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00:01Saxon.
00:02No.
00:03Tragedy waiting to happen.
00:06A well-made song will take you places that you would never expect to go.
00:10We have become pop stars.
00:14You are saving the world.
00:15This is our mission.
00:16What the smurfing?
00:30I'm John Lange.
00:56I'm John Lange.
00:57This show is called Words and Music.
01:22Come on and go.
01:27With me.
01:31There's something new for you.
01:36To see.
01:39Come on and go.
01:44With me.
01:47Yeah, yeah.
01:50There's something new for you.
01:54To see.
01:59Just relax.
02:03Just relax.
02:04Relax.
02:05Relax.
02:07I've got something new for you.
02:08When it hits you, wonder what to do.
02:10Relax.
02:11Let me move you.
02:12I've got something new for you.
02:13When it hits you, wonder what to do.
02:14Relax.
02:15Let me move you.
02:17I've got something new for you.
02:18When it hits you, wonder what to do.
02:20Relax.
02:21Let me move you.
02:22I've got something new for you.
02:23I've got something new for you.
02:24I've got something new for you.
02:25When it hits you, wonder what to do.
02:27Relax.
02:28Relax.
02:29Let me move you.
02:30Relax.
02:31Let me move you.
02:33No resistance in the air.
02:36Just one taste will take you there.
02:39Let it flow right through you.
02:43I know you're getting tired of the same old thing.
02:48Well, I'ma break the rules, gonna change the game.
02:51You'll be screaming my name.
02:56And I'ma take you places you've never seen.
02:59You could picture this in your wildest dreams.
03:02But don't fear, cause you're here with me.
03:07Let's get lifted.
03:14I'm gonna get you high.
03:16I'm really gonna blow your mind.
03:19We'll get lifted.
03:25You're gonna feel it in your soul.
03:28Maybe you will lose control.
03:30We'll get lifted.
03:33Oh oh oh.
03:41Until I tell, I'll jump out.
03:42Once you take a hit with this.
03:45You won't ever wanna quit.
03:48You'll be so addicted.
03:53Or have you been spinning round and round.
03:56Crazy, making peaky sounds.
03:59You won't want to come down
04:03But I'll be seeing things and hallucinating
04:07Even walking funny cause your legs are shaking
04:10All night we'll be blazing
04:14I'll take you four to the other side
04:18We can get high and enjoy the ride
04:21Hold tight, we'll be alright
04:25We'll get lifted
04:28I'm gonna get you high
04:35I'm really gonna blow your mind
04:37We'll get lifted
04:39You're gonna feel it in your soul
04:46Maybe you'll lose control
04:49We'll get lifted
04:50Oh, come on and go with me
05:04I'll take you high
05:07High
05:10I will show you
05:14I'll take you high
05:20I will show you
05:27I'll take you there
05:32Come on let me take you there
05:36Yeah
05:38Yeah
05:40Words and music
06:01Now people always ask me
06:04Which comes first?
06:05The lyrics or the melody
06:07I usually start with the musical chords
06:11And then I start singing a vocal melody
06:14And I see where those things lead me
06:16I mumble nonsense
06:19Syllables that make no sense
06:22Over the melody
06:24Until the lyrics sing themselves to me
06:28And when the words
06:29The lyrics and the music are a perfect match
06:34The combination feels inevitable
06:38Kind of like a good marriage
06:40My first album came out on December 28th
06:462004
06:47On my 26th birthday
06:50A day my life changed forever
06:53The album was called Get Lifted
06:56Tonight I'd like to share with you the story
07:00Of how I became the man
07:03The artist
07:04Who wrote those songs
07:06And made that record
07:08It was quite a journey
07:09I started the album
07:12And tonight's show
07:13With the album's title track
07:15When I decided to call the album
07:18Get Lifted
07:18I was borrowing a phrase
07:21From Sunday morning church service
07:22A phrase that could mean
07:24Spiritual elevation
07:27But of course
07:29I was creating a secular album
07:31An album of soul music
07:33And I'm not the first to do that
07:34Soul music has a rich tradition
07:36Of artists who straddled that line
07:38Between the sacred and the secular
07:41Artists like Sam Cooke
07:44Who took gospel music
07:46And changed the lyrics
07:47From the sacred to the secular
07:49Ray Charles took a church song
07:52Called It Must Be Jesus
07:53And turned it into
07:54I Got a Woman
07:56Aretha Franklin
07:58The daughter of a popular preacher
08:01Took her gospel singing
08:02And musical style
08:04And infused it into soul music
08:06That shot to the top
08:08Of the pop charts
08:09Marvin Gaye
08:11Was another preacher's kid
08:13He made sensual music
08:15Infused with the spiritual
08:18So to understand me
08:20And where my music comes from
08:22You have to go back to the church
08:25I was born and raised
08:27In Springfield, Ohio
08:29I was born as
08:30John Roger Stevens
08:32To Phyllis and Ronald Stevens
08:34My family belonged
08:36To the Pentecostal church
08:37And I was there
08:38From the womb
08:39We weren't just
08:40Part of the church
08:41We were the first family
08:42Of the church
08:43My grandfather
08:44Was our pastor
08:45My grandmother
08:46Was our church organist
08:47My mother was
08:47The choir director
08:48And my father
08:49Was a deacon
08:50Who taught Sunday school
08:51Played the drums
08:51Sang in the choir
08:52And drove the church band
08:53So I grew up
08:54Going to a lot of church
08:56A lot of church
08:58Bible study
09:00Revival service
09:02Choir rehearsal
09:03It shaped every aspect
09:05Of my world
09:06It was the foundation
09:06For my music
09:08My family
09:09And my education
09:10Now if you know anything
09:12About the Pentecostal church
09:13Our services are not boring
09:16It's one of the more
09:17Charismatic and energetic
09:19Denominations
09:20Within the Protestant tradition
09:22We shout
09:24We dance
09:25We speak in tongues
09:27And the music serves
09:29As the catalyst
09:30And the soundtrack
09:31For all of that
09:32So my childhood
09:34Was steeped
09:35In that music
09:36Steeped in the church
09:38And that was the foundation
09:39For everything I did
09:40After that
09:40When I got to college
09:41I tried to make
09:42As much music as I could
09:44I sang in an acapella group
09:46I started writing
09:47My own solo music
09:48And I still found a way
09:50To keep playing in church
09:52I was hired to lead the music
09:54At an African Methodist
09:56Episcopal church
09:57In Scranton, Pennsylvania
09:58It was at that church
10:00In Scranton
10:01That I met a young lady
10:02In my choir
10:03Her name was
10:03Tara Michelle
10:04Now Tara loved
10:06To sing in the choir
10:07She also loved my music
10:09And she believed in me
10:10And she also happened
10:11To be very close
10:13With a woman
10:13Named Miss Lauren Hill
10:16Yes
10:17Now Miss Hill
10:18Had already taken off
10:19With the Fugees
10:20By that time
10:21Killing Me Softly
10:23Was a massive song
10:24The score
10:25Was a massive album
10:27She was beautiful
10:28Stylish
10:29Phenomenally gifted
10:30As a singer
10:31And rapper
10:32And actor
10:33And she was working
10:34On her highly anticipated
10:36Solo debut
10:37So Tara wanted me
10:39To meet her
10:40And she said
10:41Johnny
10:41Why don't you drive me
10:43Over to Lawrence Studio
10:44In New Jersey
10:45It's just a couple hours away
10:46So we drove to a house
10:47Just outside of Newark
10:49New Jersey
10:50The house had a studio
10:51In the basement
10:52And there was this
10:53Incredible collective
10:54Of musicians in the room
10:56Several gifted writers
10:58And producers
10:59And instrumentalists
11:00Who helped her make the album
11:02Were all there
11:02And they were writing a song
11:04And I was trying my best
11:06To stay out of the way
11:08Just witness the magic
11:10Stay in the cut
11:11But when they were taking
11:13A break from writing
11:15My friend Tara said
11:16Johnny
11:17This is your opportunity
11:19Why don't you sit down
11:20At that piano
11:21And play and sing
11:22A couple songs
11:23For Lauren
11:24So she can hear
11:25What you can do
11:26So I sit down
11:27At the piano
11:28And I start
11:28Singing for her
11:30And I sang
11:31An original song
11:32That I'd written in school
11:33Called Too Late
11:34And then I sang
11:35A Stevie Wonder song
11:37Called Love's in Need
11:38And I guess
11:39She liked what she heard
11:40And she asked me
11:41To play piano
11:43On the track
11:43They were working on then
11:45You remember that one
11:53Everything is everything
11:54Well that was me
12:03On the piano
12:03Now I didn't know
12:05If they were going
12:05To use the track
12:06I didn't know
12:07If they were going
12:07To use my piano parts
12:08For the track
12:09But a few months later
12:10I get a call
12:11From a woman named
12:12Suzette Williams
12:13She was an A&R
12:15At Columbia Records
12:17Now she was
12:18Lauryn Hill's A&R
12:19She wanted to know
12:20How to spell my name
12:23For the album credit
12:24So I said
12:24Oh
12:25You want to know
12:27How to spell my name
12:28I said
12:29It's John R. Stevens
12:32For some reason
12:33I thought I should include
12:34My middle initial R
12:35John R. Stevens
12:38Sounds like
12:38A great lawyer
12:39Somebody who could
12:41Do your taxes
12:42Not the best stage name
12:43John R. Stevens
12:44But then they asked me
12:45How much I wanted
12:47To get paid
12:47And I said
12:48I don't know
12:50I'll call you back
12:51So I reached out
12:55To my friend
12:55Who had some experience
12:57Interning
12:58In the music business
12:59And I said
13:00How much should I ask for
13:01He said
13:02Ask for $500
13:04I was like
13:06Alright
13:07That was a lot of money
13:08For me back then
13:09So I called
13:09Suzette Williams
13:10Back up
13:10And I said
13:11I would like
13:13$500
13:14Suzette quickly agreed
13:20Quickly
13:20No negotiation necessary
13:24I told you
13:27That was a lot of money
13:28For me
13:28So it was all good
13:29A couple months later
13:30The miseducation
13:31Of Lauren Hill
13:32Comes out
13:33And it just takes
13:34The world by storm
13:35You remember
13:36What it was like
13:37It was the most
13:38Talked about
13:39Most acclaimed
13:40Album of the moment
13:41She wins all the
13:42Grammys
13:43She's on top
13:44Of the world
13:44And for a while
13:45That's my
13:46Claim to fame
13:47I went back to school
13:49For my senior year
13:50I told everybody
13:51That's me
13:52Playing piano
13:53On track 13
13:54Everything is everything
13:55Look at my name
13:56John R. Stevens
13:57I said it so much
13:58They started calling me
13:59Track 13
14:00Meeting Lauren Hill
14:04At that point in my life
14:05Was an amazing
14:06Stroke of luck
14:08They say luck
14:09Is when
14:10Opportunity
14:11Meets preparation
14:12And I'm so glad
14:15I was ready
14:15To make the most
14:17Of that opportunity
14:18Another lucky break
14:20Happened a few years later
14:21When I was living
14:22In New York City
14:23I had graduated
14:24One of my roommates
14:26Was a fellow
14:27Penn alum
14:28Name was
14:29Devo Harris
14:30Devo introduced me
14:32To his cousin
14:33An up and coming
14:35Rapper and producer
14:36From Chicago
14:37His name was
14:38Kanye West
14:39Yes Kanye West
14:40Now Kanye and I
14:42Began to work together
14:43Writing songs
14:44And making demos
14:45When Kanye's first album
14:47The college dropout
14:48Became a huge hit
14:49I was all over it
14:50My profile was rising
14:52Kanye was producing me
14:55He really elevated my sound
14:56And made it feel more urgent
14:58And more ready
14:59For prime time
15:00He brought his hip hop
15:02Production and sensibility
15:03Together with my musicality
15:05And my roots
15:06And gospel
15:06And soul
15:07And we made something
15:09Together
15:10That was fresh
15:11And beautiful
15:13Get lifted
15:13Became what it was
15:16Because we worked together
15:17Because of our connection
15:19The merging
15:19Of our sounds
15:20And I also had
15:22A pretty significant impact
15:23On the college dropout
15:24As well
15:25You hear my voice
15:26And musicianship
15:27On a lot of his records too
15:29Even when you don't know
15:30It's me
15:30I'm the one who sang
15:32That high pitched
15:33Exotic sounding instrument
15:35On Jesus Walks
15:36I said
15:37That was me
15:48And my music kept evolving
15:51Kept getting better
15:53And I could feel
15:53That I was getting closer
15:54And closer to where
15:55I wanted to be
15:55In fact
15:56During this time
15:57Before I got a record deal
15:58I wrote most of what became
16:01Get lifted
16:01Songs like
16:03Used to love you
16:04And let's get lifted
16:06And so high
16:07And more
16:08And speaking of
16:10Used to love you
16:10Shall we sing that song
16:12Together everybody
16:13That was my very first single
16:16Some of you might be shy
16:18But I want you to sing
16:19Like nobody's paying attention
16:21Are you ready?
16:25Your part's really simple
16:27You say
16:27Holla, holla, holla
16:30Are you ready?
