Keith Sweat was born in Harlem, New York City, to Juanita Thompson, a hairdresser, and Charles Sweat, a factory worker. After Charles Sweat's passing in 1973, Juanita raised their five kids by herself. He worked as a night stock boy at Macy's Department Store, and then a mail room clerk at Paine Webber, a brokerage firm. In just four years he worked his way up to a lucrative brokerage assistant job on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.[2] Sweat also worked as a supervisor for the New York Mercantile Exchange.[1]
Sweat started his musical career as a member of a Harlem band called Jamilah in 1975.[3] With the help of Jamilah, Sweat was able to hone his craft as a lead singer by performing regionally throughout the tri-State area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The group was started by bassist Larry Peoples, guitarist Michael Samuels, and drummer Walter Bradley.[citation needed]
After leaving the group in 1984 to begin a solo career, he sang at nightclubs throughout New York City and landed a chance to record for the independent label, Stadium Records. Sweat recorded only two tunes for Stadium, "Lucky Seven", and "My Mind Is Made Up", which was their third and fourth ever release, but on Stadium's first release, he is credited as co-writer and co-producer of "You Are the One for Me", the last recording ever made by the group GQ. One of GQ's original members is his uncle, Keith "Sabu" Crier.
Later in 1987, Keith Sweat was discovered by Vincent Davis and offered a recording contract with his label, Vintertainment Records, which was founded in 1983 on the foundations of early Hip-Hop and otherwise best known for releasing Joeski Love's "Pee Wee's Dance" in 1985. Vintertainment was distributed by Elektra Records from 1985 until it ceased operations in 1990. On November 24, 1987, Sweat released his debut solo studio album Make It Last Forever, which sold three million copies. The biggest hit from this album was the song that inaugurated the new jack swing era "I Want Her"[5] (No. 1 R&B & No. 5 Pop), which was nominated for the 1989 Soul Train Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Song of the Year award, while the title track from the album hit No. 2 on the R&B charts. Sweat reached the charts again with his second album I'll Give All My Love to You (1990) which hit No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart. He released his third album, Keep It Comin' in 1991, which debuted in the Top 20 of the album chart. He produced soul singer Omar Chandler.
In 1992, Sweat discovered the group Silk, and helped craft their debut album, Lose Control, which hit No. 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart.[6]
The album's single "Freak Me" hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 1, 1993. In 1993, Sweat discovered the Atlanta-based female R&B group Kut Klose. Sweat also produced the group's debut album Surrender, which produced their biggest hit single "I Like", peaking to No. 8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
Sweat released his fourth album Get Up on It in the summer of 1994, and his self-titled fifth album in 1996. Both albums reached the top ten on the Billboard 200. The single co/produced and written by Eric McCaine "Twisted" featuring R&B group Kut Klose hit No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Nobody" hit No. 3, which made them Sweat's biggest hits to date. "Just A Touch" was a cover of the 1979 song "Just a Touch of Love" by Slave. He produced R&B group Dru Hill in 1996.
In the fall of 1997, Sweat discovered the group Ol' Skool and helped with their self-titled debut. He was on their biggest single, "Am I Dreaming", which featured the R&B group Xscape. Sweat also formed the R&B supergroup LSG with Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill, and released their self-titled debut album Levert.Sweat.Gill in 1997.[7] That album featured "My Body", which became a hit single. The album was certified double platinum and reached No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
Sweat's sixth album, Still in the Game was released in 1998, hitting No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and No. 2 on the R&B/Hip Hop albums chart. It featured the singles "Come and Get With Me" (which featured Snoop Dogg) (No. 12 Hot 100) and "I'm Not Ready" (No. 16 Hot 100). Sweat's success on the charts started to diminish in 2000, when he released the album Didn't See Me Coming. None of the singles from the album reached the top forty.
On August 13, 2002, Keith Sweat released his eighth album, Rebirth. The single "One on One" reached No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 44 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.His 2008 album Just Me included the single, "Love U Better (featuring Keyshia Cole)". Sweat is currently signed to Kedar Records and released his tenth studio album entitled Ridin' Solo on June 22, 2010. The lead single taken from the album is "Test Drive" and featured label-mate Joe. Since 2007, Sweat has been the host of a nationally syndicated radio program based upon the Quiet storm format. The Keith Sweat Hotel (known as The Quiet Storm with Keith Sweat on WBLS in New York City) is syndicated through Premiere Radio Networks.[8]
Sweat is also the host of a nationally syndicated radio show called The Sweat Hotel, which I s produced and distributed to urban adult contemporary and classic soul radio stations across the U.S. by Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, Inc.[9]
Girl Of My Dreams
Keith Sweat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uh. Excuse me Miss whats your name, Keith's back again so tell all your friends.
Keith Sweat, Lets go
I'm not hating on him but I beg a pardon
'Cause I always see you cry and you never tell nobody why.
I see you with your diamond ring.
And he can buy you any brand name you choose
But what about the days.
Like when he comes in the house.
Taking it out on you.
Thats when I start to come through (and then I fall past you)
Baby I will steal you ( I will Steal your Love )
Tonight (it tears me up)
[Chorus]
It tears me up inside to see you crying out
Pouring like a waterfall
'Cause he don't treat you right
Like a Porsche auto, uh to the nonstop pardon
That's not how you treat the woman of my dreams
Maybe I'm being major everything he does
I know it kisses to the hugs
I'm sitting here wishing it was us.
Oh how can I take the game flip it upside down instead of him
Baby girl I should be your man you should be sleeping in my bed.
You're supposed to riding in the passenger seat of my car
Let me make a move
It's telestar sunshine baby I will steal you
Tell your man he don't deserve you
It tears me up inside
Its painful to sit around watching the girl of my dreams
Its painful cause im alone and she the reason being
When I made my way to the house the word rolled out my mouth
Excuse me miss what's your name its kind of hard for me to explain
I've been watchin' but I'm not insane all I know is
[Chorus]
The song "Girl of My Dreams," sung by Keith Sweat, talks about the singer's unrequited love for a woman who is in a bad relationship with another man. The song begins with the singer introducing himself and asking for the woman's name. He acknowledges that he isn't hating on the man in her life, but he sees the woman crying and wonders why she won't tell anyone. He mentions that the man can buy her anything she wants, but he doesn't treat her right. The singer wants to be with her instead and take her away from that relationship because he believes he can treat her better.
The chorus repeats the phrase "It tears me up inside," referring to the singer's pain of seeing the woman he loves being mistreated by someone else. Towards the end of the song, the singer says that it hurts to be around the woman because he has feelings for her that are unreturned, and he wishes that she would leave the man in her life and be with him instead.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, the ambassadors
Introduction to the song.
Uh. Excuse me Miss whats your name, Keith's back again so tell all your friends.
Keith Sweat is back with a new song and he's looking for the attention of a girl whose name he doesn't know yet.
I'm not hating on him but I beg a pardon
Keith Sweat is not hating on the girl's current boyfriend but he wants to express his feelings for her.
'Cause I always see you cry and you never tell nobody why.
Keith is observant and knows that the girl is often crying but never opens up about why she's upset.
I see you with your diamond ring.
Keith notices that the girl has a diamond ring which her current boyfriend has bought for her.
And he can buy you any brand name you choose. I'd do the same thing if I was in his shoes.
Keith understands the appeal of brand names and acknowledges that he would do the same if he was in the current boyfriend's position.
But what about the days.
Keith is curious about the bad days when the girl's boyfriend mistreats her.
Like when he comes in the house. Taking it out on you.
The bad days involve her boyfriend coming home and taking his anger out on her.
Thats when I start to come through (and then I fall past you)
Keith is there for the girl during her bad days but he always seems to fall out of her life again.
Baby I will steal you ( I will Steal your Love )
Keith is so in love with the girl that he would go to great lengths to be with her.
Tonight (it tears me up)
Keith is in emotional pain because he cannot be with the girl that he loves.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the idea that it hurts Keith to see the girl of his dreams unhappy with her current boyfriend.
Maybe I'm being major everything he does
Keith is aware that he might be overreacting to the situation but he can't help feeling the way he does.
I know it kisses to the hugs
Keith is sure that the girl would be happier with him because he can offer her more than just material possessions.
I'm sitting here wishing it was us.
Keith is dreaming of a future where he and the girl are together.
Oh how can I take the game flip it upside down instead of him
Keith wants to change the game and be the one who gets to be with the girl of his dreams instead of her current boyfriend.
Baby girl I should be your man you should be sleeping in my bed.
Keith believes that he would be a better partner for the girl and visualizes them being intimate together.
You're supposed to riding in the passenger seat of my car
Keith imagines taking the girl out for drives and dates, with her sitting next to him in the car.
Let me make a move
Keith wants to make a move to be with the girl he loves.
It's telestar sunshine baby I will steal you
Keith uses a metaphor to explain his love for the girl, saying that he will 'steal' her away from her current boyfriend.
Tell your man he don't deserve you
Keith takes a final jab at the girl's current boyfriend, saying that he doesn't deserve her love.
Its painful to sit around watching the girl of my dreams
Keith is in pain because he has to watch the girl of his dreams be with someone else.
Its painful cause im alone and she the reason being
Keith is alone and unhappy because he cannot be with the girl he loves.
When I made my way to the house the word rolled out my mouth
Keith is nervous but determined when he goes to see the girl.
Excuse me miss what's your name its kind of hard for me to explain
Keith introduces himself to the girl but struggles to explain his feelings for her.
I've been watchin' but I'm not insane all I know is
Keith assures the girl that he's been observing her from afar but he's not crazy.
[Chorus]
The chorus repeats the idea that Keith is hurting because he cannot be with the girl he loves.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, O/B/O CAPASSO
Written by: KEITH SWEAT, DAVID BROWN, LAMAR TAYLOR, DARNELL O DALTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind