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.
Floating Away
John Legend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She don't press me
Not like she used to
Everything that she don't do
That's what I want, what I need
Sinking rapidly
And that's when you sail through
Everything that she won't do, you do for me
Say what you say (say)
Floating away (way)
Baby, I was drowning in my sorrow
Couldn't see tomorrow today
(Then you came)
Say what you say (say)
We're floating away (away way)
Now I see the solemn of horizons
Now I know that I'll be ok
Since you came yeah
12 am she leaves
She don't say where to
Won't see her again until 12 noon
And she don't smell like me
(Oh) suddenly I see
I see don't do what she used to
She's found someone who
Well, baby, needs you, so sorry
Say what you say (say)
Floating away (way)
Baby I was drowning in my sorrow
Couldn't see tomorrow today
(Then you came)
Say what you say
We're floating away
Now I see the solemn of horizons
Now I think that I'll be ok
(Since you came yeah)
Baby in all, we can just go
Can't stay, lets sail away
Open your eyes, say your goodbyes
We'll cruse into paradise
Say what you say (say)
Floating away (way)
Baby I was drowning in my sorrow
Couldn't see tomorrow today
(Then you came)
Say what you say
We're floating away (way) (way)
Now I see the solemn of horizons
Now I think that I'll be ok
(Since you came yeah)
Say what you say (say)
Floating away (way)
Baby I was drowning in my sorrow
Couldn't see tomorrow today
(Then you came)
In John Legend's song Floating Away, he sings about a woman who is no longer meeting his needs and the relief he finds in the arms of someone who does. He describes how the woman he was with before didn't press him or do the things he needed, causing him to sink into sorrow. However, the new person in his life sails through and takes him away to a place he feels safe and happy. Legend compares his current situation to feeling like he was drowning before but now sees the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
The lyrics paint a picture of a person who has been struggling to find happiness with someone who doesn't fulfill their emotional needs. When they meet someone who does, it becomes clear that they were drowning before and didn't even realize it. The new person in their life is like a life raft, allowing them to float away from their old life and start anew. The song is about acknowledging that it's okay to walk away from a situation that isn't good for you and finding happiness elsewhere.
Line by Line Meaning
She don't press me
She doesn't put pressure on me anymore
Not like she used to
Not in the way that she used to
Everything that she don't do
All the things she doesn't do
That's what I want, what I need
That's exactly what I need and want
Sinking rapidly
Falling fast
And that's when you sail through
That's when you come and save me
Let me sail away with you
Take me away with you and let's escape
Everything that she won't do, you do for me
All the things she won't do, you do them for me
Say what you say
Speak your mind
Floating away
Drifting off into the unknown
Baby, I was drowning in my sorrow
I was suffocated by my sadness
Couldn't see tomorrow today
Couldn't see a future for myself
(Then you came)
And you saved me
We're floating away
We're leaving everything behind
Now I see the solemn of horizons
Now I see the beauty of the endless horizon
Now I know that I'll be ok
Now I believe that I'll be fine
12 am she leaves
She always leaves at midnight
She don't say where to
She doesn't say where she's going
Won't see her again until 12 noon
I won't see her again until noon the next day
And she don't smell like me
She doesn't smell like me anymore
(Oh) suddenly I see
Oh, suddenly I realize
I see don't do what she used to
She doesn't do what she used to do
She's found someone who
She's found someone who
Well, baby, needs you, so sorry
Someone who needs you. I'm sorry
Baby in all, we can just go
We can leave everything behind and go
Can't stay, lets sail away
We can't stay here, let's leave
Open your eyes, say your goodbyes
Wake up, say goodbye to the past
We'll cruse into paradise
We'll go to our own paradise
Contributed by Samuel D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@SamuelStephen28
Put this on Spotify already JL
@djiunit94
I don't understand why this one is not on Spotify ...
@GazCT
This seemed to disappear for a bit or became unavailable in my country, one of the two. I'm so glad it's back, I absolutely love this song :D
@djiunit94
One of my favorite song of John Legend with also "This Time" ... I regret that this one don't have any commercial success ...
@sgetv-
Love this song with my heart
@nardoemanuel47
very good!!!
@Dellidell10
Ne-Yo wrote this one... Genius
@dougshaffer6436
I got his version for this one...
@FranklinCrew
I definitely agree too. Glad you enjoyed it! :)
@juksjun906
Can someone plz plz tell me how, why one person sings just sooooooooo well? plz , somebody , anybody ? OMGGGGGGGG