Davoli, Semplici, and Limoni had previously formed a group called Groove Groove Melody, producing dance music under names such as Starlight (who had a UK Top 10 hit in August 1989 with "Numero Uno") and Wood Allen. They went on to record music under many other aliases, most notably Mixmaster, which scored a UK #9 hit in November 1989 with the song "Grand Piano".
In 1989, the trio teamed up with French Caribbean model Katrin Quinol (b. Catherine Quinol) and formed the group Black Box. Quinol did not contribute musically to any of the tracks on the album, was considered the group's "image", lip-syncing the songs in TV performances and music videos.
The first single "Ride On Time" was an international hit, making Top 10 in many countries and No. 1 in the UK, soon becoming the UK's best-selling single of 1989. The song heavily sampled "Love Sensation" by Loleatta Holloway, a 1980 disco hit. The Black Box title is derived from the lyrics "Cause you're right on time".
Dan Hartman, writer and producer of "Love Sensation", was not sought for permission to sample his song, and soon after the international success of "Ride On Time," questions arose as to the true vocalist on the song. Legal proceedings ruled that Loleatta Holloway was the actual singer on "Ride On Time" (albeit by means of the "Love Sensation" vocal samples) and Black Box surrendered a large percentage of the royalties from the song to Hartman and Holloway. A new version of the track with uncredited vocals by Heather Small appeared solely as a single.
The group enlisted Martha Wash to perform vocals on a number of tracks which, Wash was apparently told, were for club consumption and were not for mass-release. The album Dreamland was released in May 1990, and featured six songs sung by Wash, including the singles "Everybody Everybody", "I Don't Know Anybody Else", and "Strike It Up", which became major hits worldwide. Dreamland earned a gold disc in both the UK and the US and achieved double-platinum status in Canada. In Australia it spent three weeks at #1, achieved platinum accreditation and was ranked the country's 16th highest selling album of 1991. Along the way, it also spawned six hit singles, both on the mainstream charts and in the clubs.
Martha Wash was uncredited on the album and singles, with Katrin Quinol lip-synching to the songs in public appearances. Wash sued Black Box, RCA Records and then C+C Music Factory for not receiving due credit. RCA and Wash settled out of court in 1990, with Wash receiving financial compensation and a record deal with RCA.[7] Wash received full vocal credit upon the single release of "Strike It Up", but the music video still featured Katrin Quinol lip-synching the lyrics.
In 1993, the group returned with the single "Rockin' To The Music", dismissing Quinol as the group's image and using American singer Charvoni Woodson as lead vocalist and image, but failed to emulate their previous success. The group recorded their second album Positive Vibration, with Woodson. The album was released around Europe and Asia in different independent labels from 1995 to 1997. The album spawned four singles, including a cover of Odyssey's disco hit "Native New Yorker" which became minor hits in Europe.
In America, they are best remembered for their early '90s singles, "Everybody Everybody", "I Don't Know Anybody Else", and "Strike It Up", their biggest hit in the United States, where all three of their hits are still heard on rhythmic radio and in clubs on a fairly regular basis to this day. Black Box remain one of the few piano-house groups to achieve mainstream success in the USA.
Official website : http://www.blackboxhouse.eu/
Katrin Quinol official website : http://katrinquinol.fr/
Everybody Everybody
Black Box Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I walk around 'n' see your night skyline
I feel the light but you don't want to stay
So lonely now, just let me off downtown
Sad and free, sad and free
Sad and free, sad and free
When I said it was over, you aimed at my heart
But I'll feel it forever, no sounds in my life
You can call that no livin' on my own, so free
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody)
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody)
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody)
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody)
You took me easy and then let me go
I never was, you see, that cheatin' kind
You feel all right, you never looked for me
So long, it's time, I've gotta get on by
Sad and free, sad and free
Sad and free, sad and free
When I said it was over, you aimed at my heart
Won't be long for I'm leaving all my love
But I'll feel it forever, no sounds in my life
You can call that no livin' on my own, so free
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody) Oh, everybody
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody) Oh, everybody
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody) Everybody, oh everybody
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody) Everybody
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody) Oh, everybody
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody) Oh, everybody
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody) Everybody, oh everybody
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody) Everybody
The lyrics to Black Box's "Everybody Everybody" describe the aftermath of a failed relationship. The singer acknowledges that they let their partner down and now feels lonely as they walk around the city at night. The partner has left and the singer is left feeling sad and free. The singer refers to themselves as "no livin' on my own, so free", implying that while they may have some newfound independence, they are still hurting from the breakup.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Everybody, everybody" over and over, which can be interpreted as the singer acknowledging the universality of heartbreak and the fact that everyone experiences it at some point in their lives. It could also be seen as an invitation for others to join in the singer's feelings of sadness and loneliness.
The second verse continues with the theme of the partner letting the singer go after an easy time together. The singer claims they were never the cheating type, but the partner is not looking for them. The singer acknowledges that it's time to move on, but they are still feeling sad and free.
Overall, the lyrics of "Everybody Everybody" convey the complicated emotions that arise after a relationship ends. The singer is simultaneously feeling free and longing for the relationship they lost. The repetitions of "Everybody, everybody" showcase this is a universal experience that many can relate to.
Line by Line Meaning
You won't belong to me, I let you down
I acknowledge that you don't want to be with me anymore because I disappointed you.
I walk around 'n' see your night skyline
Despite our separation, I still reminisce about the times we spent together in the city at night.
I feel the light but you don't want to stay
I still have love for you, yet you have moved on and don't want to be with me anymore.
So lonely now, just let me off downtown
I am now alone and would like to be dropped off in the city.
Sad and free, sad and free
I am sad, but also free now that the relationship is over.
When I said it was over, you aimed at my heart
When I decided to end the relationship, you were hurt by my decision.
Won't be long for I'm leaving all my love
I will be leaving with all the love I have for you, even though we are separated now.
But I'll feel it forever, no sounds in my life
I will always feel the love for you in my heart, but now there is emptiness in my life.
You can call that no livin' on my own, so free
I am now living my life without you, and though I am free, I am also lonely.
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody)
Chorus: This struggle of losing someone is something that everybody goes through.
You took me easy and then let me go
You started the relationship too easily and ended things too quickly.
I never was, you see, that cheatin' kind
To clarify, I want you to know that I never cheated on you or betrayed you in any way.
You feel all right, you never looked for me
It seems like you're doing okay without me, and you haven't tried to reconnect with me.
So long, it's time, I've gotta get on by
I have to say goodbye now, and move on with my life.
Sad and free, sad and free
I am sad, but also free now that the relationship is over. (repeated)
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody) Oh, everybody
Chorus: This struggle of losing someone is something that everybody goes through. (repeated)
(Everybody, everybody, everybody, everybody) Everybody
Chorus: This struggle of losing someone is something that everybody goes through. (repeated)
Lyrics © Royalty Network, PFIVE Entertainment Mexico, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Daniele Davoli, Mirko Limoni, Valerio Semplici
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@riinareel
Who's listening in 2024?!
@matthewmckee9914
Oh yeah I started driving in 1991 and remember jamming to this back in the day. Still Jamming.
@bogdancublesan711
Everybody!
@julioquezada8473
Yo
@mauromartin9805
@@bogdancublesan711x2
@user-be7tc2bd6e
I am,still a jam.
@natashaabdurahman4026
30 years later and it still sounds fresh
@timeb9300
Did you just say fresh wow haven't heard that in a bit
@najman2741
It’s so damn fresh. This jam is still so good
@Nobody18718
It is timeless