Des’ree – You Gotta Be (Official Video)

“You Gotta Be” was released as a single on March 28, 1994. It was also featured on Des’ree’s second studio album, I Ain’t’ Movin.’ 

The song was inspired by Shakti Gawain’s book, Creative Visualization, which helped her in coping with a painful breakup. Since its release, it’s been helping people cope with a variety of circumstances.  

Des’ree’s song best exemplified her smooth blend of Pop/R&B music; the lyrics brought out the power of positive thinking.

Fun Facts:

• “You Gotta Be” became a top 40 hit in a few countries, including the top 10 in the US and Australia.
• By June 13, 1998, the song had accomplished 358,000 sales in the US and over 500,000 sales in the UK and New Zealand, attaining a Gold certification.
• “You Gotta Be” was the most played video on VH1, and the song was on the Billboard Recurrent Airplay for up to 80 weeks.
• Paul Boyd directed the accompanying music video, filmed in color, although the producer later edited it during post-production.
• In 1995, “You Gotta Be” was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award in the Best Female Video category. The song lost to “Take a Bow” by Madonna.
• Following the success of “You Gotta Be,” the singer’s second album, I Ain’t Movin’, sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.
• In 2003, Q Magazine featured the song in the 1001 Best Songs Ever list.
• “You Gotta Be” won a BMI Pop Award in 1996. It also won a BMI London Award in 2007 and 2015.
• Des’ree was born on November 30, 1968, in South East London. Her mom was from Guyana, and her father was from Barbados.
• Her cultural experiences helped Des’ree create unique music, blending Caribbean rhythms with American R&B, hip-hop, flamenco, and English pop.
• Des’ree began playing the piano at the age of 3 but later abandoned the musical instrument in favor of the viola. She gradually took up singing, composing music, and writing poems.
• Ironically, Des’ree won a BBC poll for the worst pop lyricist for her 1998 single “Life,” even though the song reached the #1 spot in Spain, Japan, and other European countries.
• She is still active in the music world, although she hasn’t toured or produced an album since the release of A Love Story in 2019.

Lyrics

Listen as your day unfolds

Challenge what the future holds

Try and keep your head up to the sky

Lovers, they may cause you tears

Go ahead, release your fears

Stand up and be counted

Don’t be ‘shamed to cry

You gotta be

You gotta be bad

You gotta be bold

You gotta be wiser

You gotta be hard

You gotta be tough

You gotta be stronger

You gotta be cool

You gotta be calm

You gotta stay together

All I know, all I know

Love will save the day

Herald what your mother said

Read the books your father read

Try to solve the puzzles in your own sweet time

Some may have more cash than you

Others take a different view

My, oh my, hey, hey

You gotta be bad

You gotta be bold

You gotta be wiser

You gotta be hard

You gotta be tough

You gotta be stronger

You gotta be cool

You gotta be calm

You gotta stay together

All I know, all I know

Love will save the day

Time asks no questions, it goes on without you

Leaving you behind if you can’t stand the pace

The world keeps on spinning

Can’t stop it if you try to

The best part is danger staring you in the face, whoa

Remember, listen as your day unfolds

Challenge what the future holds

Try and keep your head up to the sky

Lovers, they may cause you tears

Go ahead, release your fears

My, oh my, hey, hey

You gotta be bad

You gotta be bold

You gotta be wiser

You gotta be hard

You gotta be tough

You gotta be stronger

You gotta be cool

You gotta be calm

You gotta stay together

All I know, all I know

Love will save the day

You gotta be bad

You gotta be bold

You gotta be wiser

You gotta be hard

You gotta be tough

You gotta be stronger

You gotta be cool

You gotta be calm

You gotta stay together

All I know, all I know

Love will save the day

Got to be bold

Got to be bad

Got to be wise

Don’t ever say

Got to be hard

Not too too hard

All I know is love will save the day

You gotta be bad

You gotta be bold

You gotta be wiser

You gotta be hard

You gotta be tough

You gotta be stronger

You gotta be cool

You gotta be calm

You gotta stay together

Yeah

You gotta be bad

You gotta be bold

You gotta be wiser

You gotta be hard

You gotta be tough

You gotta be stronger