Cloud nine lyrics cloud nine meaning free#

The song's opening lyrics, 'Childhood part of my life, it wasn't very pretty,' are echoed in the beginning of Marvin Gaye's seminal album, 'What's Going On,' also produced by Whitfield, which came out in 1971. 'Cloud Nine' featured a pioneering use of the wah-wah guitar effect, which became a signature sound of the psychedelic soul genre that Whitfield helped create. The song was covered by many other artists over the years, including Gladys Knight & the Pips, Otis Redding, and George Harrison. 'Cloud Nine' won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1969. The song's lyrics were inspired in part by Whitfield's own experiences growing up in a challenging household with a parent who struggled with addiction and mental illness. 'Cloud Nine' was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, who had previously collaborated on several other hit songs for Motown artists, such as 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine' and 'War.' The song was one of the first that Motown Records produced with socially and politically conscious lyrics, reflecting the turbulent times of the late 1960s. Despite being credited as the lead singer, Edwards initially expressed reluctance to record 'Cloud Nine' because he didn't think he could match the original version's lead vocalist, Roy Kenner.

The song was originally released in 1967 by British band Python Lee Jackson but gained much greater popularity in 1970 when Motown Records re-released it featuring vocals by its newest star, Dennis Edwards, who would go on to become lead singer of The Temptations. While we cannot always control the circumstances of our upbringing or our economic opportunities, we can choose how we envision our own future and the kind of life we want to create for ourselves. The song's message seems to suggest that, for those who feel powerless or oppressed in their real lives, fantasy and imagination can provide relief and empowerment.

Cloud nine lyrics cloud nine meaning free#

Yet in his imagination, he found escape in cloud nine, a utopia where everyone is free from responsibility, strife, and danger, and where love and harmony prevail. When he left home, he hoped to find a fulfilling job or career but was unsuccessful, leading to feelings of disillusionment and depression. The lyrics to Python Lee Jackson's song 'Cloud Nine' depict a young person who grew up in poverty and a dysfunctional family, seeking refuge in a fantasy world called 'cloud nine.' The speaker tells the story of his childhood, dwelling in a one-room shack with ten other children, experiencing hunger and crowded conditions, and suffering under a father who was lazy and abusive to his mother and children. (cloud nine) you're a million miles from reality.Ĭloud nine) you ain't got no responsibility, (cloud nine) it's a world of love and harmony (cloud nine) there's no diff'rence between day and night On cloud nine, you're as free as a bird in flight (cloud nine) and you're a million miles from reality.Īnd I'm gonna live the life I love up here on cloud nine. (cloud nine) you ain't got no responsibility, Listen! it ain't even safe no more to walk the streets at night, It's a dog eat dog world, and that ain't no lie. They say, 'give yourself a chance son, don't let life pass you by'.īut the world of reality is a rat race where only the strongest survive, Listen one more time I'm doin' fine, up here on cloud nine. I left home, seekin' a job that I never did find,ĭepressed and downhearted I took to cloud nine,