Tresvant sang lead on many of the New Edition lead singles including "Candy Girl", "Cool It Now" and "If It Isn't Love". Tresvant led the group from 1983 to 1989.
Despite the success of groupmates Bobby Brown, Bell Biv DeVoe, and Johnny Gill, Tresvant was cautious about his own solo career. Signing to MCA Records, Tresvant let his apprehension be known in several interviews.
Nevertheless, well-known producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis were confident in his abilities after having worked with him on the album Heart Break. They wrote the song "Sensitivity" for him which hit #1 on the R&B charts, #4 on the Hot 100 and it went gold. His self-titled album released shortly after in 1990 and went platinum as well, topping the R&B charts. The album scored two more hits with "Stone Cold Gentleman" reaching #3 on the R&B charts and "Do What I Gotta Do" which reached #2.
Tresvant appeared in the movie House Party 2 in 1991 and the play, "The Man Of Her Dreams" in 2002. In 1993, he released his second album, It's Goin' Down. The album gave Tresvant greater involvement as he produced many of the tracks himself. However, perhaps due to limited promotion, the album failed to perform commercially as well as the debut.
On September 18, 2004, he married Amber Serrano.
Ralph's third solo album, Rizz Wa Faire, was released March 7, 2006. The first single from the album was "My Homegirl".
Rated R
Ralph Tresvant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We feel deep in love growing up in Queens
We didn't know a thing about love
We was innocent sneakin' on the doorstep to hug
Held you tightly and promised you the world
You gave me hickys and said you was my girl
When I think about it now makes me smile
Cause I ain't felt these butterflies in a while
We used to live for love but now we're afraid (of what?)
Of the darkness and bitter memories
Lovers who crushed us through infidelity
I promised you I'd love you to the end
Always and forever since way back when
You're like candy the world's sweetest friend
You taste better now than you did back then
You will always be my candy
One day we will start a family
You will always be my candy girl
(You'll be my candy girl forever)
You will always be my candy
Want your love girl understand me
You will always be my candy girl
2: LL Cool J
While you sucked caramel apple lolly pops
Rain sleet or snow I'm troopin' up the murdock
We used to walk down the block hold hands
I would get you after school cause I was your man
And any guys that wanna socalize
Just know that I'm a flip on any cat that trys
My peeps used to say I was whipped
All your girls said since you got with him you flipped
But uh they couldn't feel the feelings we felt
Mirrors on the ceiling we melt
I would look up at ya I remember
The afternoon you surrendered
We made love the tempature was high as could be
You said Todd promise you ain't liein' to me
And as we went our seperate ways you turned back
Smiled I remember all that
(Take it to the bridge)
Candy girl
You are my world
Look so sweet
You're a special treat
Candy gir
All I want to say
I need your love
Each and every day
When I'm alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall
And in the back of my mind I hear my memories call
Of days when love was true I slept and held you
Taste the brown sugar let your climax melt yo
Candy you're occupying all of my thoughts
Turned my soul upside down with lessons you taught
I can feel you even when you're far away you're right here wit' me
Sweet love strictly
And I'm a bend over backwards to keep you on my side
Take you for a mental and emotional ride
Make love to your soul your heart and your mind
In your hour of need girl I'll be there every time
And as long as you support my dreams
Stayin' right beside me as a part of my team
I'll take you where the average man can only dream of
Cause in a world so sour I got the sweetest love
The lyrics to Ralph Tresvant's "Rated R" speak to lost innocence and the effects that love and relationships can have as we grow older. The song begins with reminiscing on a past love that began when they were young and innocent, sneaking out to hug and giving each other hickeys. As the song progresses, Tresvant notes how growing up has caused them to become more afraid and skeptical of love due to heartbreak and infidelity in the past. However, the chorus rings true throughout and reminds the listener that the person they once loved like candy is still their "sweetest friend" and "candy girl."
The verses of the song also feature rapper LL Cool J, who speaks on a similar love that began when they were young and in school. He notes the ways in which their love was different from what others understood and how it made them feel deep connections that melted them together. The bridge of the song brings all of these themes together, emphasizing the importance of love and that the loved one will always be a special and important presence in their lives.
Overall, "Rated R" is a reflective song that touches on how growing up and experiencing heartbreak can shape feelings of love and relationships. It is a nostalgic ode to young love and an acknowledgement of how it influences our understanding of love as we age.
Line by Line Meaning
When you was seventeen and I was nineteen
We fell in love when we were young
We feel deep in love growing up in Queens
We were deeply in love and grew up together
We didn't know a thing about love
We were naive about love
We was innocent sneakin' on the doorstep to hug
We were innocent and snuck around to hug each other
Held you tightly and promised you the world
I hugged you tightly and made promises to you
You gave me hickys and said you was my girl
You gave me love bites and claimed to be mine
When I think about it now makes me smile
Thinking about it now makes me happy
Cause I ain't felt these butterflies in a while
I haven't felt this excited in a long time
Funny how you grow up and innocence fades
It's interesting how innocence fades as you grow up
We used to live for love but now we're afraid (of what?)
We used to live for love, but now we're scared to love again (due to past heartbreaks)
Of the darkness and bitter memories
We are scared of the dark and the bad memories that we have
Lovers who crushed us through infidelity
Our past lovers cheated on us and broke our hearts
I promised you I'd love you to the end
I promised to love you forever
Always and forever since way back when
We've been together forever
You're like candy the world's sweetest friend
You are as sweet as candy and my best friend
You taste better now than you did back then
You are more amazing now than you were before
While you sucked caramel apple lolly pops
You used to suck on caramel apple lollipops
Rain sleet or snow I'm troopin' up the murdock
I would travel in any weather to come see you
We used to walk down the block hold hands
We used to hold hands and walk down the street
I would get you after school cause I was your man
I would pick you up after school because I was your boyfriend
And any guys that wanna socalize
Any guys that want to socialize
Just know that I'm a flip on any cat that trys
Just know that I'm ready to fight anyone who tries to hit on you
My peeps used to say I was whipped
My friends used to say that I was controlled by you
All your girls said since you got with him you flipped
All of your friends said that you changed since you got with me
But uh they couldn't feel the feelings we felt
They couldn't understand the love we had for each other
Mirrors on the ceiling we melt
We melted together, staring at each other in the mirror
I would look up at ya I remember
I would look up at you and remember those moments
The afternoon you surrendered
The day you gave in to me
We made love the tempature was high as could be
We made love when it was hot outside
You said Todd promise you ain't liein' to me
You asked me to promise that I wasn't lying to you
And as we went our seperate ways you turned back
As we left each other, you turned back around
Smiled I remember all that
You smiled, and I remember that moment
When I'm alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall
When I'm alone, I sometimes think about us
And in the back of my mind I hear my memories call
I sometimes hear my memories of us in the back of my mind
Of days when love was true I slept and held you
I reminisce about the days when our love was true, and I would hold you when we slept
Taste the brown sugar let your climax melt yo
I remember the sweet taste of your skin and the way you melted during our intimate moments
Candy you're occupying all of my thoughts
You are always on my mind, like candy
Turned my soul upside down with lessons you taught
You've taught me valuable lessons that have made a big impact on my life
I can feel you even when you're far away you're right here wit' me
I can feel your presence even when you're not here with me
Sweet love strictly
Our love is pure and sweet
And I'm a bend over backwards to keep you on my side
I will do everything in my power to keep you by my side
Take you for a mental and emotional ride
I will take you on a journey of mental and emotional growth
Make love to your soul your heart and your mind
I will love you wholly, not just physically
In your hour of need girl I'll be there every time
I will always be there for you when you need me the most
And as long as you support my dreams
As long as you support my goals and dreams
Stayin' right beside me as a part of my team
Stay by my side and be a part of my team
I'll take you where the average man can only dream of
I will take you to places that most people can only dream of
Cause in a world so sour I got the sweetest love
In a world full of negativity, I have a sweet love with you
Writer(s): James Harris Iii, Terry Lewis, Ralph Tresvant
Contributed by David Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.