Narada's career spans over three decades and is threaded with gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards. He's produced and/or (co) written number one hits by Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey ("Vision of Love"), Aretha Franklin ("Freeway of Love"), and Lisa Fischer ("How Can I Ease the Pain"). His proficient drumming skills have made him a first-call session musician playing on countless recording sessions.Walden has played on all kind of sessions from rock, jazz, pop, R&B, to fusion, sharing the recording and concert stage with the likes of John McLaughlin, the Mahavishnu Orchestra (a 21-year-old Narada replaced drumming legend Billy Cobham), and Jeff Beck (his Wired album) to name a small few. His own career as a recording artist is showcased on Rhino's Ecstasy's Dance: The Best of Narada Michael Walden. Walden's eclecticism is threaded throughout his recordings in varying degrees.
In the '80s, he became a Grammy-winning mega-producer: Producer of the Year in 1987, Album of the Year for the 1993 movie soundtrack The Bodyguard (Narada Michael Walden, producer), and the Song of the Year award in 1985 for writing Aretha Franklin's "Freeway of Love." The song helped the Queen of Soul land her first platinum album. Walden was named one of the Top Ten Producers With the Most Number One Hits by Billboard magazine. Narada produced the Temptations' "Stay," the group's first number one record in 25 years from their platinum-plus Grammy-nominated Phoenix Rising. He also produced tracks for their follow-up album, Ear-Resistable issued by Motown/Universal on May 16, 2000.
Born April 23, 1952, in Kalamazoo, MI, Walden was given the name Narada by guru Sri Chinmoy. After college graduation, he trekked to Miami, FL, playing in various rock bands. Signing with Atlantic Records, his début album, Garden of Love Light (1976), included the mid-tempo "Delightful," which charted at 81 R&B in spring 1977. His next LP, I Cry I Smile, boasted the sweet "So Long" and the radio-aired LP tracks the languid "I Need Your Love," the delicious "I Remember," and the charming "Better Man." Even though these top-notch tracks received airplay in Chicago and other markets, other than "Better Man," none were released as singles. Instead, the label picked "Soulbird" and "Manago Bop," which worked well as album tracks, but not singles.
The Awakening proved to be his breakthrough album, going to number 15 R&B in spring 1979 on the strength of the brassy "I Don't Want Nobody Else (To Dance With You)." Awakening radio-aired LP tracks were the airy "Listen to Me" and the jubilant album opener "Love Me Only" (also arranged by Patrick Adams). Awakening also featured top session bassist Keni Burke, formerly of the Five Stairsteps and best known for his own "Risin' to the Top."
His second highest charting single, "I Shoulda Loved Ya," hit number four R&B in late 1979. It was on his The Dance of Life (number nine R&B, late 1979), which included the gentle ballad "Why Did You Turn Me On." "You're #1" and "Summer Lady" were both on his Confidence LP from summer 1982. Walden's cover of the Four Tops' "Reach Out I'll Be There," "Reach Out," a huge dance hit, was listed on Looking at You, Looking at Me, which charted in spring 1983. Switching to Warner Bros., his duet with Patti Austin, the Motown-ish pop confection, "Gimme Gimme Gimme," issued as Narada Michael Walden with Patti Austin, went to number 39 R&B in early 1985 and was listed on his The Nature of Things album. His single "Divine Emotions" on the Warner Bros. imprint Reprise Records appeared in the Michael J. Fox movie Bright Lights, Big City. The Divine Emotion LP included the charting mellow single "Wild Thing" and the smooth, chugging, radio-aired LP track "That's the Way That I Feel About Cha." His 1995 Toshiba/EMI album was titled Sending Love to Everyone.
In late 1985, Walden opened Tarpan Studios, a state-of-the-art recording studio located near San Francisco. Walden's work appears on releases by Stacy Lattisaw ("Let Be Your Angel") ,Al Green (Your Heart's in Good Hands), Shanice Wilson ("I Love Your Smile," "I Hate to Be Lonely"), Ray Charles, Diana Ross, George Michael, Wild Orchid, Tevin Campbell, Angela Bofill, Diana Ross, MyTown, Steve Winwood, Phaze II, Regina Belle-Passion ("Baby Come to Me"), Andy Vargas, Debelah Morgan, Jai, Jermaine Stewart ("We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off"), Natalie Cole ("Good to Be Back), Clarence Clemons, Puff Johnson, Eddie Murphy ("Put Your Mouth on Me"), and Carl Carlton ("The Bad CC"), among many many others.
Other Narada Michael Walden-related releases are Stacy Lattisaw and Johnny Gill (Perfect Combination), Lisa Fischer (So Intense), and the movie soundtracks to Beverly Hills Cop II, Perfect, Waiting to Exhale, License to Kill, The Bodyguard, Jason's Lyric, 9 1/2 Weeks, Crooklyn, Free Willy, and The Associate.
I Need Your Love
Narada Michael Walden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need your time
When everything′s wrong
You make it right
I feel so high
I come alive
I need to be free with you tonight
I need your love
I take a deep breath every time I pass your door
I know you're there but I can′t see you anymore
And that's the reason
You're in the dark
I′ve been a stranger ever since we fell apart
And I feel so helpless here
Watch my eyes are filled with fear
Tell me do you feel the same
Hold me in your arms again
I need your love
I need your time
When everything′s wrong
You make it right
I feel so high
I come alive
I need to be free with you tonight
I need your love
Now I'm dreaming, will I ever find you now?
I walk in circles but I′ll never figure out
What I mean to you, do I belong?
I try to fight this but I know I'm not that strong
Tell me do you feel the same (Tell me do you feel the same)
Hold me in your arms again
I need your love
I need your time
When everything′s wrong
You make it right
I feel so high
I come alive
I need to be free with you tonight
All the years
All the times
You have never been to blame
And now my eyes are open
And now my heart is closing
And all the tears
All the lies
All the waste
I've been trying to make a change
And now my eyes are open, oh
I need your love
I need your time
When everything′s wrong
You make it right
I feel so high
I come alive
I need to be free
With you tonight
I need your love
I need your time
When everything's wrong
You make it right
I feel so high
I come alive
I need to be free
With you
I need your love
I need your time
When everything's wrong
You make it right
I feel so high
I come alive
I need to be free
With you tonight
I need your love
I need your time
When everything′s wrong
You make it right
I feel so high
I come alive
I need to be free
With you tonight
I need your love
The lyrics of "I Need Your Love" by Narada Michael Walden describe the singer's desire for the love and companionship of someone special in their life. The singer feels lost and helpless without this person and needs them to make everything right when things go wrong. When they're with this person, they feel alive and free, and they dream of being reunited with them.
The first stanza talks about the singer's need for this person's love and time. They say that this person makes everything right when it goes wrong and they feel so high and alive when they're with them. They need to be free with this person tonight and they repeat the line, "I need your love."
The second stanza describes the singer's current state of mind. They take a deep breath every time they pass their door because they know they're there, but they can't see them. The singer feels like a stranger to this person ever since they fell apart, and they're filled with fear. They ask if this person feels the same and to hold them in their arms again.
The bridge of the song describes the singer's longing for this person. They dream of finding them and walking in circles trying to figure out what they mean to them and whether they belong together. The singer tries to fight their feelings for this person, but they know they're not strong enough.
The chorus repeats twice more, with the singer expressing their need for this person's love and time to make everything right. They feel so high and alive with them, and they need to be free with them tonight.
Overall, the lyrics of "I Need Your Love" express a deep desire for intimate connection and a fear of being alone. The singer is searching for love and needs this person to make everything feel right again.
Line by Line Meaning
I need your love
The singer expresses their longing and desire for the love of the person they are addressing.
I need your time
The singer wants the person they are addressing to spend time with them.
When everything's wrong, You make it right
The person the singer is addressing has the power to fix any problem, and the singer feels thankful for it.
I feel so high, I come alive
Being with the person the artist is addressing makes them incredibly happy and fulfilled.
I need to be free with you tonight
The artist wants to be with the person they are addressing and feels like they can truly be themselves around them.
I take a deep breath every time I pass your door
The singer becomes nervous around the person they are addressing and tries to calm themselves down by taking a deep breath.
I know you're there but I can′t see you anymore
The person the singer is addressing has distanced themselves from the singer, and they feel like they can't connect with them like they used to.
And that's the reason, You're in the dark
The distance between the artist and the person they are addressing has left the person in the dark and unaware of the artist's feelings.
I've been a stranger ever since we fell apart
The artist and the person they are addressing have gone through some sort of falling out, and the artist feels like a stranger to the person they once knew well.
And I feel so helpless here, Watch my eyes are filled with fear
The artist feels helpless to solve the distance between them and the person they are addressing, and they feel that fear is visible in their eyes.
Tell me do you feel the same, Hold me in your arms again
The singer is pleading with the person they are addressing to tell them if they still feel the same way about them as before and to hold them again as they used to.
Now I'm dreaming, will I ever find you now?
The artist has lost hope and is unsure if they will ever be able to find their way back to the person they are addressing.
I walk in circles but I′ll never figure out
The singer feels lost and confused about how to fix the situation between them and the person they are addressing.
What I mean to you, do I belong?
The singer is questioning if they have a place in the person's life and if they mean anything to them.
I try to fight this but I know I'm not that strong
The singer has tried to fight their feelings for the person they are addressing, but they feel like they are not strong enough to resist their emotions.
All the years, All the times, You have never been to blame
The artist acknowledges that the person they are addressing is not at fault for the current situation between them, and they have always been blameless.
And now my eyes are open, And now my heart is closing
The artist has woken up to the reality of the situation and feels like their heart is closing off to the person they are addressing.
All the tears, All the lies, All the waste, I've been trying to make a change
The singer has shed many tears and wasted a lot of time trying to fix the situation between them and the person they are addressing, but they have not been successful.
I need to be free, With you tonight
The singer needs to feel free to be themselves around the person they are addressing tonight.
Writer(s): Walden
Contributed by Joshua V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.