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/
Think It Over
Black Box Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just think it′s over
You know I'm your destination
But you keep on playing it cool
And the night is just a sensation
I know it′s calling for you
Could just be going far out of the way
I thought was had a good chance,
You say you've gotta go
That′s why I tried
You might think it too
I mean you are the one
Who′ll by my man forever
My temptation
You gotta understand, so think it over...
Got to understand
You know my dream is perfection
All the same I'm thinking of you
And the night is like an obsession
A precious jewel for you
Can′t you see that is the right direction
Could just be going far out of the way
I thought was had a good chance,
You say you've gotta go
That′s why I tried
You might think it too
I mean you are the one
Who'll by my man forever
My temptation
You gotta understand, so think it over...
Well I′m gonna have to choose between my liberty and you
You told me think it over, there was nothing I could do
Lay back relax and let love take over
No need to wait until am older
Or bolder I told ya all I wanna do is hold ya
Oh girl I feel the vibes let's rock and rolla
Just lay 'n my shoulder and love me right
Come closer and I′ll think it over
You might think it too
I mean you are the one
Who′ll by my man forever
My temptation
Gotta understand, gotta understand
In "Think It Over" by Black Box, the singer is trying to convince their love interest to commit to them. Despite their attempts to pursue a relationship, the other person keeps their distance and appears uninterested. The singer urges them to reconsider and warns that they might regret not taking a chance on love. The lyrics address their frustration with the situation, yet their hope for a future together is clear.
The first verse establishes the singer's feelings towards their love interest while highlighting their confusion and frustrations. Despite knowing that they are their love's destination, the recipient's reluctance to commit appears to be cold-hearted. The second verse reiterates the singer's concerns and desires while trying to persuade their love interest to consider making a move before it's too late.
Overall, the lyrics express a sense of both longing and frustration towards the potential partner. The song provides a relatable experience that many people have gone through when trying to pursue a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You gotta understand, yes you do, I just think it's over
I need you to realize and accept that our relationship is coming to an end.
You know I'm your destination, But you keep on playing it cool, And the night is just a sensation, I know it's calling for you
I'm the one you're meant to be with, but you're acting indifferent while the allure of partying and hooking up tempts you.
Don't you think that is the right direction, Could just be going far out of the way, I thought was had a good chance, You say you've gotta go, That's why I tried
I thought we were headed towards a future together, but you're making choices that are leading us in the opposite direction, causing me to make an effort to convince you otherwise.
You might think it too, I mean you are the one, Who'll by my man forever, My temptation
You might feel the same way as I do, since you're the one I want to spend my life with, even though you're my weakness.
You gotta understand, so think it over... Got to understand
I need you to contemplate and comprehend the situation before you make any decisions or take any actions.
You know my dream is perfection, All the same I'm thinking of you, And the night is like an obsession, A precious jewel for you
I want everything to be perfect in our relationship, but I can't help but be fixated on you even when you're out enjoying yourself at night.
Can't you see that is the right direction, Could just be going far out of the way, I thought was had a good chance, You say you've gotta go, That's why I tried
The choices you're making are detrimental to our potential future together, and I'm trying to make you see reason before it's too late.
Well I'm gonna have to choose between my liberty and you, You told me think it over, there was nothing I could do, Lay back relax and let love take over, No need to wait until am older, Or bolder I told ya all I wanna do is hold ya, Oh girl I feel the vibes let's rock and rolla, Just lay 'n my shoulder and love me right, Come closer and I'll think it over
I'm at a crossroads between my freedom and giving myself fully to you, and now that you've told me to consider my decision, I just want us to enjoy being together and see where love takes us, right here and now.
Gotta understand, gotta understand
It's crucial that you grasp and acknowledge the gravity of our situation.
Writer(s): Buddy Holly, Norman Petty
Contributed by Jeremiah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.