Before joining Earth, Wind & Fire in 1971, Bailey sang with different ensembles in the Denver and Chicago area.
Bailey found fame by sharing the lead vocals on EWF songs with EWF-founder Maurice White. Their harmonic voices are legendary. Bailey is most famous for his falsetto and sung lead on such songs as "Devotion", "Head to the Sky", "Reasons", "Fantasy" and "I've Had Enough". Some of Bailey’s earliest heroes included jazz giants like Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Max Roach. But he also developed a taste for the Motown sound, especially the music of Stevie Wonder, who was just beginning to make his mark in the early 1960s. He was also greatly influenced by female singers like Dionne Warwick.
Bailey is currently the on-stage leader of Earth, Wind & Fire, along with bassist Verdine White, vocalist/percussionist Ralph Johnson and vocalist/percussionist B. David Whitworth.
Bailey has also recorded as a solo artist, as well as duets with Little Richard, Phil Collins and Eric Benet. His most notable song was a duet with Phil Collins, "Easy Lover" from his solo album Chinese Wall. Phil Collins, during a radio interview, was asked how "he discovered" Philip Bailey. Annoyed at the lack of knowledge of the interviewer he made up a story about how he had been filling his car with gas/petrol when he heard the attendant singing...and that turned out to be Philip Bailey. The interviewer believed the whole story, which was also picked up by other media outlets.
Bailey also records gospel albums and did a jazz-styled album entitled Soul on Jazz.
Because of You
Philip Bailey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, ooh...
Your eyes I see knowing I love you so
Time has revealed what I couldn't let you know
Before I was afraid that you might see through me
I tried running away to shield the fire
But your love captured me
Color me true
Because of you
Because of you
Color me new
Morning sunrise never looked quite the same
Nor a moonlight shining upon your face
In time our love will reach the brightest star
And find there'll be no needs to fulfill
And there'll be no more pain inside
We're captured in the light
Color me true
Because of you
Because of you
Color me new
Love you enough
Gotta give it up
Gotta let go of this lovin' feelin'
Color me true
Because of you
Because of you
Color me new
Love you enough
Gotta give it up
Gotta let go of this lovin' feelin'
Of a lovin' feelin'
Of a lovin' feelin'
Gotta lovin' feelin'
Gotta lovin' feelin', oh...
Don't you know, don't you know
I'm no great pretender like before
'Cause your love has set me free, free
Now there'll be no turning back, baby
For lovers anymore
Color me true
(Color me)
Because of you
(Color me true, because of you)
Because of you
Color me new
Love you enough
Gotta give it up
(Oh...)
Gotta let go of this lovin' feelin'
Color me true
(Color me)
Because of you
(Color me true, because of you)
Because of you
Color me new
Love you enough
(Ooh...)
Gotta let go of this lovin' feelin'
The lyrics of Philip Bailey's song "Because of You" are about the transformative power of love. The song begins with the acknowledgement that the singer loves the person he is singing to and that time has revealed what he previously couldn't let her know. The second verse elaborates on how their love has changed the way he sees the world: the sunrise and the moonlight are now more beautiful. He then looks towards the future and sees their love reaching the brightest star, where they'll find no needs to fulfill and no more pain inside. Love has captured them in the light.
The chorus repeats the phrase "color me true/ color me new," which means that the singer feels that his true self has been revealed and that he has been transformed by love. There is a recognition that this transformation required giving up something, signaled by the lines "love you enough/ gotta give it up/ gotta let go of this lovin' feelin'." Finally, the song ends with the assertion that the transformation is permanent- the love has set him free and there is no turning back.
Overall, "Because of You" is a song about the way that love can bring out the best in a person and transform their outlook.
Line by Line Meaning
Your eyes I see knowing I love you so
I can tell that I love you just by looking into your eyes.
Time has revealed what I couldn't let you know
As time has passed, I have grown to love you more deeply, but couldn't express it.
Before I was afraid that you might see through me
I was scared that if you knew how I felt, you would see that I was vulnerable and weak.
I tried running away to shield the fire
I attempted to distance myself from you to protect myself from getting hurt by the intensity of my feelings.
But your love captured me
However, your love was too strong, and it drew me back towards you.
Morning sunrise never looked quite the same
Since I fell in love with you, everything looks and feels different, even something as simple as a sunrise.
Nor a moonlight shining upon your face
Similarly, even a beautiful moonlit night feels even more special because of your presence.
In time our love will reach the brightest star
Our love will only continue to grow stronger with time and will become even more intense.
And find there'll be no needs to fulfill
Our love is already perfect, and we don't need anything else to make it better.
And there'll be no more pain inside
We will no longer feel any hurt or sadness because our love is so strong and complete.
Color me true
My love for you is genuine and sincere.
Because of you
My love for you is the reason for my newfound authenticity.
Color me new
My life feels fresh and renewed now that I have you in it.
Love you enough
My love for you is immeasurable and cannot be contained.
Gotta give it up
I must relinquish control and surrender myself completely to you and our love.
Gotta let go of this lovin' feelin'
I need to release my intense emotions and feelings so that our relationship can be healthy and sustainable.
I'm no great pretender like before
I am no longer pretending to be someone I'm not or hiding my true feelings from you.
'Cause your love has set me free, free
Your love has liberated me from my fears and insecurities and allowed me to be my true self.
Now there'll be no turning back, baby
Our love is so strong that we can never go back to how things were before.
For lovers anymore
Our love is beyond just being lovers - it is something deeper and more meaningful.
Contributed by James C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.