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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Still A Man
Raphael Saadiq Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since the last time that you walked away, honey
See me and the kids are left here disappointed
We don't have nothin' to do
But wonder where you're headed, baby
Have you ever loved somebody
Who loves you so much it hurts you to hurt them so bad?
Who loves you so much it hurts you to hurt them so bad?
No, I don't want to just be complainin'
About what me and you talked about many times before
Now I'm not too bad about it, I'm not even mad about you
But if you want me too come back to you, I will
You know I'm still a man, baby, sugar
Somebody who loves you so much
It hurts you to hurt them so bad?
(See, I'm still a man, sugar)
Have you ever loved somebody
Who loves you so much it hurts you to hurt them so bad?
I'm still a man, sugar
Have you ever loved somebody
Who loves you so much it hurts you to hurt them so bad?
(You gotta know that I love you so much, baby)
Come here, have you ever loved somebody?
Tell me, have you ever loved somebody
(Somebody who)
Somebody who stays out all night, never calls home
Leaves you all alone? Still a man
Now I don't wanna be just complainin', no no
You see, I ain't gonna never, never, never, never, never, never
Treat you less than a woman, honey
But if you wanna take a chance on lettin' me leave you behind
You must be crazy if you let me walk out that door
You know I'm still a man, baby
Somebody who loves you so much
It hurts you to hurt them so bad?
('Coz you see, I'm still a man, honey)
Have you ever loved somebody
Who loves you so much it hurts you to hurt them so bad?
You see, I'm still a man, honey
Have you ever loved somebody
Who loves you so much it hurts you to hurt them so bad?
(Yeah, believe it, I'm still a man, honey)
Have you ever loved somebody
Who loves you so much it hurts you to hurt them so bad?
I'm still a man
You must know that I'm still a man, baby
(I'm still a man)
You know, I know we can put us together
(I'm still a man)
Surely you know that I don't want nobody else but you, baby
(I'm still a man)
And I'm still a man, baby
And I'm always gonna be by your side
I'm still a man
Have you ever loved somebody?
So cold, so cold, so cold
(I'm still a man)
Have you ever loved somebody?
Somebody who, somebody who wants to treat you right, sugar
I'm still a man
Have you ever loved somebody
(Somebody, somebody who)
Somebody you wanna wake up in the morning
And just kiss him on the forehead?
Have you ever loved somebody?
(Have you ever loved somebody?)
Have you ever loved somebody?
Have you ever loved somebody?
In "Still A Man," Raphael Saadiq sings about the pain of being in love with someone who constantly hurts you but still feeling the need to stay committed to them. The opening lines of the song convey that the singer has been left by their partner once, and now they are left wondering where they went. The singer is expressing their anger and frustration at being left behind with the kids, while the partner has disappeared. However, the singer still holds a deep love for their partner and is struggling with the pain of having to hurt them.
Saadiq is comparing the hurt he is feeling to the hurt his partner would feel if he left her. He speaks directly to her, asking if she has ever loved somebody who loved her so much it hurt them to hurt her. He then compares his own love for her to the pain he feels at having to hurt her. Later in the song, Saadiq makes sure to reiterate that he is "still a man" and that he will always be there for her, even if she has treated him badly. He also asks if she has ever loved someone who left her alone at night or never called her.
Overall, "Still A Man" is a complex exploration of love, hurt, and commitment. The singer's feelings are complicated and conflicted, but at its core, the song is about the pain of loving someone who constantly lets you down.
Line by Line Meaning
Now looking here, I'm still standin'
Despite your departure, I'm still here.
Since the last time that you walked away, honey
Since the moment you walked out on us, love.
See me and the kids are left here disappointed
My children and I are heartbroken.
We don't have nothin' to do
We are left with nothing to do.
But wonder where you're headed, baby
But all we can do now is wonder where you are going.
Have you ever loved somebody
Have you ever been in love with someone?
Who loves you so much it hurts you to hurt them so bad?
Have you ever loved someone who loved you so much that the thought of hurting them hurts you deeply?
No, I don't want to just be complainin'
I don't want to complain about our situation.
About what me and you talked about many times before
About the things we've discussed so many times in the past.
Now I'm not too bad about it, I'm not even mad about you
I'm not angry with you or the situation.
But if you want me too come back to you, I will
But if you want me back, I'm willing to come back.
You know I'm still a man, baby, sugar
You should know that I am still a human being, my love.
Have you ever loved somebody
Have you ever been in love with someone?
Who loves you so much it hurts you to hurt them so bad?
Have you ever loved someone who loved you so much that the thought of hurting them hurts you deeply?
Come here, have you ever loved somebody?
Can I ask you something? Have you ever been in love with someone?
Tell me, have you ever loved somebody
Tell me honestly, have you ever loved someone?
Somebody who stays out all night, never calls home
Someone who stays out all night and never answers their phone calls.
Leaves you all alone? Still a man
Leaves you all alone? Still a human being.
You see, I ain't gonna never, never, never, never, never, never
I'm trying to make it clear that I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever…
Treat you less than a woman, honey
Treat you with any less respect than you deserve.
But if you wanna take a chance on lettin' me leave you behind
If you feel like letting me go, that's your choice.
You must be crazy if you let me walk out that door
If you let me go, you must be acting irrationally.
And I'm always gonna be by your side
And I'm going to be here with you through it all.
Have you ever loved somebody?
Have you ever been in love with someone?
So cold, so cold, so cold
But received so much coldness and distance from them?
Somebody who, somebody who wants to treat you right, sugar
Someone who wants to treat you with the love and respect you deserve, my love.
Have you ever loved somebody?
Have you ever been in love with someone?
Somebody you wanna wake up in the morning
Someone who you look forward to waking up to in the morning.
And just kiss him on the forehead?
And just give them a tender kiss on the forehead?
Have you ever loved somebody?
Have you ever been in love with someone?
Have you ever loved somebody?
Have you ever been in love with someone?
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RAPHAEL SAADIQ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind