Alan Thicke married actress Gloria Loring, known for starring in programs such as 'Days of Our Lives', in 1970, and he had the two sons Brennan Thicke and Robin Thicke. Half-brother Carter Thicke would become another member of the clan years later after Alan Thicke divorced and remarried. Brother Robin grew up in a household filled with music, with his dad being a singer (of tracks such as "Thicke of the Night") as well as a co-composer for several TV show theme songs and a seminal actor on both the big and small screens (examples being the shows 'Growing Pains' and 'How I Met Your Mother').
The young Robin Thicke taught himself to play piano at the age of twelve. Even at the age of fourteen, he found that he could play just about anything that he heard on the radio, feeling a drive to keep going further. Before his days as a singer-songwriter performing his own material,Robin Thicke wrote songs for the soul and pop groups 3T (with 1995's "Sexual Attention" bringing Thicke alongside Damon Thomas), Brownstone (with 1997's "Around You"), and Color Me Badd (an example being 1996's "Sexual Capacity"). He also collaborated with the acclaimed production duo of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on several songs for Jordan Knight's 1999 self-titled album. Thicke seemed to receive a great omen when Knight's album was certified Gold and gained huge fan acclaim.
In 2000, Thicke went to work on material for his debut album, which ended up being titled 'A Beautiful World'. The album focused more on blue-eyed soul than his pop-centered offerings for other artists, and he mixed in influences from eclectic funk (in the vein of the British group Jamiroquai) and and modern neo-soul music (in the vain of Canadian crooner Remy Shand). Thicke hoped that he was primed for huge things by late 2002 when the album became ready for release.
Thicke's lead single, called "When I Get You Alone", had a distinctive music video made for it. The disco and slick rnb fueled track sounded rather unlike the commercial pop ethos of the time, having a distinctive sampling of Walter Murphy's 70s dance music hit "A Fifth of Beethoven" (which itself had been inspired by Beethoven's Fifth Symphony). The video featured an unshaven Thicke, with long, grungy hair, as a courier racing through the streets of Manhattan on a bicycle. It received some rotation on MTV 2 and BET's "Rated Next", the song being spun moderately on urban radio. On the Hot 100, it reached #29 quite quickly, yet it fell out the chart just as fast. Globally, however, the song was quite popular. With his single peaking at #17 in Australia, #15 in Belgium, #15 in Italy, #8 in New Zealand, and #5 in the Netherlands, Thicke felt that he wanted another shot at the 'big time' in the U.S.
Devising the re-release of this album, which it then gaining its final title of 'A Beautiful World', Thicke added a few extra songs that he seemed confident of. Yet the album received very little corporate promotion, irritating Thicke despite the release of a second single, a Prince-like groove mixing funk with rock called "Brand New Jones". The album debuted at #152 in the Billboard 200 and didn't do much from there, selling a mere 59,000 copies. Still, his work ended up being received well by many critics and musical peers, with Trevor Nelson and Lil' Wayne (Weezy's 2005 release 'Tha Carter, Vol. 2' would even include some of Thicke's work) lauding Thicke's music, as well as many fans.
In 2004, artist Pharrell Williams asked Jimmy Iovine, CEO of Interscope, “What are you doing with Robin Thicke?” A few months later, Robin was recording a new single, titled “Wanna Love You Girl” with Pharrell in Miami, as a newly signed artist on Pharrell’s label, Star Trak Records. With the two musicians sharing the same love for genre-hopping, deliberately 'retro' music, the single immediately attracted the attention of radio and club DJs across the world after its August 2005 release. The song often given revamped names such as "Wanna Love U Girl", "Wanna Love You Girl (Feat. Pharrell)", and the like, it ended up doing very well in the U.K. in particular, hitting #5 on Trevor Nelson's BBC Radio 1 "Soul Nation" chart.
Now appealing more to the mainstream, Thicke cut off his trademark long hair in an attempt to further recreate himself. By October 2006, when his second album, titled 'The Evolution of Robin Thicke', came out in its entirely, he had built up a ton of momentum, and his work paid off. Thicke earned the #1 slot on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and additional singles such as "Got 2 Be Down" and "Lost Without U" saw huge fan responses. As the months went by, his album even earned platinum certification by the RIAA.
Having 'made it' in the truest sense commercially as well as critically, Thick remarked, "My greatest desire with this album was to write songs that were completely honest and sing them with the emotion I was feeling when I wrote them, so that whoever listens to my music is brought as close to my experiences and life as possible."
With this intention, Robin created songs such as, “Lost without You” (the second single). An instant classic, this song is about Robin’s insecurities and his need to be desired and loved. With sweeping vocals over rhythmic Spanish guitar, this song takes you away and makes you sing along.
On the psychedelic, “High School Man” is where Robin infuses rock and hip-hop and poetically admits “I’m a hater” as he hates on those with more success than him realizing, ironically, he just wants what they have.
Finishing off The Evolution of Robin Thicke is the hopeful and encouraging “Thank You.” On this gospel inspired, piano ballad Robin sings, “maybe I’m the one who never gets up ‘till he falls,” making the discovery that he has to be thankful for everything that comes into his life…the tears, the joy, the failures and the successes.
Always carrying a heavy heart, Robin taught himself to play piano at the age of twelve so he could have an outlet to express himself. By the age of fourteen, he could play anything he heard on the radio. At sixteen, with no formal training, Robin began professionally writing and producing music for recording artists like Brandy and Brian McKnight. Over the years he has amassed dozens of gold and platinum records with artists including Usher, Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson and Christina Aguilera.
Reflective, redemptive, passionate and etched with a soulfulness that is undeniable, The Evolution of Robin Thicke is an imaginative and heart-felt album that you cannot help but be moved by, bob your head to and smile throughout.
The album was released on October 3rd, 2006 and includes songs with Lil Wayne and Faith Evans, as well as Pharrell. The song "Got 2 Be Down" featuring Faith Evans was recently leaked (June '06). There will be two to three more videos released before the album comes out. Lately, there was a Busta Rhymes remix video shot for "Wanna Love You Girl," a Lil’ Wayne feat Robin Thicke "Shooter" video, and Robin has released the video for "Lost Without You," making that song the official 2nd single of the album.
4 The Rest of My Life
Robin Thicke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lights from above seemed to shine on only you
And you made me feel like I was flying
When I made you sparkle in your eyes
We ain't even 20 baby
I ain't learned to love you right, yeah
Umm, good thing I thought I was the shit back then
I sang in your ear 'cause I wanted you to know
I called you all the time
I guess I tried too hard to make you mine
You'd have nothing to do with me baby
Thank God that you changed your mind
For the rest of my life you know I'm gonna be yours
For the rest of my life you know I wanna be yours
For the rest of my life for you I'm gonna be strong
Baby will you stay
Baby will you stay
Baby will you stay
Baby will you stay mine
Finally convinced you to come over and just say hi
I say forever my lady
And kissed you for the very first time
After months, holidays, holding hands in the park
Normally I'll just play basketball
With someone in the park
And I messed up like boys tend to do
It'd be a year till I got back with you
Thank God that you called me back baby
'Cause I'd never be the man that I am today
For the rest of my life you know I'm gonna be yours
For the rest of my life you know I wanna be yours
For the rest of my life for you I'm gonna be strong
Baby will you stay
Baby will you stay
Baby will you stay
Baby will you stay mine
Then one night upon the phone
You said you were at home alone
I wasn't even old enough to drive
I saw my only chance just to keep it alive
Keep love alive
Good thing for you I stole my daddy's car
'Cause no one's ever gonna love you back
Better than I do
For the rest of my life you know I'm gonna be yours
For the rest of my life you know I wanna be yours
For the rest of my life for you I'm gonna be strong
For the rest of my life
For the rest of my life
Baby will you stay
Baby will you stay mine
I'm gon' love you baby
Gon' love you baby
Gon' love you right, for the rest of my life
Baby will you stay
Baby will you stay
Baby will you stay
Baby will you stay mine
The lyrics of Robin Thicke's "4 The Rest of My Life" tell the story of a young man who falls in love with a girl and becomes obsessed with winning her over. He sings about how she made him feel like he was flying and how he tried too hard to impress her. Thicke also highlights the struggle of young love with lines such as "I ain't learned to love you right" and "I messed up like boys tend to do." But despite the obstacles, he eventually convinces her to be with him and declares that he will love her for the rest of his life.
The first verse of the song describes how Thicke was immediately drawn to the girl he fell in love with, and how he thought she was the only one the lights shone on. He goes on to sing about how he tried to impress her with his singing and was persistent in pursuing her, even though she initially rejected him. In the second verse, he talks about how their relationship hit a rough patch and how he had to wait a year before she took him back. The final verse celebrates their love and the lengths he went to keep it alive, including stealing his dad's car.
Overall, "4 The Rest of My Life" is a heartfelt ballad about young love and the struggles that come with it. The lyrics show the vulnerability of the teenage years and the lengths that people will go to for love.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew when I laid my eyes on you
From the moment I saw you, I knew you were special and different from everyone else.
The lights from above seemed to shine on only you
You captivated me in a way that made you stand out from everything else around you.
And you made me feel like I was flying
Being with you made me feel invincible, like I could conquer the world.
When I made you sparkle in your eyes
Seeing the joy and excitement in your eyes brought me immense happiness and pride.
We ain't even 20 baby
We were young and inexperienced when we first got together.
I ain't learned to love you right, yeah
I wasn't sure how to love you in a way that would make you feel valued and appreciated.
Umm, good thing I thought I was the shit back then
I was confident and self-assured, which gave me the courage to pursue you and try to win your heart.
I sang in your ear 'cause I wanted you to know
I used my music to express my feelings for you because I wanted you to understand how deeply I cared for you.
That I had soul baby
I wanted you to know that my love for you came from a deep, soulful place within me.
I called you all the time
I was persistent in my pursuit of you and made every effort to keep in touch with you.
I guess I tried too hard to make you mine
I may have come on too strong in my pursuit of you and pushed you away instead of winning your heart.
You'd have nothing to do with me baby
You were initially uninterested in me and didn't reciprocate my feelings.
Thank God that you changed your mind
I am grateful that you eventually came around and gave me a chance to show you how much I love you.
Finally convinced you to come over and just say hi
After persistent efforts, I finally convinced you to spend time with me and get to know me better.
I say forever my lady
I wanted to commit to you and let you know that I saw a future with you.
And kissed you for the very first time
I shared an intimate moment with you that strengthened our connection and brought us closer together.
After months, holidays, holding hands in the park
We spent a lot of time together, holding hands and enjoying each other's company.
Normally I'll just play basketball
I typically spent my time playing sports, but being with you made me want to do more meaningful things.
With someone in the park
Usually, I would play sports with my friends in the park.
And I messed up like boys tend to do
I made mistakes in our relationship like many young men do, but I learned from them and grew as a result.
It'd be a year till I got back with you
After some time apart, we eventually reconnected and got back together.
Thank God that you called me back baby
I am grateful that you gave me a second chance and that we were able to work things out.
'Cause I'd never be the man that I am today
Our relationship taught me valuable lessons and helped shape me into the man I am today.
Then one night upon the phone
During a phone conversation one night,
You said you were at home alone
You told me that you were home alone.
I wasn't even old enough to drive
I was still too young to legally operate a car.
I saw my only chance just to keep it alive
I saw an opportunity to keep our relationship going and took it.
Keep love alive
I wanted to maintain our love and ensure that it remained strong and vibrant.
Good thing for you I stole my daddy's car
I took a drastic action to be with you, but I'm glad I did because it led to great things.
'Cause no one's ever gonna love you back
I promised to love you unconditionally and to reciprocate your love in every way possible.
Better than I do
My love for you is unmatched and I will always cherish and value you.
I'm gon' love you baby
I will always love you, no matter what happens.
Gon' love you baby
My love for you is unwavering and everlasting.
Gon' love you right, for the rest of my life
I will continue to love and cherish you for the rest of my life.
Baby will you stay
I am requesting that you remain with me and be my partner for life.
Baby will you stay mine
I want you to be mine forever and to always stay by my side.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JAMES D. GASS, ROBIN A. THICKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@craigpointon8394
Such an underrated song.
@zoehaywood92
Craig Pointon i know. its so smooth
@Selena91895
Was just about to say this
@shelvyjoyelpeterson7472
Craig Pointon
P
@MelanatedCee
Yesssss!!!!
@carmelawoody5461
As an artist period
@peachesncreamy9653
Whoever doesn't like this song has no soul.
@melsha_smiles5262
I don't care what color he is! Sing to us😌😌😍
@fitzgeraldanthony9333
ROBIN THICKE IS THE REAL DEAL PERIOD! The man is a legitimate iconic soul singer in the 1st degree and this beautiful sublime masterpiece is evidence of that fact.
@zoehaywood92
i wanna hear this song at the highest level i possibly can