In 2009, Ledisi released her fourth album Turn Me Loose , which earned her a couple more Grammy nominations.
Ledisi's fifth album, Pieces Of Me, was released on June 14, 2011 debuting at #8 on the Billboard 200, her first entry on the top 10 of the album chart.
She and her band are from a new breed of modern soul singers (that fall into the New Organic Soul movement in the U.K.) that do not bow to the formulated 'pop' format that permeates the national charts of the U.K. and the U.S.A.
Her mother sang in an R & B band and opened her daughter's ears to classical music, then to jazz and gospel.
‘My mother is an inspiration to me because she was an R & B singer when I was growing up, and I'd watch her perform in the park by our house. I grew up on Earth, Wind and Fire. Tina Turner is my favorite’.
As a teenager Ledisi first sang in a friend’s band, but soon realised she'd have to form her own if she was going to get the creative freedom she desired.
She formed the group Anibade.
The band consisted of:
Sundra Manning (keyboards)
Cedrickke Dennis (guitar)
Nelson Braxton (bass)
Wayne Braxton (saxophone)
and Tommy Bradford on (drums)
Anibade means ‘my mother is great’ in Yoruba and also happens to be Ledisi's middle name.
The band the group performed at several nightspots including Bruno's, The Black Cat, and Rasselas, in the San Francisco area before, successfully, getting a local radio station, KMEL, to play the single ‘Take Time’, without any major label distribution.
Ledisi said, ‘We took it to other labels to try and get a deal, but we found that they didn't get it 'cause it wasn't already out there. We got frustrated with that.’
Ledisi is said to be recording a jazz record with bassist Marcus Shelby on Noir Records.
That album was due in early 2000, although the set has not yet surfaced.
Her first solo album ‘Soulsinger’, was, however, released in 2000, to critical acclaim.
The album addressed several personal issues, none more so than the track ‘Papa Loved To Love Me’, a harrowing tale of a father sexually abusing his daughter.
The track is uncomfortably close to home.
Ledisi said ‘My family heard it, though, and they said, 'Wow, you went and told everything!'. I know it's giving something away about myself, but it's a part of me. That's why people relate to a story like that.’
Eric Benét and Rahsaan Patterson recently attended her groups' concerts and they have opened for Eric Benet, D’Angelo and Angie Stone.
A second album entitled 'Feeling Orange And Sometimes Blue' was released in early 2002.
Ledisi travelled to London's Jazz Cafe in March 2003 for more gigs following a successful concert at Subterranea in the autumn of 2002.
She was supported by the Braxton Brothers along with several other performers.
Happy Feelings
Ledisi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doo-doo-doo-doo-dah-dooooh
Doo-doo-doo-doo-dah-dooooh
Doo-doo-doo-doo-dah-dooooh
Oooh-oooh, Happy feelin's in the air
Touchin' people everywhere
Plenty love and everything
I've got myself
To remind me of love
My mind and my heart, girl
I believe in above
And these happy feelin's (Feel that happy feeling)
I'll spread them all over the world
From deep in my soul I wish you
Happy Feelin's (You and me)
Happy Feelin's (Aye, Aye, Aye, Aye)
Happy Feelin's (Yeah, Alright)
I've seen the light
Watched it shine down on me
I'm gonna spread my wings, yeah
And I'm gonna tell all I seen
These happy feelin's (Feel that happy feeling)
I spread them all over the world
From deep in my soul,
Oooooooooooooh
Spread it all over,
Spread it all over
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Happy, happy, happy, happy feelin's
Happy feelin's (Yeah, alright)
Happy feelin's (Oooh-oooh)
I've got myself
To remind me of love
I've got my mind and my heart, yeah
And I believe, I believe, I believe in above
And these happy feelin's, ooooh (Feel that happy feeling)
I'll spread them all over the world
These happy feelin's, yeah (Feel that happy feeling)
I'll spread them all overd the world
These happy, happy feelin's (Feel that happy feeling)
I'll spread them all over the world
Feel I've got to live, yeah, alright (Feel that happy feeling)
Feel I've got to live, yeah, everyday (Feel that happy feeling
Feel I've got to live, yeah (Feel that happy feeling)
Feel I've got to live, yeah, oh yeah (Feel that happy feeling)
Oooooooooohh
Oh-oh, yea-eah, happy, happy, happy, happy feelin's
Ooooh, happy feelin's, oh yeah, alright
Spread it all over the world
Ya-all, come on
The song Happy Feelings by Ledisi is a joyful and upbeat tune that celebrates the positive emotions one experiences in life. The repetitive doo-doo-doo melody creates a cheerful and catchy vibe that is hard to resist. The lyrics talk about the spread of happy feelings, which are in the air and touching people everywhere. Ledisi sings about how she believes in love and the power of positive emotions to change the world. She has seen the light and is going to spread her wings and tell everybody about what she has seen. The song wants everybody to feel happy and spread these good feelings all over the world, thereby creating a positive impact.
The song's chorus line "Happy Feelings" is repeated throughout, driving its positive message home. The song's lyrics reveal how one person's happiness and positivity can cause a ripple effect that ultimately leads to collective happiness. Ledisi's powerful and soulful voice combined with the lively, upbeat instrumentation adds to the song's positive vibe. Overall,, the song is a beautiful ode to the power of happiness and positivity in one's life and the world at large.
Line by Line Meaning
Doo-doo-doo-doo-dah-dooooh
An instrumental introduction to the song
Oooh-oooh, Happy feelin's in the air
The mood all around is happy and positive
Touchin' people everywhere
The happy feeling is affecting and influencing people all around
Plenty love and everything
There is an abundance of love and positivity in the surroundings
Listen to the people sing
People are expressing their happiness and joy through singing
I've got myself
I have myself
To remind me of love
To remind me to love myself and others
My mind and my heart, girl
My thoughts and feelings
I believe in above
I have faith in something higher than myself
And these happy feelin's (Feel that happy feeling)
The happy feelings that I have inside
I'll spread them all over the world
I will share my happiness with everyone in the world
From deep in my soul I wish you
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you
You and me
Both of us together
Aye, Aye, Aye, Aye
An expression of excitement and enthusiasm
Yeah, Alright
An expression of agreement and satisfaction
I've seen the light
I have experienced enlightenment
Watched it shine down on me
I have witnessed the brightness and positivity in my life
I'm gonna spread my wings, yeah
I am going to explore new opportunities and reach for my dreams
And I'm gonna tell all I seen
And I will share my experiences with others
I spread them all over the world
I will spread my happiness and positivity to everyone in the world
Oooooooooooooh
An expression of passion and intensity
Spread it all over
Share happiness and positivity with everyone around
Yeah, yeah, yeah
An expression of agreement and approval
Happy, happy, happy, happy feelin's
Intense feelings of happiness and positivity
I believe, I believe, I believe in above
I have faith in something higher than myself
These happy feelin's, ooooh (Feel that happy feeling)
The happy feelings that come from within
I'll spread them all overd the world
I will share my happiness with everyone in the world
Feel I've got to live, yeah, alright (Feel that happy feeling)
I feel like I must live my life to the fullest, and spread happiness along the way
Feel I've got to live, yeah, everyday (Feel that happy feeling
I feel like I have to live with happiness and positivity every day
Oooooooooohh
An expression of passion and intensity
Oh-oh, yea-eah, happy, happy, happy, happy feelin's
Intense feelings of happiness and positivity
Ooooh, happy feelin's, oh yeah, alright
Intense feelings of happiness and positivity
Spread it all over the world
Share happiness and positivity with everyone around
Ya-all, come on
An invitation to join in and be happy together
Contributed by Liam K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.