The group was part of the "Brooklyn sound" of the early 1970s, formed from three players of the group King Davis House Rockers. The House Rockers were a local dance band who had released a couple of obscure singles (1967's "We All Make Mistakes Sometimes" on Verve Records, 1972's "Rum Punch") The three players (guitarist Richard Thompson, tenor sax player Bill Risbrook, and alto sax player Carlos Ward) formed Madison Street Express along with bassist Louis Risbrook (later Muslim-monickered Jamal Rasool), percussionist Dennis Rowe, drummer Terrell Wood, and vocalist Barbara Wood. They along with producer Jeff Lane signed with production company Roadshow Records to record writer Billy Nichols "Do It ('Til You're Satisfied)." The record was shopped around to major labels until it was accepted at Scepter Records. Scepter suggested the group change its name from Madison Street Express, hence the Brooklyn Transit Express. The single was released in August 1974, and reached the top 10. Lane took the group back into the studios at that point to record a second single and pitch a full album to the label. Scepter agreed to the LP and to Roadshow Records having its own label within Scepter Records.
The first two singles were hits, both number 1 R&B releases and both Top 5 pop singles in the US. The album hit number 1 on the R&B album chart and number 5 on the Pop album chart of the US. These recordings were also hits in the spreading disco culture, "Do It" peaking on club playlists before Billboard started a separate disco chart, but the follow-up single sat for five weeks at number 1. They were certified gold releases.
BT Express released an album per year through 1978. With the third album, Leslie Ming was brought in as drummer and keyboardist Michael Jones was added as keyboardist. Jamal, who had converted to the Muslim faith, gave Jones the name Kashif Saleem, which he used after departing the group, in 1979, to pursue producing ("Mighty M Productions" with Morrie Brown and Paul Laurence Jones) and solo recording ventures. That year songwriter Billy Nichols and drummer Leslie Ming also departed the group. In 1976 Scepter records was experiencing business difficulties that soon ended the company, and BT Express was given a distribution deal with Columbia Records, which, though it gave them greater exposure, resulted in less attention being paid to their production, since they had so many acts to concentrate on. The group did not achieve the level of radio or sales success on Columbia that they had on the more nurturing but by-then defunct Scepter. They stayed with Columbia for five years, with Lane producing through 1978, then Nichols producing their fifth album before he departed for solo work, and Morrie Brown producing the sixth LP and several follow-up tracks. The group switched labels to Coast To Coast Records for the 1982 LP, to Earthtone Records for a later 1982 single, and to manager King Davis' own label in 1985.
Eyes
B.T. Express Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know this shit ain't real
I wish that you were here
If I gave you all my time
You said I'd be alright
You said that we'll be fine
And after all your lies
If I gave you all my trust
You said that we won't budge
For me oh this was love
And I know that in this life yeah
We can't see eye to eye yeah
But I know one day we will
Cause if after all this time yeah
I don't feel alive yeah
Then I know this shit ain't real
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
I know this shit ain't real
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
I know this shit ain't real
I know this shit ain't real
I know this shit ain't real
I wish that you were here
I know this shit ain't real
I know this shit ain't real
I wish that you were here
Cause when I held you close at night
I was holding my life
Behind your bars I'll do the time
I just need one more sign
And every time you'd fuck around
You knew I'd stick around
You'd always put me down
I tried to keep you safe and sound
And I know that in this life yeah
We can't see eye to eye yeah
But I know one day we will
Cause if after all this time yeah
I don't feel alive yeah
Then I know this shit ain't real
Yeah
Yeah
Yeah
I know this shit ain't real
I know this shit ain't real
I know this shit ain't real
I wish that you were here
I know this shit ain't real
I know this shit ain't real
I wish that you were here
Oh yeah
I wish that you were here
The lyrics of B.T. Express's song Eyes are in Punjabi, a language spoken in the region of Punjab in India and Pakistan. The song seems to be about a woman who is being pursued by many men, but she only has eyes for one particular man. The men are fighting for her attention, but she is uninterested in any of them except the one she desires. The chorus repeats the same lines over and over again, reinforcing the idea that the woman only has eyes for one person.
One possible interpretation of the song is that it is about the power of attraction and how it can be a forceful and dangerous thing. The woman in the song is like a magnet, drawing in many men who are willing to fight for her affection. However, the repetition of the chorus suggests that the woman is not really interested in any of them, and that her gaze is fixed on someone else.
Another possible interpretation is that the song is a commentary on the male ego and how it can lead to violence and aggression. The men in the song are described as "fighting" for the woman's attention, which suggests a sort of macho posturing that could easily turn violent.
Overall, the lyrics of Eyes are rich with meaning and can be interpreted in many different ways. The repetition of the chorus gives the song a hypnotic quality, and the Punjabi language adds an exotic flavor to the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
ਮੰਜੇ ਮੇਰੀ ਅੱਖ ਤੇ ਗੱਬਰੂ ਮਰਦੇ ਲੜ ਲੜ ਕੇ ਨੀ
I see fear in their eyes as they fight relentlessly
ਕਰਦੇ propose ਨੇ ਮੈਨੂੰ ਰਾਹਾਂ ਵਿਚ ਕੱਢ ਕੇ ਨੀ
They propose to me by standing in my way
ਹਾਏ ਆਦਿ ਵਿਚ ਚੱਲ ਗਈ ਗੋਲੀ ਪਾਲਿਸੀਆਂ ਛੱਡ ਆਈਆਂ ਨੀ
It's become normal for bullets to fly as the police look away
ਮੇਰੇ ਲਈ ਖੜਕਣ ਡਾਂਗਾਂ ਹੁੰਦੀਆਂ ਲੜਾਈਆਂ ਨੀ
Violent clashes break out on my behalf
ਚੜ੍ਹਿਆ ਕੀ ਹੁਸਣ ਮੇਰੇ ਤੇ ਬੋਲੇ ਸੀਰ ਛੱਡ ਕੇ ਨੀ
They speak ill of me, saying that I am arrogant
ਬਲਦੀ ਨਾਲ ਧਰਾਤਾ ਕਿਸੇ ਨੇ ਪਰ ਮੇਰੇ ਪਰ ਤੇ
They are ready to do anything, except turn on me
ਜਾਂਦੀ ਮੈਂ ਨਿਤ college ਨੂੰ ਜਿਦੇ ਤੇ ਕਜੜ ਕੇ ਨੀ
I go to college every day, wearing a facade
ਹੁੰਦੀ ਸੀ ਬੈਂਸ ਬੈਂਸ ਮੈਂ ਸੁਣਿਆ ਕੰਨ ਲਾ ਕੇ ਨੀ
I hear whispers all around me
ਮੁੰਡਿਆਂ ਵਿਚ ਖੜ ਗਿਆ ਕੱਲਾ ਪੱਟੂ ਜਦ ਆ ਕੇ ਨੀ
When the black turbaned man enters, all the guys stand up
ਪਾ ਤਾ ਮੇਰੀ ਜਾਣ ਨੂੰ ਕਜਿਆ ਮੇਰੇ ਲਈ ਅੱਡ ਕੇ ਨੀ
He stands in my path, to intimidate me
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Maz B
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind