Ne-Yo was a beautiful song writer before he became a recording artist. He has written songs for a number of artists, including Mary J. Blige, Ruben Studdard, Marques Houston, Faith Evans, Christina Milian, B2K, Nivea, Tyrese, Jamie Foxx , Heather Headley,and Mario . After coming off a bad deal with Columbia Records, Ne-Yo originally decided to remain as a songwriter until a close friend introduced him to L.A. Reid who signed him to Def Jam Records on the spot.
The origin of the name Ne-Yo was given by a mutual friend in 1999 who called him Neo because he could 'see' music akin to the character Neo from The Matrix trilogy. He altered the '-yo' part as an homage to his hip hop roots.
Ne-Yo's debut album, In My Own Words, was released in early 2006, through Def Jam Recordings, and debuted at number one on Billboard 200, selling over 301,000 copies in the first week and certified platinum. During the same week, Ne-Yo's second single "So Sick" (produced by Stargate) reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Ne-Yo is as famous for his songwriting as for his singing, writing such songs as Rihanna's top ten hit "Unfaithful", Mario's "Let Me Love You", Mario Vazquez's "Gallery", Paula DeAnda's "Walk Away (Remember Me)", and Beyoncé's Billboard Hot 100 ten-week number-one hit "Irreplaceable".
His second album, Because of You, was released May 1, 2007. The first single from the platinum-selling album was "Because of You". He has also said that he has written songs for Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Corbin Bleu, and Enrique Iglesias for their upcoming albums. Smith also has stated that he will write songs for Craig David, Usher, Chris Brown, Jennifer Hudson, Leona Lewis, and he recently confirmed that he has been contacted by producer will.i.am to work on Michael Jackson's upcoming album.
Ne-Yo opened a recording studio called Carrington House and started his own label, Compound Entertainment, in 2007; Paula Campbell, Sixx John, and Shanell are now associated with Compound.
In December 2007, Ne-Yo and the Goo Goo Dolls performed at a fundraising concert for presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.
He appeared in the song "Deewangi Deewangi" in the Hindi movie Om Shanti Om.
In February 2008 at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards, Ne-Yo won Best Contemporary R&B Album for Because Of You.
The Lazy Love Songfacts reports that Ne-Yo's fifth studio album was originally titled 'The Cracks in Mr. Perfect' before Ne-Yo changed it to R.E.D, which stands for "Realising Every Dream".
What Have I Done
Ne-Yo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sit and think about what I did wrong
As the days turn into nights
Nights back into days I sit alone
Oh no, there's blood on my hands
Guilty party
Ain't no secret I'm the one
Sure as the moon shines
'Cause I'm the sun
[Chorus]
What have I done
What have I done
What have I done
What have I done
Oh, mmm
Selfishly
Catered to my own desires
Never once thinking
That breaking rules just 'cause I wanted to
Could possibly hurt you
My only concern was me
And now look at you
Look at what my foolishness has turned you into
In the end a monster
But at first a goddess
When we first begun, oh
[Chorus]
I'm to blame
Love is a privilege
Not a game
Now you're a monster
I'm to blame
Love is a privilege
Not a game
Now you're a monster
Beautiful you are so lovely
All you wanted was to love me
How did I end up the lonely one (what have I done)
Not hard to love someone
But it's hard to be in love
Knowing that you're killing that person
Beautiful you are so lovely
All you wanted was to love me
How did I end up the lonely one (what have I done)
Not hard to love someone
But it's hard to be in love
Knowing that you're killing that person
In the end she was a monster
But she was a goddess when we first begun
[Chorus]
I'm to blame, hey (what have I done)
Love is a privilege
Not a game
Now you're a monster (what have I done)
I'm to blame
Love is a privilege (what have I done)
Not a game
Now you're a monster (what have I done)
And I'm to blame
Love is a privilege
Not a game
Now you're a monster (what have I done)
And I'm to blame
Love is a privilege
Not a game
The lyrics to Ne-Yo's 'What Have I Done?' song illustrate an individual in remorse for the wrong they've done in a relationship. The first verse talks about how the person sits and thinks about their mistake, and the guilt they feel is reflected in the phrase 'oh no, there's blood on my hands.' The character acknowledges that they are responsible and no one else by saying, 'Ain't no secret I'm the one, I'm responsible for this, Sure as the moon shines, 'cause I'm the sun.'
In the chorus, the character questions themselves about the wrong they did while realizing the magnitude of their actions, and it repeats the question 'What have I done?' This shows the character's guilt and the self-reflection that the person should have done something differently. Furthermore, several lines later, the character addresses their selfishness and the impact it had on their significant other "...Never once thinking That breaking rules just 'cause I wanted to could possibly hurt you, my only concern was me / And now look at you, Look at what my foolishness has turned you into, In the end, a monster / But at first, a goddess When we first begun, oh."
In summary, the lyrics of 'What Have I Done?' illustrate the guilty emotions of a person who recognizes the error of their ways in a relationship. The lyrics reveal the self-reflection that the person should have treated their significant other and their relationship with more care and thought, leading to the significant downfall of it.
Line by Line Meaning
Time on my hands
I have free time to reflect on my actions
Sit and think about what I did wrong
I'm contemplating my mistakes
As the days turn into nights
Time is passing by
Nights back into days I sit alone
Loneliness consumes me
Oh no, there's blood on my hands
I'm guilty of something serious
Guilty party
I'm the culprit
Ain't no secret I'm the one
Everyone knows I did it
I'm responsible for this
I bear the consequences
Sure as the moon shines
I'm certain of my actions
'Cause I'm the sun
I'm in control of what happened
[Chorus]
Repetition of questioning what I've done
Selfishly
I only thought of myself
Catered to my own desires
I acted on impulse without regard for others
Never once thinking
I never considered the consequences
That breaking rules just 'cause I wanted to
I broke the rules for my own selfish reasons
Could possibly hurt you
My actions caused harm to you
My only concern was me
I was only focused on myself
And now look at you
You are in a bad state because of me
Look at what my foolishness has turned you into
My actions have turned you into a bad person
In the end a monster
You have become a terrible person
But at first a goddess
You were once perfect
When we first begun, oh
At the beginning of our relationship
[Chorus]
Repetition of questioning what I've done
I'm to blame
I'm responsible
Love is a privilege
Love is important
Not a game
It's not something to play with
Now you're a monster
Your bad behavior is a result of my actions
Beautiful you are so lovely
You were once perfect
All you wanted was to love me
You only wanted to love me and be loved back
How did I end up the lonely one (what have I done)
I caused the breakup and I'm alone
Not hard to love someone
It's easy to love someone
But it's hard to be in love
It's difficult to maintain a relationship
Knowing that you're killing that person
Being in a harmful relationship is draining
And I'm to blame
I'm responsible
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SHAFFER SMITH, DAVID DOROHN GOUGH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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