Williams rose to noteriety when she joined Destiny's Child, one of the most successful female groups of all time with whom she earned a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for single "Survivor".
Raised in a Christian family, Williams learned to sing in her church's choir. She later sang in a musical quartet called United Harmony alongside sister Cameron. After attending Auburn High School and being a part of the C.A.P.A (Creative And Performing Arts) program there, she pursued a degree in criminal justice at Illinois State University before leaving to pursue a career in music. Whilst touring as a backing vocalist for R&B star Monica, the opportunity arose for Williams to join Destiny's Child in 2000.
After the release and promotion of the grammy-nominated Destiny's Child album Survivor, Williams became the first member to release a solo studio album in 2002. Her debut, Heart To Yours , shot up to #1 on the Billboard Gospel Chart, where it spent a total of 46 weeks and also peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums before being listed at #6 on the year-end Gospel Albums chart. Also a critical success, the album won Williams an award for "Best Gospel Act" at the 2003 MOBO Awards. Billboard ranked Williams as the #5 Top Gospel Artist of 2002. Williams then made her acting debut in the Broadway hit, Aida, replacing R&B singer Toni Braxton; making her the first and only member of Destiny's Child to appear on Broadway.
Following the success of her debut, Michelle released her sophomore album, entitled Do You Know, in 2004 which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart, #2 on the Billboard Gospel Chart and was well received by critics who lent particular praise to her songwriting ability.
In 2006, she made her television debut in the UPN comedy Half & Half, where she played the role of Naomi. In 2007, Williams returned to theatre, starring in the first US national tour of The Colour Purple alongside LaToya London and Stephanie St. James, which earned her a nomination for "Best Lead Female Actress" at the 18th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards.
Williams released her third (and first commercial pop) album, Unexpected in 2008. The highly-anticipated and critically-acclaimed pop debut features singles; "We Break The Dawn" which peaked at #47 in the UK, #38 in Hungary and #4 on the US Dance chart; "The Greatest", which topped the US Billboard Dance chart; and "Hello Heartbreak". In 2009, "The Greatest" was listed at #39 on the decade-end, 2000-2009 Billboard Dance chart, one place behind "Lose My Breath" which Williams released as a member of Destiny's Child.
In 2009 she starred in the hit West-End production of Chicago, making her the first African-American to be cast in the lead role. The following year she replaced Ashlee Simpson in the Broadway production of the legendary musical before beginning an engagement at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. She further pursued acting in 2011, originating the lead role of Lena Summer in David E. Talbert's What My Husband Doesn't Know, which was released on DVD the same year.
In 2011, Williams released a collaboration with dance artist Ultra Naté titled "Waiting on You" which became her third top 20 entry on the US Billboard Dance chart where it peaked at #11.
In 2012, it was announced Williams had signed with Light Records/eOne. In 2013, Williams joined the US national tour of three-time Tony Award-winning musical Fela! and reunited with Destiny's Child at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show.
In 2013, it was announced that Williams will star in her own reality show titled My Sister's Keeper, produced by eOne, to coincide with the release of her fourth solo album.
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2 The actress Michelle Ingrid Williams (Marilyn Monroe ) features on the soundtrack of the film My Week with Marilyn singing It's a Wrap, I found a Dream, That Old Black Magic and a medley of 'When love goes wrong, Nothin' Goes Right' & 'Heat Wave'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Week_with_Marilyn#Music
The Way of Love
Michelle Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was looking for love in all the wrong places
And never found a cure
I was hoping that it could be sent from heaven
A love so sweet and pure
In all of my years I've seen many faces that
Dwindled by the way
In all of my fears it left me lonely with tears
[chorus:]
I learned the way of love
I learned to pray for love
If you see it in a lifetime
Learn to stay in love
[verse 2:]
I had fallen so deep in the depths of passion
My heart about to drown
Fulfilling my need to have a companion but no
One was around
In all of my guilt I feel redemption it wasn't
All my fault
The home that I built was real inside me but
Love was never caught
[chorus]
[bridge:]
If you feel like you'll never be one of them
Who discovers a love for eternity
Continue to be patient and keep you heart
Safe from those who might tear it all apart
And learn the way of love
[chorus]
The song "The Way of Love" by Michelle Williams tells a story of a woman who has been searching for the true meaning of love in all the wrong places. She confesses that she has been in many relationships, but they all ended in disappointment and heartbreak. She longed for a love that was pure and genuine, but she never found it until she learned the way of love.
The lyrics in the first verse describe the feeling of loneliness that comes with searching for love in the wrong places. She had met several people in her life, but they never lived up to her expectations. This left her feeling dejected, and she shed many tears before she finally found true love in the end.
In the second verse, the lyrics speak to the importance of self-forgiveness when it comes to failed relationships. She acknowledges that the guilt she felt was not entirely her fault, and she learned to let go of the past and move forward. She continues to share how she learned the way of love and suggests that others who might be struggling in the same way should learn to be patient and keep their hearts safe from those who may break them apart.
Overall, "The Way of Love" is an inspiring song that encourages listeners to hold onto hope even when it seems like love is impossible. It shows that through patience, forgiveness and perseverance, one can find true love.
Line by Line Meaning
I was looking for love in all the wrong places
I was searching for love in all the places that couldn't give me the true love I deserved.
And never found a cure
Despite my search, I couldn't find the solution to my lack of love.
I was hoping that it could be sent from heaven
I was wishing for love to come magically from above.
A love so sweet and pure
I wanted a love free from any impurities or malice.
In all of my years I've seen many faces that
Throughout my life, I've come across several people's faces that didn't deserve my love.
Dwindled by the way
As time passed, their actions reduced my infatuation for them.
In all of my fears it left me lonely with tears
Their actions left me alone, scared, and miserable, with only tears to cry.
Here to stay
The pain caused by their actions remained with me, and I couldn't get rid of it.
I learned the way of love
I learned the correct way to love.
I learned to pray for love
I realized that prayer is essential to get the love we desire.
If you see it in a lifetime
If you find true love in your lifetime.
Learn to stay in love
Learn to keep loving unconditionally to maintain the love found.
I had fallen so deep in the depths of passion
I had grown passionate about someone to the point of obsession.
My heart about to drown
It became challenging to control my emotions, and it felt like they were drowning me.
Fulfilling my need to have a companion but no
I wanted a companion to satisfy my physical and emotional needs, but...
One was around
The person I desired wasn't with me.
In all of my guilt I feel redemption it wasn't
I felt guilty about my actions associated with my unfulfilled infatuation, but...
All my fault
It wasn't entirely my fault.
The home that I built was real inside me but
The idea of love and home was real within me, but...
Love was never caught
I struggled to experience love in my life.
If you feel like you'll never be one of them
If you believe you won't get to experience true love like others.
Who discovers a love for eternity
Those that can find or experience a never-ending love.
Continue to be patient and keep your heart
Don't lose hope and continue to wait for your true love to come into your life.
Safe from those who might tear it all apart
Protect yourself from those who could damage or shatter your heart and emotions.
And learn the way of love
Learn how to love the right way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES LORELL MOSS, PAUL D. ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind