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).

Shoulda Known Better
Case Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Been around the world ladies come and go
But still I told myself that you weren't one of those

That's what I get for being alive
I'm not upset or headed goodbye

Tried to love you tried to please you
Never made a difference I see

You shoulda known better
I feel so dumb
Made you the one
Never made a difference I see
You shoulda known better

Such a perfect love
Or so I thought it was
But you were loving you
Girl instead of loving us

That's what I get for being alive
I'm not upset or headed goodbye

Girl you really don't believe how much I love you
And you really don't believe hoe much I care
So I guess I made a fool out of myself
But believe me
It won't happen again

You're part of me son don't let me jump in Case
And do the shit I don't know what you're talkin bout dog
Stopped this young thing from eating pork
Now she on the phone hollerin fuck you and child support
Talkin that I ain't got no cream
And the kids don't get it cause soon as she get she gone spend it
And that's what get just for loving her more
Got me feelin like a stranger when I walk in the door
Looking at me like its my fault
With devious thoughts in the back of her wishing the kid fall off
And get laid off, or get sprayed off and lose my face

But I refuse like a plane I'ma take off
And lose my career now that I'm alone I think without fear

Overall Meaning

The song "Shoulda Known Better" by Case is a heartfelt ballad that speaks to the pain and disappointment of unrequited love. Through the verses, the artist laments that he fell too deeply for a woman who did not reciprocate his affections. He has been around the world and seen plenty of ladies come and go, but he truly believed that this woman was different. He tried his best to love and please her, but it never made a difference. As much as he feels foolish for giving so much of himself to someone who didn't care, he is not upset or bitter. He has learned his lesson and is ready to move on.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "You shoulda known better," which could be interpreted as a message to both the artist himself and to the woman he loved. Perhaps he should have recognized that she wasn't capable of loving him back before he invested so much time and energy into the relationship. On the other hand, the woman in question should have known better than to take advantage of his love and generosity.

The bridge of the song takes a more personal turn, as the artist expresses his deep affection for the woman despite the fact that she doesn't believe him. He acknowledges that he made a fool of himself by putting so much of his heart on the line, but he promises that it won't happen again. The final verse is a spoken word interlude featuring another artist who speaks about his own struggles with a difficult relationship. This verse adds another layer of meaning to the song, suggesting that the pain of unrequited love is a universal experience that many people can relate to.

Overall, "Shoulda Known Better" is a poignant meditation on the complexities of romantic relationships and the risks we take when we open ourselves up to love.

Line by Line Meaning

Been around the world ladies come and go
I have traveled the world and met many women, some of whom stayed and some of whom left.

But still I told myself that you weren't one of those
I thought that you were different from other women and that our love could last forever.

That's what I get for being alive
Being alive means experiencing highs and lows of life.

I'm not upset or headed goodbye
I have accepted the outcome of the relationship and I am not leaving because of it.

Tried to love you tried to please you
I put in an effort to love and make you happy.

Never made a difference I see
However, my actions had no effect on the relationship.

You shoulda known better
You should have seen this coming.

I feel so dumb
I feel foolish for putting so much effort into something that was not going to work.

Made you the one
I made you the center of my life.

Such a perfect love
Our love seemed perfect.

Or so I thought it was
However, this was just my perception of the relationship.

But you were loving you
In reality, you were only taking care of yourself.

Girl instead of loving us
You were not invested in our love and relationship.

Girl you really don't believe how much I love you
You do not understand the depth of my love for you.

And you really don't believe hoe much I care
You do not believe that I care for you.

So I guess I made a fool out of myself
I feel like a fool for putting so much effort and love into a one-sided relationship.

But believe me
Despite this, believe that my love was genuine.

It won't happen again
I will not make the same mistake again and invest in a one-sided relationship.

You're part of me son don't let me jump in Case
I do not want to fall into the same mistakes as my father.

And do the shit I don't know what you're talkin bout dog
I do not want to repeat the things my father did.

Stopped this young thing from eating pork
I tried to control my partner's behavior.

Now she on the phone hollerin fuck you and child support
Now she resents me and is asking for child support.

Talkin that I ain't got no cream
She is accusing me of not having money.

And the kids don't get it cause soon as she get she gone spend it
She is using child support money irresponsibly.

And that's what get just for loving her more
I am being punished for loving her.

Got me feelin like a stranger when I walk in the door
I feel disconnected and distant from my partner.

Looking at me like its my fault
She is blaming me for the issues in the relationship.

With devious thoughts in the back of her wishing the kid fall off
She has dark thoughts and wishes harm upon our child.

And get laid off, or get sprayed off and lose my face
She wishes physical harm upon me.

But I refuse like a plane I'ma take off
Despite these difficulties, I am going to move on and leave the situation.

And lose my career now that I'm alone I think without fear
I am willing to lose everything, including my career, to get out of this toxic situation.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: CASE E WOODARD, CHRIS LIGGIO, JOEY DELLANADAGLIA, TONY STARKS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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