Kelis (born Kelis Rogers on August 21, 1979), is known simply by her first … Read Full Bio ↴Kelis (born Kelis Rogers on August 21, 1979), is known simply by her first name Kelis (pronounced Kuh-lees). Her name is an amalgamation of her parents' first names, her black father Kenneth and Chinese-Puerto Rican mother Eveliss. Growing up in Middle Class Harlem, New York Kelis' childhood was not a deprived one. But she was not without problems, after her parents realised they could not cope with her unruly behavior (Kelis shaved all her hair off at age 13, soon afterwards dyeing the regrowth the colors of the rainbow), Kelis moved out of the family home, continuing her private education.

After a short spell working as a model, 5'10" Kelis began appearing on songs by Neptunes produced rappers such as 'Got Your Money' by the late rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. Soon afterwards, she released her debut album, Kaleidoscope in 1999 of which the first single was 'Caught Out There,' a song based on the time she caught her boyfriend cheating on her, and she beat him. The video feautures Kelis leading a pack of angry women down the street screaming 'I hate you so much right now!'. The album was released in USA, Europe and Asia, but did not find much audience in the USA. Not a great success, it only sold 249,000 copies to date.

After finding her largest audience in Europe, Kelis released her second album titled Wanderland (2001) in Europe only, which like her first album did not fare well. It only sold 80,000 copies and was entirely produced by The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) again, similarly to her debut. Only one single was released 'Young Fresh N New'.

In 2003 Kelis finally found fame in her country with the single 'Milkshake,' which was a massive success in Europe, Asia and USA, and she began dating rapper Nas (born Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones). The single was from the album 'Tasty' which did not feature the Neptunes as heavily as her previous albums. Singles included the popular Dallas Austin produced 'Trick Me' and 'Millionaire', a collaboration with OutKast's Andre 3000. 'In Public's duet with Nas was the fourth single from the album, becoming a top twenty hit in the U.K. without a video.

In 2006, Kelis presented a new album to her fans, entitled Kelis Was Here, which was originally to be called 'The Puppeteer' which was released on 22 August but was due Fall 2005. No Neptunes tracks appeared on this album, but Kelis used other producers such as Max Martin, Will.I.Am (Black Eyed Peas) and Raphael Saadiq. Singles are the huge 'Bossy', 'Blindfold Me', and 'Lil Star'. Kelis wrote more of the material on this album than she did for Tasty, and carries off the sci-fi, electronica sounds so often considered Neptunes material without them. This is most evident on the brilliant 'Trilogy'. Kelis has said she wants to make her mark with this album, as it will be the last 'album like this' she will make.

In October 2007, Kelis was dumped by Jive Records, for poor sales of Kelis Was Here but a new album is in the pipeline. The Hits - a greatest hits collection - was released in March 2008, including tracks where she was a featured artist, eg, Got Your Money by Ol' Dirty Bastard , N.E.R.D's Truth or Dare, and Richard X's Finest Dreams.

Kelis then signed to Interscope Records, and released her fifth studio album entitled Flesh Tone in May 2010. The David Guetta-produced Acapella preceded the LP in February of that year. Other singles released from the album include '4th of July (Fireworks)', 'Scream' and 'Brave'. The following year, Kelis appeared on Calvin Harris' 'Bounce'.

In the beginning of 2010, Kelis received a letter by animal rights organization PETA, in which she was informed about the cruelty that comes along with the production of fur coats. She pointed out that the organization seems to have little concern about the treatment of people of color and that she will continue wearing fur and eating meat.

Songfacts reported that 'Distance', the planned first single from Kelis’ sixth studio album received its first play during the June 30, 2012 show of The Beatnik Mix on London's Reprezent 107.3FM. At the time, the album was set to be house/dance-inspired, but sessions with TV on The Radio's Dave Sitek led to it taking a soul-like direction.

Kelis completed her sixth album in April 2013, and her new label Ninja Tune confirmed details regarding the album in January the following year, 'Jerk Ribs' served as the lead single for the album; the track had however been previously released as a free download the previous year.
Food was released in April 2014 to critical acclaim. Kelis also appeared for the first time at the annual South by Southwest festival, both performing and serving meals to attendees from her food truck.

Get Along with You
Kelis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't need no paper
Don't need no pencils
Don't need no love letters
'Cause I just wanna get along with you
No beeper, don't need no cellular
Though digital's better, listen
I just wanna get along with you

Try me 'cause I'd be
The one that makes you happy
But the part that I don't get is
Why me? You deny me
Now I'm forced to roam this planet
Sad and lonely like some news, forget

You took my heartbeat from me
This is the saddest story
What was wrong with my love?
You took my heartbeat from me
Was it I loved you poorly?
Whatever it was, I just wanna get along with you

Don't need no car
Don't need no truck
Don't need no vehicles
'Cause I just wanna get along with you
No planes
Don't need no trains
Don't need to be passenger
'Cause I just wanna get along with you

Try me, 'cause I'd be
The one that makes you happy
But the part that I don't get is
Why me? You deny me
Now I'm forced to roam this planet
Sad and lonely like some news, forget

You took my heartbeat from me
This is the saddest story
What was wrong with my love?
You took my heartbeat from me
Was it I loved you poorly?
Whatever it was, I just wanna get along with you

Don't need these clothes
Don't need this house
Don't need this land or skies
'Cause I just wanna get along with you
These eyes, don't need these thighs
As a matter of fact this damn life
'Cause I just wanna get along with you

Try me, 'cause I'd be
The one that makes you happy
But the part that I don't get is
Why me? You deny me
Now I'm forced to roam this planet
Sad and lonely like some news, forget

You took my heartbeat from me
This is the saddest story
What was wrong with my love?
You took my heartbeat from me
Should have just stabbed it for me
From ashes to dust, I just wanna get along with you

Dear diary
I remember like it was yesterday
It was October 30
I no longer have any need for these worldly things
I wanna go where he is
I'll follow the fire in the sky
And like that I'll be gone

You took my heartbeat from me
This is the saddest story
What was wrong with my love?
You took my heartbeat from me
Should have just stabbed it for me
From ashes to dust, I just wanna get along with you

You took my heartbeat from me
This is the saddest story

You took my heartbeat from me
Should have just stabbed it for me

Overall Meaning

The song "Get Along With You" by Kelis is a melancholic tune about wanting to be with someone despite being denied by that person. The opening lines of the song express that the singer does not need any material possessions like paper, pencils, or love letters, but she just wants to get along with the person she desires. The lyrics reveal her sadness, loneliness, and yearning to be loved as she sings, "You took my heartbeat from me. This is the saddest story. What was wrong with my love? You took my heartbeat from me. Should have just stabbed it for me, from ashes to dust, I just wanna get along with you."

Kelis expresses her willingness to sacrifice everything worldly to be with the person she loves. She sings, "Don't need these clothes, Don't need this house, Don't need this land or skies, Cause I just wanna get along with you," indicating how insignificant these things are in comparison to her desire to be loved. Furthermore, the singer mentions wanting to travel with the person she loves but does not need cars or planes, as she just wants to be with them.

The chorus of the song is a plea to the person she desires to give her a chance to make them happy, but she is saddened by their rejection. The lyrics indicate how much she knows about this person, and despite that, she cannot understand why she is not given a chance to be with them.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't need no paper
I don't need to write anything down or have any physical reminders because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need no pencils
I don't need to write anything down or make any plans with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need no love letters
I don't need any grand romantic gestures or declarations of love because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Cause I just wanna get along with you
All I really want is to have a good, healthy relationship with you.

No beeper, don't need no cellular
I don't need any kind of communication device like a beeper or a cellular phone because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Though Digital's better, listen
While digital communication may be more efficient, I still don't need it because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Try me cause I'd be
Give me a chance because I can be the one to make you happy.

The one that makes you happy
I can be the person who brings joy and happiness into your life.

But the part that I don't get is
I don't understand why you won't give me a chance to make you happy.

Why me? You deny me
Why won't you give me a chance? You keep saying no to me.

Now I forced to roam this planet
I feel lost and alone because you won't give me a chance to be with you.

Sadly, lonely like some used briget
I feel like a discarded, unwanted item because you won't give me a chance to be with you.

You took my heartbeat from me
You've taken away the spark and joy in my life by not giving me a chance to be with you.

This is the saddest story
My situation is incredibly sorrowful and depressing.

What was wrong with my love?
I don't understand what's wrong with the love and affection I have for you.

Was it I loved you poorly?
Did my love and affection for you not measure up? Was it not good enough for you?

Whatever it was, I just wanna get along with you
Regardless of why you denied me, I still want to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need no car
I don't need a car or any kind of vehicle to be with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need no truck
I don't need a truck or any kind of vehicle to be with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need no vehicles
I don't need any kind of transportation to be with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need no planes
I don't need a plane or any kind of transportation to be with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need no trains
I don't need a train or any kind of transportation to be with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need to be passenger
I don't need to be a passenger on any kind of transportation to be with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need these clothes
I don't need any specific clothing or attire to be with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need this house
I don't need a luxurious or fancy house to be with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

Don't need this land or skies
I don't need any possessions or environment to be with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

These eyes, don't need these thighs
I don't need any specific physical features or attributes to be with you because all I want is to have a good relationship with you.

As a matter of fact this damn life
In fact, I don't even need this life or existence as long as I can have a good relationship with you.