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/
Ride on Time
Black Box Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gonna get up, whoa
Gonna get up, gonna get up
Gonna get up, ooho
And time won't take
My love away
You're such a, you're such a
You're such a, you're such a
Hot temptation
You just walk right in
Walk, walk, walk right in and
Ooho, ooho, ooho, ooho
Ooho, ooho, ooho, ooho
Gonna get up, gonna get up
Gonna get up
Thank, thank, thank you, baby
Gonna get up, gonna get up
Gonna get up
Just don't move
Gonna get up, gonna get up
Gonna get up
Thank, thank, thank you, baby
Gonna get up, gonna get up
Gonna get up
Walk right in and
'Cause you ride on time
'Cause you ride on time, ride on time
'Cause you ride on time
'Cause you ride on time, ride on time
Let me tell you, let me tell you
What you do
What you do, what you do to me
You're such a hot temptation
You just walk right in
Walk, walk, walk right in and
Ooho, ooho, ooho, ooho
Ooho, ooho, ooho, ooho
Gonna get up, gonna get up
Gonna get up
Thank, thank, thank you, baby
Gonna get up, gonna get up
Gonna get up
Just don't move
Gonna get up, gonna get up
Gonna get up
Thank, thank, thank you, baby
Gonna get up, gonna get up
Gonna get up
Walk right in and
'Cause you ride on time
'Cause you ride on time, ride on time
'Cause you ride on time
'Cause you ride on time, ride on time
'Cause you ride on time, ride on time
'Cause you ride on time, ride on time
'Cause you ride on time, ride on time
'Cause you ride on time, ride on time
Away
And time won't take
My love away
The lyrics to "Ride On Time" by Black Box are quite simple and repetitive, but there is a clear theme of seduction and temptation throughout the song. The song opens with the artist promising to "get up" and not let time take their love away, suggesting a sense of urgency and determination. The chorus repeatedly mentions riding on time and the power of temptation, with the line "you're such a hot temptation" indicating the subject of the song is someone the artist finds irresistible. The verses consist of little more than the repetition of the same phrases - "you just walk right in" and "ooho" - but these are enough to convey a sense of longing and desire.
Overall, "Ride On Time" is a song about being swept up in a moment of passion and desire, a feeling that is both exhilarating and dangerous. The repetition of certain phrases and sounds throughout the song serves to heighten this feeling and create a sense of urgency and excitement. While the lyrics are certainly simple, they effectively convey the emotions of the artist and the power of their attraction to the object of their desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Gonna get up, gonna get up
I am determined to rise and move forward.
Gonna get up, whoa
I must get up in order to succeed in my endeavors.
And time won't take
My love away
My love will remain steadfast and unchanging over time.
You're such a, you're such a
Hot temptation
You are an irresistible temptation to me.
You just walk right in
Walk, walk, walk right in and
You effortlessly enter my life and capture my attention.
Gonna get up
I will not be held down or discouraged.
Thank, thank, thank you, baby
I appreciate you and your impact on my life.
Just don't move
Stay right where you are, I need you in my life.
'Cause you ride on time
'Cause you ride on time, ride on time
Your presence in my life keeps me moving forward despite obstacles and challenges.
Let me tell you, let me tell you
What you do
What you do, what you do to me
You have a profound impact on me and my emotions.
'Cause you ride on time, ride on time
Away
Your influence on my life will endure and continue to motivate me.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, PFIVE Entertainment Mexico, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Daniel Hartman, Daniele Davoli, Mirko Limoni, Valerio Semplici
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind