Rodgers began his career as a session guitarist in New York, playing with the Sesame Street band in his teens, and then working in the house band at Harlem's renowned Apollo Theater, backing artists like Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Nancy Wilson, and Parliament Funkadelic.
He met bassist Bernard Edwards in 1970. They formed a rock band called The Boys (later known as the Big Apple Band) and played numerous gigs around New York City, but despite interest in their demos, they could not get a record contract when the music companies discovered they were black; the discrimination of the day said black artists couldn't play "rock".
These experiences, in addition to activist tenor of the times, led to Rodgers' active involvement in the Black Panther Party in New York City. The 1999 documentary film Public Enemy contains history and interviews with Rodgers about these times. Not the type to give up on their musical dreams, in 1977 Rodgers and Edwards joined forces with drummer Tony Thompson to form the funk/R&B/disco band Chic, and went on to score numerous top ten hits and helped propel disco to new levels of popularity. Their songs "Everybody Dance", "Le Freak" and "Good Times" remain among the most sampled songs of the late 1970s/early 1980s R&B era.
"Good Times" signals the start of the take-off of hip hop music as its sample immensely contributed to the success of Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight, the first rap hit ever. Chic dissolved in 1983. As Chic's tight sound and yet rich composition became increasingly popular and sought-after, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers began doing record production, sometimes together, sometimes apart. Rodgers and Bernard Edwards produced, wrote, and performed with the band Sister Sledge.
In 1980 they produced the album diana for Diana Ross, yielding the smash hits Upside Down and I'm Coming Out (which remains Ross' best selling album).
In 1981, Deborah Harry worked with both Rodgers and Edwards on the album Koo Koo.
In 1983, they produced David Bowie's album Let's Dance (to date Bowie's biggest-selling album) with several hit singles, and in 1984 produced Madonna's blockbuster album Like a Virgin, Madonna's breakthrough album, spawning her two signature hits ("Material Girl" and the title track). Rodgers helped develop Madonna's career significantly. Duran Duran worked extensively with Rodgers after he produced the hit single, "The Reflex", in 1983 and followed up with "The Wild Boys" for inclusion on their 1984 live album Arena. Rodgers also produced Sheena Easton's 1985 album "Do You".
In 1986, he produced the entirety of Duran Duran's Notorious album, which yielded a #2 title track hit. During a live set, Simon Le Bon introduced Rodgers, saying "Well, this band went through a difficult time (during Notorious). The band might not have made it if it weren't for this gentleman..." He contributed to numerous other projects and appearances with members of the band throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and in 2002-2003 helped to produce Astronaut, the new album by the original five members of the band.
Also in 1987 Rodgers produced the Grace Jones album Inside Story for Manhattan records.
He formed the short-lived experimental band Outloud in 1987 with acclaimed French session musician/producer/keyboardist, Philippe Saisse; they released a single album, Out Loud, on Warner Bros. Records. Saisse has often played with Rodgers during in the Chic tours.
After a 1992 birthday party where Rodgers, Edwards, Paul Shaffer and Anton Fig played old Chic hits to rapturous response, Rodgers and Edwards organized the reunion of the old band. They recorded new material and played live all over the world, to great audience and greater critical acclaim. In 1996, Rodgers was honored as the Top Producer In the World in Billboard Magazine, and was named a JT Super Producer. That year he performed with Bernard Edwards, Sister Sledge, Steve Winwood, Simon Le Bon and Slash in a series of commemorative concerts in Japan which provided a career retrospective. Unfortunately his longtime musical partner and close friend Bernard Edwards died of pneumonia during the trip, a blow that Rodgers took very hard.
In 1998, Rodgers founded Sumthing Else Music Works music label and Sumthing Distribution, the largest African-American owned independent music label distribution company in America. Sumthing currently focuses on distributing a fast-growing new genre: video game soundtracks. Soundtrack titles include Halo, Halo 2 and the upcoming Halo 3 soundtrack. It has been underminded that he produced a legendary album called A Great Long While By Jamband great's known as Strangefolk where he put his pop and rock know how and incorporated a great Jamband album.
The September 11, 2001 attacks prompted Rodgers to create the We Are Family Project to help begin the healing process. To begin, he organized a re-recording of the song he and his music partner Bernard Edwards wrote for Sister Sledge called "We Are Family" with more than 200 musicians, celebrities, and personalities. Director Spike Lee filmed the "We Are Family" music video and director Danny Schechter filmed a documentary depicting the recording sessions called The Making and Meaning of We Are Family. The film was chosen as a Sundance Film Festival Special Selection in 2002. Rodgers continued the healing process and produced another "We Are Family" recording and music video involving more than 100 beloved children's television characters. The children's music video airs as a public service announcement on Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and PBS stations to promote the message of a common humanity. In July 2002, Rodgers officially created the We Are Family Foundation to celebrate the vision of a global family by creating and supporting programs that inspire and educate people about mutual respect, understanding, and appreciation of cultural diversity.
Rodgers received a NY Chapter's Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award and a Heroes Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. On September 19, 2005, Nile Rodgers was honored at the Dance Music Hall of Fame ceremony in New York when he was inducted for his many outstanding achievements as a producer, along with former fellow band mate Bernard Edwards. CHIC has been nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame three times - 2003, 2006 and 2007. In the summer of 2006 Rodgers served as musical director for the tribute concert to Ahmet Ertegün at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland. The concert included performances by Chic, Robert Plant, Steve Winwood, Stevie Nicks, Kid Rock and many other artists who were signed to Ertegün's Atlantic Records. In 2007, Rodgers made contributions to the upcoming Wu-Tang Clan album, 8 Diagrams. He also wrote the title song Love Me Sexy from the movie Semi-Pro, starring Will Ferrell.
My Love Song For You
Nile Rodgers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
Do you feel like you ever want
To try my love and see how well it fits?
Baby, can′t you see when you look at me
All alone in my bed at night
I grab my pillow and squeeze it tight
I think of you and I dream of you all of the time
What am I gonna do?
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
Sometime, don't you feel like you
Never really had a love that's real?
Well, here I am and who′s to say
A better love you won′t find today
Just one chance and I will show you love
Like no other, two steps above
On your ladder I'll be a peg
I want your lovin′, please don't make me beg
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I need your love
I′ll share my dreams and make you see
I'm really there, your love I need
I want your love
I need your love
Just like the birds need sky above
I′ll share my dreams and make you see
I'm really there, your love I need
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
I want your love
The lyrics to Nile Rodgers's song "My Love Song For You" express a deep longing and desire for someone's love. The repetition of "I want your love" emphasizes the intensity of this longing and the importance of this person in the singer's life. The first verse suggests that the singer wants the other person to give their love a chance, to try it out and see how well it fits. The singer believes that there is a strong connection between them, as indicated by the line "I can't kick this feeling when it hits."
The second verse reveals the singer's yearning and loneliness. They confess to being alone in their bed at night, clinging tightly to their pillow as they think and dream of the person they love. The line "What am I gonna do?" indicates the desperation and uncertainty felt by the singer, further emphasizing their longing for the other person's love.
The third verse offers reassurance and a promise of a better love. The singer believes that they can show the other person a love like no other, surpassing any previous experiences. They are willing to be a supportive presence, represented by the line "On your ladder I'll be a peg." The plea to not make them beg for the other person's love highlights their vulnerability and need for reciprocation.
Overall, "My Love Song For You" is a heartfelt and passionate declaration of love, with lyrics that convey the intense desire to be with someone and the emptiness felt without their love.
Line by Line Meaning
I want your love
I desire your love with all my heart
I want your love
I crave the affection and connection of your love
I want your love
I yearn for the deep emotional bond that comes with your love
I want your love
I long for the intimacy and passion of your love
Do you feel like you ever want
Have you ever desired
To try my love and see how well it fits?
To experience my love and understand its perfect suitability?
Baby, can′t you see when you look at me
Darling, can't you perceive when you gaze upon me
I can't kick this feelin′ when it hits
I am unable to resist this overwhelming sensation when it arises
All alone in my bed at night
In the solitude of darkness, lying in my bed
I grab my pillow and squeeze it tight
I tightly clutch my pillow in a desperate embrace
I think of you and I dream of you all of the time
Thoughts of you consume my mind and you inhabit my dreams constantly
What am I gonna do?
What actions can I take?
Sometime, don't you feel like you
At times, don't you experience the sentiment of
Never really had a love that's real?
Never truly encountered an authentic, genuine love?
Well, here I am and who′s to say
Well, I am here and who can assert
A better love you won′t find today
That you won't discover a superior love in the present moment
Just one chance and I will show you love
Grant me a single opportunity and I will demonstrate my love to you
Like no other, two steps above
In a manner distinct from any other, surpassing anything else
On your ladder I'll be a peg
In your journey towards love and fulfillment, I can be a pivotal support
I want your lovin′, please don't make me beg
I desire your affection, please don't make me plead desperately
I want your love
I yearn for your love
I want your love
I crave your love
I want your love
I long for your love
I want your love
I desire your love
I want your love
I desperately need your love
I want your love
I crave the love that only you can provide
I want your love
I yearn for the profound connection and affection of your love
I want your love
I long for the complete and unconditional love that you possess
I want your love
I desperately need your love
I want your love
I crave the love that only you can provide
I want your love
I yearn for the profound connection and affection of your love
I want your love
I long for the complete and unconditional love that you possess
I want your love
I desire your love with all my heart
I need your love
I cannot live without your love
I′ll share my dreams and make you see
I will reveal my aspirations and make you understand
I'm really there, your love I need
I genuinely exist, and I require your love
Just like the birds need sky above
Similar to how the birds require the presence of the sky
I′ll share my dreams and make you see
I will divulge my visions and enable you to comprehend
I'm really there, your love I need
I truly exist, and I demand your love
I want your love
I desire your love with all my heart
I want your love
I crave the affection and connection of your love
I want your love
I yearn for the deep emotional bond that comes with your love
I want your love
I long for the intimacy and passion of your love
I want your love
I desire your love with all my heart
I want your love
I crave the affection and connection of your love
I want your love
I yearn for the deep emotional bond that comes with your love
I want your love
I long for the intimacy and passion of your love
Writer(s): Nile Rodgers
Contributed by Julian V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.