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.
Set Me Free
John Legend Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
City sleeping
All through the night
This feeling’s creeping on me
So ready
Soul is waiting
Body’s aching
My own making
I’m so, so ready
I’m so gone, come get me
Won’t you come?
Set me free
Make me yours again
(Free)
In your arms again
(Free)
Won’t you come and dance with me
Throw out the lifeline
I’ve been sinking
Going out of my mind
I’ve been thinking
If I could hold her
Make this storm blow over
Give me a taste of satisfaction
Oh, I need to learn her
I need her faster
I’m so wide open
Won’t you come right over?
Won’t you come?
Set me free
Make me yours again
(Free)
In your arms again
(Free)
Won’t you come and dance with me
I’ve been looking for a light
Let it shine
Let it shine
You’ve been running through my mind
All this time
All this time
Set me free
Free…
I feel like…
Oh, to be free…
In John Legend's song Set Me Free, the singer is expressing his desire to be released from something that is holding him captive. The song describes a feeling that is creeping up on him late in the evening, just as the city is sleeping. His soul is waiting, and his body is aching, and he feels like he's caught and imprisoned. He is ready to be set free, and he's asking the person he's addressing if they can do that for him. He wants to be made whole again, and to feel the satisfaction that he's been missing. The lyrics suggest that the thing holding him captive is something he's done to himself - it's his own making.
The chorus of the song is an appeal to the person he's addressing to set him free, make him theirs again, and hold him in their arms. He wants to dance with this person and enjoy their company. The second verse of the song suggests that he's been sinking and going out of his mind trying to find a way to break free. He needs this person to throw him a lifeline, and he's hoping that by being with them, he can weather the storm.
Overall, Set Me Free is a powerful plea for help from someone who feels like they're imprisoned. The verses are filled with a sense of readiness and eagerness to be set free, while the chorus is a desperate appeal to the person he's addressing to make him whole again.
Line by Line Meaning
Late in the evening
It's late at night and the city is asleep
City sleeping
The city is quiet and everyone's asleep
All through the night
Throughout the night
This feeling’s creeping on me
He's feeling something that's making him uneasy
So ready
He's ready for something
Soul is waiting
His soul is waiting for something
Body’s aching
He's physically feeling the need for something
Caught and imprisoned
He feels trapped and stuck
My own making
It’s his own fault that he's stuck
I’m so, so ready
He's very ready for something
I’m so gone, come get me
He's lost and needs someone to help him find his way
Won’t you come?
He's asking someone to come help him
Set me free
He wants to be liberated from his current situation
Make me yours again
He wants to belong to someone again
(Free)
He wants to be free
In your arms again
He wants to feel safe and comforted in someone's arms
Won’t you come and dance with me
He wants to share a moment of joy with someone
Throw out the lifeline
He needs someone to help him
I’ve been sinking
He feels like he's drowning and needs help
Going out of my mind
He's losing his sanity
I’ve been thinking
He's been considering his options
If I could hold her
He wants to be with someone he cares about
Make this storm blow over
He wants to weather his current troubles with someone's help
Give me a taste of satisfaction
He wants to experience something that will make him feel fulfilled
Oh, I need to learn her
He wants to get to know someone better
I need her faster
He wants to be with someone soon
I’m so wide open
He's vulnerable and exposed
Won’t you come right over?
He wants someone to come to him
I’ve been looking for a light
He's been searching for guidance
Let it shine
He wants the light to shine so he can see clearer
You’ve been running through my mind
He can't stop thinking about someone
All this time
For a long time
Free…
He wants to be free
I feel like…
He feels a certain way
Oh, to be free…
He really wants to be free
Contributed by Nathan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Pinky Senoelo
He always puts sense into my mind, I love his music so much
dlc1119
Great classic soul music is alive and well, and this is the pure stuff.
Simon Sinistaj
I really love coming to the obscure side of Youtube. I love people who appreciate the songs that everybody else just neglects and puts to the side. Such a great song here, one of JL's best.
Sydney Murphy
I heard this once, and i couldnt remember what it was called, and ivé been frantically looking for it for months.. and i finally found it again!!! God i love this song
Lois Ann Lovelace
ditto!!!!!I It's a hidden treasure! Not a lot of folks know about this song
Alisha Brianna
This song makes me feel so Relaxed. I Love It.
livi089
This man could sing a jingle for pepto bismol & make it sound beautiful! One of few truly great artists!
Libertarian Prince
John Legend is a great singer!
quanislove
this makes me feel so good inside!!
Bananafield770
I love it. It reminds me of a Norah Jones song for some reason. So peaceful