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.
Black Tar Cloud
Robin Thicke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There's a black tar cloud all because of me
Emergency, emergency
There's a black tar cloud all because of me
You're packing up quickly, the baby's at Grandmas
The raging coast is far from clear
You're yelling and screaming and smacking me
A rock in the TV, you bashing my ride up you smashed my guitar
Chasing me around the house swinging,
Trying to hit me with my favorite golf club
You reved up the car, you smashed through the gate,
I ran up the street
I waited an hour to cool off when I came back,
It was too late
You were lying in bed, said you took 20 pills
Now I'm calling the ambulance, police,
I'm freaking out 'til you said chill
Baby I didn't really take them pills
I'm just desperately crying for help
Emergency
There's a black tar cloud all because of me
Aw emergency, yeah emergency
There's a black tar cloud all because of me
I was licking your wounds I thought we were straight
I thought everyone was gonna eat the chips
Turns out I'm the only one who double dipped
Face down in a puddle of shame,
drowning in suffering, self-sabotaging
The one thing that made like seem okay
I was jealous of your light,
jealous of your soul
Good morning, manipulation and control
Emergency
There's a black tar cloud all because of me
Emergency, yeah emergency
There's a black tar cloud all because of me
One heart was more than enough
One body wanted too much
One kiss it wanted to stay
One hand always misbehaved
One eye looked around the room,
one eye looked inside itself and finally
Finally saw the truth yeah, finally saw the truth
Now the sun's going down
yeah the sun's going down
And all we got left baby is this black tar, black tar, black tar cloud
Emergency, emergency 911, emergency 911,
Emergency 911, emergency 911, emergency 911,
There's a black tar cloud all because of me
There's a black tar cloud, can't see through the clear,
There's a black tar cloud, in both hemispheres
There's a black tar cloud and I brought it here,
There's a black tar cloud, emergency
The song "Black Tar Cloud" by Robin Thicke is a story about a destructive and toxic relationship that leads to a catastrophic result. The lyrics describe a fight between two lovers that escalates into violence, destruction, and reckless behavior. The singer, a spoiled rich kid, is causing chaos by smashing objects, chasing their partner with a golf club, and ultimately driving away in a fit of rage. When they return, they find their partner overdosing and having to call for help. The song describes the guilt and shame that the singer feels, acknowledging that the toxic behavior is their fault and that they have brought a "black tar cloud" over their relationship and lives.
The black tar cloud is a metaphor for the negative energy and toxicity that the singer has brought into their relationship. It represents the aftermath of their actions and the consequences they must face. The lyrics show the regret and remorse that the singer feels after the fact, but also reflect on the underlying issues that led to the destructive behavior in the first place. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of codependency and jealousy in relationships, and the need to address these issues before they spiral out of control.
Line by Line Meaning
Emergency, emergency
Urgent crisis! Urgent crisis!
There's a black tar cloud all because of me
Due to my actions, there is now a heavy, dark cloud over us
You're packing up quickly, the baby's at Grandmas
You're leaving in a hurry and taking the baby to Grandma's house
The raging coast is far from clear
The situation is only getting worse
You're yelling and screaming and smacking me
You're angry with me, and hitting me
How could you do this you spoiled little rich kid
You're angry and blaming me for my privilege and entitlement
A rock in the TV, you bashing my ride up you smashed my guitar
You've destroyed my possessions, including my TV, car and guitar
Chasing me around the house swinging,
You're chasing me around the house, trying to hit me
Trying to hit me with my favorite golf club
You're trying to hit me with my favorite golf club
You revved up the car, you smashed through the gate,
You drove off in a frenzy, smashing through the gate
I ran up the street
I fled up the street
I waited an hour to cool off when I came back,
I took a break and cooled down before returning
It was too late
It was too late to undo the damage
You were lying in bed, said you took 20 pills
You were in bed, claiming you overdosed on pills
Now I'm calling the ambulance, police,
I had to call for emergency services
I'm freaking out 'til you said chill
I was freaking out until you calmed me down
Baby I didn't really take them pills
I didn't actually take those pills
I'm just desperately crying for help
I'm in a distressed state and need help
I was licking your wounds I thought we were straight
I was trying to make amends and thought everything was okay
I thought everyone was gonna eat the chips
I thought everyone was going to enjoy the party
Turns out I'm the only one who double dipped
I made a mistake by sharing the same chip dip twice
Face down in a puddle of shame,
I'm ashamed and lying face down in a puddle of my own tears
drowning in suffering, self-sabotaging
I'm overwhelmed with pain and causing my own suffering
The one thing that made life seem okay
The one thing that gave me joy and made life bearable
I was jealous of your light, jealous of your soul
I was envious of your vitality and spirit
Good morning, manipulation and control
I'm admitting to my manipulative behavior
One heart was more than enough
One person's love was sufficient
One body wanted too much
One person's desire was too much to handle
One kiss it wanted to stay
One kiss was enough to make things complicated
One hand always misbehaved
One hand did things it shouldn't have done
One eye looked around the room,
One eye was distracted and unfocused
one eye looked inside itself and finally
One eye introspected and gained insight
Finally saw the truth yeah, finally saw the truth
Finally realized the truth
Now the sun's going down
The day is coming to an end
yeah the sun's going down
The day is over
And all we got left baby is this black tar, black tar, black tar cloud
All that's left between us is this heavy, dark cloud
Emergency 911, emergency 911,
Urgent crisis! Urgent crisis! Call 911!
There's a black tar cloud all because of me
Due to my actions, there is now a heavy, dark cloud over us
There's a black tar cloud, can't see through the clear,
Even when everything seems clear, there's still a darkness lingering
There's a black tar cloud, in both hemispheres
This cloud of negativity is affecting everything, everywhere
There's a black tar cloud and I brought it here,
I'm responsible for bringing this dark cloud upon us
There's a black tar cloud, emergency
The situation is urgent, the darkness is overwhelming
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: BOBBY KEYES, JAMES D. GASS, ROBIN A. THICKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind