Crawford first polished her craft at club gigs from Cincinnati to St. Tropez, but made her name in mid 1970s in New York, where she sang with jazzmen George Benson on his album "Big Man" 1975) and Cannonball Adderley.
She then led Jazz veterans The Crusaders on the transatlantic big hit "Street Life" (1979). Her follow up solo efforts included "'One Day I'll Fly Away" (1980, Grand Prize for Tokyo International Music Festival); "'You Might Need Somebody" (1981); and "'Rainy Night In Georgia" (1981); which all became soul standards. Secret Combination (1981) stayed on the Billboard album chart for 60 weeks, after which her profile dipped, despite a return to the Top 10 with "Almaz" in (1986).
Naked And True (1995) brought Crawford back to her roots: it included Benson's "Give Me The Night", and confirmed her soul heritage by featuring Funkadelicists Bootsy Collins, Bernie Worrell and The Fred Wesley Horns. But she enjoyed her highest profile of the decade when rising starlet Shola Ama had a worldwide hit with a cover of " You Might Need Somebody" in 1997.
She still continues to make great R&B hits and performs on various Jazz Festivals around the world.
Secret Combination
Randy Crawford Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm gonna use it to lock away your love
I've got a standing obligation
Never to change it 'cause then I?d lose your love
All the girls in town are trying
To get on your good side
They don't know that you ain't buying
My secret combination
(Secret combination)
I'm gonna use it to lock away your love
I've got a standing obligation
Never to change it 'cause then I?d lose your love
I bet they'd like to know my secret
But I'm not telling, no
My lips are sealed and I'm not speaking
It?s my intention, never gonna mention
My secret combination
(Secret combination)
I'm gonna use it to lock away your love
I've got a standing obligation
Never to change it 'cause then I?d lose your love
I'm not gonna tell anybody
Never gonna say a single word
It's my intention, never gonna mention
My secret combination
(Secret combination)
I'm gonna use it to lock away your love
I've got a standing obligation
Never to change it 'cause then I?d lose your love
I don't want to lose your love
(I've got a secret)
I don't want to lose your love
(Secret combination)
I've got a secret, yeah, yeah
Ain't gonna let it out, no, no
I've got a secret
In Randy Crawford's song "Secret Combination," the singer confesses to possessing a secret formula that she intends to employ to lock away her love. She won't disclose the key to anyone else, implying that it's a highly confidential matter that she must handle on her own. The chorus concludes with an acknowledgment of the singer's unswerving commitment to her secret combination: never exposing it to anyone or changing it for fear of losing her lover's affection. The tune evidently portrays a sort of fantasy relationship in which the singer has a unique method for keeping her partner loyal and committed, while also implying a dishonesty.
The lyrics depict a romance that is exclusive in nature, making clear that the singer's love interest is sought after by many other women in town, but they don't appear to have the same appeal to him as the singer. The tone of the song implies that the singer has a great deal of control over the dynamics of the relationship due to her enigmatic "secret combination." As a result, there is a sense of manipulation evident in the lyrics, suggesting that the singer's ability to command the relationship lies in this hidden, closely guarded secret.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a secret combination
I have a mysterious way of protecting your love by sealing it away
I'm gonna use it to lock away your love
I will employ this mystical method to safeguard your love
I've got a standing obligation
I have an unyielding responsibility
Never to change it 'cause then I'd lose your love
to alter it would mean losing your love
All the girls in town are trying
All of the females in this town are attempting
To get on your good side
to impress you
They don't know that you ain't buying
they are unaware that you are not interested
No matter how they try, I know they'll never find out
they will never uncover my secret method
I bet they'd like to know my secret
They probably want to know how I protect your love
But I'm not telling, no
I refuse to disclose it
My lips are sealed and I'm not speaking
I have no intention of telling anyone
It's my intention, never gonna mention
It is my plan to keep it to myself indefinitely
I'm not gonna tell anybody
I will not disclose it to anyone
Never gonna say a single word
I do not intend to speak about it
I don't want to lose your love
I am afraid of losing your affection
(I've got a secret)
(my mystery method is keeping your love from harm)
I've got a secret combination
I have a cryptic formula to safeguard your love
(Secret combination)
(enigmatic solution)
I've got a standing obligation
I have an incontrovertible duty
Never to change it 'cause then I'd lose your love
if I ever modify it, I would lose your ardor
I'm not gonna let it out, no, no
I will not disclose it
I've got a secret
I have an undisclosed solution
Lyrics © KAREN SCHAUBEN PUBLISHING ADMINISTRATION
Written by: TOM SNOW, FRANNIE GOLDE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Dewale Opesanwo
Kept hearing this song in my sleep, woke up and had to play it cause it just wont go away. Great song and great memories.
Fan#%
Always loved this song and still do 2020
Catherine Tillery
Love it been listening to her for years now still listening in 2020
Toni Matatahi
Love this song my mum use to listen to it brings back memories
Fan#%
Beautiful voice
C. Gallagher
there are many excellent voices in the world, then there is the special voice that has the power to make you dream, the voice of an angel called Randy Craford
Sonwabile Kume
Beautyfull song n voice of hers hey,Luuuv it
Tunde Owolabi
my favorite Randy Crawford song. Nice one
Allen Nolan
One hell of a singer ❤️
Nombeko Ketelo
Old time fav ❤❤