Kravitz plays guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, percussion, and sitar. He often plays these instruments on each recorded track, but frequently collaborates with other musicians as well when recording.
His 1989 debut album Let Love Rule was a moderate success. In 1991 he released his second album, Mama Said, which reached the top 40 of the Billboard album charts. In 1993, the album Are You Gonna Go My Way was released, reaching #12 on the Billboard 200 and Kravitz earned a Brit Award for best international male artist in 1994. He released the Circus album in 1995, which reached number 10 on the Billboard chart on the back of his past achievement. With 5 (1999), Kravitz embraced digital technology such as Pro Tools and samplers for the first time. He would win the first of his four consecutive Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards of 1999.
His cover version of The Guess Who's hit "American Woman" won him another Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance at the Grammy Awards of 2000. Kravitz released a Greatest Hits compilation in 2000. It proved to be his most successful album. The single "Again" would earn him his third consecutive Grammy for the Best Male Rock Vocal in the Grammy Awards of 2001. Kravitz released his sixth album Lenny in October 2001. He won his fourth consecutive Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal at the Grammy Awards of 2002. Kravitz's seventh album Baptism was released in May 2004. His album, It Is Time For A Love Revolution was released in 2008. He has always edited his albums on Virgin Records America. The lead single from Kravitz’s ninth album, Black and White America, "Stand" was released on June 3, 2011. (Stand Songfacts).
He is the son of Ukrainian-Jewish American NBC television news producer Sy Kravitz, and Bahamian American actress Roxie Roker, best known as her character Helen Willis on the hit 1970s television sitcom The Jeffersons. Black and White America's title track is an autobiographical look back at his upbringing in New York. (Black and White America Songfacts).
Artist website: www.lennykravitz.com
Baptized
Lenny Kravitz Lyrics
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And be turned to stone
All my darkest days awoken
I'm looking for a new way
I can't make it on my own
Lead me to a place wide open
I need a love that takes me higher
So high I'm never coming down
I don't want to know emptiness
Take me down to the water
want to be baptized in your love
Far away from the loneliness
Take my heart and wash away the fear
Let me be baptized in your love
Everybody's going down
They end up all alone
Far too many words unspoken
I know I gotta be there, I'm ready to be shown
The path of righteousness unbroken
I need a love that takes me higher
So high I'm never coming down
I don't want to know emptiness
Take me down to the water
want to be baptized in your love
Far away from the loneliness
Take my heart and wash away the fear
Let me be baptized in your love
I would be a fool to let you go
With you I'm reborn
I'm no longer torn
Yeah
I refuse to lose my heart and soul
I have to be strong
I don't want to know emptiness
Take me down to the water
want to be baptized in your love
Far away from the loneliness
Take my heart and wash away the fear
Let me be baptized in your love
The lyrics to "Baptized" by Lenny Kravitz convey a sense of longing and yearning for love that is far more profound than just physical attraction. Rather, it is a desire for a deep, spiritual connection that can sustain the singer and lift him up to new heights. He speaks of being turned to stone by looking around, implying that the world has worn him out and made him numb to the possibilities of genuine human connection. He also speaks of "darkest days awoken," which suggests that he has been through some sort of personal crisis and is looking for a way to transcend it.
The singer is not interested in shallow relationships or superficial pleasures. He wants to be "baptized in your love," which suggests a cleansing and purifying experience. He wants his heart to be washed clean of fear and loneliness, and to be reborn in a new, more positive light. The phrase "take me down to the water" is reminiscent of baptismal rites in many religions, and implies the idea of surrendering oneself to a greater power.
The musical arrangement of the song supports these themes, with its soaring, majestic chorus and driving, rhythmic accompaniment. The guitar riff is simple but powerful, and the overall sound of the song is uplifting and energizing. This is a song that can inspire and uplift listeners, reminding them of the power of love to transform and heal.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to look around
I do not wish to observe my surroundings
And be turned to stone
And be so petrified I become motionless
All my darkest days awoken
All my worst days remembered vividly
I'm looking for a new way
I'm searching for a fresh, unfamiliar approach
I can't make it on my own
I cannot succeed alone
Lead me to a place wide open
Show me a vast space where I can find my way
I need a love that takes me higher
I require love that elevates me to another level
So high I'm never coming down
So that its effects last indefinitely
I don't want to know emptiness
I have no interest in experiencing void
Take me down to the water
Bring me to a large body of water
want to be baptized in your love
I desire to have an immersion in your affection
Far away from the loneliness
Distant from the feeling of solitude
Take my heart and wash away the fear
Take my heart and cleanse it of my trepidations
Let me be baptized in your love
Enable me to have an immersion in your love
Everybody's going down
Everyone is failing
They end up all alone
They become solitary
Far too many words unspoken
There are too many unexpressed thoughts
I know I gotta be there, I'm ready to be shown
I am aware that I have to be present, I'm prepared to be guided
The path of righteousness unbroken
The path of moral correctness without interruption
I would be a fool to let you go
I would be foolish if I allowed you to leave
With you I'm reborn
With you, I am reborn into a new person
I'm no longer torn
I'm not divided anymore
I refuse to lose my heart and soul
I decline to relinquish my heart and soul
I have to be strong
I must be resilient
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TERRY BRITTEN, LENNY KRAVITZ, GERALD D. DEVEAUX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Paela Peterson
on American Woman
There's you some GUITAR!