Born in the garden parish of St Ann, Busy Signal - born Reanno Gordon - sta… Read Full Bio ↴Born in the garden parish of St Ann, Busy Signal - born Reanno Gordon - started singing hymns at his Mother's church, which is where he received his first encore. When church was over, Reanno would sit on the corner with his friends and flip the devotional lyrics, until his Mother's guiding hand cautioned him for altering the Lord's songs. Reanno continued performing at school, beating his fists in time on his desk and deejaying Bounty Killer's songs (he claims to know all of Bounty's lyrics) before progressing to his own material.

Since stepping out onto the dancehall scene in 2003, Busy Signal's undeniable talent and lyrical dexterity has taken him quickly to the front of the pack. Busy's breakout hit single - "Step Out" - was one of dancehall's hottest songs for 2005 and with a thugged-out video to match, it signalled the arrival of dancehall's next superstar.

Busy Signal, an alias given to him by a friend because of his constantly busy persona, has always approached his craft from a different perspective, not trodding the usual road of trying to voice on every rhythm out there to try and catch a break. Instead, Busy chose to record songs with concepts attached to them on purpose-built rhythms. The first such track to catch the attention of a wider audience was "Born and Raised", a song in which Busy Signal reps his birthplace and narrates the gritty realities of Jamaica.

"Even though I was an unknown artist and there was no-one else on the riddim," says Busy, "the track got good airtime which encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing. Producers don't want to give young artists a break more time, so young artists can get stifled. I just work hard on putting creative flows and melodies together and so far people have been feeling it." Already with a big following worldwide, Busy doesn't see his music as stopping in Jamaica. A slew of Busy Signal mix CDs flooded the streets from Halfway Tree to Brixton to Flatbush and beyond, creating and spreading the hype that lead to Busy being the strongest young artist to emerge from 2005.

Busy's self-production and businesslike approach to the industry has seen him already launch his own label, Network Records. The first releases, "Tell Santa Dis" and "Where I'm From" are distributed worldwide and are selling well.

Although Busy didn't rely on familiar rhythms and producers for a break, he has no problem recording for other labels, such as Renaissance, for whom Busy recorded "Not Going Down," showcasing his singing and deejaying abilities. Other tracks from Busy include "Because of You," with Tami Chin on the Throwback Giggy beat, "That Bad," and "Pharmacy" for Don Corleon, "Fade Away" for John John and "Too Much Gun," which sees Busy in explosive form, delivering rapid fire lyrics atop the reworked Man Fi Dead (Petty Thief) soundbed.

The end of 2005 saw Busy Signal garner immense critical success from show-stealing appearances on all the major stage shows across Jamaica, including the Smirnoff Experience alongside Sean Paul, Bobby Valentino and others, as well as Island Explosion, Camp Fire and West Kingston Jamboree. And of course there was the already-legendary debut appearance at 6.45am on the toughest stage in the world - the infamous Sting reggae concert. Busy stepped out in the rising sun adorned in full black and underlined why he is here to stay.

2006 has seen no ease up in Busy's momentum, with a headline grabbing performance at Reggae Sumfest 2006, where he performed solo on Dancehall Night and was also called up by G Unit on International Night. With successful tours of the UK, the Caribbean and Japan already knocked down and with Step Out breaking new ground on the esteemed Billboard chart, Busy is already being heralded as a new icon in the business.

borderline
Busy Signal Lyrics

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Something in the way you love me won't let me be
I don't want to be your prisoner so baby won't you set me free
Stop playing with my heart, finish what you start
When you make my love come down
If you want me let me know, baby let it show
Honey don't you fool around

Something in your eyes is makin' such a fool of me

When you hold me in your arms you love me till I just can't see
But then you let me down, when I look around, baby you just can't be found
Stop driving me away, I just wanna stay,
There's something I just got to say

Just try to understand, I've given all I can
'Cause you got the best of me

Borderline, feels like I'm going to lose my mind
You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Busy Signal's "Borderline" is a plea to a lover to stop playing with his heart and make a concrete decision about their relationship. He says that something in the way the lover loves him won't let him be, and he doesn't want to be a prisoner in the relationship anymore. He pleads with the lover to stop playing with his heart and finish what she started. He confesses that her love makes his heart race and come down. The lyrics convey a sense of confusion and frustration in the singer's love life as he can't seem to decipher the lover's true intentions.

He notes that the lover's eyes are making a fool of him, and when she's in his arms, her love overwhelms him. However, he says that she lets him down by disappearing when he needs her the most. The singer is tired of being driven away and wants to stay. He implores the lover to let him know if she wants him or not and not play around with him. He notes that he has given all he can but doesn't seem to get much back. He confesses that he feels like he's losing his mind, and the lover keeps pushing his love over the borderline.

In conclusion, the lyrics of "Borderline" tell of the singer's emotional struggles and confusion in a relationship that seems to be hanging by a thread. The song's message is crystal clear, with lyrics that convey a sense of desperation for clarity and solid decisions.

Line by Line Meaning

Something in the way you love me won't let me be
The love you give me is suffocating me and I need a way to be free.

I don't want to be your prisoner so baby won't you set me free
I want to be able to love you freely and not feel tied down.

Stop playing with my heart, finish what you start
Don't play games with my emotions, commit to our relationship.

When you make my love come down
When we're intimate, you make me feel vulnerable and I don't like it.

If you want me let me know, baby let it show
Be honest with me about your feelings towards me.

Honey don't you fool around
Don't play with my feelings and lead me on.

Something in your eyes is makin' such a fool of me
Your eyes make me feel like I'm under your spell and I can't think clearly.

When you hold me in your arms you love me till I just can't see
When we're close, I lose my perspective because I'm so overwhelmed with love.

But then you let me down, when I look around, baby you just can't be found
You give me so much love one moment, and then the next you're nowhere to be found or don't reciprocate.

Stop driving me away, I just wanna stay
Don't push me away, I want to be close to you and be with you fully.

There's something I just got to say
I need to express my true feelings to you and be heard.

Just try to understand, I've given all I can
Please understand that I've put in effort and love into this relationship.

'Cause you got the best of me
You've taken all of me and I'm fully invested in us.

Borderline, feels like I'm going to lose my mind
Our relationship is on the brink and I feel like I'm going crazy.

You just keep on pushing my love over the borderline
The way you treat me and play with my emotions is causing our love to teeter on the edge of falling apart.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Spirit Music Group
Written by: REGINALD GRANT LUCAS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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