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.
Keep on Loving You
Patti Austin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How do you make it last?
How do you keep the song from fading too fast?
How do you lose yourself to someone?
And never lose your ways
How do you not run out of new things to say?
And since we're always changing
How can it be the same?
You're sure your heart will fall apart
Each time you hear his name
I know the way I feel for you, it's now or never
The more I love, the more that I'm afraid
That in your eyes I many not see forever, forever
If we can be the best of lovers
Yet be the best of friends
If we can try with everyday to make it bertter as it grows
With any luck, then I suppose, the music never ends
I know the way I feel for you it's now or never!
(How do you keep the music playing?)
The more I love, the more that I'm afraid
(How do you make it last)
That in your eyes I many not see forever, forever
(How do you keep the song from fading, keep the song from
fading too fast)
If we can be the best of lovers
Yet be the best of friends
If we can try with everyday to make it better as it grows
With any luck, then I suppose the music never ends.
The song "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?" by Patti Austin and James Ingram is a reflection on love and how to keep it alive. The lyrics explore the fear of losing someone and not being able to sustain the love and connection that was once felt. The song asks how to keep the music playing and how to make it last, as well as how not to run out of new things to say to each other. The chorus suggests that if a couple can be both lovers and friends, and work on their relationship every day, then the music never has to end.
The song is about the challenges that come with sustaining a long-term relationship, and the fear of losing the spark that once kept two people together. The lyrics ask how to keep things fresh and new, and how to avoid becoming complacent. The song suggests that maintaining a strong friendship in addition to being in love can help to keep the relationship strong. The title of the song uses the metaphor of music to represent the love between two people.
Line by Line Meaning
How do you keep the music playing?
How do you maintain the love and passion in a relationship?
How do you make it last?
How do you make sure that the love and passion in a relationship endures?
How do you keep the song from fading too fast?
How do you prevent the love and passion in a relationship from burning out quickly?
How do you lose yourself to someone?
How do you deeply love someone without losing your own sense of self?
And never lose your ways
And never compromise your own values or beliefs
How do you not run out of new things to say?
How do you keep the conversation and communication in a relationship fresh and interesting?
And since we're always changing
And since we as individuals are constantly evolving
How can it be the same?
How can a relationship remain the same when both individuals are changing?
And tell me how, year after year
And explain to me how, with each passing year
You're sure your heart will fall apart
You're confident that your heart will not break
Each time you hear his name
Each time you think or hear about your significant other
I know the way I feel for you, it's now or never
I know that I have deep and strong feelings for you that cannot wait any longer
The more I love, the more that I'm afraid
The more I love you, the more scared I am of losing you
That in your eyes I may not see forever, forever
I may not see a long-term future with you, as your feelings may change
If we can be the best of lovers
If we can have a great romantic relationship
Yet be the best of friends
While remaining great friends with each other
If we can try with everyday to make it better as it grows
If we can work together every day to make our relationship stronger and more meaningful
With any luck, then I suppose, the music never ends
If we are fortunate, our love will never die and will only continue to grow stronger
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore
Written by: Michel Jean Legrand, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@saintpistolsburg
Excellent singer and song!
@jeanfrancis6985
Brilliant ❤
@darchylde612
in the words of rupaul: "i just got one thing to say....U BETTA WORK!" and patti did on this song! just amazing!
@CODEPERSO
Amazing.....