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
When We Were Young
Human Nature Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When we were young
Remember when we started out as friends
We were one and the same
Don't even think that I knew your name
That was then
So many things have changed
It's good to see that we are still the same
Sometimes I wish
That innocence would never end
Although memories will fade no, no
Time will never take them away
Yesterdays have been and gone
Summer days that seemed so long
All the things we did
When we were young
We had our share of smiles and tears
It's been the same
All through the years, oh yeah
Even shared our favorite songs
When we were young
Don't you know, people come and go?
But sure as sun after rain
In your heart friends will still remain
Let me say if we should drift away
And your heart feels the pain
Let the good times bring you back again
Sometimes I wish the days we had
Would never end
Although time is moving fast, so fast
Memories are made to last
Yesterdays have been and gone
Summer days that seemed so long
All the things we did
When we were young
We had our share of smiles and tears
It's been the same
All through the years, oh yeah
Even shared our favorite songs
When we were young
Even on your own
Know you'll never be alone
The memories we made
Time will never take them away
All the yesterdays have been and gone
And the summer days that seemed so long
All the things we used to do when we
When we were young
Yesterdays have been and gone
Summer days that seemed so long
All the things we did
When we were young
We had our share of smiles and tears
It's been the same
All through the years, oh yeah
Even shared our favorite songs
When we were young
In these lyrics, Human Nature reminisces about their youth, recalling the friendship they once had and the memories they made. They reflect on the passage of time and the changes that have occurred, yet acknowledge that amidst it all, they are still the same. They express a desire for the innocence and carefree nature of their youth to last forever, while recognizing that memories are what endure.
The song captures the bittersweet nostalgia that comes with looking back on one's past. It celebrates the joys and sorrows that were experienced, emphasizing that even though the people and circumstances may have changed, the memories remain. The lyrics convey a sense of longing for simpler times, while also acknowledging the inevitability of growing older and moving on.
Overall, When We Were Young is a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of youth and the enduring power of memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday's been and gone
The past is now over and we can't change it.
When we were young
Refers to a time in the past when they were young and carefree.
Remember when we started out as friends
Recalling fond memories of when they became friends.
We were one and the same
Referring to the fact that they were very similar to each other.
Don't even think that I knew your name
The two were so connected that it didn't matter if they knew each other's names.
That was then
Acknowledging that the past is over and they have to move on to the present.
So many things have changed
The present is different compared to the past when they were young and carefree.
But looking back on the days
Gaining perspective and reminiscing about days gone by.
It's good to see that we are still the same
Despite the changes that life brings, they are still close and connected.
Sometimes I wish that innocence would never end
Longing for simpler times when they were young and carefree.
Although memories will fade no, no
Despite the passing of time, the memories will not be forgotten.
Time will never take them away
The memories will always be a part of them and can't be erased by the flow of time.
Summer days that seemed so long
Remembering the carefree days of summer when they were young.
All the things we did
Remembering the fun times they had with each other.
We had our share of smiles and tears
Acknowledging that they went through both happy and sad times together.
It's been the same
Despite the changes that come with growth and time, their bond has not been weakened.
All through the years, oh yeah
Their friendship has endured the test of time and grown stronger.
Even shared our favorite songs
Their bond grew stronger because they shared something as personal as their favorite songs when they were young.
Don't you know, people come and go?
Highlighting the fickle nature of relationships, which may come and go over time.
But sure as sun after rain
Despite this, their friendship has stood the test of time and remained steadfast.
In your heart friends will still remain
Emphasizing that true friends will always remain in your heart.
Let me say if we should drift away
Acknowledging the possibility that they may grow apart in the future.
And your heart feels the pain
Indicating that the pain of losing a friend is real and deeply felt.
Let the good times bring you back again
Hoping that the good memories they shared will bring them back together again.
Even on your own
Despite being alone, the good memories of their friendship will always be with them.
Know you'll never be alone
Emphasizing that their bond will always make them feel connected, even when apart.
The memories we made
Emphasizing that the memories they shared are a testament to their strong friendship.
All the yesterdays have been and gone
Acknowledging that the past is behind them and they can't change it.
Even shared our favorite songs
Highlighting the depth of their friendship by sharing intimate details about themselves with each other.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ANDREW JAMES TIERNEY, ELIOT JOHN KENNEDY, MICHAEL DAVID PERCY, MICHAEL JOHN TIERNEY, PHILLIP ANDREW BURTON, TIM WOODCOCK, TIMOTHY JOHN LEVER, TOBY CHARLES ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Yohan
HN's Pop Era is so pure. Everybody laugh off at that time, But Their 3rd album was most successful Album, produced their first Top 20 UK Hit single.
JustKiddingKash
“In your heart friends will still remain”
2020, still on my summer jam list ☺️
Dianne Wang
It's been ages since I last listened to this song. Great catchy tune. I remember first listening to them in 1997
mikey p
Why not 1996?
😻Alli-Kat😻
Love THIS ❤
Allan Ikupu
HUMAN NATURE STILL THE BEST CLASSIC SONG FROM A GREAT BAND.
Drh_ Firdiana
love this song...remind me my youth🤗🤗
Paulie Leary
Love these guys
Yel Yint
I was just 11 back then, you know. This song makes me to remember my childhood besties. And, this is the kinda song which will stick with you forever and always.
Mote Stap Lo Fom
Have not heard this in a very long time. Bringing back childhood memories of the early 2000s.