Van Helden was born in Boston on February 17, 1970 to a Dutch-Indonesian father and a French-Lebanese mother, but travelled around the world as a child spending time in the Netherlands, Turkey and Italy, as his father was a member of the US Air Force. At the age of thirteen, he bought a drum machine and started DJing two years later.
He returned to Boston in 1988 but also moonlighted as a DJ in Boston clubs. He attended Boston University. He quit his legal review job in 1989 to work as a remixer/producer for Mega-Mixx Productions DJ Remix Service (co-founded by his long time manager, Neil Petricone) where he reworked and re-edited a number of club records for the DJ-only service, including Shawn Christopher's "Another Sleepless Night." He also took up an occupancy at 'The Loft', Boston's leading nightclub.
Mega-Mixx's success was short lived. Mismanagement brought the company to a halt in early 1991. Later that year, he and Petricone, along with founding A&R coordinator, Tony Zeoli, launched X-Mix Productions, a similar DJ Remix service, which still exists today (http://www.xmix.com). Catching the attention of legendary Strictly Rhythm and Nervous Records A&R guru, Glady Pizarro, in 1992 Van Helden released his first official single "Stay On My Mind" under the psuedonym Deep Creed, through Nervous Records.
He released "Move It To the Left" (credited to Sultans of Swing) in 1992 on the Strictly Rhythm label, which became a moderate club hit. His first track to make the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart was "Witch Doktor" which made the top 5 in 1994.
The success of "Witch Doktor" led to opportunities to remix acts such as The Real McCoy ("Another Night", New Order ("Bizarre Love Triangle"), Blondie ("Atomic), Capella ("U Got To Know"), Lightning Seeds ("Jackie Lucky"), Deep Forest ("Marta's Song"), Jimmy Somerville ("Heartbeat"), Deee-Lite ("Dewdrops In The Garden") and Faithless ("Insomnia"). However, it was the "Professional Widow" remix that established him and became a dance hit around the world as well as a number one hit in the UK. Unfortunately, Van Helden did not receive a penny for this mix as he presented it uncommissioned, and thus was not entitled to compensation. However, it led to work remixing The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and Puff Daddy as well as Daft Punk and the Sneaker Pimps, and adding to his reputation as one of the world's top house musicians.
Within dance music circles, Van Helden is widely credited for the introduction of the U.K. bred Speed Garage sound to the U.S. club scene with incredible set of remixes. The sound, identifiable by its deep bass subtones, long melodic breaks, and devestatingly hard hitting beats are exemplified in the following remixes beginning in 1995 with Jimmy Somerville "Heartbeat"; CJ Bolland's "Sugar Is Sweeter"; Faithless "Insomnia"; Tori Amos "Professional Widow"; Apollo 440 "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub"; and Sneaker Pimps "Spin, Spin, Sugar."
"Cha Cha" was another top ten dance hit from his first album Old School Junkies released in 1996, along with "The Funk Phenomena". A greatest hits album appeared the next year followed by a breakbeat album later in 1997. "U Don't Know Me," a collaboration with vocalist Duane Harden from the album, "2 Futur 4 U," was a number two hit on the Billboard dance chart, a Number one in the UK and a top 20 single on the pop charts in Australia and Canada.
In 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Armand Van Helden explained, "You Don't Know Me was a perfect example of putting 2 simple things together, the beats from Jaydee's Plastic Dreams and a disco loop from Carrie Lucas."
Van Helden released the Killing Puritans album in 2000 which contained the dance hit "Koochy". His single "Why Can't You Spend Some Time" made the number 34 in the UK in 2001. His New York: A Mix Odyssey album released in 2004 produced two hits:
* "Hear my Name" reached number 7 on the Billboard dance chart, was top 30 on world and internet charts, made number 34 in the UK, and reached the top 40 in Australia; and
* "My My My" reached number 4 on the world internet charts, number 5 in the Belgian and Dutch charts, number 6 in Australia, number 15 in the UK and top 30 in the world dance charts.
In 2010 Van Helden teamed with A-Trak to form the duo Duck Sauce. They had an international smash hit with "Barbra Streisand," which used an ingenious sample from Boney M.
Black Betty
Armand van Helden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
Black Betty had a child (Bam-ba-Lam)
The damn thing gone wild (Bam-ba-Lam)
She said, "I'm worryin' outta mind" (Bam-ba-Lam)
The damn thing gone blind (Bam-ba-Lam)
I said "Oh, Black Betty" (Bam-ba-Lam)
Oh, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
She really gets me high (Bam-ba-Lam)
You know that's no lie (Bam-ba-Lam)
She's so rock steady (Bam-ba-Lam)
And she's always ready (Bam-ba-Lam)
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
She's from Birmingham (Bam-ba-Lam)
Way down in Alabam' (Bam-ba-Lam)
Well, she's shakin' that thing (Bam-ba-Lam)
Boy, she makes me sing (Bam-ba-Lam)
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
Whoa, Black Betty
Bam-ba-lam
The lyrics to Armand van Helden's song "Black Betty" can be interpreted in different ways, but they all revolve around the central theme of a woman named Black Betty. The song begins with the repetition of "Whoa, Black Betty, Bam-ba-Lam" which is a phrase that signifies the arrival of this powerful force that is Black Betty. The second verse reveals that Black Betty had a child who has gone wild and blind, leading her to worry about losing her mind. This line could be interpreted in different ways, including as a metaphor for a personal struggle or a societal issue.
In the chorus, the singer exclaims "Oh, Black Betty" in acknowledgement and amazement of her power over him. The third verse reveals that Black Betty is from Birmingham, Alabama, and she makes the singer "sing" by shaking that "thing" which could be a reference to her dance moves. The song ends with another repetition of "Whoa, Black Betty, Bam-ba-Lam" which could signify her departure or continued presence.
Overall, the lyrics to "Black Betty" can be interpreted as a celebration of a powerful woman who has a hold on the singer, or as a commentary on the struggles of Black women in society. The song has been covered by different artists over the years and has become a classic in various genres, including rock and dance music.
Line by Line Meaning
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
Expressing excitement and admiration for the woman named Black Betty
Black Betty had a child (Bam-ba-Lam)
Explaining that Black Betty had a child
The damn thing gone wild (Bam-ba-Lam)
The child was misbehaving
She said, "I'm worryin' outta mind" (Bam-ba-Lam)
Black Betty was greatly concerned
The damn thing gone blind (Bam-ba-Lam)
The child lost their sight
I said "Oh, Black Betty" (Bam-ba-Lam)
The singer addressed Black Betty
She really gets me high (Bam-ba-Lam)
Black Betty excites the singer
You know that's no lie (Bam-ba-Lam)
The artist insists that this is the truth
She's so rock steady (Bam-ba-Lam)
Black Betty is firm and reliable
And she's always ready (Bam-ba-Lam)
Black Betty is always prepared
She's from Birmingham (Bam-ba-Lam)
Black Betty comes from Birmingham
Way down in Alabam' (Bam-ba-Lam)
Birmingham is in the state of Alabama
Well, she's shakin' that thing (Bam-ba-Lam)
Black Betty is dancing provocatively
Boy, she makes me sing (Bam-ba-Lam)
Black Betty makes the singer happy and excited
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
Reiterating excitement and admiration for Black Betty
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-Lam)
Reiterating excitement and admiration for Black Betty
Lyrics ยฉ O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@PlouffeAlex
Iโm commenting so whenever someone likes it, I can come back and listen to this masterpiece again
@bjornna7767
Busy guy, haha :D
@Bookeeper
Feel free to listen as many times as you want
@Notime4646
Well, guess you listened to it more than 40 times in a day huh :D
@PlouffeAlex
@@Notime4646 yes I never get tired of it
@Notime4646
@@PlouffeAlex That's great, that's grrreat :D
@henrick_the_lover
If your band is going to be known for only one song make it a banger like this one.
@SydneyLarrikin-ci2vz
It was originally a folk song
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Betty#:~:text=The%20song%20was%20first%20recorded,(a%20State%20prison%20farm).
@anonymoose2474
@@SydneyLarrikin-ci2vz They made it their song though. Just like "hurt" is Johnny cash's song, even if he didn't write it
@joshua_irving
@@anonymoose2474 Johnny cash version was alright, but the NIN version is fire