Big Sugar officially formed in 1988 in Toronto, Ontario, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Gordie Johnson, bassist Terry Wilkins, and drummer Al Cross, though the three musicians had already played together for several years as a supporting band for Molly Johnson's jazz performances and as an informal jam band with members of the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir. After Molly Johnson returned to rock music with Infidels, she helped her former bandmates to secure a record deal; their eponymous debut album was released in 1991 on Hypnotic Records.
After Wilkins left the band in 1993, Big Sugar recorded the album Five Hundred Pounds with the help of guest musicians, including harmonica and tenor saxophonist Kelly Hoppe, also known as Mr. Chill. Hoppe brought a blues and old-school r'n'b influence into the band's sound. Hoppe would become an official member of the band in September 1994. He would later add keyboards and melodica to his sideman responsibilities. In July 1994, bassist Garry Lowe joined the band. Lowe had moved to Canada in the mid-1970s from Kingston, Jamaica. Soon after arriving in Toronto, he became an in-demand bass player for touring reggae recording artists. He often accompanied them at Toronto's famed Bamboo club on Queen St.W., among other venues. Lowe was a founding member of "Culture Shock", a popular Toronto reggae band. Johnson, an avid reggae maven (and one-time bass player), had been a fan of Lowe's and was overjoyed when he agreed to join Big Sugar as a full-time member.
Big Sugar had slowly built a reputation as an outstanding live band, and Five Hundred Pounds consolidated it; the album sold 10,000 copies in Canada on the strength of their live shows without any real publicity or radio airplay. During this time, Gordie Johnson also recorded an album as Don't Talk Dance, with Tyler Stewart of Barenaked Ladies and Chris Brown of the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir.
In 1995, the band released two EPs; Dear M.F., which featured a cover version of Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy"; and Ride Like Hell. Following the release of these EPs, Stich Wynston left the band and was replaced by Walter "Crash" Morgan. During the band's tour that year, however, Morgan suffered a heart attack, collapsed, and died on stage during a show in Iowa. Longtime band associate Raffa Dean was enlisted to finish the tour, and former Odds member Paul Brennan subsequently joined as the band's new drummer, appearing on one of their most commercially successful albums, 1996's Hemi-Vision.
Hemi-Vision's single "Opem Up Baby" was a notable first for the band, who recorded a French version of that song, "Ouvres-Toi Bébé", for radio stations in Quebec. The song gained widespread airplay in the province, and for their next album, 1998's Platinum-selling Heated, the band recorded a French version of each single they released; the French songs were collected on the 1999 EP Chauffe à bloc. Also that year, Johnson and Hoppe performed several acoustic shows as a duo under the names "Little Sugar" or "Two Fools on Stools".
Cross returned as drummer in 1999. The band also added a new rhythm guitarist, Mojah. In July of that year the band performed at Woodstock 1999.
In 2000, the band released a dub album, Extra Long Life, under the stage name Alkaline.
In 2001, Big Sugar released Brothers and Sisters, Are You Ready? Taking their abilities in writing and performing French material to its logical conclusion, a complete track-for-track French version, Brothers and Sisters, Êtes Vous Ready?, was released the same year. Only the English album concluded with a blistering rendition of "O Canada".
The two-CD compilation Hit & Run, featuring a greatest hits disc that included a special edition, limited run live concert performance disc, was released in 2003.
Big Sugar, known for its thundering rock shows performed without set lists, played their last concert before splitting up on December 31, 2003, at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. Gordie "Grady" Johnson immediately formed the Austin, Texas-based band Grady and later joined Wide Mouth Mason as their full-time bassist, and also started the gospel dub duo Sit Down, Servant!! when he began playing steel guitar. Kelly Hoppe formed Mr. Chill & The Witnesses, a roots music group. Mojah and Garry Lowe went on to form Truth and Rights Revue, a reggae band, and have released one album to date.
The band reunited in 2010, playing their first show since 2003 at Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler, B.C. on April 23, with tour dates through summer 2010. A new studio album evolved and was released in June 2011, titled Revolution Per Minute. This recording included Stephane Beaudin "Bodean" on drums and new full-time band member "DJ Friendlyness" as the fifth member of Big Sugar. Revolution Per Minute was released on both cd and vinyl with the vinyl album containing bonus "Alkaline" dub remixes and additional songs. 2012 was the first ever DVD release when Eliminate Ya! Live!, a double CD/DVD set that included a new single covering Al Tuck's "Eliminate Ya!" was released.
In 2014, Big Sugar released an album called "Yard Style" which contains uplugged versions of nine of their original songs, plus four previously unreleased songs.
The song "Police Bway A Vampire" appeared as a reworked electric version under the name "Universal Vampire" on their next studio album "Calling All The Youth", which was released in 2015 on Bread & Butter Records.
In May, 2017, two long time members, Kelly Hoppe and DJ Friendliness, left Big Sugar. Hoppe is now a freelancer, frequently performing live and in-studio with various artists, while Friendliness likes to concentrate full-time on his other band Human Rights. They were replaced by Ray Arteaga and Gordie Johnson's wife Alex.
Garry Lowe died of cancer on July 7, 2018.
All Over Now
Big Sugar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you see, can you see
Oh, can't you see?
You're not fooling me
But it's all right, baby
It's all over now
Thought I knew
What did I know?
Guess I didn't know you
But it's all right baby
It's all over now
Did we love
Did we love, did we love?
Who did you love
When I was loving you?
But it's all right, baby
It's all over now
How I cried
How I cried, and I cried
All the time
The time spilled over you
But it's all right, baby
It's all over now
Can you see?
Can you see, can you see?
Oh, can you see
You're not fooling me
Well, it's all right baby
It's all over now
Well it's all right, baby
Look who's crying now
Look who's crying now
Do it now
Do it now
Well, it's all over now
The song “All Over Now” by Big Sugar is a rock ballad that speaks about a breakup, hurt, and moving on. The lyrics are about the emotions that come with the end of a relationship, especially when one person is left feeling betrayed or taken advantage of. The opening lines, “Can you see? Can you see, can you see? Oh, can’t you see? You’re not fooling me” convey a sense of revelation and awakening to the fact that the relationship is not what it seemed. The singer is no longer wearing rose-tinted glasses and can see through the facade of the relationship.
The lyrics, “Thought I knew, thought I knew, what did I know? Guess I didn’t know you” depicts the helplessness and confusion the singer feels after the relationship ends. They thought they knew the other person, but now they are unsure of what was real and what was not. The chorus, “But it’s all right, baby, it’s all over now” showcases the singer’s acceptance and resolution of the situation. They acknowledge that the relationship is over and there is no going back.
The bridge “Well, it’s all right, baby, look who’s crying now, look who’s crying now, do it now, do it now, well it’s all over now” might be interpreted as a message of empowerment. The singer seems to have moved on and encourages their former partner to do the same. The song ultimately can be interpreted as a message of healing, acceptance, and moving on from a toxic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Can you see?
Asking if the other person can truly understand the situation
Can you see, can you see
Repeating the question for emphasis
Oh, can't you see?
Expressing frustration that the other person doesn't seem to comprehend what's happened
You're not fooling me
Acknowledging that the other person's attempts to hide their true feelings are not working
But it's all right, baby
Assuring the other person that everything will eventually be okay, even if it doesn't feel like it now
It's all over now
Affirming that the relationship is truly finished
Thought I knew
Believed that the other person was someone they thought they knew well
Thought I knew, thought I knew
Repeating the statement for emphasis
What did I know?
Acknowledging that they were wrong and didn't really know the other person as well as they thought they did
Guess I didn't know you
Realizing that their perceptions of the other person were inaccurate
Did we love
Wondering if the love they shared was real
Did we love, did we love?
Repeating the question for emphasis
Who did you love
Questioning who the other person really loved, since it seemingly wasn't the singer
When I was loving you?
Expressing the idea that the singer's love was unrequited
How I cried
Describing the depth of emotion the singer felt
How I cried, and I cried
Repeating the statement for emphasis
All the time
Implies that the artist was in a lot of pain for a long time
The time spilled over you
Suggesting that the other person was the cause of the singer's suffering
Well it's all right, baby
Reassuring the other person once more that everything will be okay
Look who's crying now
Pointing out that the other person is now feeling the same pain that the artist felt earlier
Do it now
Urging the other person to face their emotions and deal with the breakup
Well, it's all over now
Reiterating that the relationship is finished and there's no going back
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Gordie Edmond Johnson, Brian Richard Walsh
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind