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.
Number One
John Legend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I promise not to do it
You can't say I don't love you
Just because I cheat on you
'Cause you can't see all I do
To keep you from knowing the things I do
Like erase my phone
I keep it strapped up when I sleep around
Well I should have known one say you'd find out
But you can't go and leave me now
You know that I love you
There's no one above you
I said it the last time
But this is the last time
Don't make me over
'Cause I can be faithful
Baby you're my number one
You're my number one
Now who is she?
What's her name?
You don't need to know about everything
We fight about this
We fight about that
You hang up the phone and call me right back
Well I'll never be something I'm not
Please don't throw away what we've got
'Cause we've been together for way too long
I was playing around but I'm coming home
You know that I love you (know that I love you)
There's no one above you (no one above you)
I said it the last time (hey, hey)
But this is the last time
Don't make me over (don't leave me baby)
'Cause I can be faithful (you know I try)
Baby you're my number one (baby)
You're my number one
I keep you laced up so you ain't gotta borrow nothing
From them broke ass friends who be bargain hunting
They say they shop on eBay - baby why is they frontin'?
They be on the internet but they never cop nothin'
I keep you in Girl what is those on your toes?
And your neck staying froze off that rose colored gold
I suppose you was told by them hoes I was cheatin'
Thinkin' my heart don't got nothing to do with my penis
He got a mind of his own and he just be seeing shit
And I don't want to cheat but I don't be saying shit
I try to jack off he ask me who is you playin' wit?
But I know he love you he told me you was his favorite
You know that I love you (know that I love you)
There's no one above you (above you)
I said it the last time (said it the last time)
But this is the last time (hey hey hey yeah)
Don't make me over (don't leave me baby)
'Cause I can be faithful (you know I try)
Baby you're my number one (oh baby)
You're my number one
You're making it hard for me
You're messing up everything
You tell me I gotta leave
Say we over
You saw that she came over
Came in the Range Rover
Left with a hangover
Say we over
I promise I won't cheat
I promise I won't lie
I promise I'll act right
Say we over
You can't tell me
I can't have you
I can't have that
We ain't over
Hey, it ain't over baby
We ain't over
Oh you don't need to go it's not over
We ain't over
Oh?
We ain't over
Oh it's gonna be alright now don't go now
In John Legend's song "Number One", the singer is apologizing for cheating on his partner while reassuring her of his love for her. He promises not to cheat again, but at the same time, he tries to justify his cheating by highlighting the things he did to cover it up. He erases his phone and keeps it away, and he is careful not to reveal the identities of his flings. He pleads with his partner not to leave him because he loves her, but at the same time, he keeps making the same mistakes over and over again.
The singer knows what he's done is wrong, but he can't seem to help himself. He tries to placate his partner by showering her with gifts and attention. He believes that he can make up for his philandering ways by providing her with material things like designer clothes and jewelry. He, however, knows that these things won't be enough to keep her. The repeated refrain of "You're my number one" serves as both a confession of love and a reminder to himself that he needs to keep his partner happy to keep her.
In essence, "Number One" is a song about love and infidelity. The singer is trying to reconcile his love for his partner with his inability to stay faithful. He knows that he's made mistakes, but he's hoping that his partner will forgive him and stay with him. Overall, the song is a powerful and emotional exploration of the complexities of relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh I promise not to do it again
I promise not to cheat on you again
I promise not to do it
I won't cheat on you anymore
You can't say I don't love you
My cheating doesn't mean that I don't love you
Just because I cheat on you
I did cheat on you, but that doesn't mean I don't love you
'Cause you can't see all I do
You don't see how much I do to keep my cheating hidden
To keep you from knowing the things I do
I am hiding my cheating from you and don't want you to find out
Like erase my phone
I delete all the incriminating evidence from my phone
And keep it out of town
I don't bring my phone with me when I travel to avoid getting caught
I keep it strapped up when I sleep around
I always use protection when I cheat
Well I should have known one day you'd find out
I knew that someday you would discover my cheating
But you can't go and leave me now
Please don't leave me even though you know I cheated
You know that I love you
I love you very much
There's no one above you
You are the most important person in my life
I said it the last time
I already told you this before
But this is the last time
I promise this is the last time I will cheat on you
Don't make me over
Please don't change who I am
'Cause I can be faithful
I am capable of being loyal
Baby you're my number one
You are the most important person in my life
Now who is she?
Who are you talking about?
What's her name?
Who are you referring to?
You don't need to know about everything
I don't need to share everything with you
We fight about this
We argue about this topic
We fight about that
We argue about that topic
You hang up the phone and call me right back
You immediately call me back after we argue on the phone
Well I'll never be something I'm not
I will always be myself
Please don't throw away what we've got
Please don't end our relationship
'Cause we've been together for way too long
We've been together for a long time
I was playing around but I'm coming home
I was cheating, but now I am coming back to you
I keep you laced up so you ain't gotta borrow nothing
I always buy you the things you need so you don't have to borrow from others
From them broke ass friends who be bargain hunting
From your poor friends who always look for bargains
They say they shop on eBay - baby why is they frontin'?
They claim to shop on eBay, but they are probably lying
They be on the internet but they never cop nothin'
They use the internet, but they don't actually buy anything
I keep you in Girl what is those on your toes?
I provide you with everything, including nice shoes
And your neck staying froze off that rose colored gold
I bought you a gold necklace with a rose color
I suppose you was told by them hoes I was cheatin'
Other women probably told you that I was cheating
Thinkin' my heart don't got nothing to do with my penis
Thinking of sex doesn't mean I don't love you
He got a mind of his own and he just be seeing shit
My penis acts on its own and sometimes leads me to cheat
And I don't want to cheat but I don't be saying shit
I don't plan to cheat, but sometimes I can't resist
I try to jack off he ask me who is you playin' wit?
I try to masturbate, but my penis asks me who I'm cheating with
But I know he love you he told me you was his favorite
My penis also loves you and thinks you are the best
You're messing up everything
You are ruining everything
You tell me I gotta leave
You are asking me to leave
Say we over
You are saying our relationship is over
You saw that she came over
You saw the woman that I cheated on you with
Came in the Range Rover
She came in a Range Rover
Left with a hangover
She left me with a hangover
I promise I won't cheat
I promise not to cheat on you
I promise I won't lie
I promise not to lie to you
I promise I'll act right
I promise to behave appropriately
You can't tell me
You cannot decide for me
I can't have you
I cannot be with you
I can't have that
I cannot have that thing
We ain't over
Our relationship is not over
Hey, it ain't over baby
Our relationship is not over
Oh you don't need to go it's not over
You don't have to leave, our relationship is not over
Oh it's gonna be alright now don't go now
Everything will be okay, don't leave now
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CURTIS L MAYFIELD, JOHN ROGER STEPHENS, KANYE OMARI WEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BeEnJoy77
The only man I know that can make a cheating song sound like a happy song.. lol
@sergiomata2503
Micheala Sutton j
@theblackthought4415
Micheala Sutton what comment Sis ! Luv it tho
@KidaDynamite22
LMFAO!
@saiahbuul
LMFAOOOOOOOO
@LennyTheDude
Look up After 7 - Heat Of The Moment, it's another one of those lol
@2jsanc681
Kanye production on 2000s r&b is godly. Good soul vibes
@bballgmr
extra late but if you look at the song in the context of the whole cd, then it makes more sense. The cd as a whole is about a couple who have problems and work them out in the end. The track before it is "She don't have to know"...The tracks immediately after this song is "I can change", "Ordinary People", "Stay with you"...etc. Listen to the cd as a whole, people!
@theblackthought4415
bballgmr i thought i wqs the only only notice this bro
@basstedson
To be fair thats how people used to listen to music