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.
Yes I
Barbara Mason Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Female backups: [Yes I'm ready]
Male backups: (Are you ready?)
Female backups: [Yes I'm ready]
I don't even know how to love you
Just the way you want me to
But I'm ready [ready] to learn (to learn)
To fall in love, to fall in love, to fall in love with you
I don't even know how to hold your hand
Just to make you understand
But I'm ready [ready] to learn (to learn)
Yes, I'm ready [ready] to learn (to learn)
To hold your hand, make you understand
To hold your hand right now
I don't even know how to kiss your lips (kiss your lips)
At a moment like this
But I'm going to learn how to do
All the things you want me to
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
To fall in love, to fall in love, to fall in love right now
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
(To kiss me?) Yes, I'm ready
(To love me?)
To kiss you, love you, and hug you
Baby, I'm ready
Barbara Mason's song "Yes I" is a highly suggestive love song that speaks to the willingness to learn how to love and to be the perfect lover. The song begins with male and female backups questioning each other's readiness for love. The main singer then admits to not knowing how to love the person as they want but is willing to learn. The song goes on to mention that the singer doesn't know how to hold the person's hand or kiss their lips but is willing to learn how to do all the things they want. The song then ends with the singer confirming their readiness to kiss, love, and hug the person.
The song is a clear representation of how one should be open-minded and willing to put in the effort to make a relationship work. It highlights the importance of loving someone the way they want to be loved and fulfilling their desires. The song's hypnotic beat and suggestive lyrics make it a timeless classic that speaks to the human desire for intimacy and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't even know how to love you
I lack the knowledge of how to love you in the way that you desire
Just the way you want me to
In the exact manner you wish to be loved
But I'm ready [ready] to learn (to learn)
Despite my ignorance, I am willing and eager to acquire the necessary skills
Yes, I'm ready [ready] to learn (to learn)
I am affirmatively asserting my readiness to learn
To fall in love, to fall in love, to fall in love with you
I am inclined to fall in love with you and become your romantic partner
I don't even know how to hold your hand
I am clueless about the proper way to hold your hand
Just to make you understand
With the intention of making you comprehend how I feel for you
To hold your hand, make you understand
To clutch your hand and convey my thoughts and emotions to you
To hold your hand right now
At this moment, I wish to hold your hand
I don't even know how to kiss your lips (kiss your lips)
I am unaware of the correct technique to kiss your lips
At a moment like this
In this current situation
But I'm going to learn how to do
I am determined to acquire the knowledge and skills to kiss you properly
All the things you want me to
Everything you desire me to do, both in and out of the bedroom
(Are you ready?) Yes, I'm ready
I am responding affirmatively to your question of whether I am ready
To fall in love, to fall in love, to fall in love right now
At this instant, I possess the readiness to fall deeply in love with you
(To kiss me?) Yes, I'm ready
I am prepared to kiss you
(To love me?)
I am anticipating your inquiry of whether I desire to be loved by you
To kiss you, love you, and hug you
I am eager and open to the prospect of kissing, loving, and embracing you
Baby, I'm ready
I am keen and enthusiastic about the possibility of us pursuing a romantic relationship
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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