Born in Dallas, Texas, Campbell was introduced to the R&B by Quincy Jones in August 1989. Campbell's debut single was "Tomorrow (A Better You Better Me)" which reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip hop Singles chart in June 1990. It was the lead single from Quincy Jones' critically acclaimed ensemble LP Back on the Block which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1991. After working with Jones and writers and producers including Siedah Garrett, Campbell worked with producers Narada Michael Walden, Al B. Sure, Babyface, and others to record additional music.
Campbell's first solo hit was "Round and Round", which charted at #3 on R&B charts in November 1991 and #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1991 was produced by Prince and was featured in Prince's film Graffiti Bridge. Campbell followed the success of his first two singles by releasing his debut album, T.E.V.I.N., in November 1991 which featured the R&B hit singles and Campbell's only #1 Adult Contemporary hit: "Tell Me What You Want Me To Do" followed by:, "Alone With You", and "Goodbye". His second album, I'm Ready released October 1993, yielded the #1 R&B hit and #9 pop single "Can We Talk" in December 1993, "I'm Ready", "Always in My Heart" which charted at #3 on the R&B chart. He also scored a Top 30 hit with "Don't Say Goodbye Girl" on the R&B charts. In September 1994, Campbell also scored an R&B hit with the single "U Will Know" as part of the R&B supergroup Black Men United, a group that also included singer Usher.
The year 1996 saw the release of his third album, Back to the World (#11 R&B). The title track was a success (hitting the R&B Top 20), but additional singles failed to make an impact on the chart. His early 1999 self-titled album was found Campbell venturing into the neo-soul venue. The project was rushed, and as a result charted below the R&B Top 30, with only one single charting, a Top 30 song called "Another Way".
Campbell was nominated for five Grammy Awards and two American Music Awards.
In December 2005, Campbell made his Broadway debut in the role of Seaweed J. Stubbs in the hit musical Hairspray. Campbell is currently still playing in Hairspray.
Campbell returned to the studios in 2006, working with producers Scott Storch, The Underdogs, Krucial Keys, Bryan Michael Cox, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, and Ryan Leslie. The comeback album is waiting to be published and will be released in 2008.
I'm Ready
Tevin Campbell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Then leave me standing here now
Without a goodbye
And maybe I am the fool you call me
'Cause I'll be here standing,
Waiting to hear you say to me
I'm ready, (you know I'm ready)
Forever (forever)
Hey love now
Come and love me forever more
I'm ready, (you know I'm ready)
To love you (to love you)
Forever (forever)
Hey love now
Come and love me forever more
Sometimes, when I'm alone, I feel sad
I know you'll leave me once again
And take my pride
And maybe I am the fool you call me
'Cause I'll be here standing
Waiting to here you say to me
I'm ready, (you know I'm ready)
To love you (to love you)
Forever (forever)
Hey love now
Come and love me forever more
I'm ready, (you know I'm ready)
To love you (to love you)
Forever (forever)
Hey love now
Come and love me forever more
And once again I'll be right here Waiting to share your love
But I hope this time for once
We'll forever mend it oh
I'm ready, (you know I'm ready)
To love you (to love you)
Forever (forever)
Hey love now
Come and love me forever more
I'm ready, (you know I'm ready)
To love you (to love you)
Forever (forever)
Hey love now
Come and love me forever more
Oh, I'm ready, yes I am
I'm ready, (you know I'm ready)
To love you (to love you)
Forever (forever)
Hey love (and ever baby)
Come and love me forever more (promise you'll love me)
I'm ready, (you know I'm ready)
To love you (to love you)
Forever (forever)
Hey love (forever, yeah)
Come and love me forever more (forever more)
I'm ready
I'm ready (yeah)
To love you
Forever (forever)
Hey love
Come and love me forever more
In Tevin Campbell's song I'm Ready, the artist expresses a deep and sincere love to his significant other who has continuously hurt him in the past. Through the lyrics, he states that it was uncool for his lover to love him and then leave him without a proper goodbye. He acknowledges that he might be seen as a fool for standing waiting for his partner's return, but he is willing to do so to hear that they are genuinely willing to love him forever. The artist is aware that his lovers' past actions have made him sad and that they might leave again, taking his pride with them. However, he remains loyal and prepared to take another chance with their relationship.
The lyrics suggest total surrender to love, even after being hurt in the past. The artist recognizes the possibility of being hurt again, but reaffirms his desire to keep loving despite the risk. The song's theme can be interpreted to convey a message of hope, about believing in love even when it has let one down before.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby it was uncool to love me
You were not treating me well when you loved me before, but then left me abruptly without any goodbye or explanation.
Then leave me standing here now
You have left me standing here all alone with no explanation or reason as to why you left me.
Without a goodbye
You left me without giving me the courtesy of saying goodbye. It hurts because I thought we had a deeper connection.
And maybe I am the fool you call me
I know that you might think I am foolish for still loving you, but my feelings have not changed even after you left.
'Cause I'll be here standing,
Despite everything, I'll still be here waiting for you with open arms, willing to take you back.
Waiting to hear you say to me
What I really want is to hear you say that you are ready to be with me and love me forever.
Sometimes, when I'm alone, I feel sad
When I'm alone with my thoughts, I feel sad about what happened between us. I miss you and wish we were together.
I know you'll leave me once again
I'm afraid that you will leave me again just like you did before. I don't want to go through that pain again.
And take my pride
When you left, you took my pride with you. It hurt my self-esteem and made me feel worthless.
And maybe I am the fool you call me
I know that you might think I am foolish for still loving you, but my feelings have not changed even after you left.
And once again I'll be right here Waiting to share your love
I'm still waiting for you to come back so that we can share our love together once again. I'm hopeful that we can work things out.
But I hope this time for once We'll forever mend it oh
I hope that we can fix our relationship once and for all and stay together forever. I don't want to go through this pain again.
Oh, I'm ready, yes I am
I'm ready to love you again and give our relationship another chance. I still have feelings for you and want to be with you.
Hey love (and ever baby)
My love for you will last forever, and I want you to know that I am here for you always.
Come and love me forever more (promise you'll love me)
I want you to come back to me and love me forevermore. Please promise me that you will never leave me again and that our love will last forever.
I'm ready (yeah)
I'm ready to commit to you and love you again. I want to give you my all and make things work between us this time around.
Hey love (forever, yeah)
My love for you is constant, and I want to be with you forever. I believe that we can make our love last a lifetime.
Come and love me forever more (forever more)
I want you to love me forever, and I promise to do the same for you. Let's build a love that lasts a lifetime.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Kenneth Edmonds
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DarkDivaDana
Who's here in 2024 still jamming to Tevin Campbell on this song.
@nurushabani1525
✋🏾
@shantelwilliams5665
my daughter is 3 and loves Tevin Campbell this is one of her fave songs. I listen to mostly old school music so ppl be shock when they hear her sing along
@dangiwavivian8455
I’m
So here ❤
@sherriejackson5538
Me this song never gets old !!!❤️
@sherriejackson5538
All my kids are old fools just like me 😂😂
@willemjack7091
To the people listening to to this song in 2024 you've got good taste in music 😍😍
@nikamiller9504
everynight i listen to dis&&can we talk 🥰
@willemjack7091
@@nikamiller9504 😍
@anniceabbittcox2410
yes