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
I Surrender All
Ruben Studdard Lyrics
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All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In his presence daily live.
I surrender all, to you Jesus I surrender all, all;
All to thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
All I have I give to You (I'll give it to You)
I surrender all to You (everything I have)
I'll do what you want me to (what you want me do)
I'll give You everything
I surrender all to Jesus I surrender all
I give my self to thee
Fill me with a love and power that your blessing follow me
I surrender all
To you Jesus I (I surrender all)
All to thee, my blessed Savior
I surrender all
All I have I give to You
I surrender all to You
I'll do what you want me to
I'll give You everything
I surrender all to Jesus
All I have I give to You (all to you Lord)
I surrender all to You (I surrender all I have to you)
I'll do what you want me to (whatever you want from me)
I'll give You everything
I surrender all to You
I surrender all to You
I'll do whatever you want me to
Nothing else I'd rather do
With my life, Lord I'll serve you every day
Even when things don't go my way
Lord you can trust me to never straight, oh
The lyrics of Ruben Studdard's song I Surrender All are a declaration of devotion and submission to Jesus. The first verse begins with the singer giving everything to Jesus and trusting and loving Him, committing to living in His presence daily. The chorus then repeats the title phrase of "I surrender all," emphasizing the complete relinquishing of oneself to Jesus as the only way to find salvation and fulfillment. The following verses continue this theme, with the singer giving all they have to Jesus and doing whatever He wants of them in their lives. In the end, the singer pledges to serve Jesus every day, even in difficult times when things don't go their way, expressing unwavering faith and loyalty.
Overall, the song speaks to the idea of surrendering oneself completely to Jesus, placing trust and devotion in Him to bring fulfillment and purpose to one's life. It highlights the importance of faith and the belief that Jesus ultimately knows what is best, making it a powerful and inspiring testament to Christian devotion.
Line by Line Meaning
All to Jesus I surrender
I give everything that I have surrendered to Jesus
All to Him I freely give;
I give everything to Him with an open heart
I will ever love and trust Him,
I will love and trust Him always
In his presence daily live.
I will live in His presence every day
I surrender all, to you Jesus I surrender all, all;
I give everything that I have surrendered to Jesus completely
All to thee, my blessed Savior,
I give everything to my blessed Savior, Jesus
All I have I give to You (I'll give it to You)
I offer everything that I have to Jesus
I surrender all to You (everything I have)
I completely give up everything that I have to Jesus
I'll do what you want me to (what you want me do)
I promise to follow what you tell me to do
I'll give You everything
I surrender all to Jesus I surrender all
I give up everything that I have, I surrender everything to Jesus
I give my self to thee
I give myself to you, Jesus
Fill me with a love and power that your blessing follow me
Please bless me with love and power so that I can follow you, Jesus
I surrender all
To you Jesus I (I surrender all)
I completely surrender everything to you, Jesus
All to thee, my blessed Savior
I surrender all.
I completely surrender everything to my blessed Savior, Jesus
All I have I give to You (all to you Lord)
I give everything that I have to you, Lord
I surrender all to You (I surrender all I have to you)
I completely give up everything that I have to you
I'll do what you want me to (whatever you want from me)
I will obey and follow your commands
I'll give You everything
I surrender all to You
I completely offer everything that I have to you
I surrender all to You
I completely give up everything that I have to you
I'll do whatever you want me to
I will always follow your commands
Nothing else I'd rather do
There is nothing else that I would prefer to do
With my life, Lord I'll serve you every day
I will serve you every day of my life, Lord
Even when things don't go my way
Even when things don't go as planned
Lord you can trust me to never straight, oh
You can trust me to never steer away from you, Lord
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Songtrust Ave
Written by: TRADITIONAL, JOHN MARK HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind