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.
I Need Love
Robin Thicke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So good it hurts
I don't want it, I gotta, gotta have it, uh oh
When I can't find the words I just go
I don't like it, no, I love it
I don't like it, no, I love it
Hey now I'm glad to meet ya
Turn up girl, blow the speaker
Yeah up, think about it now, blow the speaker
I'll speak louder, let's get wild tonight
Billionaire bottles, we just down 'em like
Ain't no problem, all my roads are right
All right, all right
I don't like it, I love it
I got another comma in my budget
I got a anaconda in my Trukfit
Don't push it, don't push it
'Cause I'ma hit it till I jackpot, that's right
Wax on baby, wax off, act right
You can put it on the black card, all night
And I'll spend it, I'll spend it 'cause
I don't like it, I love it, love it, love it, uh oh
So good it hurts
I don't want it, I gotta, gotta have it, uh oh
When I can't find the words I just go
I don't like it, no, I love it
I don't like it, no, I love it
All night, let me groove ya
Dance with me, turn down for who girl
Another runner help us step the moves up
Yeah bet that round need a measure or ruler
Celebrate life and I'll pay for it
That Cavalli nice next to my Tom Ford
Yeah party all night, let's all aboard
Let's all aboard, all aboard
I don't like it, I love it
And them other girl they can't touch it
Competition, that's a whole 'nother subject
I wanna walk it out in public
You a star baby, just know, let's go
To the mansion or the condo, let's go
Perfect time gotta let it flow, you know
I'm watching, I'm watching, 'cause
I don't like it, I love it, love it, love it, uh oh
So good it hurts
I don't want it, I gotta, gotta have it, uh oh
When I can't find the words I just go
I don't like it, no, I love it
I don't like it, no, I love it
Meet me at the studio
Bangarang just like Ruffio
Feel the base, let ya booty go
I wanna get inside it
Run away for a few days
Thinkin' 'bout love, baby touché
Tied up like a shoe lace
I don't like it, I don't like it
I don't like it
I don't like it, no, I love it (I love it, ooh ooh)
I don't like it, no, I love it
I don't like it, no, I love it, I love it, I love it
I don't like it, no, I love it, I love it
The lyrics to Robin Thicke's "I Need Love" express a profound appreciation for the experience of love. The song is about the overwhelming feeling of love that consumes him, and the desire to celebrate and indulge in it. Thicke's lyrics repeatedly emphasize this sentiment: "I don't like it, I love it, love it, love it, uh oh/So good it hurts/I don't want it, I gotta, gotta have it, uh oh."
Throughout the song, Thicke is consumed with the beauty of the music, the experience of love, and the sensation of being alive in a moment that is purely joyful. He describes the power of the beat, the excitement of the dance floor, and the allure of life's most indulgent pleasures. The lyrics are a perfect representation of the thrill that can come from healthy and positive forms of love and self-expression.
Overall, "I Need Love" speaks to the joy of being alive, and the overwhelming power of love to transform and uplift us. It muses upon the beauty and goodness of life, and affirms our ability to embrace and celebrate its myriad blessings.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't like it, I love it, love it, love it, uh oh
The singer doesn't just enjoy something, he loves it passionately
So good it hurts
The experience is so enjoyable that it's almost painful
I don't want it, I gotta, gotta have it, uh oh
The singer has a strong desire for something, even though he knows he doesn't need it
When I can find the word I just go
Sometimes words are not enough to express how much he loves something
All out, turn the beat up
The singer is excited and wants to intensify the energy of the moment
Hey now I'm glad to meet ya
The singer is happy to be around the person he's addressing
Turn up girl, blow the speaker
The singer wants the person to enjoy the moment so much that they blow out the singer with excitement
Yeah up, think about it now, blow the speaker
Encouraging the idea of having fun to the point of causing damage
I'll speak louder, let's get wild tonite
The singer is pumped and wants to get crazy with the person
Billionaire bottles, we just down em like
The singer is enjoying expensive champagne
Ain't no problem, all my roads are right
The singer is confident and believes that everything will work out in his favor
I got another comin' in my budget
The singer can afford to have more fun at the moment
I got a anaconda in my truck fit
The singer wants to show off his expensive car fitted with an anaconda skin interior
Don't push it, don't push it
The singer doesn't want to be pressured to do anything he doesn't want to
'Cause I'ma hit it til I jackpot, that's right
The singer will continue to have fun until he's satisfied
Wax on baby wax off, act right
The singer wants to keep things fun and under control for both himself and the person he's addressing
You can put it on the black card, all night
The singer can afford to pay for anything with his black credit card
And I'll spend it, I'll spend it 'cause
The singer doesn't mind spending money to have a good time
All night, let me group ya
The singer wants to spend the whole night with the person he's addressing
Dance with me, turn down for who girl
The singer invites the person to dance and enjoy the moment with him
Another runner help us step the moves up
The singer wants to bring in another person to join in on the fun and help liven up the party
Yeah bet that round
The singer is willing to bet money that they're going to have a good time
Need a measure or ruler
The singer wants to have an amazing time that can't even be measured or compared to anything else
Celebrate life and I'll pay for it
The singer wants to celebrate life and will pay for anything it takes to make that happen
That Cavalli nice next to my Tom Ford
The singer is wearing expensive clothes that he wants to show off
Yeah party all night, let's all aboard
The singer wants the fun to continue all night and invites everyone to join in
And them other girl they can't touch it
The singer feels that no other girl can compare to the person he's addressing
Competition, that's a whole nother subject
The singer is not interested in competition when it comes to having fun with somebody
I wanna walk it out in public
The singer is proud of the person he's having fun with and wants to show them off in public
You a star baby, just know, let's go
The singer thinks that the person he's addressing is amazing and wants to keep having fun with them
To the mansion or the condo, let's go
The singer wants to keep the party going either at his mansion or a condo
Perfect time gotta let it flow, you know
The singer believes that the moment is perfect and it just needs to naturally happen and be enjoyed
I'm watching, I'm watching, 'cause
The singer is carefully observing and enjoying the moment
Meet me at the studio
The singer wants to continue having fun with the person later at his studio
Bangarang just like Ruffio
The singer wants to have more fun and excitement, like the character Ruffio from the movie Hook
Feel the base, let ya booty go
The singer wants the person to dance and enjoy the moment with passion
I wanna get inside it
The singer wants to intimately connect with the person he's addressing
Run away for a few days
The singer wants to temporarily escape from reality and have fun with somebody he enjoys
Thinkin' bout love, baby touche
The singer is reflecting on the idea and concept of love with the person he's addressing
Tied up like a shoelace
The singer feels an emotional connection to the person he's addressing that's strong and similar to the tightness of tied shoestrings
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Thomas Troelsen, Tramar Dillard, Alexander Izquierdo, Pierre-Antoine Melki, Raphael Judrin, Jamie Sanderson, Geoffrey Early
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind