The duo comprises DJs Matt Black & Jonathan More, formed in London, England… Read Full Bio ↴The duo comprises DJs Matt Black & Jonathan More, formed in London, England around 1986. During their career they have encompassed a wide range of styles from hip hop and rap to electronica and jazz-inflected sounds. They began working together in the mid-eighties on the (then) pirate radio station KissFM. Shortly thereafter they released their first single, Say Kids, What Time Is It?, which marked the first stirrings of the UK's dance/cutup scene. This was followed by their influential remix of Eric B. & Rakim's Paid in Full, which made the top 10 and was voted best remix of the year. Featuring a prominent Ofra Haza sample and a slew of other vocal cutups, it is now regarded as both a hip hop classic and a breakthrough in the remix field.

Their first major hit as Coldcut was the house-inflected People Hold On, featuring a then-unknown Lisa Stansfield. The single took the U.K. by a storm, and the subsequent album featured such luminaries as Junior Reid (on the single "Stop This Crazy Thing") and Queen Latifah.

In 1991 they started their own record label, Ninja Tune, which continues to release groundbreaking and extremely diverse music by a small army of like-minded artists. In 1997 the duo unveiled their own real time video manipulation software, VJamm. Coldcut's current live and DJ sets rely on video as much as records, taking the concept of multimedia performance into largely uncharted territory.

Conceptually, Coldcut owes as much to the ideas of beat writer and cut-up theorist William S. Burroughs, 1970s art / industrial group Throbbing Gristle, and the religious writings of J. R. "Bob" Dobbs as much as to hip-hop originators like Grandmaster Flash or later innovators Double D and Steinski.

Recognizing the power inherent in Burroughs' cut-up technique and its presence in hip hop music, More and Black have relentlessly pushed the D.I.Y. ethic and an understanding of play as a means of fostering greater interaction with and understanding of the world around you. The similarities between this ethos and that of hacking need hardly be stated. Ninja Tune uses a corporate facade to communicate via the marketplace itself, an idea first implemented by Throbbing Gristle via their own Industrial Records imprint.

One of the key aspects of the Ninja Tune ethos, Stealth, implies that their following of DJs and listeners are "agents" in a Burroughsian sense, propagating the D.I.Y. ethic of play as an essentially subversive act by replaying and manipulating media under the radar of mainstream culture. Nowadays Coldcut reach a worldwide audience through their syndicated radio show Solid Steel. Black has recently (2003) worked with Penny Rimbaud (ex Crass) on Crass Agenda's Savage Utopia project.

In 2006, Coldcut released their fifth album, Sound Mirrors. single True Skool featured rapper Roots Manuva and featured an Indian sample from a cult Bollywood era, making the track popular on the bhangra and desi scene and with most of the British Asian urban nation.

I Want You Back
Coldcut Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I had you to myself
I didn't want you around
Those pretty faces always made you
Stand out in a crowd
But someone picked you from the bunch
One glance was all it took
Now it's much too late for me
To take second look

Oh baby give me one more chance
To show you that I love you
Won't you please send me back in your heart

Oh darlin' I was blind to let you go
But now since I see you in his arms
I want you back
Yes I do now
I want you back
Ooh ooh baby
Yeah yeah, naw

Trying to live without your love
Is one long sleepless night
Let me show you girl
That I know wrong from right

Every street you walk on
I leave tear stains on the ground
Following the girl
I didn't even want around
Oh baby give me one more chance
To show you that I love you
Won't you please send me back in your heart

Abuh buh buh buh
All I want!
Abuh buh buh buh

All I need!
Abuh buh buh buh

Overall Meaning

In Coldcut's song "I Want You Back," the lyrics describe the aftermath of a breakup in which the singer regrets letting go of their lover. They begin by acknowledging that when they had their lover, they didn't appreciate them because they were distracted by others who were more exaggerated in their beauty. However, someone else sees the worth in their lover, and it's too late for the singer to take a second glance. The chorus of the song is a plea to their lover to give them one more chance to show that they love and appreciate them. The singer expresses that living without their love is like one long, sleepless night, and they want to show their lover that they know right from wrong. The final verse reiterates the singer's desperation and sorrow.

It's possible to interpret the song as a man admitting his mistakes and begging for his girlfriend to take him back. However, the gender of the singer is not explicit in the song, so it is open to interpretation. Additionally, the lyrics do not give any indication of what caused the breakup, so it could be a relatively small or significant issue.

Overall, the lyrics to "I Want You Back" show the regret and devastation that can come with ending a relationship, especially if the separation was preventable. It's a poignant and relatable song that many people can connect to.

Line by Line Meaning

When I had you to myself
When I was alone with you

I didn't want you around
I didn't value your company

Those pretty faces always made you
Other attractive people caught my attention

Stand out in a crowd
You looked better than others around you

But someone picked you from the bunch
Someone else chose you over me

One glance was all it took
They fell in love with you immediately

Now it's much too late for me
I missed my chance

To take a second look
To reconsider my feelings for you

Oh baby give me one more chance
Please give me another opportunity

To show you that I love you
To prove my love for you

Won't you please send me back in your heart
Let me be in your heart again

Oh darlin' I was blind to let you go
I made a huge mistake by letting you go

But now since I see you in his arms
I realize how much I miss you

I want you back
I want you to come back to me

Yes I do now
I am sure about my feelings now

Ooh ooh baby
Affectionate expression towards the person

Yeah yeah, naw
Vocalization that expresses desire

Trying to live without your love
It is hard to live without you

Is one long sleepless night
I cannot sleep at all

Let me show you girl
Let me demonstrate to you

That I know wrong from right
I know what is morally correct

Every street you walk on
Everywhere you go

I leave tear stains on the ground
I cry because I miss you

Following the girl
Following you

I didn't even want around
I didn't appreciate you when I had you

Abuh buh buh buh
Vocalization without particular meaning

All I want!
I only want you

Abuh buh buh buh
Vocalization without particular meaning

All I need!
I need you in my life

Abuh buh buh buh
Vocalization without particular meaning

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Freddie Perren, Alphonso Mizell, Deke Richards, Berry Gordy Jr

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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