Gill, the son of a minister, started singing at age five in a family gospel group called "Wings of Faith". His solo career began in 1983 when his childhood friend, singer Stacy Lattisaw convinced him to record a demo. The demo he recorded fell into the hands of the president of Atlantic Records, and his self-titled debut album was released shortly thereafter. Then, Johnny teamed up with Stacy for a duet album, which featured their first together, "Perfect Combination", a second album on Atlantic Records, Chemistry, yielded the song "Half Crazy,".
Gill's big break came in 1987, when he replaced Bobby Brown in New Edition, a 1980s pop group. With Gill as one of the lead singers, the group developed a more mature, adult sound, hitting the charts with songs such as "Can You Stand The Rain," "N.E. Heartbreak," and the Johnny Gill lead "Boys To Men". During a hiatus from New Edition, Johnny embarked on a solo career. The hits from his self entitled 1990 album include "My, My, My," "Rub You the Right Way," "Fairweather Friend" and "Wrap My Body Tight". On this album, Gill played guitar, bass, bongos, and drums in addition to performing his lead and background vocals.
In 1993, Gill released another solo project, Provocative, which included the songs "Quiet Time to Play," "A Cute, Sweet, Love Addiction," and a gospel song, "I Know Where I Stand." In 1996, Gill was reunited with his New Edition bandmates, including Brown, as they recorded Home Again together, an album noted for the singles "Hit Me Off" and "Still In Love". Gill also released Let's Get the Mood Right in 1996, which included the title song, "Love In an Elevator," and "Maybe." The following year, he collaborated with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat to form the supergroup LSG (Levert/Sweat/Gill) which resulted in the multi platinum debut album, Levert-Sweat-Gill, and a follow-up album entitled LSG2.
Gill, the only member of New Edition who is not from Boston, was raised in Washington DC where he attended Kimball Elementary and Sousa Junior High. His career dictated that he complete his high school education through the services of a tutor. Johnny had planned to attend college and pursue a degree in electrical engineering, but his career came first.
His latest recording, "You For Me (The Wedding Song)" from the Madea's Family Reunion Soundtrack received strong reviews from music critics as well as the general public. As of 2006, he is still performing with the group as well as performing solo as part of the Body and Soul Tour, which includes fellow NE members Bell Biv DeVoe.
At the 2011 BET Awards, he announced that he will be releasing a new album, after a 16 year hiatus.
Having Illusions
Johnny Gill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you promised you wouldn't break my heart
Oh please, tell me how could you do this to me?
Well, I've been having dreams of losing you
Then some how I don't know my dream came true
And I don't know if I could live alone
Oh, I can't believe you still love me baby
But I know I can't forget that you let me down
And I can't believe you broke my heart
I'm having illusions, I'm losing my mind
I can't sleep at night 'cause I can't have my baby tonight
Yeah baby, I'm losing my mind, I need you in my life
So tell me how's it feel to know you've done some wrong
To someone who was right for you
Oh, how could it be that you just don't love me no more, yeah
Well you've been telling everybody I wasn't you're type of guy
Well, you know that I am well but you were down
Oh, is it sick to think that you even love me
I've even had second thoughts that you even care
But I know I can't forget that you let me down
And I can't believe that you broke my heart
I'm having illusions, I'm losing my mind
I can't sleep at night cause I can't have my baby tonight
Yeah, baby I'm losing my mind, I need you in my life
I'm having illusions, I'm losing my mind
I can't figure out why my baby is out of my life
Yeah, baby I'm losing my mind, I need you in my life
Tell me, tell me why me?
Give me a reason why you had to leave
After all that we've been through
What did I ever do to lose you?
Well I'll just sit right here and cry
Because you know that I'd rather die
Than spend a day without you baby, I'm on my knees, I'm begging
God knows I need you, I need you, I need you, oh
I'm having illusions, I'm losing my mind
I can't sleep at night 'cause I can't have my baby tonight
Yeah baby, I'm losing my mind, I need you in my life
I'm having illusions, I'm losing my mind
I can't figure out why my baby is out of my life
Yeah, I'm losing my mind, I need you in my life
I'm having illusions, I can't sleep at night
Oh, said I need you baby, said I need you baby
Said I want you baby, I can't live without you
The lyrics of Johnny Gill's song Having Illusions tells the story of a man who is struggling to cope with the betrayal and heartbreak he has experienced in his relationship. The song begins with Gill professing his love for his partner and how he trusted that she would not break his heart, but now he is struggling with dreams of losing her, which ended up coming true. He expresses his disbelief that she still loves him and that she would even care, despite the fact that she has already let him down.
Gill's confusion and desperation come through strongly in the chorus, where he repeats that he is "having illusions" and losing his mind. He cannot sleep at night and feels lost without his partner. He reflects on the fact that his partner left him for someone else who was not right for her, and he cannot understand why she would do this to him. He cries out to her, begging for her to come back to him, knowing that he needs her in his life.
Overall, the lyrics of Having Illusions are very emotive and relatable, capturing the feeling of heartbreak and the desperate desire to be with the person you love. The song combines a catchy melody with touching lyrics, creating a powerful emotional impact that is sure to resonate with many listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
You were the only one, that I ever loved
I loved only you and no one else
And you promised you wouldn't break my heart
you vowed to never hurt me
Oh please, tell me how could you do this to me?
Explain how you could betray me like this
Well, I've been having dreams of losing you
I've been dreaming about you leaving me
Then some how I don't know my dream came true
My dream became a reality and I don't know how
And I don't know if I could live alone
I don't know if I can handle being by myself
Oh, I can't believe you still love me baby
I find it hard to believe that you still have feelings for me
It's even impossible that you would even care
It seems unlikely that you actually care about me
But I know I can't forget that you let me down
Even though I love you, I can't forget that you disappointed me
And I can't believe you broke my heart
I can't believe you hurt me so deeply
I'm having illusions, I'm losing my mind
I'm experiencing delusions and going crazy with my thoughts
I can't sleep at night 'cause I can't have my baby tonight
I can't sleep because you're not with me
Yeah baby, I'm losing my mind, I need you in my life
I'm losing my sanity and I need you back in my life
So tell me how's it feel to know you've done some wrong
How does it feel to know that you've hurt me
To someone who was right for you
To someone who was a good match for you
Oh, how could it be that you just don't love me no more, yeah
How is it possible that you no longer love me
Well, you've been telling everybody I wasn't you're type of guy
You've been telling others that I'm not your ideal partner
Well, you know that I am well but you were down
You know that I'm a good partner but you were dismissive of me
Oh, is it sick to think that you even love me
Is it crazy to still believe that you love me
I've even had second thoughts that you even care
I've started to doubt that you even care about me
Tell me, tell me why me?
Give me an explanation for why you left me
Give me a reason why you had to leave
Explain why you felt the need to end our relationship
After all that we've been through
Despite everything we've experienced together
What did I ever do to lose you?
What mistake did I make that caused you to leave
Well I'll just sit right here and cry
I'll sit here and cry alone
Because you know that I'd rather die
I'd rather die than live without you
Than spend a day without you baby, I'm on my knees, I'm begging
I can't bear the thought of living without you and I'm pleading for you to come back
God knows I need you, I need you, I need you, oh
I desperately need you in my life
I can't figure out why my baby is out of my life
I can't understand why you're no longer a part of my life
Said I want you baby, I can't live without you
I want you back in my life, I can't survive without you
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANTONIO JEFFRIES, ANTONIO RICHARDS, TONY RICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind