Brown Sugar by D’Angelo Lyrics Meaning – A Taste of Sensual Metaphor
Lyrics
Let me tell you ’bout this girl
Maybe I shouldn’t
I met her in Philly and her name was Brown Sugar
See we be makin’ love constantly
That’s why my eyes are a shade blood burgandy
The way that we kiss is unlike any other way that
I be kissin’ what I’m kissin’ what I’m missin’
Won’t you listen
Brown Sugar babe
I gets high off you love
i don’t know how to behave
I want some of your Brown Sugar
Sugar (4 times)
Oohooh
2nd verse:
Oh Sugar when you’re close to me
You love me right down to my knees
And whenever you let me hit it
Sweet like honey when it comes to me
Skin is caramel with those cocoa eyes
Even got a big sister by the name of Chocolate Thai
Brown Sugar babe, I gets high off your love
I don’t know how to behave
Ooooh Ooh
3rd verse:
Now that be how the story goes
Brown Sugar got me open, now I want some more
Always down for a menage troi
But I think I’ma hit it solo
Hope my niggaz don’t mind
Stick out my tongue and I’m ’bout
ready to hit this pretty gritty
bitty with persistance
Yo, I don’t think ya’ll hear me
Brown Sugar babe
I gets high off your love
Don’t know how to behave
When D’Angelo serenaded the world with his sultry anthem ‘Brown Sugar’, he did more than lay down a track; he invited listeners into a layered, flavorful confection of soul, love, and desire. The 1995 hit single served as a decadent introduction to the artist’s inimitable musical style—an alchemy of R&B, neo-soul, and funk that’s fundamentally rooted in the black music tradition.
As audiences lapped up every verse, ‘Brown Sugar’ danced on the tongues of fans like the sweetest taboo. But beneath the sticky surface, D’Angelo’s lyrics are rich with double entendre and cultural references, mingling sensuality with an introspection that transcends the immediate pleasure of its groove. Let’s unwrap the layers of this timeless song, freebase its essence, and explore the deep cravings it articulates for love, identity, and connection.
Unveiling the Sweetness: A Complex Love Affair
On the surface, ‘Brown Sugar’ plays like an ode to an irresistible woman D’Angelo encountered—a partner in passion whose essence is as addictive as the titular sweetener. The physicality in the lyrics—’making love constantly’ and ‘I want some of your Brown Sugar’—conjures a potent image of desire, intense enough to tint his vision with the color of passion: blood burgundy.
Yet, it isn’t merely lust that permeates these verses. There’s a profound recognition of the woman’s total being—her physical beauty and the deeper, unnamed qualities that make her so all-consuming. ‘Brown Sugar babe, I gets high off your love, I don’t know how to behave’ hints at an almost spiritual high, a craving beyond the body that characterizes epic romances.
The Allure of Cocoa Eyes: Celebrating Black Beauty
D’Angelo’s lyrics paint a vivid picture of his lover, from her ‘caramel skin’ to her ‘cocoa eyes’—implicitly setting the song within a community of color. The sensual admiration for Black beauty is unmistakable, reclaiming and exalting features that, historically, society has often disregarded or derided.
The mention of a ‘big sister by the name of Chocolate Thai’ doesn’t just add to the sweetness but weaves in a narrative of kinship and shared heritage. This is more than attraction; it’s a celebration of black womanhood in all its variances—flavorful, strong, and multifaceted.
A High That’s More Than Love: Dissecting the Euphemism
While ‘Brown Sugar’ can be taken as a soulful exaltation of romance, there’s a lingering suspicion of an underlying metaphor. Is it possible that D’Angelo is harmonizing about darker temptations—ones that could strike chords with vices and addiction? ‘I gets high off your love’ could well be an allegorical high, one that evokes narcotics, a notion reinforced by historical references to brown sugar as slang for heroin.
This layered reading renders the song a masterpiece of duality—sensual yet sobering, romantic yet heavy with the complexity of human weakness. It’s this type of hidden meaning that allows ‘Brown Sugar’ to resonate on multiple frequencies, hitting the sweet spot between an intoxicating love ballad and a narrative of dependence that troubles the soul.
Not Just Any Love Song: The Deep Groove of Shared Histories
The insistence of ‘Brown Sugar’ as a staple in R&B is not solely for its face value. D’Angelo doesn’t just sing; he weaves a tapestry of Black culture, experience, and musical history. The track is anchored in a groove that pays homage to the soul and funk of the past, while pulling it forward into the ’90s and beyond.
Moreover, the cadence of the lyrics and their delivery evoke the traditions of blues ballads and gospel, suggesting a shared history that every love story is part of—a layered narrative that’s as old as time but as fresh as D’Angelo’s innovative sound.
The Lingering Taste: Lyrics That Stick
‘Brown Sugar’ is as addictive as its name suggests, with lines that linger on the palate long after the music fades. ‘That’s why my eyes are a shade blood burgundy’ isn’t just a vivid image; it’s a confession that this affair—or addiction—is changing him, marking him.
And the recurring plea, ‘I want some of your Brown Sugar,’ is more than a catchy hook. It’s an admission of need and desire, a raw and relentless human hunger. It’s these memorable lines that carve ‘Brown Sugar’ into memory, ensuring that like the sweetest of refrains, it never really leaves you.
