Lemar was born in London to Nigerian (Igbo) parents, and was raised in Tottenham, London, listening to Soul Music and R&B. He used to sing at home with his brothers and sister, pretending to be The Jacksons. He was seventeen when he had his first concert at the Junior Jam at the Temple in Tottenham supporting Usher. He gave up an opportunity to study pharmacy at the Cardiff University to pursue a musical career. Lemar had some success supporting various artists such as Destiny's Child, Total, Uncle Sam and Usher Raymond on their UK club tours and after some years, managed to secure a recording contract with BMG. Following this, he released his debut single "Got Me Saying Ooh" in 2001. Unfortunately his record deal with BMG fell through in less than a year due to restructuring at the record label. He had to eventually take a job working as an accounts manager at NatWest in Enfield, north London.
Lemar's second single "Dance (With U)" reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in early 2003. His first album Dedicated was released late in 2003 with additional singles "50/50" and "Another Day" also achieving chart success in the UK. Lemar won a BRIT Award for "Best Urban Act" in 2004. Following the success of the album, he commenced his first headlining tour of the UK.
On the 12th of November 2004 Lemar guested on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge and performed a cover of U2's song "Vertigo". He has also performed for Prince Charles' Prince's Trust.
4 September 2006 saw Lemar return with his eighth single, entitled "It's Not That Easy", which became his sixth UK top ten hit. A week later his new album The Truth About Love was released, which saw guest appearances from Styles P from The L.O.X., Mica Paris and Joss Stone. The album became Lemar's highest charting album to date, peaking at number three on the UK Albums Chart.
Lemar's 4th studio album "The Reason" is set for release on November 24th 2008. While the first single of the album will be called "If She Knew" released on 10th November 2008. Also the video has been released too.
Lemar featured on Sway's first single "Saturday Night Hustle" from the album The Signature LP. Lemar's fourth studio album "The Reason" was released on 24 November 2008, entering the UK Albums Chart at No. 41. Lead single "If She Knew" was released on 10 November 2008, and peaked on the UK Singles Chart at No. 14.
Lemar performed his new single “The Way Love Goes” on the BBC1 show “So You Think You Can Dance” on Saturday 9th January. The single was released on Valentine’s Day. "The Way Love Goes" first entered the UK Singles Chart on 21, February 2010. The single has so far managed to peak at #8, his first Top 10 single since "It's Not That Easy" in 2006. It became Lemar's seventh Top 10 single and made the Top 10 without making the BBC Radio 1 or BBC Radio 2 playlists.
It was followed on March 8 by his much anticipated album, 'The Hits', which - as well as including 10 hit singles from his four studio albums - also features four new tracks. In addtiton to 'The Way Love Goes', these include a duet with Britain's chart-topping pop/R&B boy-band JLS on a re-recording of Lemar's own 2003 ballad 'What About Love'.
Tick Tock
Lemar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't wanna go
Things can be so lonely on the road
Could be the presidential suite
But nothing's ever like your bed at home
Especially when you're away from the one you love
It gets tough
Looking at her picture soothes my pain
And for a moment I, find myself right back at home again
I remember, through the ups and downs of my day
I can say, my baby will be
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for me
While the time goes tick tock tick tock
My baby will be
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for me
While the time goes tick tock tick tock
She's gotta leave again
She don't wanna go
Hates to be away from me so long
She calls me everyday but
She can't kiss her baby on the phone
When we're hanging up
The tears start rolling down
But somehow oh
Even though she cries
She can find her smile
'cause she knows with me her heart is safe
Funny how time away, makes a loving heart grow fond again
She remembers, through the ups and downs of her day
She can say, oh that I'll be
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for her
While the time goes tick tock tick tock
Her baby will be
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for her
While the time goes tick tock tick tock
Oh, we remember, through the ups and downs of our days
We can say, oh that we'll be
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for love
While the time goes tick tock tick tock
Oh we will be
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for love
While the time goes tick tock tick tock
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for love
While the time goes tick tock tick tock
Oh we will be
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for love
While the time goes tick tock tick tock
The song "Tick Tock" by Lemar revolves around the theme of being away from the one you love, particularly when traveling for work. The lyrics describe the pain of leaving home and the longing to return to the comfort of one's bed and one's loved one. The song is an ode to the endurance of true love that can survive the trials of separation and distance.
The first verse describes the experience of a performer on the road, staying in luxurious hotels but still feeling the emptiness of being away from home. The second verse depicts the experience of the performer's partner, who also feels the pain of separation but finds solace in the love they share. Throughout the song, Lemar emphasizes the power of love to endure even when two people are physically apart.
The chorus reinforces the idea that love can overcome distance and that even though time may feel slow while waiting, love will keep holding on. The repetition of "tick tock" mimics the sound of a clock ticking, conveying the passage of time and the sense of urgency felt when waiting for someone.
Overall, "Tick Tock" is a testament to the power of love, endurance, and patience, and the importance of being there for the ones we love, even when we must be physically apart.
Line by Line Meaning
I gotta leave again
I have to go on the road for work again
I don't wanna go
I don't want to leave my loved one again
Things can be so lonely on the road
Being away from loved ones can be a lonely experience
Could be the presidential suite
Even staying in a luxurious hotel suite cannot replace the comforts of home
But nothing's ever like your bed at home
There is no better feeling than being in your own bed at home
Especially when you're away from the one you love
Being away from the person you love makes the longing for home even stronger
It gets tough
Being away from loved ones for extended periods of time is difficult
Even though it hurts when I'm off at work
Being away from my loved one for work is painful
Looking at her picture soothes my pain
Seeing a picture of my loved one helps ease my pain
And for a moment I, find myself right back at home again
Seeing a picture of my loved one makes me feel like I'm back at home with them
I remember, through the ups and downs of my day
Throughout my entire day, my thoughts are with my loved one
I can say, my baby will be
I can say that my partner will be waiting for me
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for me
My partner will be sitting and waiting for me, longing for my return
While the time goes tick tock tick tock
Time moves slowly while I'm away from my loved one
She's gotta leave again
My partner also has to leave for work
She don't wanna go
My partner doesn't want to leave me again
Hates to be away from me so long
My partner hates being away from me for extended periods of time
She calls me everyday but
My partner tries to stay in touch with me while she's away
She can't kiss her baby on the phone
Even though we talk on the phone, we cannot physically be together
When we're hanging up
When our phone call is ending
The tears start rolling down
We both get emotional and start to cry when we have to end the call
Even though she cries
Even though my partner is upset while away, she stays strong
She can find her smile
My partner can still find happiness and joy in spite of the distance between us
'cause she knows with me her heart is safe
My partner knows that she can trust me and feel secure in our relationship
Funny how time away, makes a loving heart grow fond again
Being away from someone you love can make you fall even more in love with them
She remembers, through the ups and downs of her day
My partner thinks of me throughout her entire day
She can say, oh that I'll be
My partner can say that I will be waiting for her when she returns
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for her
I will be waiting for my partner, longing for her return
Oh, we remember, through the ups and downs of our days
Both of us think of each other throughout our entire days
We can say, oh that we'll be
Both of us can say that we will be waiting for each other
Sitting, waiting, longing, holding on for love
We are both waiting for each other out of love and longing
While the time goes tick tock tick tock
Time moves slowly while we are apart
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Thomas Hart Dementi, Lemar Obika, Gerard Thomas, Harold Jr Lilly
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind