresses, the lyrics become more abstract and metaphorical. The "darkness and light" are a representation of the end of one phase in their lives and the beginning of another, as they become one. The singer loses his sense of self and adopts a new identity as he explores his physical connection with his partner. In the end, the danger and intensity of their love is worth losing control over.
Overall, "Darkness and Light" is a song about embracing the intensity of passion, even when it's overwhelming and chaotic. The lyrics convey the singer's willingness to take risks and surrender himself completely to the experience of being in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Fire and the ice colliding
The intense mixture of two opposing forces, like fire and ice coming together
I wanna go deep and dive in
The desire to fully immerse into the experience
It's heaven on Earth but hell of a night
The sensation of being in an exciting and pleasurable situation, while also feeling anxious or uncertain
To melt into one
The wish to unify with another person and become one entity
She's never been afraid of sirens
Referring to a woman’s bold and adventurous nature
Head down but keep drivin'
Continue to move forward despite potential obstacles or difficulties
Damn we might crash moving so fast but baby
The caution about the pace of the relationship, but the determination to keep going anyway
Don't stop, I need it
The insistence to continue and not break the connection
Release me, it's too hard for me to hold
The sense of being overwhelmed but craving more
My heart beating
The excitement and intensity of the moment
Your touch
Emphasizing the importance of the physical connection
It thrills me to the bone
The incredibly intense and exhilarating nature of the physical interaction
Oh Lord! Forgive us
The recognition that this might be a risky or taboo situation
Alas, we've lost control baby
Acknowledging that the feelings are too strong and overwhelming to ignore
Nothing can stop this love
The power and inevitability of the connection
Never gon' get enough
The insatiable desire to keep going
Darkness and light, streaming
The contrast and convergence of opposing forces, like light and darkness
The end of our life beginning
Feeling like this connection could be the beginning of something bigger, potentially life-changing
No longer alone, my will become gone
The recognition that the individual will fades, and the focus becomes all about the connection
We melt into one
The ultimate desire to unite, physically and emotionally
Both hands on the floor, you go low
A physical, sexual gesture that emphasizes the intense attraction between the two people
Who was I before? I don't know
The realization that everything before this connection feels irrelevant and unimportant
And who am I now? Your body shows how
The emphasis on the physical connection, and how it’s become a huge part of identity
The past just has no meaning
Reflecting on how the past no longer matters, because of the significance of the present
Nothing can stop it
The conviction that this bond is unbreakable
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, BMG Rights Management
Written by: John Stephens, John Henry Ryan, Will Oldham
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luuaragao6035
Fire and the ice colliding, I wanna go deep and dive in
It's heaven on Earth but hell of a night to melt into one
She's never been afraid of sirens, head down but keep drivin'
Damn we might crash moving so fast but baby
Oh, don't stop, I need it
Release me, it's too hard for me to hold
My heart beating, your touch, it thrills me to the bone
Oh Lord, forgive us, our love, we've lost control baby
Nothing can stop this love, nothing can stop this love
Never gon' get enough, nothing can stop it, oh
Darkness and light, streaming, the end of our life beginning
No longer alone, my will become gone, we melt into one
Both hands on the floor, you go low
Who was I before? I don't know
And who am I now? Your body shows how
The past just has no meaning
Don't stop, I need it
Release me, it's too hard for me to hold
My heart beating, your touch, it thrills me to the bone
Oh Lord, forgive us, our love, we've lost control baby
Nothing can stop this love, nothing can stop this love
Never gon' get enough, nothing can stop it, oh
Oh yeah, yeah
Oh, don't stop, I need it
Release me, it's too hard for me to hold
My heart beating, your touch, it thrills me to the bone
Oh Lord, forgive us, our love, we've lost control baby
Nothing can stop this love, nothing can stop this love
Never gon' get enough, nothing can stop it, oh
@amandasantosdeassuncao5177
Carine mostrando seu lindo silicone ao som de Darkness and light
@lucasjesus8682
Toppppp
@carinebeatriz8736
KKKKKKKKK Simmm
@sydneytaylor7098
These two together...so good. So much soul 😍
@montax35
3:26 the time that I passed away!!! That high harmony....LAWD!!!
@willpwr43
Lawrence Hill Yess!! I was gone! 😂
@alisonkoch748
Brittany (as usual) knocks it out of the park! She's such a goddess. Fantastic track!!!
@Kpopfan2121
God I love Brittany and I'm so happy that she's finally getting recognized by big artist. Alabama Shakes deserve more appreciation.
@bertsl0ver
ですジェシカ I second this comment
@_chvris
Yessssssssss!!!!!!!!! AGREED. (obviously)