Irby relocated from Los Angeles to Atlanta in the late 1980s and since 1986 began attempting to engineer the rise of Atlanta as an urban music center by soliciting major record labels and producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, and LA Reid & Babyface to form regional offices in the Atlanta area.
Irby's greater impact may have been the result of her signing a young Dallas Austin as a songwriter and producer in 1988. Dallas produced the first TLC and Boyz II Men projects while still signed to Irby's company Diva One Entertainment.
As an artist developer she signed child star Sammie Bush, and made a deal with Dallas and Capitol Records which launched Sammie's career when he was 12 years old. Irby also signed Lloyd (The Inc) as an 11-year-old and developed and guided his career through four major record deals (Warner, DreamWorks, Magic Johnson Music/MCA, The Inc/Universal). Irby gave multi platinum writer/producer Jasper Cameron, his first songwriting deal. In 2012 Irby scored a top 5 Billboard hit as a co-writer with the Fat Joe/Chris Brown song, "Another Round".
An avid animal lover, Irby started her own charity "Jams For Animals", to raise consciousness and promote kindness to animals through music and video.
I'll Be There
Joyce "Fenderella" Irby Lyrics
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I'm trying not to cry
We were so special
Can you remember
But I don't believe in holding on
Can love like this be wrong
My heart is breaking
Is this the way good bye's supposed to be
(I will be your shelter)
(When the rain begins to fall)
(You wake up and he's gone)
In spite of heartbreak
Love lives after all
(When there's nowhere else to run)
(And you've all but given up)
And when there's no one left to care
Just believe in love and I'll be there
(Ooh... Ooh... Ooh...)
(I'll be there, yes, I will)
And now with all the sacrifice
My thoughts of you
From night fall to the sunrise (To the sunrise)
There'd be days when I'd cry
Knowing that it's useless to resist
(Can love be more than this)
I prayed forever (Forever and ever) {And ever}
And forever is a long time to believe
That there'd be one more chance for you and me
(I will be your shelter)
(When the rain begins to fall)
(You wake up and he's gone)
In spite of heartbreak
Love lives after all
(When there's nowhere else to run)
(And you've all but given up)
And when there's no one left to care
Just believe in love and I'll be there
I'm just a telephone call away
You can call me any day
And when there's no one left to care
Just believe in love and I'll be there
In Joyce "Fenderella" Irby's song I'll Be There, the singer expresses her sorrow and reluctance to end a relationship with someone special. She admits that she doesn't know how to say goodbye and that she's trying her best not to cry. Although she acknowledges the bond they shared, she doesn't believe in holding on to something that perhaps isn't meant to be. Still, she wonders if love like theirs could be wrong, as her heart breaks watching this person walk away from her. She questions if this is how goodbyes are supposed to be. However, she reassures him that even though they're no longer together, she'll be his shelter in the rain, and that love lives on, even after heartbreak.
As the song proceeds, the singer talks about how the sacrifice she made in the relationship, and how it consumed her thoughts for 24 hours, from night-time to sunrise. She struggled to accept that resisting was useless, and although she prayed forever, forever is a long time to believe that they deserve one more chance together. Nonetheless, she promises him that she's a telephone call away any day, in case he needs someone when no one else is around. The overall message of the song is about the transcendent power of love, how it goes beyond heartbreak and persists. The song is based on the idea of not giving up on love, even when things have fallen apart.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know how to say goodbye
I'm struggling to articulate my goodbyes
I'm trying not to cry
I'm striving to hold back my tears
We were so special
We were uniquely important to each other
Can you remember
Can you still reminisce with me?
But I don't believe in holding on
I don't accept grasping to the past
Can love like this be wrong
Can this kind of love ever be misguided?
My heart is breaking
I'm experiencing immense heartache
Watching you walk away from me
I'm seeing you leave me
Is this the way good bye's supposed to be
Is this really the proper way to say farewell?
(I will be your shelter)
(I will provide you refuge)
(When the rain begins to fall)
(When times get hard)
(You wake up and he's gone)
(You suddenly find yourself alone)
In spite of heartbreak
Despite the pain I'm feeling
Love lives after all
Love endures, nonetheless
(When there's nowhere else to run)
(When you find yourself trapped)
(And you've all but given up)
(And you're just about to relinquish)
And when there's no one left to care
And when no one else cares anymore
Just believe in love and I'll be there
Have faith in love and I'll support you
(Ooh... Ooh... Ooh...)
(I'll be there, yes, I will)
(I'll be around to help)
And now with all the sacrifice
And now, after all the sacrifices
My thoughts of you
My mind is preoccupied with thoughts of you
From night fall to the sunrise (To the sunrise)
From dusk until dawn
There'd be days when I'd cry
There were days where I'd weep
Knowing that it's useless to resist
In the realization that resistance is futile
(Can love be more than this)
(Can love be greater than this)
I prayed forever (Forever and ever) {And ever}
I prayed for eternity
And forever is a long time to believe
And eternal hope is a long-term belief
That there'd be one more chance for you and me
That there will be one more opportunity for us
(I will be your shelter)
(I will provide you refuge)
(When the rain begins to fall)
(When times get hard)
(You wake up and he's gone)
(You suddenly find yourself alone)
In spite of heartbreak
Despite the pain I'm feeling
Love lives after all
Love endures, nonetheless
(When there's nowhere else to run)
(When you find yourself trapped)
(And you've all but given up)
(And you're just about to relinquish)
And when there's no one left to care
And when no one else cares anymore
Just believe in love and I'll be there
Have faith in love and I'll support you
I'm just a telephone call away
You can reach me with a phone call
You can call me any day
Don't hesitate to call me anytime
And when there's no one left to care
And when no one else cares anymore
Just believe in love and I'll be there
Have faith in love and I'll support you
Contributed by Adeline V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.