16:37One
16:37Two
16:38Three
16:38Sing it
16:39Come on
16:45Maybe
16:51It's me
16:53Maybe I bore you
16:55No, no
16:57It's my fault
16:58Cause I can't afford you
17:00Maybe
17:02Baby
17:03Puffy
17:05Or Jay-Z
17:06Would all be better for you
17:08Cause all I could do
17:10Was love you
17:11Baby when I used to love you
17:14There's nothing that I wouldn't do
17:16I went through the fire for you
17:19Anything you ask me to
17:21But I'm tired
17:23Of living this life
17:24It's getting harder
17:25To justify
17:26Realize
17:28That I just don't love you
17:30Not like I used to
17:34Come on
17:39Maybe I should rob somebody
17:48So we could live like Whitney and Bobby
17:54It's probably my fault
17:57My bad
17:59My loss
18:00That you are above cost
18:03All I could do
18:04All I could do
18:04Is love you
18:05Baby when I used to love you
18:08There's nothing that I wouldn't do
18:10I went through the fire for you
18:13Anything you ask me to
18:15But I'm tired
18:17Of living this life
18:18It's getting harder
18:19To justify
18:20Realize
18:22That I just don't love you
18:24Not like I used to
18:27Come on
18:32Come on
18:34Oh baby when I used to love you
18:51There's nothing that I wouldn't do
18:53I went through the fire for you
18:56But I'm not gonna play the fool
18:58No I can't live this life
19:01And I can't justify
19:03And I can't make it my right
19:06Cause I don't love you
19:08Not like I used to
19:10Come on
19:15Come on
19:17Give it up for yourself
19:27You sound good
19:28Now if you remember
19:31The music video
19:32For used to love you
19:34You'll remember
19:34We set it out of church
19:37With a choir in the background
19:39Singing the holla holla hollas
19:41And some of my earliest
19:43Memories are being
19:45In choir rehearsal
19:46With my mother
19:48With my maternal grandmother
19:50I wasn't allowed to sing
19:52In the choir just yet
19:53But I was young
19:54And I was hungry
19:55And I kept begging for them
19:57To let me sing
19:59Let me join the choir
20:01They finally let me join the choir
20:02When I was seven years old
20:04I was the only young kid
20:06In the choir
20:06And they had to make
20:07A special custom choir rope
20:09For seven year old Johnny
20:10I was singing in the church
20:12And that gave me
20:13That first taste of the joy
20:15And the thrill
20:16That I still feel
20:18Right now
20:20When I'm with you
20:22The feeling of making
20:23A crowd happy
20:24From connecting with them
20:27And feeding off
20:28Each other's energy
20:29And when you hear me
20:30Playing the piano today
20:31You're hearing my maternal
20:33Grandmother's influence
20:34I would go to her house
20:35On Sundays after church
20:37And she would teach me
20:39How to play gospel piano
20:40And my parents were prominent
20:43In the community
20:43My dad was a factory worker
20:46Built trucks for a living
20:47But he's also an artist
20:48A painter and a tailor
20:51And my mother was this
20:52Brilliant bright light
20:54A gorgeous talented woman
20:56With a beautiful singing voice
20:57And she was beloved
20:59In our community
20:59A sort of local celebrity
21:01She sang at a lot
21:02Of the churches in our area
21:04And when I got a little older
21:06My mom would bring me along
21:07To sing and play with her too
21:09So you would look at all that
21:11And say
21:11What a wonderful family
21:13They're raising their kids
21:14In a healthy environment
21:15And giving them
21:16A good solid foundation
21:18But in the middle of all that
21:21A major trauma
21:22Shook our family to the core
21:25And it caused a rupture
21:28That was lasting
21:30And really affected
21:31My entire adolescence
21:33When I was 10
21:35My maternal grandmother
21:38The one who taught me
21:39To play piano
21:40Died suddenly
21:41From heart failure
21:44She was only 58 years old
21:47I was heartbroken
21:49Our whole family
21:51And community were
21:52But nobody was more lost
21:55Than my mother
21:57They were so close
21:59They'd led the choir together
22:01Spent a lot of time together
22:02And after her mother died
22:03My mother spiraled into
22:05Depression
22:06And addiction
22:08And for a decade
22:09She was out of our lives
22:12In losing my grandmother
22:15Other than my mother
22:16For a time
22:17I lost the two people
22:19Who were most influential
22:20In my music
22:21And education
22:22They had disappeared
22:23These losses
22:26Forced all of us
22:28To step up
22:29But it especially
22:31Forced me to step up
22:33As a musician
22:34I had lost my mother
22:37And my grandmother
22:37But our church
22:38Had lost their organist
22:40And their choir director
22:41So suddenly
22:43I had to play
22:44The keyboard
22:45Direct the choir
22:46Assuming musical
22:48And leadership responsibilities
22:50At the age of about 12 or 13
22:52That were very far
22:54Beyond my years
22:55But all of that
22:56Helped me prepare
22:58For what was to come
23:00Because
23:01When you're leading
23:02The music in the church
23:04You're arranging vocals
23:05You're coming up with ideas
23:06For what to sing
23:07You're in charge
23:08Of making the service
23:09Move
23:09Turns out to be
23:11Perfect training
23:12For what I do now
23:14And as I was moving
23:16Into adolescence
23:17I kept growing
23:18As a musician
23:19My musical horizon
23:21Started to broaden
23:22Beyond gospel music
23:23As well
23:24This is the early 90s
23:26So I got into
23:27R&B from the 90s
23:29You remember the 90s?
23:30Some of y'all do
23:31I love music
23:33Like Joe to see
23:35And
23:35Boys to men
23:37Whitney Houston
23:38Anita Baker
23:39Luther Vandross
23:40Guy
23:41Tony, Tony, Tony
23:43And then my dad
23:45Would play us music
23:46From his era too
23:47He loved Motown
23:48He loved the
23:50Smokey Robinson classics
23:52And Temptations
23:53He would walk around
23:55The house singing
23:55I've got sunshine
23:57On a cloudy day
24:01So many great soul artists
24:04A lot of those same artists
24:06Who bridge the sacred
24:07And the secular
24:09And those artists
24:10Are still with me
24:12They're still in my hand
24:14And you can hear them
24:16In my music
24:17You can hear them
24:19In songs like
24:20This one
24:21From Get Lifted
24:23It's the oldest song
24:25I wrote
24:25On Get Lifted
24:27A song called
24:29Stay With You
24:30We've been together
24:47For a while now
24:48Growing stronger
24:51Every day now
24:52Feels so good
24:54And there is no doubt
24:56I will stay with you
25:00As each morning
25:02Brings a sunrise
25:03And the flowers
25:06Bloom in springtime
25:07On my love
25:09And you can rely
25:11And I'll stay
25:13With you
25:15I will stay
25:17With you
25:18Through the y'all
25:20And the downs
25:22I will stay
25:24With you
25:26When no one else
25:28Is around
25:29When the dark clouds
25:32Arrigh
25:33I will stay
25:35By your side
25:37I know
25:38We'll be alright
25:40I will stay
25:43With you
25:44Ooh
25:45Though relationships
25:54Can get old
25:55Have the tendency
25:58To grow cold
25:59We have something
26:01Like a miracle
26:02Yeah
26:03And I'll stay
26:05With you
26:06I will stay
26:08With you
26:10Through the ups
26:12And the downs
26:14I will stay
26:16With you
26:17When no one else
26:19Is around
26:21When the dark clouds
26:24Arrigh
26:25I will stay
26:26By your side
26:28And I know
26:30We'll be alright
26:31I will stay
26:34With you
26:36And I'll be here
26:39Heartaches and pain
26:41Through it all
26:46We will remain
26:48Yeah
26:50In this life
26:53We are known
26:54Friends may come
26:56And they may go
26:58Through the years
27:00I know
27:01I will stay
27:03In the end
27:07And I know
27:07That we'll find
27:08Love so beautiful
27:11And divine
27:12We'll be lovers
27:14For a lifetime
27:16But I'll stay
27:18With you
27:20I will stay
27:22With you
27:23Through the ups
27:25And the downs
27:27I will stay
27:29With you
27:30When no one else
27:33Is around
27:34When the dark
27:36Clouds arise
27:38I will stay
27:40By your side
27:42And I know
27:43We'll be alright
27:45And I'll stay
27:48With you
27:49Everything will be
27:52Fine
27:52And I'll stay
27:55With you
27:56Through the end
27:59Of all time
28:00I will stay
28:03With you
28:06Let's talk about
28:20Ordinary people
28:21Ordinary people
28:27Was almost
28:27A Black Eyed Peas
28:29Song
28:29One day
28:32In 2004
28:34Will.i.am
28:36Invited me
28:36To a session
28:37To write with him
28:38And he asked me
28:39To come and write
28:39Some hooks
28:40For the Black Eyed Peas
28:41And he would just
28:42Play me musical ideas
28:44And beats
28:44And I would sing
28:45Whatever ideas
28:46Came to my head
28:47So he starts
28:48Playing this beat
28:49For me
28:49I'm listening
28:55And eventually
28:56I start singing
28:58A little bit
28:59I said
28:59With all of them
29:02Let me be wrong
29:03With all of them
29:07Let me be wrong
29:09I told you
29:13My songs start out
29:14As gibberish
29:15First
29:16I just sing melodies
29:19Until I figure out
29:19What I want to say
29:20And I
29:21Finally figured out
29:23That night
29:23What the lyric
29:24For the chorus
29:25For that song
29:26Would be
29:26And I recorded
29:29And I recorded the chorus
29:29For Ordinary People
29:31That night
29:31And
29:32It was supposed to be
29:34A Black Eyed Peas chorus
29:36With a hip hop beat
29:38But after a few days
29:40I told Will.i.am
29:41You know what
29:42You can keep all
29:44The other ideas
29:45We wrote
29:45But I want to keep
29:46Ordinary People
29:47For myself
29:48I'm glad I kept
29:50It for myself
29:51Aren't you glad
29:52I kept Ordinary People
29:53For myself
29:53The song really connected
30:01With people in 2005
30:03That stark
30:06Simple arrangement
30:06Didn't sound like
30:07Anything else
30:08On R&B radio
30:09And I think people
30:11Connected with the honesty
30:13The heart
30:15And the lyrics
30:16And that became
30:18My signature
30:19I wrote the songs
30:23That helped people
30:24Voice their most
30:25Intimate thoughts
30:26On love
30:27The balance
30:28That helped them
30:29Profess their commitment
30:30And grapple with
30:31The complexities
30:32Of their relationships
30:33And honestly
30:36I didn't know
30:38What I was talking about
30:39I wasn't in a serious
30:40Relationship at the time
30:41But my family
30:45Inspired me
30:46I told you the story
30:48Of my mother
30:49Getting caught up
30:50In addiction
30:50She was even
30:53Incarcerated for a time
30:54And I've learned
30:57Through experience
30:58That people going
31:00Through those
31:01Mental health
31:02And addiction struggles
31:02Don't need more
31:03Punishment
31:04And more brutality
31:05They need more
31:08Help
31:09They need more
31:10Love
31:10You'll be happy
31:13To know
31:13My mother's
31:14Been sober
31:14For decades now
31:15She's in good health
31:19She's a wonderful
31:21Grandmother
31:21And we love
31:22Having her back
31:23In our lives
31:23And she's been
31:24One of my
31:25Inspirations
31:25When I put myself
31:26Out there
31:27For a more
31:28Just and merciful
31:29Criminal justice system
31:31For ending
31:33Mass incarceration
31:34Around the year
31:372000
31:37My mother
31:38Started to return
31:40To our family
31:40She literally
31:42Had a come to
31:43Jesus moment
31:44Where
31:44She re-embraced
31:46Her faith
31:47And started to
31:47Surround herself
31:48With people
31:49Who could support her
31:50Help her get off
31:52Drugs
31:52And stay off drugs
31:54She even
31:55Reconciled
31:56With my father
31:57Yes, my parents
31:59Remarried
32:00A fairytale ending
32:06Until it wasn't
32:09Right around the time
32:13I was writing this song
32:15Ordinary People
32:15My parents had been
32:17Remarried for a few years
32:19And they decided
32:19They didn't want
32:20To be remarried anymore
32:21They got divorced
32:24For a second time
32:25So they were
32:30My inspiration
32:31When I wrote that song
32:33We're just
32:34Ordinary people
32:36We don't know
32:37Which way to go
32:38Girl, I'm in love
32:43With you
32:44But this ain't
32:46The honeymoon
32:46We're past
32:49The infatuation phase
32:51Right in the thick
32:55Of love
32:56At times
32:57We get sick
32:58Of love
32:59It seems like
33:00We argue
33:01Every day
33:02I know
33:05I misbehave
33:07You've made
33:08Your mistakes
33:10We boast
33:12We've got room
33:13Left to grow
33:14Though love
33:17Sometimes hurts
33:19I steal
33:20But you first
33:22And we'll make
33:23This thing work
33:25But I think
33:26We should take it slow
33:29Which is
33:30Ordinary people
33:32We don't know
33:36Which way to go
33:38Cause we're
33:41Ordinary people
33:43Maybe we should
33:48Take it slow
33:49Maybe we should take it slow
33:49Take it slow
33:52This time will take it slow
34:01Take it slow
34:04This time will take it slow
34:13This ain't a movie
34:18No
34:18No fairytale
34:20Conclusion
34:20Y'all
34:21It gets more
34:22Confusing
34:23Every day
34:24Oh
34:25Sometimes it's
34:28Heaven sent
34:29Then we
34:30Head back to hell
34:32Again
34:32We kiss
34:34Then we make
34:34Come on
34:35The way
34:36I hang
34:39You call
34:40We rise
34:42And we fall
34:43And we feel
34:45Just walk
34:47Away
34:48But as our love
34:51Advances
34:52We take
34:54Second chances
34:55Though it's
34:57Not a fantasy
34:58To see
34:59I still
35:00Want you
35:01To stay
35:03We're just
35:04Ordinary people
35:06We don't know
35:10Which way to go
35:11Cause we're
35:15Ordinary people
35:17Maybe we
35:21Should take it slow
35:23Oh
35:24We're just
35:26Ordinary people
35:28We don't know
35:33Which way to go
35:34Cause we're
35:38Ordinary people
35:40Maybe we
35:44Should take it slow
35:46Take it slow
35:49Oh
35:52This time
35:56We'll take
35:56It slow
35:58Take it slow
36:02Oh
36:06This time
36:08We'll take
36:08It slow
36:10Take it slow
36:13Slow
36:15This time
36:21We'll take it slow
36:23Take it slow
36:25Take it slow
36:26Baby
36:31Baby
36:31Baby
36:32Baby
36:32We'll take it slow
36:34Baby
36:35We'll take it slow
36:36We'll take it slow
36:36We'll take it slow
36:37We'll take it slow
36:41We'll take it slow
36:45We'll take it slow
36:47We'll take it slow
36:49We'll take it slow
36:52We'll take it slow
36:59Oh, we'll take
37:06Hey, yeah
37:11We'll take
37:19Oh
37:22It's slow
37:32So I told you about my unfortunate stage name, John R. Stevens.
37:54So you may be wondering, how did John R. Stevens become John Legend?
38:04I'll take you back to the early 2000s during those sessions with Kanye
38:09and we were working with a spoken word artist from Chicago named Jay Ivey.
38:15Now Jay heard me singing, playing and doing all I was doing on those college dropout tracks
38:22and he was impressed. He said, man, we're gonna have to call you the legend.
38:31Okay, obviously I'm an old soul. I've got this throwback voice, this throwback style
38:36and he thought I should be called John Legend
38:40and he started calling me that, Kanye started calling me that
38:44and I laughed it off at first but after a while a bunch of people in our crew started calling me John Legend
38:50and then Kanye's putting out mixtapes and referring to me as John Legend
38:54He put out another mixtape, put it in the credits, song by John Legend
38:59Alright, alright
39:01So this name I hadn't officially chosen was starting to gather some momentum
39:07I was gently being nudged in that direction
39:10and I had to make a decision
39:12I'm starting to think about it
39:14Should I make it official or not?
39:16I've been performing as John Stevens for my entire life
39:20but more and more people began to know me as John Legend
39:23so I had to decide whether or not I was gonna assume this stage name
39:26Now part of me is saying, how you gonna call yourself Legend?
39:30You don't even have a record deal yet
39:32Fair
39:34But maybe the better part of me said, you know what?
39:39We're gonna make this work
39:41This name is going to announce my presence
39:44It's gonna make people pay attention
39:47And then I just gotta go and live up to it
39:49And I believed in myself enough as a musician, as an artist
39:53to believe that I had the ability within me to live up to this name
39:58And I didn't want to doubt myself so much that I wouldn't take the name
40:02because I was afraid of the name
40:05It was time for me to stop hedging my bets
40:10Stop worrying about my backup plan
40:13Start to bet on myself and on my future
40:17Have faith in myself and my purpose
40:20So I was like, fuck it
40:22I'm gonna call myself John Legend
40:29Okay
40:30So I'm in the studio calling myself John Legend
40:33I'm introducing myself to record labels as John Legend
40:36And that's when my lawyer told me
40:40We had to trademark the name John Legend
40:45And lo and behold
40:48There's a porn producer
40:51I kid you not
40:53A porn producer
40:54Who dabbled in rockabilly music
40:57And he went by the name
40:58Johnny Legend
41:00Now the key with trademark laws
41:04Is if you're in the same business
41:06You can't have a name that confuses the marketplace
41:09So the fact that he made music
41:11Made rockabilly music
41:13And his name was Johnny Legend
41:15Meant that there was a possible trademark infringement case
41:18So we had to figure this out
41:19We had to find Johnny Legend
41:23Negotiate with him
41:25Cut a mutually exclusive deal stating that
41:28He was Johnny Legend
41:30And I was John Legend
41:32He wouldn't sue me
41:33I wouldn't sue him
41:34He wouldn't try to get into the soul music business
41:37Pretending to be John Legend
41:39And I'm happy to make clear that I kept my side of the agreement
41:43I didn't produce any porn
41:47Didn't make any rockabilly music
41:51Pretending to be Johnny Legend
41:54We worked it out
41:56So John Legend signed to Columbia Records in May of 2004
42:03Get Lifted
42:05Came out, like I said
42:07On my 26th birthday
42:09December 28th, 2004
42:12And you know what?
42:13It really did feel like a new birth
42:16That's why so much of the mood of the album
42:19Is one of optimism and celebration
42:24That's why I wrote songs like So High
42:31Baby, since the day you came into my life
42:52You made me realize
42:57That we were born to fly
43:01You showed me everyday
43:05New possibility
43:09And you proved my fantasies
43:13Of love could really be
43:17Let's go
43:19To a place only lovers go
43:23To a spot that we've never known
43:27To the top of the clouds
43:30We're floating away
43:34Ooh, this feels so crazy
43:38All this love is blazing
43:42Baby, we're so high
43:46Walking on cloud
43:49Night
43:51So high
43:53So high
43:56So high
43:59Oh
44:01Maybe later we could go up to the moon
44:11A sail among the stars
44:16Before the night is through
44:20And when morning comes
44:24We'll see the sun is not so far
44:28And we can get much closer to God
44:34Than where we are
44:35Than where we are
44:36Oh
44:37We'll go
44:38To a place only lovers go
44:41To a spot that we never know
44:45To the top of the clouds
44:48We're floating away
44:51Ooh, this feels so great
44:55Feel so great
44:57Oh, this love is blazing
45:00Baby, we're so high
45:03Walking on cloud
45:06Night
45:08Tonight, so high, so high, oh.
45:38Oh, this feels so crazy, oh, this love is blazed.
45:46Baby, we're so high, walking on clouds all night.
45:56You got me up so high, you got me up so high, you got me up so high.
46:06My shoes are scraping the sky, you got me up so high.
46:13You got me up so high, you got me up so high, you got me up so high.
46:21My shoes are scraping the sky.
46:26Oh, yeah, yeah, let's go to the moon.
46:41Let's go to the moon.
46:48Let's go to the moon.
46:56Let's go, go to the moon, baby.
47:03Soul.
47:04Soul.
47:05Soul.
47:06Soul.
47:09Soul.
47:10So, so, so, we're so high.
47:40You know, I played you a couple beautiful songs about being deeply in love on Get Lifted.
48:05But I was a fraud. I didn't know what I was talking about.
48:09It wasn't until after that album that I actually was able to know for myself what it felt like to be deeply in love.
48:49He thought maybe he should cast her, so he showed me a picture of her and asked me if I wanted her to play my love interest in the video.
48:59And I said, yes.
49:01I looked at those pictures and I was like, yes, absolutely.
49:05Please do cast her in the video.
49:08And that's how I met my future wife, Chrissy Teigen.
49:11We shot that video in mid-September 2006.
49:21We had instant chemistry.
49:23And I fell in love with her.
49:28I fell in love with her sense of humor and how dynamic and spontaneous she is.
49:35She's the fire to my ice.
49:37She makes my life a lot more exciting.
49:40And she can cook.
49:41Oh, yes.
49:42She can cook.
49:43Lord, she can cook.
49:45Make you want to write a song.
49:47So I proposed to her in 2011.
49:51We got married in Italy on September 14th of 2013.
49:56Our rehearsal dinner, the night before our wedding, was the exact seven-year anniversary of the day we met.
50:02And in another full circle moment, on that day, we finished shooting the music video directed by that same director that introduced us,
50:12Nabil Eldakin, for a very special song that I had written for Chrissy, a song called All of Me.
50:21I was excited about it when I finished.
50:23And I wanted Chrissy to hear it.
50:25But I didn't play her the record.
50:27I sang it for her.
50:28I whispered it in her ear.
50:32And she cried.
50:35I don't want to embarrass her, but she did cry the first time she heard this song.
50:38She doesn't cry like every time she hears this song.
50:40She's heard it like a billion times now.
50:43But she cried the first time.
50:45And she knew it was for her.
50:47From the first lyric.
50:49What would I do without your smart mouth?
50:55And for our wedding reception, I got to sing it live for the very first time.
50:59And, of course, it's been a part of some of people's weddings and celebrations since then.
51:04But the first time I sang it live was at our own wedding in the presence of our family and friends.
51:12And I want to sing it for you tonight.
51:14Is that alright?
51:15What would I do without your smart mouth?
51:32Drawing me in and you kicking me out.
51:36You got my head spinning, no kidding.
51:41I can't pin you down.
51:45What's going on in that beautiful mind?
51:49I'm on your magical mystery ride.
51:52And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright.
52:01My head's underwater, but I'm breathing fine.
52:07You're crazy and I'm out of my mind.
52:14Cause all of me loves all of you.
52:20Love your curves and all your edges.
52:24All your perfect end affections.
52:28Give your all to me.
52:31I'll give my all to you.
52:35You're my end and my beginning.
52:39Even when I lose, I'm winning.
52:42Cause I give you all of me.
52:50And you give me all of you.
52:56Oh, how many times do I have to tell you?
53:04Even when you cry and you're beautiful too.
53:07The world is beating down.
53:11I'm around through every move.
53:15You're my downfall.
53:17You're my muse.
53:19My worst distraction.
53:21My rhythm and blues.
53:23I can't stop singing.
53:25It's ringing in my head for you.
53:30My head's underwater.
53:34But I'm breathing fine.
53:38You're crazy and I'm out of my mind.
53:43Cause all of me loves all of you.
53:50Love your curves and all your edges.
53:54All your perfect imperfections.
53:57Give your all of me.
54:01I'll give my all to you.
54:04You're my end and my beginning.
54:08Even when I lose, I'm winning.
54:12Cause I give you all of me.
54:19And you give me all of you.
54:25I love your curves and all your térmets.
54:28I'm you.
54:29Caused on the table
54:32We're both showing highs
54:35We're risking it all though it's hard
54:40Cause all of me loves all of you
54:48Love your curves and all your riches
54:52All your perfect imperfections
54:56Give your heart to me
54:59Give my all to you
55:03You're my end and my beginning
55:06Even when I lose I'm winning
55:10Cause I give you all of me
55:16And you give me all of you
55:23Oh I give you all of me
55:32And you give me all of you
55:41Oh
55:44Thank you so much
56:03I began my life as a musician in the church
56:12And music has always been about elevation for me
56:18Bringing us closer to God
56:21Helping us experience our humanity
56:25And our spirituality
56:26At their highest heights
56:29Helping us feel more love
56:34Making our world more beautiful
56:38And as we celebrate the album that began my career
56:44I'm so grateful
56:47I'm grateful for the legacy I'm building
56:52And for the soul music tradition
56:56And for the soul music tradition
56:56That I'm continuing
56:59I'm so honored
57:02That my music has been a part of your lives
57:07And that you've been such a huge part of mine
57:12That we've been getting lifted together for all these years
57:18Here's to many more
57:23Thank you so much
57:26I give you all of me
57:37And you give me all of you
57:46Thank you
57:57Thank you
58:00Thank you
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