Tony Rich got his start in the music industry as a staff writer at LaFace Records. While there, Rich penned hits for Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill, TLC and Toni Braxton.
While living in Detroit, Rich started playing in jazz fusion and soul bands and worked with local Detroit songwriters. It was at this time that John Salley, Detroit Pistons player and record producer, encouraged Rich to work with his artists and to even make his own tracks.
Meeting with R&B singer Pebbles, Tony Rich was introduced to her then-husband L.A. Reid. As co-founder of LaFace Records, Reid convinced Rich to move to Atlanta and to begin writing and producing for established acts. One of Rich's first projects was a session with Elton John and Sounds of Blackness for a Curtis Mayfield tribute LP. He then expanded his portfolio to include work with the previously mentioned stars.
In early 1996, Rich made his solo debut with the cd Words and the hit single Nobody Knows, which made it to number 2 on the top 100. Both the album and single went platinum and in 1997, Tony Rich won the Grammy for Best Male R&B album. The album featured two Grammy-nominated singles, Like A Woman and Nobody Knows.
The album was followed up in 1998 by Birdseye which, while critically praised, failed to generate much commercial success. Rich seemingly disappeared from the music world for several years after his album's release.
In 2003, Rich came back on the scene with the album Resurrected. Carrying a very different style this time around, the album featured Rich rocking out on the guitar as well as singing smooth ballads.
In 2006, Rich released a fourth album, Pictures. The album contains snapshots of a relationship, and is far more in the veins of his earlier works.
In 2008, he released his fifth album, Exist through Hidden Beach Recordings. Originally it was set for release on September 16, however it was pushed back to September 23, 2008. The album features download-only single, Part the Waves.
Birdseye
The Tony Rich Project Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hat tilted to one side I watch her body, in phase
Platinum eyes like in department stores, she's curious, of course
You'll be mine one day, I said
If we could sometimes just go out with margaritas, drink greyhounds
Don't quite like dancing, too cool
But I could sense her class in a magazine
Now I know love can be true
When I saw you in bird's eye view
Baby I found love
(Girl you define love)
When all the bus drivers turn cool
With no more taxis cruising through
I'll still find you, love
(Girl you define)
Now girl these girls the kind that play around
Don't wanna make her frown she'll bring her laundry to bed
And every day she finds a sunny cloud
It sort of makes me smile, she's so dramatically free
I'd like to show you my new house, I've seen us making on my couch
You'd dig the bathtub, for sure
So I baptized her in the bubble bath, she came out screaming mad
Oh, what a laugh 'cause she still had Halle's eyes
Now I know love can be true
When I saw you in bird's eye view
Baby I found love
(Girl you define love)
When all the bus drivers turn cool
With no more taxis cruising through
I'll still find you, love
(Girl you define)
I'd take the A-Train to follow you
Oh well, she said she thinks it's all good
Don't matter what your body do oh cool, I'm cool
She thinks I'm cool that's cool
I know I've found love
Now I know love can be true
When I saw you in bird's eye view
Baby I found love
(Girl you define love)
When all the bus drivers turn cool
With no more taxis cruising through
I'll still find you, love
(Girl you define)
Now I know love can be true
When I saw you in bird's eye view
Baby I found love
(Girl you define love)
When all the bus drivers turn cool
With no more taxis cruising through
I'll still find you, love
(Girl you define)
Now I know love can be true
When I saw you in bird's eye view
Baby I found love
(Girl you define love)
When all the bus drivers turn cool
With no more taxis cruising through
I'll still find you, love
(Girl you define)
Now I know love can be true
When I saw you in bird's eye view
Baby I found love
(Girl you define love)
When all the bus drivers turn cool
With no more taxis cruising through
I'll still find you, love
(Girl you define)
Now I know love can be true
When I saw you in bird's eye view
Baby I found love
(Girl you define love)
When all the bus drivers turn cool
With no more taxis cruising through
The song "Birdseye" by The Tony Rich Project is about a man who enters a club in Atlanta and sees a woman whom he immediately finds attractive. He describes her as having platinum-like eyes and being curious about him. He is confident that she will eventually be his. Even though he doesn't enjoy dancing, he senses that she is classy and likens her to Halle Berry, saying that he has found love.
The man goes on to describe the qualities he admires about the woman. She is carefree, has a positive outlook on life, and always manages to find the silver lining in things. He then invites her to his house, where he shows her his new bathtub and they take a bubble bath together. Even though she is initially unhappy about it, she manages to laugh it off due to the fun they are having. The song ends with the man declaring his love for her.
Overall, "Birdseye" is a song about finding love unexpectedly and appreciating the little things in a romantic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Stepped in the club alone at 'Atlanta Live'
I entered the club by myself at 'Atlanta Live'
Hat tilted to one side I watch her body, in phase
I tilt my hat to one side and observe her movements, synchronized
Platinum eyes like in department stores, she's curious, of course
Her eyes shine like platinum, curious as if she's in a department store
You'll be mine one day, I said
I confidently proclaimed that she will be mine one day
If we could sometimes just go out with margaritas, drink greyhounds
I wish we could casually go out and have drinks like margaritas and greyhounds
Don't quite like dancing, too cool
I don't particularly enjoy dancing, I'm too cool for that
But I could sense her class in a magazine
I can tell that she's classy from just looking at her, like in a magazine
She looks just like Halle I know I found it, I know I found love
She resembles Halle Berry, and I'm certain that I have found love with her
Now I know love can be true
I have come to understand that love can be genuine
When I saw you in bird's eye view
When I saw you from above, like a bird's eye view
Baby I found love
That's when I realized that I had found true love
(Girl you define love)
You embody the definition of love, girl
When all the bus drivers turn cool
Even if everyone else loses interest
With no more taxis cruising through
When there are no more taxis around
I'll still find you, love
I will still seek you out, my love
(Girl you define)
You define every aspect of what love means to me, girl
Now girl these girls the kind that play around
Now, these are the kind of girls that fool around
Don't wanna make her frown she'll bring her laundry to bed
I don't want to upset her, she'll even bring her laundry to bed
And every day she finds a sunny cloud
Every day, she sees a silver lining in every situation
It sort of makes me smile, she's so dramatically free
It makes me smile how free-spirited she is, in such a dramatic way
I'd like to show you my new house, I've seen us making on my couch
I'd like to show you my new home, and I envision us having intimate moments on my couch
You'd dig the bathtub, for sure
I'm sure you'd love the bathtub in my home
So I baptized her in the bubble bath, she came out screaming mad
So, I playfully baptized her in the bubble bath, and she came out shouting in a humorous way
Oh, what a laugh 'cause she still had Halle's eyes
It was funny, because she still had eyes that resembled Halle Berry
I'd take the A-Train to follow you
I would travel on the A-Train just to follow you
Oh well, she said she thinks it's all good
Oh, well, she replied that she believes everything is fine
Don't matter what your body do oh cool, I'm cool
It doesn't matter what you do with your body, I'm okay with it
She thinks I'm cool that's cool
She thinks that I'm cool, and that's cool with me
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: TONY RICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind