Mason initially focused on songwriting when she entered the music industry in her teens. As a performer, though, she had a major hit single with her third release in 1965, "Yes, I'm Ready" (#5 pop, #2 R&B). She had modest success throughout the rest of the decade on the small Arctic label, run by her manager, top Philadelphia disc-jockey, Jimmy Bishop. She reached the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 again in 1965 with "Sad, Sad Girl", and "Oh How It Hurts" in 1967. A two-year stay with National General Records, run by a film production company, produced one album and four singles which failed to find success.[citation needed]
In the 1970s, Mason signed to Buddah Records and toughened her persona, singing about sexual love and infidelity with an uncommon frankness at the time in songs like "Bed and Board", "From His Woman to You", and "Shackin' Up" and would interrupt her singing to deliver straight-talking 'raps' about romance. She also continued to write some of her new material. Curtis Mayfield produced her on a cover version of Mayfield's own "Give Me Your Love", which restored her to the pop Top 40 and R&B Top Ten in 1973; "From His Woman to You" (the response to Shirley Brown's single "Woman to Woman") and "Shackin' Up", produced by former Stax producer Don Davis in Detroit were also solid soul sellers in the mid-1970s.
Mason also sang vocals on the tracks "Sheba Baby," "I'm In Love With You," "A Good Man Is Gone," and "She Did It" on the soundtrack for the 1975 Pam Grier film, Sheba, Baby.[2]
After leaving Buddah Records in 1975 after two top ten R&B hits, she only dented the charts periodically on small labels. They included "I Am Your Woman, She Is Your Wife", which was produced in 1978 by Weldon McDougal who had produced her first major success, "Yes I'm Ready", and later in 1984, "Another Man" on West End Records.
Mason started to concentrate on running her own publishing company in the late 1980s, but continues to perform occasionally. She released a new CD, Feeling Blue, in September 2007. Mason was still performing to sold-out audiences in 2016. Her most recent show was at the Terrance Theater in Long Beach, California. Mason was inducted into the Soul Music Hall of Fame on March 1, 2016.
Take It Easy
Barbara Mason Lyrics
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I heard some boys say
They love the way they hypnotize
Oh honey, I don't know
What it is you got
All I know is that you got what it takes
Um, to take what I got
They love your walk
I heard some boys say
Just the other day
They love your sweet baby talk
Oh, I don't know
I can't see what it is you got
All I know is that you got what it takes
Ooh, to take what I got
Hah hah, yeah
Some boys say they love your smile
I heard some boys say
They love the way you just drive 'em wild
Oh, I don't know
I'm tryin' to figure out what it is you got
All I know is that you got what it takes
Ah, to take what I got
Hah hah, you can get anything I got
Flashin' your pretty eyes
You drivin'
me wild
Hypnotizie me with your walk
And your sweet baby talk
Your smile just takes my breath away
I'm trying to figure it out, but all I can say is that you've got the special something that it takes to capture my heart.
Barbara Mason's song "You Got What It Takes" is all about a woman who is the object of everyone's affections. The singer of the song is trying to understand what it is about this woman that makes her so irresistible. She describes how some boys are in love with the woman's eyes, others with her walk, and still others with her smile. She herself is entranced by this woman and knows that she has what it takes to steal her heart.
What is particularly interesting about this song is that it features a strong female protagonist. Instead of being the object of desire, Barbara Mason is the one in control. She is able to make her own choices and determine who she wants to love. This was a relatively new concept in the early 1960s when "You Got What It Takes" was released.
Barbara Mason was just 18 years old when she recorded "You Got What It Takes". She was part of a generation of young Black singers who were making their mark on the music industry. Mason was a prolific songwriter and musician in her own right and went on to have many successful hits throughout the 60s and 70s.
Line by Line Meaning
Some boys say they like your eyes
I heard some boys say that they love the way your eyes hypnotize them
They love the way they hypnotize
They find your eyes enchanting
Oh honey, I don't know
I can't explain
What it is you got
What makes you unique
All I know is that you got what it takes
You have the essential attributes
Um, to take what I got
To handle anything that I have to offer
Oh now some boys say
I heard some boys say
They love your walk
They find your walk captivating
They love your sweet baby talk
They love the way you talk charmingly
I can't see what it is you got
I don't know what makes you unique
Ooh, to take what I got
To handle anything that I have to offer
Some boys say they love your smile
I heard some boys say that they find your smile infectious
They love the way you just drive 'em wild
They find you to be raw sex appeal
I'm tryin' to figure out what it is you got
I'm trying to figure out what makes you unique
Ah, to take what I got
To handle anything that I have to offer
Hah hah, you can get anything I got
You have what it takes to handle anything I am offering
Flashin' your pretty eyes
You mesmerize them with your beautiful eyes
You drivin' them wild with your walk and talk
Your way of walking and talking makes them go crazy
You have a certain walk
The way you walk stands out
The way you talk is unique
You talk in a charming way
Some guys can't get enough
They find you captivating
And though I can't quite put my finger on what makes you unique
I can't explain what makes you special
To handle anything that I have to give.
To handle anything that I have to offer
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CLYDE LOVERN OTIS, MURRAY STEIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind