Atlantic Starr was among the top urban contemporary acts of the '80s and fa… Read Full Bio ↴Atlantic Starr was among the top urban contemporary acts of the '80s and fared well in the adult contemporary market as well, but their roots were '70s soul and funk. The East Coast outfit was formed in White Plains, NY, in 1976 by three brothers: lead singer/guitarist David Lewis, lead singer/keyboardist Wayne Lewis, and trombonist/percussionist Jonathan Lewis. After the Lewis Brothers hired lead singer Sharon Bryant, trumpeter William Sudderth, saxophonist Damon Rentie (who was replaced by Koran Daniels in 1981), bassist Clifford Archer, drummer Porter Carroll, Jr., and percussionist/flutist Joseph Phillips, Atlantic Starr's original nine-person lineup was in place. Influenced by '70s funk/soul bands like Earth, Wind & Fire, the Commodores, New Birth, and L.T.D., Atlantic Starr started playing around the northeastern U.S. They had only been together for about two years when they signed with A&M and started working with Bobby Eli, a well-respected producer/songwriter from Philadelphia. Produced by Eli in 1978, Atlantic Starr's self-titled debut album wasn't a mega-platinum blockbuster but did reasonably well and contained the funk hit "Stand Up" (which made it to number 16 on Billboard's R&B singles chart). Eli went on to produce the band's second album, Straight to the Point; while that 1979 release did OK, A&M knew that Atlantic Starr could be bigger. So in 1981, the band changed producers and enlisted James Carmichael for their third album, Radiance. It was a wise move; Radiance and its hit single "When Love Calls" established Atlantic Starr as a supergroup in the R&B market. It was on Radiance that the charismatic Bryant (who was featured on "When Love Calls") really blossomed as a singer and her lead vocals played a major role in the band's success. Carmichael went on to produce 1982's "Brilliance" (which contained the number two R&B single "Circles") and 1983's Yours Forever; the latter includes "Touch a Four Leaf Clover," another major hit featuring Bryant.

Although Bryant was never Atlantic Starr's only lead singer -- Wayne and David Lewis also provided their share of lead vocals -- she was a major asset. So it came as quite a disappointment when she left Atlantic Starr in 1984 to pursue a solo career. But all was not lost. The talented Barbara Weathers was hired as a replacement and 1985's As the Band Turns -- Atlantic Starr's first post-Bryant album and sixth album overall -- found the outfit unveiling a smaller lineup that consisted of Weathers, the Lewis Brothers, and Phillips. Sudderth, Daniels, Archer, and Carroll were all gone, but despite those personnel changes, Atlantic Starr was still distinctive and recognizable. As the Band Turns, which contained the major hit "Secret Lovers," turned out to be Atlantic Starr's last album for A&M; in 1987, they moved to Warner Bros. and fared well with the album All in the Name of Love and the smash hit "Always." A syrupy adult contemporary ballad, "Always" reflected the Lewis Brothers' desire to have the type of crossover success that Whitney Houston and Lionel Ritchie had been enjoying in the '80s; they got their wish when "Always" soared to number one on both the pop and R&B charts.

After All in the Name of Love, Weathers left the band to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Porscha Martin, who was featured on 1988's We're Movin' Up. Martin was around for a few years before being replaced by Rachel Oliver (Atlantic Starr's fourth female vocalist) in the early '90s. Atlantic Starr's relationship with Warner Bros. ended after 1991's Love Crazy, and in 1994, the band recorded one album for Arista: Time. That album was a commercial disappointment and the single "I'll Remember You" only made it to the fifties on Billboard's R&B and pop singles charts. Time (which was David Lewis' last album with the band) found a fifth female singer, Aisha Tanner, replacing Oliver. And when 1999's Legacy was distributed by the small, independent Street Solid label, Atlantic Starr unveiled yet another lineup -- one that consisted of two Lewis Brothers (Wayne and Jonathan) as well as Oliver (who had returned and replaced Tanner) and a new male singer named DeWayne Woods. Although Legacy received very little attention, Atlantic Starr hung in there and was still performing for die-hard fans when the 21st century arrived.

My Mistake
Atlantic Starr Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Look what I have done
I've caused a lot of pain
'Cause I never really knew
What love could put someone through
I just wanted excitement
Wanted what I want but
Didn't fulfil my needs
And now that I see the picture

Please pardon me

We all have our wants
I know everyone's got their needs
Oh but somehow what I wanted
Overruled my needs I was living
In a fantasy
All I needed was to see
True love needs romance
And it took me so long to learn
Then one day I would really see
How painful it'd really be
When you lose your love

I should've realized
That you can't disguise
Love when it's real
I should've known the reality
When I set her free
She said you didn't love me
I knew that it was my mistake

There's a million times
I felt that I'd found love
But each time it turned out to be
None of the things I'd ever dreamed of
One day I met her
I hoped that she'd be different
From the rest
I would finally live my adventure
Had she only agreed

Oh but I should've realized
That you can't disguise
Love when it's real
I should've known
True love wouldn't be
When she looked at me

And said she didn't love me
I knew that it was my mistake

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Atlantic Starr's song "My Mistake" tell the story of a person who has caused a lot of pain due to their lack of understanding of what love truly entails. The individual in the song confesses that they just wanted excitement and to fulfill their own desires, but failed to understand how their actions impacted those they claimed to love. They admit to living in a fantasy and failing to see that true love requires romance, something they only learned after losing their love. They then reflect on the fact that they should have realized that you cannot disguise real love and that it was their mistake for not recognizing the reality of the situation before it was too late.

The lyrics of "My Mistake" are a reflection on the complexities of love and relationships. It shows that love requires effort and an understanding of other people's needs, which can be difficult to recognize and navigate. This song highlights the importance of recognizing the value of love and how it must be nurtured, appreciated, and protected. It also recognizes the reality that sometimes, love may be lost due to our own shortcomings and mistakes.

Line by Line Meaning

Look what I have done
I'm reflecting on my actions and their consequences.

I've caused a lot of pain
My actions have hurt someone else deeply.

'Cause I never really knew What love could put someone through
I didn't understand the impact my behavior could have on someone I claimed to love.

I just wanted excitement Wanted what I want but Didn't fulfil my needs
I prioritized my own desires and didn't consider that my actions might hurt others.

And now that I see the picture Please pardon me
After reflection, I understand the harm I caused and ask for forgiveness.

We all have our wants I know everyone's got their needs Oh but somehow what I wanted Overruled my needs
I recognize that we all have desires and needs, but I let my wants take priority over the needs of others and myself.

I was living In a fantasy All I needed was to see True love needs romance
I was living in a world of my own making and didn't understand the importance of real emotional connection in a romantic relationship.

And it took me so long to learn Then one day I would really see How painful it'd really be When you lose your love
It took me a while to understand the importance of true love and the heartbreak that comes when you lose it.

I should've realized That you can't disguise Love when it's real
I should have known that real love cannot be faked or hidden.

I should've known the reality When I set her free She said you didn't love me
I should have understood the reality of the situation when I let her go, but I didn't realize until she told me that I didn't truly love her.

There's a million times I felt that I'd found love But each time it turned out to be None of the things I'd ever dreamed of
I thought I had found love many times before, but now I realize that those were just illusions.

One day I met her I hoped that she'd be different From the rest I would finally live my adventure Had she only agreed
I met someone who I thought was going to be different, someone who I thought would be the one. But it didn't work out the way I hoped.

True love wouldn't be When she looked at me And said she didn't love me I knew that it was my mistake
I finally understood that true love requires two people to feel the same way, and when she told me she didn't love me, I realized I had made a mistake by not recognizing that earlier.

Writer(s): David Lewis, Wayne Lewis

Contributed by James W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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