By the late 1960s Austin was a prolific session musician and commercial jingle singer. By the 1980s she was signed to Jones's Qwest Records and she began having hits. She charted twenty R&B songs between 1969 and 1991 and had success on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where she hit number one in 1981 with "Do You Love Me?" / "The Genie."
The album containing that hit, Every Home Should Have One, also produced her biggest mainstream hit. "Baby, Come To Me," a duet with James Ingram, peaked at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1982. After being featured as the love theme in a prominent storyline on the soap opera General Hospital, the song re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in October and went to number one in early 1983.
Next Austin released her third album in three years entitled "Gettin' Away With Murder". In addition to the title track, she had two more hit singles, "Honey For The Bees" (#24 R&B and #6 Dance) and "The Heat of Heat". Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, noted for their later work with Janet Jackson, the latter track returned Austin to the top 15 of the R&B charts for what would be the last time to date. It would also be her last Hot 100 charting to date, peaking at number 55, although she would score a top-5 dance hit with the single Reach that appeared originally on her 1994 CD That Secret Place (GRP Records). "Gettin' Away With Murder" used producers Russ Titelman, Tommy LiPuma, Monte Moir (of "The Time"), and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Billy Joel (Austin sang background on his "Just The Way You Are"), Dan Hartman, friends Luther Vandross and Jocelyn Brown, along with Chaka Khan were among the background vocalists on the project, with successful songwriters, Randy Goodrum, Michael Bolton, Jam & Lewis plus several other big name writers offering up their best compositions on what was likely a big budget affair. She next appeared with Jeff Bridges and Joan Allen in Francis Ford Coppola's critically acclaimed period piece Tucker: The Man and his Dream (1988). That year, Austin released The Real Me, a collection of standards which garnered her the first of several Top 10 showings on the Jazz Albums chart. "The Real Me" was chiefly produced by David Pack who had been a part of the Pop group Ambrosia. Austin served as a co-producer and as Executive Producer on the project. Austin sang "It's the Falling in Love" with Michael Jackson on his album Off The Wall. Other duet partners include George Benson ("Moody's Mood for Love" and "Keep Your Dreams Alive"), and Luther Vandross ("I'm Gonna Miss You In The Morning"). Earlier she'd recorded featured duets with Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons on "Our Day Will Come" and "Swearin' To God" with little billing. Austin also sang lead and background vocals on many contemporary Jazz instrumentalists' records in the 1970s. In 1985 she sang lead vocals on a collaboration with her producer, Narada Michael Walden, and the single, "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme", went top 40 on the R&B charts. In 1991, she recorded the duet "You Who Brought Me Love" with music legend Johnny Mathis, which was received with critical acclaim. That same year she was invited to be a guest on a Johnny Mathis television special that was broadcast across North America.
Austin led a new group of Raelettes for the 2006 album Ray Charles + Count Basie Orchestra = Geniusยฒ. That group also featured veteran session singer Valerie Pinkston and members of the group Perry.
During a 2007 interview promoting her latest recording, Austin reflected how as a teenager she reluctantly attended one of Judy Garland's last concerts and the experience helped focus her career, stating "She (Judy Garland) ripped my heart out. I wanted to interpret a lyric like that, to present who I was at the moment through the lyric."
In 2007 Patti Austin participated in the Avo Session Basel with a program dedicated to Ella Fitzgerald.
In 2008, fifty-three years after getting her first record contract, Patti Austin was awarded her first Grammy Award, winning Best Jazz Vocal Album for "Avant Gershwin" at the 50th annual Grammy Awards. The award came for her ninth nomination in that category.
Austin is co-producer and one of over 70 artists singing on "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti", a charity single in aid of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
In 2011 Austin released a mostly covers album project titled "Sound Advice" which contained re-works of Bob Dylan's "Gotta Serve Somebody", Brenda Russell's "A Little Bit Of Love", a lesser known Jacksons tune, "Give It Up," her tribute to late friend/collaborator, Michael Jackson, a cover of Bill Withers, "Lean On Me" which she first sang at a milestone birthday for her Godfather Quincy Jones. Also on "Sound Advice" standout performances of Don McLean's "Vincent" (aka Starry Starry Night) and a deeply female take on "My Way." Austin wrote the anthemic "The Grace Of God" after watching an episode of the old "Oprah Winfrey Show" which featured a facially scarred woman ... Keeping relevant, Austin offered the bouncy slice of Pop/Rock/RandB "Round And Round" including the latest trendy vocal effects, though Austin remains one singer who clearly needs no such production techniques to cover a crystal clear, flexible, and knowing voice imitated by many, duplicated by none. Austin co-wrote and sings in the star-studded L.O.V.E. - Let One Voice Emerge, encouraging especially younger Americans to get out there and exercise their right to vote.[citation needed]
Austin appears in the Academy Award-winning documentary film 20 Feet from Stardom (2013), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was released on 21 June 2013. She is working on an upcoming, as yet untitled duets album project with James Ingram.
Baby Come To Me
Patti Austin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When love was only in the mind
I realize,
Ain't no second chance
You got to hold on to romance
Don't let it slide
There's a special kind of magic in the air
When you find another heart that needs to share
Baby, come to me
Let me put my arms around you
This was meant to be
And I'm oh so glad I found you
Need you everyday
Got to have your love around me
Baby always stay
'Cause I can't go back to livin' without you
Spendin' every dime
To keep you talkin' on the line
That's how it was
And all those walks together
Out in any kind of weather
Just because
There's a brand new way of looking at your life
When you know that love is standing by your side
The night can be cold
There's a chill to every evening when you're all alone
Don't talk anymore
'Cause you know that I'll be here to keep you warm
Baby come to me
Let me put my arms around you
This was meant to be
And I'm so glad I found you
Need you everyday
Got to have your love around me
Baby always stay
'Cause I can't go back to livin' without you.
Baby come to me
Let me put my arms around you
This was meant to be
And I'm so glad I found you
Need you everyday
Got to have your love around me
Baby always stay
'Cause I can't go back to livin' without you.
Baby come to me
Let me put my arms around you
This was meant to be
And I'm so glad I found you
Need you everyday
Got to have your love around me
Baby always stay
'Cause I can't go back to livin' without you.
The lyrics of "Baby Come To Me" by Patti Austin & James Ingram convey a sense of nostalgia and longing for love. The song speaks about the magic of finding someone with whom to share moments and the importance of holding on to this feeling when it comes. The first line of the song "thinkin' back in time when love was only in the mind" suggests that love is not something that can be experienced without certain memories or experiences, a sentiment that is echoed in the line "there ain't no second chance, you got to hold on to romance, don't let it slide." The message here is clear: if you find someone special, don't take the relationship for granted and make sure to put in the effort to keep it alive.
The lyrics continue to highlight the importance of love and connection: "there's a special kind of magic in the air when you find another heart that needs to share." This line suggests that love is not just about finding someone who makes you happy, but also about sharing experiences with someone who values and appreciates them in the same way you do. The chorus of the song "Baby come to me, let me put my arms around you, this was meant to be, and I'm so glad I found you" is a plea to the person they love to come to them and reaffirms their commitment and love for them.
Overall, "Baby Come To Me" is a powerful declaration of love, emphasizing the importance of cherishing it once you find it and fighting to keep it alive.
Line by Line Meaning
Thinkin' back in time
When love was only in the mind
I realize,
Ain't no second chance
You got to hold on to romance
Don't let it slide
There's a special kind of magic in the air
When you find another heart that needs to share
Reflecting on past experiences of only thinking about love, I now recognize that there are no second chances to hold onto romance. You must cherish it and not let it slip away. The feeling of finding another person who also desires to share their heart with you is something truly special and magical.
Baby, come to me
Let me put my arms around you
This was meant to be
And I'm oh so glad I found you
Need you everyday
Got to have your love around me
Baby always stay
'Cause I can't go back to livin' without you
My darling, come to me and let me hold you in my arms. Our connection was destined to happen, and I am incredibly grateful to have found you. I cannot function without your love surrounding me, so please always stay by my side.
Spendin' every dime
To keep you talkin' on the line
That's how it was
And all those walks together
Out in any kind of weather
Just because
There's a brand new way of looking at your life
When you know that love is standing by your side
I would spend all my money just to keep talking to you, and we would go on walks together in any weather just because we enjoyed each other's company. When you know that love is always with you, it brings new meaning to your life and a fresh perspective on everything.
The night can be cold
There's a chill to every evening when you're all alone
Don't talk anymore
'Cause you know that I'll be here to keep you warm
The night can feel frigid, and every evening is chilly when you're alone. You don't have to talk anymore because I will be here to hold you and keep you warm.
Baby come to me
Let me put my arms around you
This was meant to be
And I'm so glad I found you
Need you everyday
Got to have your love around me
Baby always stay
'Cause I can't go back to livin' without you.
My dearest, please come to me so I can wrap my arms around you. Our connection was always meant to happen, and I am overjoyed to have found you. I need your love every day and cannot go back to living without you. Please always remain by my side.
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Rodney Lynn Temperton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@TheBlaccGod7
It brings a tear to your eyes when you hear these old songs, and realize music will never be like this again.
@JamesBond-zd5jx
Preach!
@user-mj3tm8gj9k
Ikr๐ข
@dawnravenel2473
So true, that's why I have old school days where oldies but goodies are the order of the day......
@kevin15776
They sure don't make them like they used to
@magicallyme96
Itโs almost like Iโm surviving off these old songs. ๐ขโค
@jerrywestermann4435
Well,I'm a 64 yr old musician,& I'm finding that young people are hipper to old school music than I used to think.Had lunch recently with a friend at a nice bar/restaurant,they have pool tables,a young black couple were shooting pool,this song came on,& the young lady was ecstatic, dancing & singing along.Did my heart good.
@robinpelletstovesuk9194
Thank God some have good taste in Music.... The thing they cannot do is understand how it was in the 80s..the vibe...the times... this digital age is terrible it is distorting peoples minds and they rely on computers
@BobbyDigital562
Back when grown folks topped the charts. What a masterpiece.
@damianbrink5081
It really is. It's beautiful