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
Just Because
Ruben Studdard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just because
I rise a lil sane
I might be tired lady
Tryna understand
That doesn't mean
That you've done something wrong, noooo
When We have a lil fight
And i walk out on you,
And stay gone all night
That doesn't mean
That i'm not coming home
Woooohooooow Baby
*Chorus*
I love you
Oh i love only you
What else, can i
Do or say
Mmmmmmmm
I love you
Oh i love, i love only you
What would it take,
To make you want to stay
*Verse*
Now just because
When sometimes you wanna make love
And i tell you not tonight,Try to understand
I work hard all day
Girl i'm doing the best, that i can.
Now if you wanna go
It's up to you
But i'm telling you right now
My whole world, is gonna be misty blue
I'm begging you please
Please Please Please stay
Aaaayyyyyyy
*Chorus*
I love you
I sure love ya love ya love ya love ya love ya love, i love you
What else, can i
Do or say
Oh baby, you know that i love ya know that i....
Love you
Oh i love, love you, baby
What would it take,
To make you want to stay.
Make you wanna stay
Make you wanna stay
In Ruben Studdard's song "Just Because", he reassures his significant other that just because he may be tired or they have a little fight, it doesn't mean he doesn't love her or that she has done anything wrong. In the first verse, Ruben explains that he might be tired but it doesn't mean she has done something wrong. In the second verse, he explains that even if he walks out on her, he is still coming home and staying away all night doesn't mean he's not coming back. Ruben is asking his significant other to understand him and not take certain actions personally.
In the chorus, Ruben tells his significant other how much he loves her and that he loves only her. He asks what else he could do or say to prove his love. In the second verse, Ruben explains that just because he may not be in the mood to make love, it doesn't mean he doesn't love her or wants to leave her. Ruben begs his significant other to stay and reassures her of his love. The song is about the importance of communication and understanding in a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Just because
Even though I may do something out of the ordinary or different from what we usually do, it doesn't mean that you’ve done something wrong
I rise a lil sane
I may appear not to be myself, but it doesn't mean that I am not well
I might be tired lady
I am simply feeling exhausted and that’s probably why my mood is off
Tryna understand
I am trying to communicate that you didn't cause my changing attitude
That doesn't mean
It's important to note that just because I act differently, it doesn't mean anything negative towards you
That you've done something wrong, noooo
Please, don't feel guilty or responsible for my current behavior. It has nothing to do with you
When We have a lil fight
During a disagreement or argument, when things between us are tense
And i walk out on you
If I choose to take a break from the argument and leave the room or house
And stay gone all night
If I decide to spend the night elsewhere instead of at home with you
That doesn't mean
Please don't assume that I am leaving you or ending our relationship
That i'm not coming home
I may need some space and time to reflect, but ultimately, I will return
I love you
My feelings for you are genuine
Oh i love only you
You are the only one I love and want to be with
What else, can i
I want you to know and feel my love, but I am not sure how else to express it
Do or say
I wish I knew what to say or do to make you believe in my love and commitment to you
Now just because
Please do not get upset simply because
When sometimes you wanna make love
When you express the desire to be intimate with me
And i tell you not tonight
If I say no to sexual intimacy tonight
Try to understand
Please try to comprehend and respect my decision tonight
I work hard all day
I have had a long, hard day at work, and I am feeling physically and mentally drained
Girl i'm doing the best, that i can.
I promise you that I am doing my best to provide for you and our relationship
Now if you wanna go
If you decide that you want to leave, it is ultimately up to you
It's up to you
The decision is yours, and I will respect whatever you choose to do
But i'm telling you right now
However, I need you to understand and acknowledge that
My whole world, is gonna be misty blue
My life and world will become dark and difficult to navigate without you
I'm begging you please
I am pleading with you to reconsider and stay with me
Love you
I love you dearly
I sure love ya love ya love ya love ya love ya love, i love you
I truly, genuinely love you with all my heart
Make you wanna stay
I want to do whatever it takes to make you want to stay with me and continue our relationship
What would it take,
What do I need to do or say to make you change your mind and want to stay with me?
Contributed by John N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Charles Gray
Masterpiece..Classic by Jt. But Big Rub kills this..Love this version..Great remake
Eric Springer
I love this song!! Ruben has a very retro like feel on this one....it sounds so 70s and that is awesome...reminds me of classic songs by Stevie Wonder!! Basically this shows influence here!!
José Augusto Lima
Linda demais
mzatee1
I love this .finally some R&B
Jumaine Adams
I love Johnnie Taylor's version
Tracey Smith
Lyrics are smooth.
Laura Glover
i mean this right here is my song
dede5500
not at all, but a pretty good version of it though
JGROGAN0029
yall do know this is Johnnie Taylor's song , i love the way big Rub sings it but but he cant do it like JT!
Gerald Weatherall
Not even close