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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Whatever You Want
Raphael Saadiq Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't wish you no strain
I only want to expose your life to
The finer things
I offer you my company girl
You don't need no sympathy, just me
Some one who cares
Whatever you want
Girl you know I can provide
Whatever you need (whatever you need baby)
Call six three two twenty-one three five
Now maybe I should drive right over
Show you my new ride
Or take you shopping out on the town
And then make you feel your best
I'll go out of my way to make sure you have everything
I want to be the one who will always be there
To give you
[Chorus: x2]
What makes you think I would try (To run a game on you)
Just as sure as my name is Dwayne (I'll be there for you and I'll)
Treat you just like a queen and give you fine things
And you'll never have to worry about another (in your place)
Believe me when I say
[Chorus: x2]
Now you know I've never been the type to have
A loss for words
So I tell you these feelings I have for you
They're all so true girl
I heard someone say that love can be so blind
I'll give you your space to go and you know I'll always be there for you
What makes you think I would try (To run a game on you)
Just as sure as my name is Dwayne (I'll be there for you and I'll)
Treat you just like a queen and give you fine things
And you'll never have to worry about another (in your place)
Believe me when I say
[Chorus: x2]
Accompaniment
[Chorus]
Girl, I will be right there for you
Whenever you need me just call
Whatever you want
La la la la da da da
La la la la da da da
[Chorus]
In the song "Whatever You Want," Raphael Saadiq is offering his love and devotion to a woman. He reassures her that he wishes her no ill will and only wants to introduce her to the finer things in life. He acknowledges that she doesn't need his sympathy, just his company. Saadiq promises to go above and beyond to give her whatever she wants or needs, and he provides his phone number for her to call whenever she wants him.
The chorus, "Whatever you want, girl, you know I can provide, whatever you need (whatever you need baby), call six three two twenty-one three five," is repeated several times throughout the song, emphasizing the idea that Saadiq is willing to do anything for this woman. He even offers to drive over and show her his new ride or take her shopping to make her feel her best.
Saadiq also expresses his loyalty, promising to never run a game on her and always treating her like a queen. He acknowledges that love can be blind, but he gives her the space she needs while assuring her that he will always be there for her. Overall, "Whatever You Want" is a sweet, romantic song about being there for someone you love and providing for their every need.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't wish you no bad luck baby
I don't want anything unfortunate to happen to you.
I don't wish you no strain
I don't want you to go through any challenges or difficulties.
I only want to expose your life to The finer things
I want to introduce you to a more luxurious and enjoyable way of living.
I offer you my company girl
I want to spend time with you and be in your company.
You don't need no sympathy, just me
You don't need anyone's pity, just my support and companionship.
Some one who cares
Someone who genuinely cares about you and your well-being.
[Chorus] Whatever you want / Girl you know I can provide / Whatever you need (whatever you need baby) / Call six three two twenty-one three five
I can give you whatever you want or need. Simply call me and let me know.
Now maybe I should drive right over / Show you my new ride / Or take you shopping out on the town / And then make you feel your best
I could come over to show you my new car or take you shopping to make you feel good about yourself.
I'll go out of my way to make sure you have everything
I will do everything in my power to make sure you have everything you need or want.
I want to be the one who will always be there / To give you
I want to be the one you can always count on to provide for you and support you.
[Chorus: x2]
Repeating the chorus.
What makes you think I would try (To run a game on you) / Just as sure as my name is Dwayne (I'll be there for you and I'll) / Treat you just like a queen and give you fine things / And you'll never have to worry about another (in your place) / Believe me when I say
I wouldn't try to deceive or trick you. Trust me when I tell you that I will treat you with the utmost respect and care. You won't have to worry about anyone else replacing you in my life.
Now you know I've never been the type to have / A loss for words
I'm usually not at a loss for words or speechless.
So I tell you these feelings I have for you / They're all so true girl
I'm sharing my genuine feelings for you, which are all sincere and authentic.
I heard someone say that love can be so blind / I'll give you your space to go and you know I'll always be there for you
People say that love can cloud your judgement, but I'll give you your own freedom and independence while always being here for you.
Accompaniment
This line is referring to the instrumental background music.
[Chorus] Girl, I will be right there for you / Whenever you need me just call / Whatever you want
I will always be there for you whenever you need me. Just call me and let me know what you want or need.
La la la la da da da / La la la la da da da
These lines are part of the chorus and are repetitive and don't add any new meaning.
[Chorus]
Repeating the chorus.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ERICA BJUREMARK, MATHIAS NILSSON, NINOS DANKHA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind