There are at least three artists known as Case.

1. an R&B performer … Read Full Bio ↴There are at least three artists known as Case.

1. an R&B performer from New York, NY, United States.
2. a British punk / ska / oi! band of the early 1980's (reformed in 2011)
3. a rapper, skateboarder and drummer from San Francisco, CA, United States

1. Case Woodard was born in New York City and was signed to Def Soul records. He first started working in the R&B industry as a backup singer, working with big name R&B artists like Usher. In 1996, Case released his self-titled debut album. The album featured "Touch Me Tease Me" with rapper Foxy Brown and R&B singer Mary J. Blige, the hit single from "The Nutty Professor". The single went gold, reaching #4 on the R&B charts and #14 on the Hot 100.

Case's second album,Personal Conversation, was released in 1999 and went gold. The album featured the hit single "Happily Ever After" which reached #3 on the R&B charts and #15 on the Hot 100. The album's other single, "Think Of You" failed to do well on the charts, managing to only reach #50 on the R&B charts.

Open Letter, Case's most well-known album was released in 2001. The album went gold, likely a result of the single "Missing You." "Missing You" is Case's only #1 single to date as it topped the R&B charts and reached #4 on the Hot 100.

After the success of “Open Letter”, Case moved to Atlanta to be closer to his children, and has over the last several years proven to be a real survivor. To say his seven years “away” from music have been interesting would be an understatement. In 2002 his true determination to survive was witnessed when Case accidentally shot himself in the throat. The bullet that went in through his throat and came out of the back of his neck was miraculously less than a centimeter away from paralyzing and killing him. To the shock of everyone around, Case was out of the hospital in four hours with just bandages around his neck.

With no damage done to his vocal chords Case continued to work on completing his fourth album, but due to professional differences Case asked to be released from Def Jam Records in 2004. He has since worked through the challenges of a changing music industry and partnered with manager Blue Williams to create and independent record label, Indigo Blue. Case is now poised to release his much anticipated album, The Rose Experience in Fall 2008.

A great deal of Case's success has been due to his appearance on movie soundtracks. Many of Case's most popular tracks appear on the soundtracks for Nutty Professor, Rush Hour, Nutty Professor II and The Best Man. These singles were "Touch Me Tease Me" (Nutty Professor), "Faded Pictures" (Rush Hour), "Best Man I Can Be" (The Best Man) and "Missing You" (Nutty Professor II).

2. Hailing from South London, United Kingdom, Case were a five-piece punk (sometimes ska-tinged) outfit led by vocalist Matthew Newman. Their best known line-up featured drummer Derwent, sax players Neil Pyzer and Micky Donnelly, guitarist Rob Brooks and bassist Marc Adams. Their only official release was the Wheat From The Chaff EP (1983), until all of their demo recordings were gathered up on the compilation CD, Ain't Gonna Dance (2011).

Shine
Case Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We starve-look at one another
Short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats
Wearing smells from laboratories
Facing a dying nation
Of moving paper fantasy
Listening for the new told lies
With supreme visions of lonely tunes

Somewhere inside something
There is a rush of
Greatness, who knows what stands in front of
Our lives? I fashion my future
On films in space
Silence tells me secretly
Everything
Everything

Manchester England England
Manchester England England (eyes look your last)
Across the Atlantic Sea (arms take your last embrace)
And I'm a genius genius (and lips oh you the doors)
I believe in God (of breath, seal with)
And I believe that God (a righteous kiss)
Believes in Claude (seal with a righteous kiss)
That's me, that's me (the rest is silence)
That's me (the rest is silence)
(The rest is silence)

We starve-look
At one another
Short of breath
Walking proudly in our winter coats
Wearing smells from laboratories

Facing a dying nation
Of moving paper fantasy
Listening for the new told lies
With supreme visions of lonely tunes

Singing
Our space songs on a spider web sitar
Life is around you and in you
Answer for Timothy Leary, dearie

Let the sunshine
Let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine
Let the sunshine in
The sunshine in
Let the sunshine
Let the sunshine in
The sun shine in

(Let the sun shine)

Let the sunshine (let the sunshine on in)
Let the sunshine in (yeah)
The sunshine in (open up your heart)
Let the sunshine (open up your heart)
Let the sunshine in (yeah, yeah)
The sunshine in (let it in)
Let the sunshine (let it in, let it in)
Let the sunshine in (let it in, yeah)
The sun shine in

Let the sunshine

Let the sunshine in
The sunshine in

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Case's song Shine are very contemplative and deep. The song starts with a description of a dying nation where people are starving and are dependent on lab-made products for their basic needs. The people are walking around in winter clothes and are short of breath, indubitably due to the harsh circumstances of their environment. The singer describes them as people who are listening to the new told lies and have supreme visions of lonely tunes. These lyrics express the lonely and hopeless feelings people in difficult situations go through.

The second verse of the song seems to take a positive turn - the singer talks about the greatness that lies in everyone, the potential to do great things. Silence is what teaches the singer everything and helps him fashion his future by watching films in space. The third verse, however, takes a political turn and talks about Manchester, England, and the narration indicating the crossing of the Atlantic Sea into another country. An interesting aspect of this verse is the reference to Timothy Leary, a famous American psychologist, and his call for people to ‘turn on, tune in, and drop out', referring to the use of psychedelic drugs as a means to achieve a higher level of consciousness.

The song's chorus is about letting the sunshine in, as if it is a metaphor for hope, positivity, and mental wellbeing. It tells people to open up their hearts and let the positivity come in. In conclusion, the song Shine by Case is a deep and introspective song that talks about the struggles people face in their lives and how hope, positivity, and mental wellbeing can help them overcome these struggles.

Line by Line Meaning

We starve-look at one another
We are hungry and emaciated, but we still gaze at each other regardless.

Short of breath
We are struggling to breathe.

Walking proudly in our winter coats
We move forward with pride despite our difficult circumstances and wear winter coats to protect ourselves from the cold.

Wearing smells from laboratories
The chemical smells of labs cling to us as we struggle to survive.

Facing a dying nation of moving paper fantasy
We are surrounded by a world of illusions and falsehoods, and our nation is collapsing.

Listening for the new told lies with supreme visions of lonely tunes
We yearn for change but are constantly fed false promises and are left feeling alone and disconnected.

Somewhere inside something there is a rush of greatness, who knows what stands in front of our lives?
Something powerful and great exists within us that can lead us to a better future, but we do not know what challenges lay ahead.

I fashion my future on films in space
I imagine a better future inspired by science fiction films set amongst the stars.

Silence tells me secretly everything, everything
In quiet moments, I am able to see and understand everything that is happening around me.

Manchester England England, Manchester England England (across the Atlantic Sea) (and I'm a genius, genius)
Repeating the name of a distant place and declaring oneself to be a genius represents a desire for escape from current circumstances and the hope for a brighter future.

I believe in God (of breath, seal with And I believe that God (a righteous kiss) Believes in Claude (seal with a righteous kiss) That's me, that's me
Expressing a belief in a higher power and hoping that power recognizes them and validates their existence.

We starve-look At one another Short of breath Walking proudly in our winter coats Wearing smells from laboratories
Repeating the opening lines to emphasize the continued struggle and hope despite difficult circumstances.

Facing a dying nation Of moving paper fantasy Listening for the new told lies With supreme visions of lonely tunes
Repeating the chorus to reinforce the idea that society is collapsing and people are searching for hope and truth amidst the chaos.

Singing our space songs on a spider web sitar Life is around you and in you Answer for Timothy Leary, dearie
Moving beyond the struggle, the singer finds peace and meaning in music and proclaims that life is present within us all. The reference to Timothy Leary, a psychedelic advocate, represents the rejection of traditional values and the exploration of alternative lifestyles.

Let the sunshine Let the sunshine in The sunshine in [repeated]
A call to embrace positivity, light, and openness in order to find hope and relief from the pain and difficulty of the world.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Galt MacDermot, James Rado, Gerome Ragni

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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