After appearing in a school talent show in 1984, Patterson auditioned for the television show Kids Incorporated. Proving to be "a natural," he undoubtedly landed the part and was cast as "The Kid", remaining on the show for a number of years. Onward and upward, Patterson continued to evolve, gaining experience as a backup vocalist for several artists (including Kids co-star Martika). Following his vocal contributions on Colour Club's self-entitled album, as well as writing for other artists (his credits include Brandy's platinum Top 5 smash "Baby", and Tevin Campbell's hit "Back to the World"), Patterson signed with MCA Records. Collaborating with Keith Crouch and Jamey Jaz, among others, he released his own self-entitled debut in 1997.
Stirring rave reviews, the album launched Patterson into an even larger limelight (with the single "Where You Are" receiving widespread airplay on R&B radio). Patterson, soon after, developed global recognition, as well as a loyal following in the United States and abroad.
Patterson went to work, handcrafting his followup, Love in Stereo, with Jaz and new collaborators such as Van Hunt. When Love in Stereo was released in late 1999, its reviews topped those of its predecessor, slating Patterson as one, of few artists, whose vocal ability was classified as so "distinctive," he need not rely solely on the mainstream music market to gain his footing in the film and music industry, nor afford his music massive, worldwide, international appeal..
Although Patterson's path eventually diverged from MCA's, he remained indispensable amongst industry affiliates, continuing to perform live, working as a session singer, and contributing to both soundtracks (Brown Sugar) and compilation albums (Steve Harvey's Sign of Things to Come), while working on his next album.
After Hours, Patterson's third album, was released internationally early in 2004, again garnering positive reviews. Now, with the conception of his own label, the album released in the United States during late October 2004. Wine & Spirits followed in the Fall of 2007. Wine & Spirits, not only spoke to Patterson's consistency as a versatile, smooth-crooning performer, known for his scintillating, sultry provocative vocal style; but it also, signified, for Patterson, a career of longevity, divinely masterminded from his childhood endeavors to crossing the threshold as a multi-level, music mogul, independently signed, produced and operated. The project further evidenced Patterson's "musical muscularity," spawning itself in such diverse arrangements as the reflective lamentation of "Stars," to the smooth-jazz contours in one of the album's many "feel-good" hits, entitled "Feels Good," to Patterson's resident, high-frequency, timbres, echoing in the uptempo, "Higher Love," which, inevitably, served as the artist's professional and personal testimony of growth, triumph and spiritual ascension.
Patterson's next project, the highly anticipated CD, BLEUPHORIA, is scheduled to drop in the fall of 2010. It is expected to be nothing short of what Patterson's proud fanbase has always enjoyed from him: an astronomical, stellar work of art.
Separate
Rahsaan Patterson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cause it's frightenning to see you
Born this side of love
I'm disgusted
With being fussed and
And tired of you
Making me wrong
Would it kill you
That you built up
Cause from my sight
It feels like
What I had to give
Was not enough
So
I think it's time we separate
Wrap it up and call it a day
I think it's time we separate
You go yours and I go my way
No more swearing
Cause it's tearing up my heart
To feel this side of love
Won't come saw you
Cause I told you
The next time would be
The last for us
We're discussed and
And I trusted that somehow
Things would be different
It's the same game
And I'm to blame till I say
That I've had enough
So
I think it's time we separate
Wrap it up and call it a day
I think it's time we separate
(Separate)
You go yours and I go my way
(Your way and I go mine)
I think it's time we separate
Wrap it up and call it a day
(Wrap it up and call it a day, yeah)
I think it's time we separate
You go yours and I go my way
(Go my way, yeah, yeah)
Oh I think it's time we separate
Oh I think it's time we separate
Baby
I think it's time we separate
Wrap it up and call it a day
I think it's time we separate
You go yours and I go my way
I think it's time we separate
(Separate)
Wrap it up and call it a day
(Oh, I)
I think it's time we separate
You go yours and I go my way
The lyrics of Rahsaan Patterson's "Separate" describe the end of a toxic and exhausting relationship. The singer has had enough of the constant fighting and swearing, which have led to a situation where he does not feel loved, but rather disgusted and criticized. Despite his efforts to make things work, his partner's anger and lack of appreciation have left him drained and frustrated. As a result, he decides to call it quits and go his own way, leaving his partner to go theirs.
The song's lyrics convey a sense of resignation and sadness but at the same time, there is a sense of relief and a message of self-love and self-care. The singer acknowledges the pain caused by the separation, but also recognizes that it is necessary in order to find peace and happiness again.
Line by Line Meaning
No more fighting
We should stop arguing and being confrontational
Cause it's frightening to see you
Arguments have gotten so excessive that it's now become scary
Born this side of love
We have a history and relationship that were built on love, but things have turned sour
I'm disgusted
I am appalled and ashamed
With being fussed and
I can no longer tolerate being annoyed and bothered
And tired of you
I have grown weary of dealing with you
Making me wrong
You keep blaming me for everything that goes wrong in the relationship
Would it kill you
It wouldn't hurt you to change your behavior and attitude towards me
To be rid of the anger
It would be beneficial to both of us if you could let go of your anger
That you built up
You have accumulated a significant amount of animosity towards me
Cause from my sight
In my perspective
It feels like
It seems as if
What I had to give
The effort and love that I put into the relationship
Was not enough
Did not suffice
So
Therefore
I think it's time we separate
I believe it's time for us to end the relationship
Wrap it up and call it a day
Let's end it properly and move on
No more swearing
I won't make any more promises that I can't keep
Cause it's tearing up my heart
Because I am hurting so much on the inside
To feel this side of love
To experience the negative side of a relationship that started with love
Won't come saw you
I refuse to visit you anymore
Cause I told you
Because I had warned you before
The next time would be
If another occurrence happens
The last for us
It would be the end of our relationship
We're disgusted and
We are both repulsed and fed up
And I trusted that somehow
I had hoped that things would improve
Things would be different
Our relationship would change for the better
It's the same game
It's the same old pattern of behavior that we keep repeating
And I'm to blame till I say
I am at fault until I decide to end it
That I've had enough
Until I am finally fed up
Oh I think it's time we separate
I am convinced that it's time for us to go our separate ways
Baby
An affectionate term of endearment
Contributed by Natalie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.