Braxton was born in Severn, Maryland to Michael and Evelyn Braxton. The youngest of the Braxton's six children, Tamar started singing as a toddler. Evelyn, herself an opera singer, recognized her children's talents when one day, Tamar, sang "Can you please get me some toilet paper!" Evelyn quickly started training her girls, and eventually enrolled them in singing lessons. The Braxton children also would eventually enter in their church choir, where Michael Braxton was pastor.
Brought up in a strict Christian household, secular music was initially frowned upon, causing the children to sneak and sing along to Soul Train when the parents were out of the house. They would soon start harmonizing, forming a girl group. Tamar says of this period "I was always the highest note." Her voice was in sharp contrast to her older sister's husky contralto. One day, A Toni was pumping gas at a local gas station while singing along, when she caught the attention of a producer. He heard her sing and was amazed, and decided to pull the five sisters into a group; he envisioned a female version of the Jackson 5. They released a single on Atlantic Records in 1990 as "The Braxtons," and caught the attention of producers Antonio "L.A" Reid and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. The two had just started a then fledgling record label, LaFace, with Arista Records. The guys passed on the group, as they had just signed a new trio named TLC, but they were looking for a solo female artist and loved Toni's voice. So the girls talked it over, and Toni decided to embark on her now famous solo career.
The sisters worked as backup singers for Toni (you can see them in Toni's video Seven Whole Days). Eventually, the girls (minus Toni) would release an album for Atlantic, to which the group was still signed, in 1996 entitled So Many Ways.
In 1999, Tamar first explored her gospel side on T.D Jakes Love Songs album. Later, Tamar would meet up with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, a rapper/producer (also famous for bringing Blu Cantrell to national attention) based in Atlanta, Georgia. She recorded her solo debut album, Ridiculous, so named because of the many different musical styles on the album. The album would be retooled and released by Dreamworks as Tamar on January 18, 2000. It was lead in by the first single for the album, "Get None" with guest appearances by Jermaine Dupri and rapper Amil and featured the second single, If You Don't Wanna Love Me. The singles failed to gain significant radio & video airplay and ultimately the album didn't sell well, and Tamar was dropped from her contract,it is also worth noting that tamar proved that she could do the whistle register on money can't buy you love on tamar's deut album.
Tamar sang for the Kingdom Come soundtrack, with Toni Braxton appearing in the movie as Juanita Slocumb. Currently she sang background for Toni's album More Than A Woman (released 2002),and 2005 album Libra and resides in Atlanta. She also negotiated a new contract with Tommy Mottola's Casablanca Records, and is working to record a new album. She also sang backup in her sister Toni's famous headlining show in Las Vegas entitled, "Toni Braxton: Revealed" but has been replaced by singer Sparkle. She is currently working on a new album and her own record company with fiance, producer Vincent Herbert.
Love & War
Tamar Braxton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Only Marvin Gaye and lingerie, I guess somebody lied
We started discussin' it to fightin' then "Don't touch me, please."
Then it's "Let's stop the madness, just come lay with me."
And truth be told I'm wavin' my flag before it goes bad yeah yeah
'Cause we made it this far on for better or worse
I wanna feel it even if it hurts
If I gotta cry to get to the other side, let's go 'cause we're gon' survive oh
We stay on the front lines
Yeah but we're still here after the bomb drops
We go so hard we lose control
The fire starts then we explode
When the smoke clears we dry our tears
Only in love and war
Sometimes you're my general, you quarterback all these plays
Sometimes you're my enemy and I'm throwin' grenades
We'll just be chillin' and laughin', I'm layin' on your chest
Don't know what happened 'cause things just went left
But here we go back down that road
That's just the way that it goes
'Cause we made it this far on for better or worse
I wanna feel it even if it hurts
If I gotta cry to get to the other side, as long as you're there I'll survive oh
We stay on the front lines
Yeah but we're still here after the bomb drops
We go so hard we lose control
The fire starts then we explode
When the smoke clears we dry our tears
Only in love and war
As long as we make up after every fight when it's over
You know I'm comin' home right there where I belong
I'm takin' off this armor oh-oh-oh-whoa-ooh-oh-oh
And we stay on the front lines
Yeah but we're still here after the bomb drops
We go so hard we lose control
The fire starts then we explode baby
When the smoke clears we dry our tears
Only in love and war
Only in love and war
Only in love and war
In Tamar Braxton's song "Love & War," the lyrics describe the ups and downs of a relationship - the fights, the makeups, and the determination to stay together no matter what. The opening lines of the song express a sense of disappointment and disbelief that things aren't as perfect as someone had promised - "somebody said every day was gonna be sunny skies, only Marvin Gaye and lingerie, I guess somebody lied." This sets the stage for the relationship's struggles, which are further illustrated by lyrics like "we started discussing it to fighting then 'don't touch me please'" and "sometimes you're my enemy and I'm throwing grenades."
However, through it all, the singer insists that she wants to keep going and keep fighting for the relationship, even if it means crying sometimes. She says that "we made it this far on for better or worse," and she wants to feel the relationship, even if it hurts. The bridge of the song adds another layer to this theme of resilience in difficult times - "we stay on the front lines yeah, but we're still here after the bomb drops."
Overall, "Love & War" presents a complex, honest portrait of a relationship that isn't all sunshine and roses, but is worth fighting for. The song's chorus repeats the idea that the struggles are worth it in the end, as the couple only experiences love and war.
Line by Line Meaning
Somebody said every day, was gon' be sunny skies,
Someone promised that life would always be easy,
Only Marvin Gaye and lingerie, I guess somebody lied
Our expectations were not met at all,
We started discussin' it to fightin' then 'Don't touch me, please.'
We argue and get physical with each other,
Then it's 'Let's stop the madness, just come lay with me.'
We know we need to stop fighting and make up,
And truth be told I'm wavin' my flag before it goes bad yeah yeah
I'm admitting defeat and surrendering before things get worse,
'Cause we made it this far on for better or worse
We've been through a lot as a couple,
I wanna feel it even if it hurts
I want to experience our love, even if it comes with pain,
If I gotta cry to get to the other side, let's go 'cause we're gon' survive oh
If shedding tears is what it takes to make our relationship work, then let's do it and come out stronger on the other side,
We stay on the front lines
We face our problems head-on and don't run away,
Yeah but we're still here after the bomb drops
Despite going through tough times, we're still together, standing strong,
We go so hard we lose control
We become so invested in our love that we forget to balance our emotions with rational thinking,
The fire starts then we explode
Our fights can escalate quickly and become explosive,
When the smoke clears we dry our tears
Once the argument is over, we console each other and move on from the hurt,
Sometimes you're my general, you quarterback all these plays
You take charge of our relationship and lead us through tough times,
Sometimes you're my enemy and I'm throwin' grenades
We can turn against each other and hurt one another with our words and actions,
We'll just be chillin' and laughin', I'm layin' on your chest
We have good moments of intimacy and connection,
Don't know what happened 'cause things just went left
Sometimes things go wrong without any apparent reason,
But here we go back down that road
We re-visit our same problems and fights,
That's just the way that it goes
Our relationship comes with its ups and downs,
As long as we make up after every fight when it's over
We both know that we need to reconcile and apologize after every argument,
You know I'm comin' home right there where I belong
Home is where we feel most comfortable and safe with each other,
I'm takin' off this armor oh-oh-oh-whoa-ooh-oh-oh
I'm letting my guard down and being vulnerable with you,
Only in love and war
Our relationship is a battlefield, but we fight because we love each other.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Darhyl Camper, Lashawn Daniels, Makeba Riddick, Tamar Braxton
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@robe3340
its 2023 and this song is still timeless and a staple in my playlists. thank you tamar braxton
@shawnni3014
Yesss it is
@youtubecommentsection8314
😌 it slaps so hard.
@reneewilliams7425
Facts
@Adavis2366
Facts!
@Melanie-xw9xg
I agree 💯🎹🎸🎙️❤
@1luvt4ken81
I’m tired of people saying she can’t sing when this song exists😔✋🏾
@Dericoox
Me toooo
@honeyjohnson8536
Workin Workin not the case with her
@Lol-tn9lr
Bama Made no just no to sound good you need some type of good voice especially like this