Early life
Hunt was born in Dayton, Ohio and raised by his single mother. His father, Van Hunt, Sr., was a factory worker and part-time painter, who was a friend of Ohio Players drummer Jimmy "Diamond" Williams. Hunt took up the drums at age 7, and saxophone at the age of 8, later adding bass and keyboards. Guitar was the last instrument he learned to play; he played guitar in a rock band called Royalty. Hunt moved to Texas for a short time before relocating to Atlanta, Georgia in 1996 to attend Morehouse College, where he studied English, but soon dropped out. In Atlanta, he started producing a few hip-hop demos for Atlanta rappers in order to pay bills. Hunt met up-and-coming record producers and artists like Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and TLC through his work on demos.
Career
Early career
Hunt wrote and co-produced the song "Hopeless" for singer Dionne Farris, formerly of Arrested Development, and joined her band on guitar and keyboards. "Hopeless" appeared on the soundtrack for the film Love Jones (1997). Hunt co-wrote several songs with Rahsaan Patterson on his album Love in Stereo (1999), and co-wrote with Cree Summer, including the song "Mean Sleep", for her album Street Faërie (1999), produced by Lenny Kravitz. He also collaborated with Joi on the single "Missing You" (2002). Through Dionne Farris, Hunt met A&R person Randy Jackson (who later went on to be a judge on Fox's American Idol). Jackson would become Hunt's manager in 2002.
Capitol Records
Hunt recorded much of the material from his debut album in 2000. Producer Dallas Austin took Hunt's recording to Capitol Records, leading him to sign with the label in 2001. Hunt's first album, Van Hunt, was released in February 2004. The album included the singles "Down Here in Hell (With You)", "Dust", and "Seconds of Pleasure", and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Hunt's second album, On the Jungle Floor, was released in 2006. The album featured the single, "Character," a revisited "Mean Sleep", as a duet with Nikka Costa, and a cover of "No Sense of Crime" by The Stooges. The album was co-produced by Bill Bottrell. Hunt has toured and appeared with Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Boney James, The Roots, Seal, Angie Stone, Coldplay, The Brand New Heavies, the Dave Matthews Band, and Kanye West.
In 2006, Hunt appeared with Nikka Costa on the Sam Moore album, Overnight Sensational, on the song "If I Had No Loot". Hunt was also featured on "Half the Fun", a track on the Count Bass D album, Act Your Waist Size, released on Fat Beats Records.
in 2007, Hunt won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, along with John Legend and Joss Stone, for their cover of the Sly & the Family Stone song, "Family Affair", which appeared on the 2006 tribute album Different Strokes By Different Folks. Hunt described winning the award as "one of the bigger pleasures I've had" to The Athens Blur Magazine in 2009.
Blue Note
Hunt released the 4 track digital EP, The Popular Machine, on August 7, 2007. Hunt announced a full length album, Popular, to be released on Blue Note Records on January 15, 2008. Hunt moved from Atlanta to Los Angeles in 2007 while the album was nearing completion. Blue Note had taken over Hunt’s recording contract after corporate restructuring at Blue Note and Capitol's parent company, EMI. In December 2007, Blue Note announced that they would not be releasing the album, and that Hunt and the label mutually agreed to part ways. Hunt wrote on his MySpace blog in January 2008, that he couldn't promise that Popular would ever be officially released. Blue Note owns the master recordings and opted not to sell it back to him at an affordable price. Hunt commented that he "didn't think that they had enough money" to promote the album properly. LA Weekly called the album an "appealingly trippy fusion of funk grooves, punk guitar and soul vocals", and "a left-field stunner". Hunt told the Atlanta alternative weekly newspaper Creative Loafing that he was "devastated" when the label decided not to release the album.
Independent
As of June 2008, Hunt was recording a fourth album, which he plans to release himself and market using the Internet. Hunt has blogged about his new approach on his MySpace page. Hunt toured the U.S. in July and August 2008. He released Use In Case Of Emergency, a compilation of demos, remixes and B-sides recorded between 1997 and 2005, through his Web site in May 2009. Hunt has also been working on autobiographical book of short stories titled Tales of Friction. In July 2009, Hunt told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he plans to release one more album and tour once more, but doesn't know what his plans are after that. Hunt performed at the National Black Arts Festival's tribute to Curtis Mayfield at Atlanta Symphony Hall on July 16, 2010.
Influences
David Bowie
Serge Gainsbourg
The Isley Brothers
Curtis Mayfield
Thelonious Monk
The Ohio Players
Iggy Pop
Prince
Richard Pryor
Sly Stone
Neil Young
Discography
Albums
Van Hunt (2004), Capitol
On the Jungle Floor (2006), Capitol
Popular (2008) - unreleased studio album
Compilations
Use In Case of Emergency (2009), self-released - collection of outtakes
EPs
Acoustic E.P. (2004), Capitol - digital EP
Napster Sessions (2004), Capitol - digital EP
Connect Set (2006), Capitol - digital EP
The Popular Machine (2007), Blue Note - digital EP
Singles
"Down Here in Hell (With You)" (2004), Capitol
"Dust" (2004), Capitol
"Seconds of Pleasure" (2004), Capitol
"Character" (2006), Capitol
"Being A Girl" (2006), Capitol
Awards and nominations
2005 Grammy Award nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "Dust."
2006 Grammy Award win for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Family Affair"
Turn My TV On
Van Hunt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
People outside, people outside make me scared
So, I stay in my room, in my underwear
When I, when I long for company
I pop in my, pop in my pornography
'Cause that's real love, real love made for TV
Shoot to thrill you, baby
Shoot to thrill you, baby
Everyone loves a stranger
Nobody wants the danger
That's why I turn my TV on
I turn my TV on, I turn my TV on
I just turn my TV on, I turn my TV on
I turn my TV on, turn my TV on
Ooh, I, ooh, I hate drama
People outside, people outside, they love drama
Raining down bombs on English summers
When I long to feel a part of it
I tune in my favorite channel 36
Travel 'round the world in less than 30 minutes
Shoot to kill you, baby
Shoot to kill you, baby
Turn my TV on
When it's cold outside, turn my TV on
Turn my TV on
All my troubles go
Everyone loves a stranger
Nobody wants the danger
That's why I turn my TV on
I turn my TV on, I turn my TV on
I just turn my TV on, I turn my TV on
I turn my TV on, turn my TV on
Baby, I'd love to see you
But the maneuver is just too risky in the rain
Is this my rescue boat?
I've been out here 5 days
Somebody bring me some water
I just need some water
Like most things
A good time looks better from a distance
What do you mean, baby?
I'm making friends in the new world
I'm a celebrity on the message boards
I meet people every day
Through the peephole in my front door
In Van Hunt's song "Turn My TV On", the singer confesses his fear and anxiety about the outside world and therefore retreats into the comfort of his own private space. He prefers to surround himself with the manufactured love and danger that TV shows provide. The line "I pop in my pornography 'cause that's real love, real love made for TV" can be interpreted as his believe that what he sees on TV is as real as actual life experiences. He acknowledges that the world is filled with drama and chaos, represented by bombs raining down, and reveals that he uses TV as an escape. Although he fantasizes about leaving his room to join the chaos, he can't bring himself to take the risk. Instead, he opts to be a passive consumer – "I travel around the world in less than 30 minutes" – living vicariously through his television set.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh, I'm, ooh, I'm so scared
I feel scared because of people outside my room
People outside, people outside make me scared
The presence of people outside my room makes me feel scared
So, I stay in my room, in my underwear
I remain in my room with minimal clothing on to avoid interacting with people outside
When I, when I long for company
I feel lonely and wish for companionship
I pop in my, pop in my pornography
To feel loved, I watch pornography
'Cause that's real love, real love made for TV
Watching pornography fulfills my need for love that seems real because it is captured on TV
Shoot to thrill you, baby
I use my TV to find excitement
Everyone loves a stranger
People tend to be attracted to new and unknown things
Nobody wants the danger
People prefer safety over danger
That's why I turn my TV on
I watch TV because it is a safe way to experience new things
I just turn my TV on, I turn my TV on
I simply press a button to turn on my TV
Ooh, I, ooh, I hate drama
I dislike drama which can lead to dangerous situations
People outside, people outside, they love drama
People outside tend to enjoy drama more than I do
Raining down bombs on English summers
Dangerous situations can happen unexpectedly, even in peaceful places
When I long to feel a part of it
Sometimes I wish to be part of the drama that happens outside my room
I tune in my favorite channel 36
I watch my favorite TV channel to feel involved in the outside world
Travel 'round the world in less than 30 minutes
Through watching TV, I can 'travel' to different places around the world in a short amount of time
Shoot to kill you, baby
Through my TV, I can experience thrilling and exciting things without any danger
Turn my TV on
I turn on my TV to feel safe and experience new things without being in danger
When it's cold outside, turn my TV on
I turn on my TV especially when it is cold outside
All my troubles go
Watching TV helps me forget about my problems
Baby, I'd love to see you
I would like to see you in person
But the maneuver is just too risky in the rain
The act of going outside to see you is too dangerous for me
Is this my rescue boat?
I am wondering if something can save me from my current situation
I've been out here 5 days
I have been in my current situation for 5 days already
Somebody bring me some water
I need someone to bring me water
Like most things
Similar to many other things
A good time looks better from a distance
Sometimes, things seem better when viewed from a safe distance
What do you mean, baby?
I'm unsure what you are referring to, or if you are speaking to me
I'm making friends in the new world
Through the internet, I am able to make friends in a virtual world outside of my room
I'm a celebrity on the message boards
I am well-known on internet message boards
I meet people every day
Through the internet, I am able to connect with people every day
Through the peephole in my front door
I only interact with people through the small opening in my front door
Contributed by Allison O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.