1) Blackbox was an Ita… Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:
1) Blackbox was an Italo-house music group popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for their hit "Ride on Time". The members of the group included a trio made up of a club DJ (Daniele Davoli), a classically trained clarinet teacher (Valerio Semplici) and a keyboard and electronic music "wiz" (Mirko Limoni.) The three had previously joined to form a group called Groove Groove Melody, producing dance music under names such as Starlight and Wood Allen. They went on to record music under many other aliases.
In 1989, the trio teamed up with singer/model Catherine Quinol (a.k.a. Katrin) and formed Black Box. By early 1990, Martha Wash was engaged to perform vocals on a number of tracks which, Ms. Wash was apparently told, were ostensibly for club consumption and weren't for mass-release. One would be "Everybody, Everybody," which would become one of their two top-ten hits in North America. The album Dreamland was released.
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 1978 disco hit. The Black Box title may derive from a misunderstanding of the lyrics "Cause you're right on time".
Dan Hartman's permission was not sought for the sampling of the vocals to his song and soon after the international success of "Ride on Time," questions arose as to the true vocalist on the song. Legal proceedings revealed that Loleatta Holloway actually sang the vocals on "Ride on Time" from the "Love Sensation" samples and Black Box surrendered a large percentage of the royalties from the song to Dan Hartman and Loleatta Holloway. The song eventually did make it onto the Dreamland album when it was released later in 1990 as well as the Hits and Mixes compilation, and numerous other compilations. A new version of the track with vocals by Heather Small appeared both as a single, and on the album. Subsequent releases, as well as the album tracks, also featured a then-uncredited Martha Wash as vocalist. Quinol lip-synched the vocals in "live" performances and in music videos. Martha Wash sued Black Box, RCA and then C+C Music Factory for performing vocals on their respective songs and not receiving due credit. These legal actions led to the legal recognition of vocalists who perform songs for other artists, including samplings. Wash received full vocal credit on "Strike It Up" but still featured Quinol lip synching in the music video.
A megamix featuring cuts already released and entitled "The Total Mix" performed well in the charts towards the end of 1990. Various minor hits followed in the UK throughout the decade. 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. They were also featured in two Jock Jams albums respectively.
Black Box remains one of the few piano-house groups to reach success. Dreamland earned a gold disc in both the UK and the US and achieved double-platinum status in Australia where it spent eight weeks at #1 during early 1991. Along the way, it also spawned six massive hit singles, both on the mainstream charts and in the clubs.
Black Box is now widely considered to be the major single force to instigate the digital remastering of the Salsoul Records catalogue (which began in the early 1990s and has led to an entire British website devoted to an extensive catalogue of vintage Salsoul albums, remix compilations, and rare/unreleased material). It is highly unlikely this work would have proceeded without the public interest sparked by "Ride on Time"; the success of which placed some operating capital back into the Salsoul coffers.
2) Blackbox is a German band.
Open Your Eyes
Blackbox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But just like makin' love, becomes a part of you
Nobody's losing when we get so satisfied
Because of you i've got to shouting out my love
Open your eyes, there's my love, turn it over
Open your eyes, it's no time to be afraid
Open your eyes, till the dawn's up and over
Gimme that feeling and we'll rock it on out strong
But when you're makin' just like i do to you
The night is growing and i think we're gonna fly
It's just for you that i'll be shouting out my love
The lyrics on Blackbox's song Open Your Eyes speak about the power of love and how it frees the singer from any restraint. He compares love with freewheeling, both eternal and unceasing. The pleasure and satisfaction that love brings make it a part of the person, an essential part of the soul. The poet declares that nobody loses when the lovers get so satisfied because it is intense mutual feelings that will evolve into a bond that grows stronger with time. He admits that it is because of this bond that he has to shout out his love.
The song's chorus provides four lines that demand the attention of the listeners. The singer insists that his lover should open her eyes, and she will see his love. He asks her to turn over and open her eyes because it's not yet time to be afraid. As the night stretches into dawn, he urges her to keep her eyes open because she will see her bed, and it's already made. The second verse, just like the first one, finds the singer telling his lover that he wants to rock with her all night long. He emphasizes the importance of having sex, which takes them to another level of intimacy. The singer believes that the night is growing and they will fly, propelled by intense mutual feelings.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is freewheeling, keeps me wakin' all night long
Love is exciting and unpredictable, it keeps me up at night with anticipation and excitement.
But just like makin' love, becomes a part of you
Love becomes a part of your identity, just like the act of making love becomes a deeply personal experience.
Nobody's losing when we get so satisfied
In a satisfying relationship, no one is losing out or sacrificing their happiness for the other person.
Because of you i've got to shouting out my love
Being with this person makes me feel so passionately in love that I want to shout it from the rooftops.
Open your eyes, there's my love, turn it over
Pay attention and realize that my love for you is there waiting for you to reciprocate and to accept it fully.
Open your eyes, it's no time to be afraid
Don't be afraid of love, embrace it fully and take a chance on it.
Open your eyes, till the dawn's up and over
Keep your eyes open and stay present in the moment, even as the night turns into morning.
Open your eyes, there's you bed and it's made
There is a place here for you, where you can feel comfortable and secure in our relationship.
Gimme that feeling and we'll rock it on out strong
Let's go all in and throw ourselves into this exciting feeling we have for each other.
But when you're makin' just like i do to you
When we are intimate and physically close, it's a mutual act of passion and love.
The night is growing and i think we're gonna fly
Our connection is growing stronger and I believe that together we can soar to greater heights.
It's just for you that i'll be shouting out my love
The love I feel is specifically for you, and I want you to know that I am always willing to express it and shout it from the rooftops.
Lyrics Β© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: DANIELE DAVOLI, MIRKO LIMONI, VALERIO SEMPLICI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind