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.
Je T'aime
Armand van Helden Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You gotta love me
You love me baby
You gotta love me
You gotta love me
Gotta love baby
Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime
Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime
Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime
Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime baby
Don't be surprised, don't listen all the time
You ain't got not much to say
And don't be amazed, if you don't often get your way
It's much better my way
And don't be hurt if sometimes I like to flirt
Baby that's just my style
And don't ever doubt what my love is all about
You know you would drive me wild
'Coz it's got to be me you wanna see
And you better be sein' only me because
Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, my baby
That means I love you baby
I-I-I love you, I-I-I love you
I-I-I love you, I-I-I love you
Just understand that you gonna have to be the man
That keeps me satisfied
And just be amused if sometimes you get abused
Some things are bigger than pride
And don't be ashamed, I need you to take the blame
I told the truth when I lied
I need someone strong even when I treat you wrong
You gotta pay for this ride
'Coz it's got to be me you wanna see
And you better be thinkin' only me because
Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, my baby
That means I love you baby
I-I-I love you, I-I-I love you
I-I-I love you, I-I-I love you
I-I-I love you, I-I-I love you
I-I-I love you, I-I-I said I love you baby
Love you baby, oh, oh, love you boy
I-I-I love you, I-I-I said I love you baby
The lyrics to Armand van Helden's song Je T'aime are a declaration of love that also serves as a warning to the person being addressed. The singer tells their loved one that they must love them and keep them satisfied, but also that they have a tendency to flirt and may not always be easy to deal with. Despite this, the singer asserts that their love is strong and genuine, and that they need someone equally strong to weather the ups and downs of their relationship.
The repetition of "Je T'aime" throughout the song emphasizes the intensity of the singer's feelings, while the lines about needing someone "strong" highlight the importance of mutual respect and honesty in a relationship. The song's overall message is one of passionate devotion with a hint of self-awareness and a touch of playfulness.
Overall, the song's lyrics are a blend of frankness and romanticism that speaks to the complex nature of modern relationships. The singer is both vulnerable and commanding, willing to both give and take in order to make the relationship work. It's a compelling mix that captures the rollercoaster ride of falling in love.
Line by Line Meaning
You gotta love me
It's a must for you to love me
You love me baby
You love me, my dear
Gotta love baby
You have to love me, baby
Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime, Je T'Aime
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
Don't be surprised, don't listen all the time
Don't be shocked, and don't always pay attention
You ain't got not much to say
You don't talk much
And don't be amazed, if you don't often get your way
Don't be shocked if you don't always get what you want
It's much better my way
Things are better when I get my way
And don't be hurt if sometimes I like to flirt
Don't be upset if I flirt sometimes
Baby that's just my style
That's just how I am, dear
And don't ever doubt what my love is all about
Never question the love I have for you
You know you would drive me wild
You know you make me crazy (in love)
'Coz it's got to be me you wanna see
Because you only want to see me
And you better be sein' only me because
You should only be looking at me
That means I love you baby
That means I love you, my dear
Just understand that you gonna have to be the man
You have to be the one in charge
That keeps me satisfied
That makes me happy
And just be amused if sometimes you get abused
If I sometimes mistreat you, just take it lightly
Some things are bigger than pride
Some things are more important than pride
And don't be ashamed, I need you to take the blame
Don't feel guilty, I need you to admit fault
I told the truth when I lied
I was being truthful even when I lied
I need someone strong even when I treat you wrong
I need someone who can handle me even when I'm being difficult
You gotta pay for this ride
You have to endure the ups and downs of our relationship
I-I-I love you, I-I-I said I love you baby
I love you, I said I love you, my dear
Love you baby, oh, oh, love you boy
I love you, baby, oh, oh, I love you, boy
Writer(s): Armand Van Helden, Nicole Roux
Contributed by Maria J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@marko_jack_
2022 anyone???
@ViniViciVirus4live
I was Look more than xxxxx jears Till i found the track back thx god 🎶 ❤ 🎶 to much reminders;)
@nkobeleff
2023
@hooked994
2023 🎉🎉🎉🎉
@vroammm
Best track from the 2000's whit a little 80's sound.
@crazycatalin
best song ever
@leouremovic9787
2020??? 😁😁
@marko_jack_
2022????
@endlessgamer4350
Brutal
@sandrangel26
love this song