She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired debut album, Whoa, Nelly! (2000), which was a critical and commercial success that spawned two top-10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light". The first of the two singles won her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Furtado's introspective folk-heavy 2003 second album, Folklore, explored her Portuguese roots. Its singles received moderate success in Europe, but the album's underperformance compared to her debut was regarded as a sophomore slump.
Furtado's third album, Loose (2006), was a smash hit and became her bestselling album, with more than 10 million copies sold worldwide, also making it one of the bestselling albums of the 2000s. Considered a radical image reinvention, Furtado continued to explore her Portuguese heritage while leaning heavier into hip hop. The album spawned four successful number-one singles worldwide; "Promiscuous", "Maneater", "Say It Right" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)".
She released her first Spanish-language album, Mi Plan, in 2009, which won her a Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. In 2012, Furtado released her nostalgia-inspired fifth album The Spirit Indestructible. Furtado split with her management and went independent thereafter, releasing her indie-pop sixth album, The Ride, in 2017 under her own label Nelstar Entertainment.
She has won many awards throughout her career, including one Grammy Award from seven nominations, one Latin Grammy Award, ten Juno Awards, one BRIT Award, one Billboard Music Award, one MTV Europe Music Award, one World Music Award, and three Much Music Video Awards. Furtado has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame, and was awarded Commander of the Order of Prince Henry on February 28, 2014, by Aníbal Cavaco Silva, the then-President of Portugal.
I Feel You
Nelly Furtado Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Chuva, chuvinha, vem, vem ca, rapaz
This is not political it's just that I, I
Demand attention when I walk into the room
Ba dum, ba dum (hey), ba dum, ba dum
And it's not that I can't play ball hard
It's just that I don't want to
And I can't have you and that's what hurts the most
I can't enjoy these things I boast
I throw my heart out, keep my head up, I cannot fuck up 'cause
I, I got what you need, boy (baby, I do)
But I will only cause you pain, yeah (I promise that)
I, I got what you need, boy (baby, I do)
But I will only bring on the rain
So I prefer to run this road rough around the edges
Good for something, but too good to give it to you
You run your own course at your own pace, but I just got impatient
See, I wanted to explore
Forsake you, forsook you, abate you, dissipate you
So turn fate around, I believed that I was free of you (not)
I still believe in those days on benches
At sunset and the waves in July, or was it March?
We weathered weathers and storms real and imagined
Such fragile tenderness, you are truly blessed I stress this
As I blow you this kiss as I blow it in the wind, mwah
I, I got what you need, boy (baby, I do)
But I will only cause you pain, yeah (I promise that)
I, I got what you need, boy (baby, I do)
But I will only bring on the rain
(Cut the music)
Chuva, chuvinha, vem, vem, vem ca, rapaz
Gonna make you cry so damn hard
You're gonna curse your drawers and wish you weren't a boy
Gonna make you cry so damn hard
You're gonna curse your drawers and wish you weren't a boy, yeah
I will make you cry
I will make you cry
Boo-hoo
They say time is made of memories
Well I remembered and I'm tired
This is not political
It's just that I remember the fire
Babe, you left me with my head held high and
I feigned to be more than I was, didn't I
I thought I could do without sugar love
But this chocolate has turned into sweet bubble gum
Candy is sweet but honey is sweeter
It tastes like the real thing but candy is much much cheaper (cheaper)
I, I got what you need, boy (baby, I do)
But I will only cause you pain, yeah (I promise that)
I (rain a-fallin' down, rain a-fallin' down, ha, ha, ha, ha)
I got what you need, boy (rain a-fallin' down, rain a-fallin' down)
Baby, I do (ha, ha, ha, ha)
But I will only (rain a-fallin' down, rain a-fallin' down)
Bring on the rain (ha, ha, ha, ha)
Ah, crying, you'll be crying, I'm sorry I made you cry
I didn't mean to, let me wipe those tears away
Wipe those tears away, don't cry, baby
It's only rain
The song "I Feel You" by Nelly Furtado is an introspective piece revolving around the singer's struggle with maintaining a relationship. In the first verse, she insinuates that she demands attention and feels the pressure to perform but doesn't want to, and subsequently, she cannot enjoy boasting. Rather than continuing the relationship earnestly, she resigns to hurting the person she cares about through her attitudes and actions. The singer notes that although they shared some wonderful times, those memories are now lost to her. In the chorus, she suggests that although she could give the other person what they need, it would only bring the pain of rain.
In the second verse, Furtado references running around the road's edges and the difficulties involved with giving into the other person's needs. She cannot abide by someone else's rules or pace and wants to explore and set her course. Despite that, she still remembers the good times that they've had, most notably on a bench while watching the waves in the shadows of sunset. She suggests that they weathered through literal and figurative storms, and her tenderness might truly be a blessing. Yet, she must blow a kiss symbolically and let that love go. In the bridge, Furtado employs the metaphor of candy versus honey, noting that there is a significant difference in price in return for the reward.
Line by Line Meaning
Chuva, chuvinha, vem, vem, vem ca, rapaz
Rain, rain, come, come, come here, boy
This is not political it's just that I, I
This is not about politics but about me, me
Demand attention when I walk into the room
Want people to acknowledge me when I come in
Ba dum, ba dum (hey), ba dum, ba dum
Heart beating fast in anticipation
And it's not that I can't play ball hard
I'm not incapable of putting in effort
It's just that I don't want to
I simply don't have the desire
And the more I think about this pressure, love, I don't want you
Thinking about pressure makes me not want love
And I can't have you and that's what hurts the most
Not being able to have you is painful
I can't enjoy these things I boast
I can't find true joy in what I brag about
I throw my heart out, keep my head up, I cannot fuck up 'cause
I put my heart on the line but have to keep it together
I, I got what you need, boy (baby, I do)
I have what you need, boy (baby, I do)
But I will only cause you pain, yeah (I promise that)
But I will only make you hurt, yeah (I promise that)
So I prefer to run this road rough around the edges
I like to live life unconventionally
Good for something, but too good to give it to you
I'm good at something but don't want to share with you
You run your own course at your own pace, but I just got impatient
You do things your way, but I can't wait
See, I wanted to explore
I wanted to venture out and have new experiences
Forsake you, forsook you, abate you, dissipate you
I rejected you and pushed you away
So turn fate around, I believed that I was free of you (not)
I thought I was over you, but I'm not
I still believe in those days on benches
I still believe in the time we spent together
At sunset and the waves in July, or was it March?
At sunset, watching the waves in July, or maybe March?
We weathered weathers and storms real and imagined
We went through difficult situations together, both real and imaginary
Such fragile tenderness, you are truly blessed I stress this
You have a delicate and kind nature, and it's a blessing
As I blow you this kiss as I blow it in the wind, mwah
Sending you a kiss in the wind, mwah
Gonna make you cry so damn hard
Going to make you cry a lot
You're gonna curse your drawers and wish you weren't a boy
You will regret and feel embarrassed
They say time is made of memories
They say time is made up of the things we remember
Well I remembered and I'm tired
I remember too much and it's exhausting
Babe, you left me with my head held high and
You left me feeling strong and confident
I feigned to be more than I was, didn't I
I pretended to be something I wasn't, didn't I
I thought I could do without sugar love
I thought I could live without love
But this chocolate has turned into sweet bubble gum
But now love seems like an easy, superficial thing
Candy is sweet but honey is sweeter
Candy is nice, but honey is nicer
It tastes like the real thing but candy is much much cheaper (cheaper)
Candy may seem real, but it's not the same as the real thing
I (rain a-fallin' down, rain a-fallin' down, ha, ha, ha, ha)
I'm the rain falling down (sound effect)
But I will only (rain a-fallin' down, rain a-fallin' down)
But I will only bring rain (sound effect)
Ah, crying, you'll be crying, I'm sorry I made you cry
You'll be crying, and I'm sorry for making you hurt
I didn't mean to, let me wipe those tears away
I didn't intend to hurt you, let me comfort you
Wipe those tears away, don't cry, baby
Don't cry, baby, let me comfort you
It's only rain
It's only a metaphorical rain
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian West, Gerald Eaton, Nelly Furtado
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind