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 = Genius². 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.
In My Life
Patti Austin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the song incomplete
Now in my life,
Boy in my life
Something is missing
It's the truth, yes it's true
Here in my life
Boy in my life
Something is missing
In my life there ain't no melody oh no
In my life there ain't no harmony
To let me sing a song
All I need is a cue when I'm waiting for you
Boy in my life
You are the melody
Coz in my life
You are the song
Baby, in my life
You are the song
You are my melody
To me baby, in my life
You are my song
The lyrics of Patti Austin's song "In My Life" revolve around the feeling of incompleteness in life despite having everything else. The singer portrays that although she has music, it feels incomplete without someone special in her life. She uses the metaphor of music to explain that her life is not in harmony and is missing melody. She believes that the essential element missing in her life is a man who can be her support, her melody, and her cue to sing a song.
The lyrics show the longing of the singer for a romantic partner. She desires someone special who can complete her life and make it more meaningful. The use of the word "boy" throughout the song indicates that the singer is addressing her desires towards a man. The line "All I need is a cue when I'm waiting for you" portrays the singer's eagerness to meet her man and how she wants to start singing a beautiful song with him. Overall, the lyrics of the song convey a sense of emptiness and incompleteness in life without the presence of a loved one.
Line by Line Meaning
Although music is sweet
While music is enjoyable
But the song incomplete
The song I am singing is still missing something
Now in my life,
As I live my life presently,
Boy in my life
With you in my life
Something is missing
There is a lacking element to make my life whole
It's the truth, yes it's true
It is undeniable that
Still there's no me and you
We are currently not together
Here in my life
In my present life
Boy in my life
With you there
Something is missing
There is still something lacking
In my life there ain't no melody oh no
My life is missing a tune
In my life there ain't no harmony
There is no agreement or blend in my life
To let me sing a song
So I could sing a complete song
All I need is a cue when I'm waiting for you
I just need a signal to know when you will be with me
Boy in my life
With you there
You are the melody
You complete the musical arrangement
Coz in my life
Because in my life,
You are the song
You make up the entirety of my life
Baby, in my life
My darling, in my life
You are the song
You are essential to my life
You are my melody
You complete me and bring harmony into my life
To me baby, in my life
To me, my love, in my life
You are my song
You are everything to me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PATTI AUSTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
cherry mae
Although music is sweet
But the song incomplete
Now in my life,
Boy in my life
Something is missing
It's the truth, yes it's true
Still there's no me and you
Here in my life
Boy in my life
Something is missing
In my life there ain't no melody oh no
In my life there ain't no harmony
To let me sing a song
All I need is a cue when I'm waiting for you
Boy in my life
You are the melody
Coz in my life
You are the song
Baby, in my life
You are the song
You are my melody
To me baby, in my life
You are my song
Who Dat Superbowl Queen
I just adore Patti's voice. It's so perfect, don't you agree?
SongmanKK
Patti has the most tender, emotional love songs, and the most beautiful, expressive voice, I wonder if she's found the love in her own life, that matches her songs.
Alvin Imperial
One of her greatest song...just love it...brings a lot of memories...
Norma Corella
She has such a beautiful voice I am glad she is still with us...
L. Mays
I hear you...
J.T. Gwinn
@L. Mays L
L. Mays
You are so right. A great women with a great voice.
Daniel Williams
Me too, love her music
Jerry Johnson
August 10th: Happy birthday R&B-Jazz Singer Patti Austin. Pure singer, then add the genius of Mr. Quincy Jones to the mix....thank you, Patti Austin, God bless...my Wednesday One On One on FB-Divas: Patti Austin vs Anita Baker vs Chaka Khan. Thank you, thatkrishna for the upload of this beautiful song. Blessings...#keeprockin'....
Daniel Jones
Patti Austin voice is so soothing and calming after a bad day.