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.
Let Me
The Tony Rich Project Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is the moment we lay it on the line
And this is the mood that is set by our beating hearts
This is what we do before we make love
Come here, let me
Let me hold you close
I don't wanna let you go
I just wanna keep you here
I can't believe there was a time
I didn't hold you like this
I feel so complete that we're together like this
So this is the scent of our love and our gentle touch
This is how we feel after we make love
Hush, don't you worry now I
I won't rush, I'll take my time
Then you'll see how much I do love you
Come here, let me
Let me hold you close
I don't wanna let you go
Let me hold near
I just wanna keep you here
Let me hold you close
I don't wanna let you go
Let me hold near
I just wanna keep you here
Let me hold you close
I don't wanna let you go
Let me hold near
I just wanna keep you here
...
The Tony Rich Project's song Let Me In is a soulful and romantic track that talks about the intensity of love and the desire to hold onto those precious moments and emotions that come with it. The lyrics suggest that the time has come for the two lovers to express their love for each other in a profound way, and they do so by holding each other close and letting their hearts and souls be immersed in the moment. The mood is set by the powerful feeling of their beating hearts, and the scent of their love and their gentle touch.
The singer expresses gratitude for having his beloved in his arms and feeling complete in body and spirit. He assures his partner that he won't rush and will take his time, indicating a deep level of respect and commitment towards the relationship. The song suggests that the act of holding each other is not just a physical experience but a spiritual and emotional one that connects two souls in a world of their own making.
Overall, the song Let Me In is a beautiful rendition of the joys of being in love and the power of physical and emotional connection between two people.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the time when we say that we're in love
It's the moment when we confess that we're in love
This is the moment we lay it on the line
It's the moment of truth where we reveal our feelings
And this is the mood that is set by our beating hearts
It's the romantic mood created by our heartbeats
This is what we do before we make love
It's the prelude to making love
Come here, let me
The singer is inviting the partner to come closer
Let me hold you close
The singer wants to embrace the partner tightly
I don't wanna let you go
The singer doesn't want to part ways with the partner
Let me hold near
The singer wants to keep the partner close
I just wanna keep you here
The singer wants to be with the partner forever
I can't believe there was a time
The singer is in disbelief of a past where they weren't together
I didn't hold you like this
The singer regrets not having held the partner this way before
I feel so complete that we're together like this
The singer feels whole now that they're together
So this is the scent of our love and our gentle touch
It's the smell and feel of their love that they experience together
This is how we feel after we make love
It's the emotions they feel after making love
Hush, don't you worry now I
The singer comforts the partner, asking them not to worry
I won't rush, I'll take my time
The singer promises to not hurry things and take things slow
Then you'll see how much I do love you
The singer hopes that the partner will understand the depth of their love
Contributed by Katherine J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.