Anita Baker

Released: May 31, 1983

Songwriter: Sandra Sully Patrick Moten

Producer: Otis Smith Patrick Moten

[Verse 1]
Everybody want to be a winner
And take their place at the top
Everyone wants their name up in lights
For the good times never stop
Sometimes the bad luck will creep up and catch you by surprise
Your mind's confused, you feel misused
You've got to leave those troubles behind

[Chorus]
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
Sometimes you wanna cry, sometimes you play the fool
You gotta hold on a little longer
And try to be a little stronger
And you can win, you can win
And everything is gonna be yours

[Verse 2]
When you cry, the whole world laughs at you
They don't seem to understand
But the time will come when the tables turn
And you're gonna have the winning hand

[Chorus]
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
Sometimes you wanna cry, sometimes you play the fool
You gotta hold on a little longer
And gotta be a little stronger
And you can win, you can win
And everything is gonna be yours

Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
Sometimes...
You gotta hold on...
You gotta hold on...

[Verse 3]
When you cry, the whole wide world laughs at you
They don't seem to understand
But the time will come when the tables turn
And you're gonna have the winning hand
Sometimes the bad luck will creep up and catch you by surprise
Your mind's confused, you feel misused
You've got to leave those troubles behind

[Chorus]
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
Sometimes you wanna cry, sometimes you play the fool
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
Sometimes you wanna cry, sometimes you play the fool

Anita Baker is a Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter known for her distinct low contralto vocals. She started out in the band Chapter 8, which had the hit song “I Just Wanna Be Your Girl” that was later sampled by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony for their hit song “1st of tha Month.” “Anita” went on to become a big name in ‘80s R&B alongside “Luther” and “Whitney” as she began to rack up #1 hits.

Her debut album, The Songstress, was released in 1983 on independent label Beverly Glen and featured the hit song “Angel.” She left Beverly Glen and signed with Elektra Records, releasing her second album Rapture in 1986, which went on to sell over 5 million albums and peaked at #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart thanks to the hits “Sweet Love,” “Same Ole Love,” and “Caught Up in the Rapture.”

Her third album, Giving You the Best That I Got, was released in 1988 and hit #1 on the Billboard 200, and the title track hit #1 on both the Billboard R&B and Adult Contemporary Singles charts. Rapture and Giving You the Best That I Got accounted for five of her eight Grammy Awards, with her sixth in that time frame coming from her gospel collaboration with The Winans on the song “Ain’t No Need To Worry” in 1988.

more tracks from the album

The Songstress

From the album

The Songstress (1983)

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Anita Baker

The Songstress