The band teamed up with John Farnham for "Everytime You Cry" which was one of the biggest hits of 1997, and due to the success of the previous tours, were asked personally by both Celine Dion and Michael Jackson to continue to support them throughout their European tours in June-September 1997. The band played to crowds often numbering over 100,000 people, and they also took the stage for three nights at Wembley Stadium. Upon their return to Australia in October, Human Nature embarked on their first ever national concert tour- headlining at entertainment centres around the country.
'Counting Down' released in 1998 continued the band's momentum, and debuted at number one on the ARIA charts and generated five gold singles in Australia - "Last To Know", "Don't Cry", "Cruel", "Be There With You" and "Eternal Flame" a cover version of the 1989 hit by The Bangles. The band also appeared in an Australian concert tour of symphonic versions of Beatles songs conducted by legendary producer and "fifth Beatle", Sir George Martin.
In 1999, Human Nature appeared in a tour of the musical version of the television series Happy Days.
The band released a self-titled album in 2000 with lead single "He Don't Love You" reaching Top 20 in the UK and being the 2nd best selling Australasian single in Australia for that year. The album was recorded in Sydney, London, Stockholm, Los Angeles and New York and featured a songwriting session with Gary Barlow of Take That.
In September 2000 the band performed the Australian National Anthem at the 2000 Summer Olympics with Julie Anthony. The band also appeared in Australian soap opera Neighbours in November 2000 and performed "He Don't Love You" at Erinsborough High's debutant ball and sang "Wishes" a cappella at the ball's after party.
A greatest hits album- Here & Now: The Best of Human Nature- followed in late 2001. The accompanying single "Always Be With You" also made the Australian top 30, with the appearance of comic character Guido Hatzis, breakdancing legend, making the video memorable.
Throughout 2002 and into early 2003, Toby took on the role of MC in a major production of the musical Cabaret. This portrayal earned him a prestigious Helpmann Award.
Human Nature's fourth studio album Walk the Tightrope was released on 26 April 2004. The first single "When You Say You Love Me" was written by Darren Hayes, formerly of Savage Garden, and it reached the Top 10 in Australia in 2004. The album also features "Love Is Blind" written by Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, a reworked cover of Guilty by Barry Gibb and Barbra Streisand, and a cover version of "To Be With You", a 1992 hit by glam metal band Mr. Big.
Mid-2005 saw Toby again hit the musical theatre scene, playing Kenickie in an arena version of the musical Grease.
With the realisation that they were perhaps outgrowing their original teen market, for their fifth studio album Human Nature decided to pay tribute to the music that influenced them from the very beginning, and released an album of Motown covers- Reach Out: The Motown Record- on 6 November 2005. It peaked at number one on the Australian charts and has reached 5 times platinum. They toured extensively around Australia in 2006 on The Motown Show tour and members Phil Burton and Toby Allen both starred in reality TV shows during 2005/06: Phil in the Nine Network's Celebrity Overhaul 2 and Toby on Channel 7's Dancing With The Stars, plus both Phil and Toby on Channel 10's Australia's Brainiest Musician in March 2006 (Phil came in first, and Toby came in second).
On 29 October 2006, Human Nature won their first ARIA - highest selling album - after 15 nominations; band member Andrew Tierney joked saying they were the "John Wood" of the ARIAs.
The quartet's sixth studio album Dancing In The Street: The Songs Of Motown II was released on 13 October 2006 and debuted at number one, with 14 Motown cover songs, after the initial 'Motown' album sold over 350,000 copies and won the highest selling album ARIA award.
They toured Australia with Doug Parkinson as the MC for the Motown Tour 2005/06 and the Encore Motown Tour 2006, and again in mid-2007 with the Dancing In The Street Arena Tour 2007, with special guests Paulini and The Naturelles.
The 24th of November, 2007 saw Human Nature hit No.2 on the ARIA Albums Chart with Get Ready, the 3rd Motown-themed album, which this time featured appearances by several original Motown singing legends such as Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, Mary Wilson of The Supremes and The Temptations. All three albums have now sold close to a million copies in Australia. Human Nature's total album sales in Australia number almost two million.
At the start of 2008, Human Nature headed over to perform for the first ever time in the USA, with a two-month engagement at Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino. They played the Imperial Palace and Casino in 2009.
On 22 April 2008, Human Nature took the stage with The Supremes' Mary Wilson on the television show It Takes Two. They performed two duets from their Get Ready album: "It Takes Two" and "River Deep, Mountain High".
Human Nature is currently in residency through May 2010 at the Imperial Palace Hotel in Las Vegas. Their show, "The Ultimate Celebration of the Motown Sound," is being presented by friend and mentor Smokey Robinson.
Official Website: www.humannaturelive.com
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Human Nature Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Bout your plans to make me blue
With some other guy you knew before
Between the two of us guys
You know I loved you more
It took me by surprise I must say
When I found out yesterday
Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah.
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine baby
I know a man ain't supposed to cry
But these tears I can't hold inside
Losin' you would end my life you see
'Cause you mean that much to me
You could have told me yourself
That you loved some one else
Instead I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine
And I'm just about to lose my mind
Honey, honey yeah
I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine, baby
People say believe half of what you see
Son and none of what you hear
But I can't help but be confused
If it's true please tell me dear
Do you plan to let me go
For the other guy you loved before?
Don't you know I heard it through the grapevine
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
I heard it through the grapevine
I'm just about to love my mind
Honey, honey, yeah
I heard it through the grapevine,
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
The human experience of hearing unexpected news, especially when it comes to betrayal, is one of the central themes of Human Nature's "I Heard It Through The Grapevine." The lyrics express a sense of shock and disbelief as the singer learns that the person they love is planning to leave them for someone else, and they found out about it "through the grapevine," rather than from the person themselves. The chorus is memorable and catchy, the refrain "Not much longer would you be mine" repeated with increasing desperation over a propulsive R&B groove.
The verse begins by questioning how the singer could have learned of their lover's plans before they were told directly, suggesting a breakdown in communication and trust between the two. They go on to express their feelings of hurt and betrayal, acknowledging that they loved their partner more than the other man. The second verse is even more emotional, with the singer admitting that losing their lover would be the end of their life, because they mean that much to them. This heightens the stakes of the situation and makes the listener empathize more fully with the heartbroken narrator.
Line by Line Meaning
I bet you're wonderin' how I knew
You must be wondering how I found out
'Bout your plans to make me blue
About your intention to make me sad
With some other guy you knew before
You're seeing someone else you knew from before
Between the two of us guys
Between us two men
You know I loved you more
You know that I loved you more than he does
It took me by surprise I must say
I must say, it was surprising to me
When I found out yesterday
When I found out yesterday
Don't you know that I heard it through the grapevine
I got the information through gossip
Not much longer would you be mine
You'd leave me soon
Oh I heard it through the grapevine
I learned about it through gossip
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind
It's making me go crazy
Honey, honey yeah.
Affectionate interjection
I heard it through the grapevine
I got to know about it through rumors
Not much longer would you be mine baby
You'd leave me soon, my dear
I know a man ain't supposed to cry
A man's not supposed to cry
But these tears I can't hold inside
These tears can't be held back
Losing you would end my life you see
Losing you would ruin me
'Cause you mean that much to me
Because you mean everything to me
You could have told me yourself
You could've told me yourself
That you loved some one else
That you fell for someone else
Instead I heard it through the grapevine
Instead, I learned about it through rumors
And I'm just about to lose my mind
It's making me lose my sanity
People say believe half of what you see
People say to believe only half of what you see
Son and none of what you hear
And nothing of what you hear
But I can't help but be confused
But I can't help being confused
If it's true please tell me dear
If it's true, please tell me, dear
Do you plan to let me go
Do you plan on leaving me
For the other guy you loved before?
For the other guy you loved before?
I'm just about to love my mind
It's making me almost lose my sanity
Honey, honey, yeah
Affectionate interjection
Not much longer would you be mine, baby yeah
You'd leave me soon, my dear
I heard it through the grapevine
I learned about it through rumors
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind