Differences – Ginuwine | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#4) and R&B (#1 for 4 weeks); 2001
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
If there’s anything fateful in a name, then perhaps Elgin Baylor Lumpkin – after the famous basketball star – was always destined to reach the heights. By age 12, Elgin was performing with the Finesse Five around his hometown of Washington, D.C.
More singing experience in Physical Wonder followed, backed up by a career “safety net” in the form of a college degree. In 1996, Lumpkin morphed into Ginuwine and was discovered by Jodeci.
Working behind the scenes with Jodeci was Tim Mosley, known as Timbaland. Now considered to be the most influential R&B producer of the late 1990’s, Timbaland unleashed his inventive stuttering brand of hip-hop onto the world in 1996 via solo projects with Aaliyah and Ginuwine.
Ginuwine was on his way…big time. For his third album, The Life, Ginuwine wrote Differences with his latest producer Troy Oliver. Their ode to the positive influence of that special woman became Ginuwine’s biggest hit.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Troy Oliver
Lyrics Written by:
- Elgin Lumpkin
- Troy Oliver
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).