In the years following Idol, Studdard has released four studio albums, including his most recent disc, 2009's Love Is.
Partway through the second American Idol competition in early 2003, guest judge Gladys Knight christened corpulent crooner Ruben Studdard a "velvet teddy bear," a nod to his smooth, Luther Vandross-styled voice and his Barry White-sized girth. The nickname stuck, since it captured the persona of the 25-year-old native of Birmingham, Alabama, who had unexpectedly become the front-runner in the televised talent show. Surrounded by skinny kids emulating Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, the two singers who had dominated the previous American Idol season in 2002, Studdard stood out with his massive frame, winning smile, mellow voice, and trademark jerseys bearing the number 205, the area code of his hometown.
That hometown looms large in Ruben's background. The son of two teachers, Studdard was born in Birmingham on July 14, 1978. He sang at his parents' Baptist church as a child, but it wasn't until college that he seriously pursued music. Abandoning a promising career in football that would lead to an athletic scholarship at Alabama A&M University, he decided to switch his major and study voice at the school, eventually graduating with a degree in 2000. He then launched his professional career as a singer for Just a Few Cats, a Birmingham-based jazz and soul band. During 2002, Ruben joined one of the group's backup singers at an audition for the second American Idol, making the first round of cuts at his local audition, then winning himself a slot on the national television program.
Studdard made a big impression from the start. Where most of his competitors were pop star wannabes hungry to win the competition, Ruben was quiet and exceedingly laid-back, impressing audiences and judges alike with his large voice and easy confidence. He soon climbed to the top of the pack and stayed there throughout the show, only once being voted into an elimination round. By that point, American Idol 2003 had turned into a horse race between Studdard and Clay Aiken, a skinny, geeky kid from the South whose appearance and taste were perhaps the polar opposite of Ruben's. Like many horse races, this one ended in a photo finish, with Ruben beating Clay by a few thousand votes in May 2003.
Within a month of the show's completion, Ruben's first single, "Flying Without Wings," was released concurrently with Clay's "This Is the Night," a clever release scheme designed to keep the competition alive. Aiken beat Studdard to the top of the charts, and shortly afterward, it was announced that the proposed joint release of their debut albums would be delayed, with each album released separately instead. As Aiken rode a wave of popularity that eclipsed Studdard's, Ruben worked frenetically -- recording his debut, touring with his American Idol cohorts, filming a cameo for Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, and suing 205 Flava Inc., the company that made the jerseys he famously wore on American Idol, claiming that the clothes makers illegally profited from his image. 205 Flava Inc. countered that they paid the singer $1,000 to wear the jerseys on the show during the competition, and presented checks written to Ruben's brother and manager on MTV News to support their claim.
As Ruben worked, his album's release date kept getting pushed back; originally slated for an August release, the album was first rescheduled for October, and then postponed to November. Studdard's recording sessions boasted a variety of producers and collaborators, including Fat Joe, Missy Elliott, and R. Kelly, whose names were leaked to the press during the studio process in an effort to shore up Ruben's hip-hop and R&B credentials. When the finished product, Soulful, was finally released on December 9, 2003, it didn't boast either the highly touted Missy or Kelly tracks (though Fat Joe made the cut), but it did display a distinct hip-hop-flavored R&B bent, which stood in contrast to the pop-oriented efforts by such American Idol contestants as Clay Aiken, Kelly Clarkson, and Justin Guarini. Sporting two Top Ten hits, the album quickly went platinum.
The gospel album I Need an Angel followed one year later, featuring collaborations with contemporary gospel icons such as Bill Gaither and Walter Hawkins. Although the album sales failed to approach those of Studdard's debut, I Need an Angel did fare well on the gospel charts. Even so, Studdard returned to his urban roots in 2006 with an aptly named third album, The Return, which featured such contributors as Scott Storch and Ne-Yo. Lead-off single "Change Me" topped the urban contemporary charts that same year, but The Return proved to be the slowest selling album of the singer's career, prompting J Records to cancel his contract in 2007.
In 2008, Ruben Studdard took a well-received foray into theater by portraying Fats Waller in a revival tour of Ain't Misbehavin'. Following the show's completion in May 2009, he returned to his studio career with another album, Love IS, whose subject matter honored the singer's recent marriage to Surata Zuri McCants. The two divorced in late 2011. In 2012, Studdard released Letters from Birmingham, his first album for the Shanachie label. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
For The Good Times
Ruben Studdard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't look so sad, baby, I know it's over, oh
But life goes on and this world keeps on turning, yes, it does
Let's just be glad, we have this time to spend together, together, baby
There is no need to watch the bridges that we're burning, oh
For the good time, oh, oh, oh, baby
I'll get along and, baby, I'm sure you'll find another
But darlin' please remember I'll be here
Said I'm gonna stay right here if you should ever find you need me
Don't say a word about tomorrow or forever and ever and ever and ever
There'll be time enough for severance when you leave me
Here's what you got to do
Lay your head on my pillow
This is what I want you to do for me, baby
Hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Hear the whisper of the raindrops
Blowing softly against the window, oh
Make believe you love me one more time, yeah
For the good time, that's all I want you to do, baby
For the good time, there's no need for you to be sad, no
For the good time, lay your head right here, baby
And remember for the good time, hey
Feel so good, got to do it again
Yes, I do, yeah
The lyrics to Ruben Studdard's "For The Good Times" speaks to the end of a romance, but also celebrates the time spent together. The song acknowledges the sadness of the end of a relationship, but also reminds us that life goes on and we should cherish the moments spent with loved ones. Studdard encourages his partner to not worry about the "bridges that we're burning" and to enjoy the present, even though they both know it's over. He acknowledges that they will both move on with their lives, but he promises to be there for her if she ever needs him. The verses express a longing for one more moment together, where they can lay their heads on each other's pillows and feel the warmth of each other's bodies. The song fades out with the words "feel so good, got to do it again," implying a desire for another chance at love.
Overall, "For The Good Times" takes a bittersweet approach to the end of a relationship, acknowledging that it's time to move on, but reminding us to cherish the memories and moments we've shared with loved ones.
Line by Line Meaning
I just want you to remember
I want to remind you of something
Don't look so sad, baby, I know it's over, oh
Please don't be sad, honey, because I know our relationship has ended
But life goes on and this world keeps on turning, yes, it does
However, time doesn't stop and life moves on
Let's just be glad, we have this time to spend together, together, baby
Let's enjoy the time we had together and be grateful for it
There is no need to watch the bridges that we're burning, oh
We shouldn't worry about our past and broken relationship
For the good time, oh, oh, oh, baby
Let's focus on the good times we shared
I'll get along and, baby, I'm sure you'll find another
I'll move on and I know you will find someone new
But darlin' please remember I'll be here
But sweetheart, please keep in mind that I'll always be here for you
Said I'm gonna stay right here if you should ever find you need me
I promise to be always there for you whenever you need me
Don't say a word about tomorrow or forever and ever and ever and ever
We should not talk about the future or forever
There'll be time enough for severance when you leave me
When the time comes, we'll deal with the separation process then
Here's what you got to do
Let me tell you what to do
Lay your head on my pillow
Rest your head on my pillow
This is what I want you to do for me, baby
Please do this for me, my love
Hold your warm and tender body close to mine
Embrace me with your warm and tender body
Hear the whisper of the raindrops
Listen to the soft sound of the raindrops
Blowing softly against the window, oh
As they gently brush against the window
Make believe you love me one more time, yeah
Pretend for a moment that you still love me
For the good time, that's all I want you to do, baby
All I ask is that you focus on the good times we had together
For the good time, there's no need for you to be sad, no
Remember the good times and don't be sad anymore
For the good time, lay your head right here, baby
Recline your head here with me, my love
And remember for the good time, hey
And do it all for the sake of the good times
Feel so good, got to do it again
It felt so good, we have to do it again
Yes, I do, yeah
Absolutely, I believe so
Contributed by Jayden I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.