Alicia Keys – The Diary of Alicia Keys is a wonderful album with a gold sound. The album has timeless pop songs such as You Don’t Know My Name, If I Ain’t Got You, Dragon Days, and Heartburn were included on the album. Those timeless pop songs are what helped the album age great like wine. You can tell by listening to the songs that she puts all of her heart and soul into her songs.
The Diary of Alicia Keys helped Alicia Keys have a successful run during the early part of the 21st century. She stayed afloat and relevant by penning top charting songs everyone can relate to. Alicia was a hit machine when she was younger. Not only that, this album of hers are laced with beautiful piano ballads. Her talent easily shows whenever she plays the piano. Those piano ballads made the album enjoyable.
Honestly The Diary of Alicia Keys should have been on the same level as her debut album Songs In A Minor was. That is because this album had singles that were more top charting than her debut album. Yet somehow The Diary of Alicia Keys got overshadowed and overlooked.
Songs like If I Ain’t Got You are timeless. This song would and could be a hit today or 90 years ago. This is one of those songs that never gets old. It’s crazy how many people come back to listen to this every day. Clearly this song is a masterpiece.
This mellow pop piano ballad is about the different ways people search for the needs they desire in life. People search for what matter to them the most. The song was inspired by things going on in Alicia Keys’ life in 2001. Alicia was a hit machine when she was younger. You can tell that Alicia put all of her heart and soul into this song when recording it.
The piano gives the song a mellow feeling and a slow vibe. The horns section gives the song a very jazzy feeling to it. Pianos and jazz are always a perfect combination.
Lyrics such as these are what made the song If I Ain’t Got You memorable. Especially the pre-chorus chorus. Now the lyrics “Hand me the world on a silver platter” are what made the song If I Ain’t Got You memorable and stand out the most. Those are the lyrics that will stick in your head for a lifetime.
[Pre-Chorus]
Hand me the world on a silver platter
And what good would it be?
With no one to share
With no one who truly cares for me
[Chorus]
Some people want it all
But I don’t want nothin’ at all
If it ain’t you, baby
If I ain’t got you, baby
Some people want diamond rings
Some just want everything
But everything means nothing
If I ain’t got you, yeah
Some people live for the fortune. Some people live just for the fame. Some people live for the power. Some people live just to play the game. Some people think that the physical things. Alicia has been there before but that life’s a bore. That life is so full of the superficial.
Some people want it all. But Alicia don’t want nothin’ at all if it ain’t him and if she ain’t got him. Alicia isn’t asking for much in comparison to what other people in the rest of the world ask for, search for, and desire. Some people just want everything such as diamond rings. But everything means nothing if she doesn’t have got him in her life.
Some people search for a fountain that promises eternal youth. Some people need 3 dozen roses and that’s the only way to prove you love them. Hand her the world on a silver platter and what good would it be? With no one to share. With no one who truly cares for her.
Some people want it all. But Alicia don’t want nothin’ at all if it ain’t him. Some people want diamond rings. Some people just want everything. But everything means nothing to her if she ain’t got him. Nothing in this whole wide world doesn’t mean a thing to Alicia if she ain’t got him with her. This is explained in the lyrics to the outro for this song.
[Outro]
If I ain’t got you with me, baby
Ooh, ooh
Said nothin’ in this whole wide world don’t mean a thing
If I ain’t got you with me, baby
Dragon Days is the underrated uptempo piano pop ballad which did not receive the credit truly deserved when released. Alicia is the princess locked in a dungeon of a castle we call life. She is waiting for the prince to find and rescue her from the pain and misery she currently is facing. At the very end of the song, Alicia gives love to the prince in return for rescuing her.
Like a damsel in distress, she is stressin’ him. Her castle became a dungeon. She is longing for him to save her from this pain and misery she currently is experiencing. He is her knight in shining armor. She sees his face in a silver moon all over the lagoon and it feels like dragon days. And the fire’s hot like the desert needs water.
Alicia need to be saved. She is missing him. She is desperate for him. Do you know what that means? She feels like an addict must feel when he fiends. In an act of desperation, she gets lost in her dreams. Because like a lady in waiting she is waiting for him. Like a prisoner tied over alligator waters waiting for her prince of paradise to come.
Samsonite Man is about the man Alicia wants to be with but he has to go somewhere. He’s the man that every lady wants. However he turns out to be a disappointment instead after giving Alicia many years of heartache and pain.
He’s a man so full of style and grace. Any woman would be impressed with him. Any woman would want to be with him. He takes a smile and paints it on your face. This man makes you feel as if you’ve been blessed and promises things so special. Seems to come right from a song. Soon as you begin to feel secure. You turn around and he is gone. Packin’ his bags, he’s gotta go. He’s a Samsonite man.
Maybe he is just a rolling stone wandering from here to there. Searching for a place to call his own. You wonder if he even cares. So many years of heartache and pain is all you seem to know him for. Is it you or is it he to blame? Whenever he walks out your door.
If the wind blows him in Alicia’s direction, he comes through to rendezvous. He forgets about his good intentions only to leave her lonely and confused. It’ll never be the same for Alicia.
She tells him, “Mr. Samsonite man, pack a bag. That is my suggestion. From here on out, you will be leaving at my discretion. Said I know the game, baby. And it’ll never be the same. ‘Cause now I got him.”
Alicia finally realizes that this man disappointment instead after giving her many years of heartache and pain. She tells him, “Mr. Samsonite man, pack a bag. That is my suggestion. From here on out, you will be leaving at my discretion. Said I know the game, baby. And it’ll never be the same. ‘Cause now I got him.”
Alicia finally realizes that this man disappointment instead after giving her many years of heartache and pain. So she politely suggests he pack his bags during the bridge and outro. He will leave at her discretion.
[Bridge]
If the wind blows you in my direction
You come through to rendezvous
Forget about your good intentions
To leave me lonely and confused
Mr. Samsonite man, pack a bag, that is my suggestion
From here on out, you will be leavin’
At my discretion (Yeah)
Said, I know the game, baby
And it’ll never be the same, no, no, no, no, no, no
‘Cause now, I got him
[Outro]
Why don’t you just go?
You can’t hurt me no more, baby
You can’t touch me
You can’t hurt me no more, baby
Gotta go, gotta go
Pack your bags
Pack it up, got to go
Hit the road, Jack
Nobody Not Really (Interlude) is a piano ballad driven by a saxophone solo. Notice how piano and saxophone solos with harmonizing. Alicia searches for someone to heal her with some empathy but is unable to find anybody.
Who really cares? Who really cares when Alicia talks what she feels, and what she says? Nobody really. Who wants to take the time to understand? Alice would like someone to heal her with some empathy but is unable to find anybody really. Maybe Alicia is invisible to the world. Does anyone in the world even think of her as more than just a hopeless cause? Who wants to help? She is alone in a big empty space with nobody.
I rate this album 5/5*****!!
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