Shai was formed at Howard University in Washington D.C. Three of the four members, Marc Gray, Carl Martin, and Darnell Van Rensalier, belonged to the same fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and along with good friend, Garfield A. Bright, decided to take a chance at turning their hobby of singing into a career. Moving to New York City, New York, the foursome tried to secure a record deal, but they couldn't find any takers. With their money running out and their future looking bleak, the members of Shai took a chance on a radio contest that radio station WPGC was sponsoring. They chose to perform a song that Carl Martin wrote, "If I Ever Fall in Love," which they sang a cappella. The song won the contest and began finding airplay on WPGC. Other stations soon followed, and suddenly the record labels came calling. After signing with Gasoline Alley, Shai began putting together its debut album.
"If I Ever Fall in Love" was the first single and peaked at #2 in the U.S. The next two releases from the double-platinum album, "Comforter" and "Baby I'm Yours" both reached #10. The group's next CD was a remix album largely consisting of new versions of their previous hits, which resulted in a revised version of the song "Baby I'm Yours" simply titled "Yours" which peaked at #63. Future efforts fell shy of the Top 40 although the group did briefly reappear there in 1994 with the #34 "The Place Where You Belong" from the Beverly Hills Cop III soundtrack. The group's last charting single was 1996's #89 single "I Don't Wanna Be Alone". Shai is still active releasing such albums as "Destiny" (1999), "Back From The Mystery System: The Love Cycle" (2004), "Love Cycle: Back From The Mystery System" (2007) and "Worldwide (as D-n-G of Shai" (2009). Visit http://www.myspace.com/shaimusicworld their official MySpace.
Comforter
Shai Lyrics
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Hook
Lay down and tell me what's on your mind
What exactly did he do to make you cry this time
Well I will be your comforter I will make it right
He cast a shadow on your heart and I will bring back your light
When you are in pain I'm in pain
That's part of bring a friend
But this is a special case
I held my feelings back because of him
And now I can see it more than ever
I made a big mistake
Hook
I don't mean to disregard your feelings
But I think he's a fool
He don't know how sensitive you are
And baby that just ain't cool
I'm just glad I can be there for you
When you need a helping hand
Deep inside my heart from the start
I know I should've been your man
Hook
The lyrics to Shai's song "Comforter" describe a friend comforting someone who has been hurt by a romantic partner. The friend is willing to listen and be a source of support. The lyrics emphasize the strong emotional bond between the two friends - when one is in pain, the other is as well. The friend acknowledges that they made a mistake by holding back their feelings before, but now they are committed to helping their friend through this difficult time.
The chorus reinforces the idea that the friend is there to provide comfort and support. They want to know exactly what happened to cause the friend's pain, so they can help make things right. The friend is cast in the role of a "light-bringer," someone who can chase away the shadows that have fallen over the heart of the person they care for. The chorus also reveals the depth of the friend's emotions - they have been holding back their feelings for a long time and this situation has brought those feelings to the surface.
In the second verse, the friend offers a frank assessment of the romantic partner's behavior. They believe that the partner is a fool for not appreciating how sensitive and caring their friend is. The friend is grateful for the opportunity to be there for their friend, but they also express regret over not having acted on their own feelings sooner. The chorus repeats, underscoring the friend's commitment to providing comfort and light in a dark time.
Overall, "Comforter" is a heartfelt song about the power of friendship and the importance of being there for someone when they need you most. The lyrics are poignant and relatable, and the melody is sweet and soothing. It's no wonder that this song has become a classic in the R&B genre.
Line by Line Meaning
Talk to me baby I'm listening
I am here to listen to you and understand what you are going through.
Lay down and tell me what's on your mind
Take a moment to relax and open up to me about what's been bothering you.
What exactly did he do to make you cry this time
I want to know the specific actions that hurt you so that I can understand and support you better.
Well I will be your comforter I will make it right
I want to provide you with comfort and help make things right for you.
He cast a shadow on your heart and I will bring back your light
He has caused you pain and hurt, but I will be here to help bring happiness and light back into your life.
Come in I see he's hurt you again
I can see that you're hurting because of him and I want to be there for you.
When you are in pain I'm in pain
I care deeply about you and your well-being, so when you are in pain, it affects me as well.
That's part of bring a friend
Being there for each other during difficult times is what friends do.
But this is a special case
Your situation is unique and requires extra attention and care.
I held my feelings back because of him
I didn't express my true feelings for you before because of him, but now I realize that he doesn't deserve you.
And now I can see it more than ever
I now understand more clearly that you deserve better than what he has been giving you.
I made a big mistake
I regret not expressing my true feelings for you sooner and not being there for you when you needed me.
I don't mean to disregard your feelings
I don't want to ignore or invalidate your feelings.
But I think he's a fool
I believe that he is not treating you well and doesn't appreciate you like he should.
He don't know how sensitive you are
He doesn't realize how much his actions are affecting you and he isn't being considerate of your feelings.
And baby that just ain't cool
It's not fair for him to treat you that way and I want to help make things better for you.
I'm just glad I can be there for you
I am grateful for the opportunity to be there for you and support you through this difficult time.
When you need a helping hand
I will always be there to offer my assistance and support when you need it.
Deep inside my heart from the start
I have cared for you deeply from the beginning
I know I should've been your man
I realize now that I should have been more vocal about my feelings for you and treated you better.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: CARL E. MARTIN, DARNELL ANDRE VAN RENSALIER, MARC D. GAY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Antoinette Alvarez
on If I Ever Fall In Love
♡