Regina Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey. Her early musical experience was in gospel music. She also studied trombone, tuba and steel drums and graduated from Dwight Morrow High School. In college at Rutgers University, she studied opera and jazz.
She met the Manhattans and began working as their opening act. She even recorded a duet with them, "Where Did We Go Wrong." her hard work earned her a record deal with Columbia Records.
In 1987, she released her album All By Myself which featured the hit single "Show Me The Way" which reached #2 on the R&B charts. In 1989, Belle released her sophomore album, "Stay With Me". Going gold, the album was packed with several strong and catchy songs. "Baby Come To Me", the album's first single, topped the R&B charts at # 1 and was followed by "What Goes Around" which reached #3. The album featured two additional popular singles, "This Is Love" which reached #7 and "Make It Like It Was" which was another #1 single on the R&B charts and #5 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
Belle recorded a duet in 1991 with singing superstar Johnny Mathis, "Better Together" which appeared on his album Better Together: The Duet Album. Continuing her success with duets, Belle teamed up with Peabo Bryson for the song "A Whole New World" from the Aladdin Soundtrack. The song went gold and won the Grammy Award in 1993 for "Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Unfortunately, the duet did not catapult Regina into Pop superstardom as Peabo's duet with Celine Dion, "Beauty and the Beast" did.
During the same year, Belle released her third album, "Passion". Going Gold, the album featured the previously mentioned "A Whole New World", "Dream In Colour and "If I Could" which reached #9 on the R&B charts. Both did well on the A/C chart. A fouth single, "The Deeper I Love" was released but it did not chart.
After a five year hiatus without any original content released, Belle put out the album "Believe in Me" in 1998. If was much more of a commercial Urban contemporary album than any of her other albums. Although the album had two hit singles, the lead single being "I've Had Enough" (it was also remixed into a sizable dance music hit), the album didn't met MCA Records sales goal. She was droped by MCA Record in 1999. In 2001, she released the album "This Is Regina!" which featured the sensual hit single, "Ooh Boy". Another single was not lifted from the album. "This Is Regina!" went Gold.
Belle is still active in the music industry and in 2004, released the album, "Lazy Afternoon". In 2005, she had several successful concerts and apprances singing both new songs and older favourites. Regina Belle is not a well known figure by the Caucasion music audiences but should be since she is one of the highest quality Adult Contemporary/Pop singer to arise in recent times.
in 2008, Belle released her first Gospel album, "Love Forever Shines" on Pendulum Records. The album peaked at #115 on the Billboard 200, #15 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #3 Top Gospel Albums chart. The albums' single, "God Is Good" became a hit, peaking at #34 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, #36 Hot Adult R&B Airplay and #2 on the Hot Gospel Songs chart. She continues to tour. She also also become a regular on the Gopsel music circuit since then.
Lazy Afternoon
Regina Belle Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So I walked on down the road a mile,
Went to the house that brings a smile
Sat upon my grandpa's knee
And what do you think he said to me?
When you awake you will remember ev'rything
You will be hangin' on a string from your
You will relieve the only soul
That you were born with to grow old and never know
Ollie showed me the fork in the road
You can take to the left or go straight to the right
Use your days and save your nights,
Be careful where you step, and watch wha-cha eat
Sleep with the light on and you got it beat
When you awake you will remember ev'rything
You will be hangin' on a string from your
When you believe
You will relieve the only soul
That you were born with to grow old and never know
Ollie warned me it's a mean old world
The street don't greet ya, yes, it's true
But what am I supposed to do
Read the writing on the wall
I heard it when I was very small
When you awake you will remember ev'rything
You will be hangin' on a string from your
When you believe
You will relieve the only soul
That you were born with to grow old and never know
Wash my hand in lye water
I got a date with the captains daughter
You can go and tell your brother
We sure gonna love one another, oh!
You may be right and ya might be wrong
I ain't gonna worry all day long
Snow's gonna come and the frost gonna bite
My old car froze up last night
Ain't no reason to hang your head
I could wake up in the mornin' dead
Oh! And if I thought it would do any good
I'd stand on the rock where Moses stood
Regina Belle's "Lazy Afternoon" is a haunting and thought-provoking song that calls for listeners to reflect on their past decisions and choices. At the beginning of the song, the singer Ollie tells the singer that he is a fool, leading him to walk down the road a mile to his grandfather's house. Upon arriving at his grandfather's house, he sits on his grandfather's lap and is given advice about the importance of remembering everything and being careful about the path he takes in life.
Throughout the rest of the song, Ollie warns the singer about the harsh reality of the world he is living in and the importance of reading the writing on the wall. However, the singer still tries to stay positive and not worry about his current predicament. The song concludes with the singer singing about the possibility of love and life's unpredictability.
One possible interpretation of the song is that the singer is struggling with questions about his choices in life and the direction he should take. He is seeking advice from his elders and wrestling with the harsh realities of the world he finds himself in. The line "when you believe you will relieve the only soul that you were born with to grow old and never know" might suggest that the singer is trying to find a purpose or identity and reaching a level of self-awareness where he can understand who he truly is.
Line by Line Meaning
Ollie told me I'm a fool.
Ollie said that I am foolish.
So I walked on down the road a mile,
I took a walk down the street for a while.
Went to the house that brings a smile
I went to the home that always puts a smile on my face.
Sat upon my grandpa's knee
I sat down next to my grandfather.
And what do you think he said to me?
He asked me what was on my mind.
When you awake you will remember ev'rything
You will recall everything when you wake up.
You will be hangin' on a string from your
You will be at the mercy of your emotions.
When you believe
When you have faith and confidence in yourself.
You will relieve the only soul
You will provide relief for the only soul that you were born with.
That you were born with to grow old and never know
The soul you have is the only one that you will ever know while it ages.
Ollie showed me the fork in the road
Ollie pointed out the two paths that lay before me.
You can take to the left or go straight to the right
You can choose to go left or right on this road.
Use your days and save your nights,
Spend your days wisely and save your nights for rest.
Be careful where you step, and watch wha-cha eat
Be mindful of your surroundings and what you consume.
Sleep with the light on and you got it beat
You'll be fine if you leave the light on as you go to sleep.
Ollie warned me it's a mean old world
Ollie advised me that the world is cruel.
The street don't greet ya, yes, it's true
The road won't welcome you; it's a fact.
But what am I supposed to do
I don't know what I should do.
Read the writing on the wall
Interpret the situation in front of you properly.
I heard it when I was very small
I was told this when I was younger.
Wash my hand in lye water
I plan to purify my hands with lye water.
I got a date with the captains daughter
I am going on a date with the captain's daughter.
You can go and tell your brother
Tell your siblings what I'm up to.
We sure gonna love one another, oh!
We will enjoy each other's company.
You may be right and ya might be wrong
You may be right or you may be mistaken.
I ain't gonna worry all day long
I won't stress over it all day.
Snow's gonna come and the frost gonna bite
The snow and frost will arrive and cause discomfort.
My old car froze up last night
My car failed to start last night due to the cold weather.
Ain't no reason to hang your head
There is no cause for despair.
I could wake up in the mornin' dead
I could die overnight and not wake up.
Oh! And if I thought it would do any good
And if I had reason to believe it would be beneficial,
I'd stand on the rock where Moses stood
I would go to the holy site where Moses once stood.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Latouche, Jerome Moross
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind