Taking an interest in music from the age of 6, joining gospel groups and attending Young Musicians Program at Berklee during middle school, Saadiq got the chance phone call of a lifetime, when Sheila E. called one day looking for touring musicians to join Prince on his Parade tour. Saadiq spent two years on the road, a time he called "My University".
Saadiq made a name for himself as the lead vocalist in the rhythm and blues and dance trio Tony! Toni! Toné!. He went by his birth name during the beginning of Tony! Toni! Toné!, where he was joined by his brother Dwayne Wiggins, and his cousin Timothy Christian. He adopted the name of Raphael Saadiq in the mid-1990s.
After the 1996 Tony! Toni! Toné! album, House of Music, (when he performed under his current name) Saadiq started his solo career. He produced a few solo tracks, but Saadiq's next big project became the R&B supergroup Lucy Pearl. He recorded the self-titled album with Dawn Robinson (En Vogue) and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (A Tribe Called Quest). This group only lasted for one album. His solo album Instant Vintage, released in 2002, also earned 5 Grammy nominations.
Saadiq released his third solo album, The Way I See It, on September 16 2008, featuring collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Joss Stone. Saadiq acknowledges the album's old school soul sound, which he says includes nods to Gladys Knight & The Pips, Al Green, The Four Tops, The Delfonics and The Stylistics.
Various artists have tapped Saadiq to produce their work through the years. Some of Saadiq's most notable work has been with D'Angelo. The 2000 collaboration "Untitled" won D'Angelo a Grammy award for Best R&B Album. In 2007, Saadiq was called on to produce the whole third album from UK Soul singer Joss Stone. Other artists he has collaborated with include The Roots, Macy Gray, Snoop Dogg, Kelis, Q-Tip and Young Bellz.
In 2002, Saadiq founded his own record label, Pookie Entertainment. Among the artists on the label are Joi and Truth Hurts.
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I Sure Hope You Mean It
Raphael Saadiq Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sure hope you love me girl (don't fool me baby)
Sure hope you mean it (sure hope you mean it)
Sure hope you love me girl (don't fool me baby)
Do you mean what you say when you say that you love me
With all honesty I think I love you
It's every day I think about how special this could be
In my mind I can see no one but you
Like in my dreams I know I'm holding you
So now tell me truth cause I need to know
See I wanna take control but you gotta let me know
Don't fool me baby
[Chorus]
I go uh-uh uh huh yeah yeah
There's been aces among spades
All your love I could never trade
There's something about you
That shakes away my pain
See this heart of mine
Just can't be without you
Cause being without you I could never be I don't wanna be
It's so hard to find a love so true
But if you mean what you say I love you
Now don't fool me darling
Tell me it's real
I only wanna love you and have a couple kids
Don't fool me baby
[Chorus]
I wanna call you sometimes
Tell you your the best
That without your precious love
For sure I could never rest
[Chorus]
The lyrics to Raphael Saadiq's song "Sure Hope You Mean It" convey a sense of both uncertainty and hope in a romantic relationship. The singer is clearly invested in the relationship and wants assurances from his partner that their love is authentic and not just a game. The repeated refrain of "Sure hope you mean it" underscores this sentiment and suggests that while the singer wants to trust his partner, he is aware that love can be fickle.
The second half of the song expresses the singer's deep feelings for his partner and the importance of their relationship to him. The line "There's something about you that shakes away my pain" suggests that the singer sees his partner as a source of comfort and healing. He also expresses a desire for a future together, with the line "I only wanna love you and have a couple kids." Overall, the lyrics to "Sure Hope You Mean It" combine doubt and vulnerability with a heartfelt love that is rooted in honesty and trust.
Line by Line Meaning
Sure hope you mean it
I hope that you are speaking the truth
Sure hope you love me girl
I hope that your professed love for me is genuine
Do you mean what you say when you say that you love me
I need to know if your words are true when you say you love me
With all honesty I think I love you
I am being truthful when I say that I think I love you
It's every day I think about how special this could be
I think about us and how great it would be every day
And how your love is everything to me
Your love is the most important thing to me
In my mind I can see no one but you
I only have thoughts of you in my mind
Like in my dreams I know I'm holding you
Even in my dreams, I hold onto the thought of you
So now tell me truth cause I need to know
Please tell me the truth because I really need to know
See I wanna take control but you gotta let me know
I would like to take control but you need to communicate your intentions
Don't fool me baby
Please don't deceive or trick me
There's been aces among spades
There has been greatness among the ordinary
All your love I could never trade
I could never give up the love that you give me
There's something about you
There's a special quality about you
That shakes away my pain
You help me forget about my sorrows
See this heart of mine
My heart
Just can't be without you
I cannot live without you in my life
Cause being without you I could never be I don't wanna be
I cannot function without you and I don't want to be without you
It's so hard to find a love so true
Genuine love is difficult to find
But if you mean what you say I love you
If you truly love me, I return the sentiment
Now don't fool me darling
Please do not deceive or trick me, my love
Tell me it's real
Assure me that your love is genuine
I only wanna love you and have a couple kids
All I want is to love you and start a family with you
I wanna call you sometimes
I want to reach out and call you
Tell you your the best
I want to tell you that you are the best
That without your precious love
Without your love
For sure I could never rest
I could never be at peace without you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RAPHAEL SAADIQ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind