The rage of the album’s most incendiary tracks is soothed by songs of comfort and hope, but only slightly. Legend and The Roots picked songs from the late ’60s and early ’70s from icons like Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield and Nina Simone that (sadly) still had resonance in 2010, taking on racism, poverty, political apathy, government hypocrisy, and the cost of war. Made in collaboration with the mighty Roots (and, yes, with a guest appearance by Common), Wake Up! was John Legend’s dive back into the golden age of protest soul, when even the most mainstream R&B acts had no problem confronting controversial social and political issues head-on, without apology, restraint, or fear that their careers would be crushed by media or fan backlash. And if it brought you to your feet, put tears in your eyes, or just made you nod your head with a quiet, “right on,” you need to spend some time with Wake Up! However, there are some songs where his name does not appear, meaning that he had no creative input on the lyrical content.įor example, “Aim High,” which appears on the deluxe version of Love in the Future (2013), was written purely by Pharell Williams.John Legend’s Oscar acceptance speech was a powerful sermon on the struggle America still faces in the slow march to equality. I’m figuring out who I am and where I am in this moment in my life.” Does John Legend contribute lyrics to all his songs?įor many of his songs, Legend is included on the writing credits of the track. The artist explained that he never knows what lyrics will be imagined when he works with another writer, saying, “When I’m writing for an album, I truly go into it open-minded. He continued, “I have, ‘Oh, here’s some people I’d like to work with this time.’ Or ‘I’ve been listening to this particular album, let me reach out to this producer because I like what he did.”
When asked about his creative process, Legend answered, “I never have a plan when I’m going into the songwriting process.” Thank you, #SexiestManAlive /7Cv6nFcYJZ- John Legend NovemWhat inspires John Legend’s lyrical content? John Legend was named “Sexiest Man Alive,” in 2019 As a matter of fact, that’s what I’m going to call you from now on! I’m going to call you John Legend.” Ivy that gave him the idea by telling Legend, “I heard your music and it reminds me of that music from the old school. He eventually settled with “John Legend.” Legend then signed to Kanye West’s label and decided that he needed to change his name to one more compatible with show business. West employed Legend to sing hooks for some of his tracks. In 2001, Legend met Kanye West, who was new on the hip-hop music scene at the time. His first album was a self-titled demo, released in 2000, and subsequent album, Live at Jimmy’s Uptown (2001).
He eventually released two albums independent of a record label. However, he used his spare time to begin producing, writing, and recording his own music.
She asked him to play piano for the song “Everything Is Everything,” which appeared on her album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.Īfter graduating from college in 1999, Legend got a job as a management consultant in a field unrelated to music. Still at college, Legend met renowned artist Lauryn Hill. The song scored a place on the Best of Collegiate a Cappella compilation CD in 1998. The group recorded a version of Joan Osborne’s “One of Us,” and received critical acclaim, with Legend singing the lead vocals. While at college, Legend was elected president and musical director of the co-ed jazz and pop a cappella group “The Counterparts.” He was offered admission to Harvard University, as well as scholarships to Georgetown University and Morehouse College but ended up going to the University of Pennsylvania to study English with an emphasis on African-American literature. When he was 12, Legend attended Springfield North High School, where he graduated as the salutatorian of his class, aged 16. At 7 years old, he started to perform with his church’s choir.Īside from Legend’s musical talents, he was also gifted academically and skipped two grades. The young Legend followed in his parents’ musical footsteps, and began playing the piano when he was 4 years old. As a young child, Legend didn’t attend school and was instead homeschooled by his mother.