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
abc
Human Nature Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A buh-buh buh buh-buh
You went to school to learn, girl
Things you never, never knew before
Like I before E except after C
And why two plus two makes four
Now now now, I'm gonna teach you
Teach you, teach you
All about love, dear
All about love
Sit yourself down, take a seat
All you gotta do is repeat after me.
ABC
Easy as
one, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl!
ABC
Easy as
one, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me!
Come on, let me love you just a little bit!
Come on, let me love you just a little bit!
I'm a going to teach how to sing it out!
Michael: Come on, come on, come on
Let me show you what it's all about!
Reading, writing and arithmetic
Are the branches of the learning tree
But without the roots of love every day, girl
Your education ain't complete
T-T-T-Teacher's gonna show you
Show you, show you
How to get an A!
Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah!
Spell "me" "you"
Add the two!
Listen to me baby, that's all you gotta do!
ABC
Easy as
one, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl!
ABC
Easy as
one, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me!
Sit down, girl!
I think I love you!
No!
Get up, girl!
Show me what you can do!
Shake it, shake it, baby, come on now!
Shake it, shake it, baby, ooo oooh!
Shake it shake it, baby, huh!
one, two, three, baby, oo ooo!
ABC, baby, nah nah!
Do re mi, baby, huh!
That's how easy love can be.
ABC
ABC, it's easy
Easy as one, two, three
It's like counting up to three
Or simple as Do re mi
Sing a simple melody
That's how easy love can be!
Easy as one, two, three
It's like counting up to three
Or simple as Do re mi
Sing a simple melody
That's how easy love can be!
The song "ABC" by Human Nature is a fun, upbeat tune that teaches the simple basics of love while also introducing some basic educational concepts. The song begins by referencing the idea of going to school to learn things you never knew before, like how to spell and do basic math. The chorus then explains that love can also be easy to learn, compared to counting to three or singing a simple melody.
The lyrics encourage the listener to sit down and repeat after the teacher, learning about love and how to get an A. The song emphasizes that love provides the roots that are necessary to make education complete. As the song progresses, it becomes more energetic and exciting, with the teachers encouraging the student to shake and move to the beat.
Line by Line Meaning
A buh-buh buh buh-buh
The singer is using nonsensical sounds to grab the listener's attention and get them excited for the song.
A buh-buh buh buh-buh
Repetition of the opening line to further excite and engage the listener.
You went to school to learn, girl
Addressing a girl, the singer acknowledges her schooling and education.
Things you never, never knew before
The singer is stating that the girl will be learning new things from him that she's never heard of before.
Like I before E except after C
The singer is teaching the girl about English language rules, such as the spelling rule for 'i' and 'e'.
And why two plus two makes four
The singer is explaining basic arithmetic and mathematical concepts to the girl.
Now now now, I'm gonna teach you
The singer is confident that he will be able to teach the girl everything she needs to know.
Teach you, teach you
Repetition of the singer's commitment to teach the girl.
All about love, dear
The singer shifts from teaching basic concepts to something more emotionally complex: love.
All about love
Reiteration of the focus of the singer's instruction: love.
Sit yourself down, take a seat
The singer commands the girl to sit down and listen to him.
All you gotta do is repeat after me.
The singer is confident that he can teach the girl by having her repeat after him.
ABC
Refers to the alphabet and marks the beginning of the lesson.
Easy as
one, two, three
The singer is comparing love to something simple, like counting or reciting the alphabet.
Or simple as
Do re mi
Another comparison to something simple, like singing a musical scale.
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl!
Reiteration of the beginning of the lesson with the addition of the girl.
Come on, let me love you just a little bit!
The singer wants to show affection towards the girl and encourages her to let him.
I'm a going to teach how to sing it out!
The singer is confident in his teaching ability and will show the girl the proper way to sing the notes.
Michael: Come on, come on, come on
Let me show you what it's all about!
An introduction to Michael, who also aims to teach and show the girl something new.
Reading, writing and arithmetic
Are the branches of the learning tree
The singer acknowledges that the girl has learned a lot, but wants to teach her more.
But without the roots of love every day, girl
Your education ain't complete
The singer believes that love is essential to a complete education and will teach the girl that lesson as well.
T-T-T-Teacher's gonna show you
Show you, show you
How to get an A!
Reiteration of the singer's teaching ability with a focus on getting the girl good grades.
Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah!
A playful 'mischief' sound to continue grabbing the listener's attention.
Spell "me" "you"
Add the two!
Listen to me baby, that's all you gotta do!
The singer is instructing the girl to spell out 'me' and 'you' and add them together for a symbolic message of love.
Sit down, girl!
I think I love you!
No!
Get up, girl!
Show me what you can do!
A playful conversation between the singer and the girl. He tries to get her to sit down and pay attention, but she commands him to let her show him what she can do.
Shake it, shake it, baby, come on now!
Shake it, shake it, baby, ooo oooh!
Shake it shake it, baby, huh!
one, two, three, baby, oo ooo!
The singer encourages the girl to dance and have fun with him.
ABC, baby, nah nah!
Do re mi, baby, huh!
That's how easy love can be.
Reiteration of the lesson and the ease of love.
ABC
ABC, it's easy
Another reiteration of the lesson and its ease.
Easy as one, two, three
It's like counting up to three
Comparison of love to counting up to three.
Sing a simple melody
The songwriter believes that love is simple and just like singing a simple melody.
That's how easy love can be!
Final reiteration of the lesson and the ease of love.
Easy as one, two, three
It's like counting up to three
Or simple as
Do re mi
Sing a simple melody
That's how easy love can be!
Reiteration of the ease of love and how it can be as simple as counting to three or singing a simple melody.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: QUINCY JEFFERSON, OLIVER KARAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Selena Lollin
Never been a huge fan of Jason Derulo's but the fact that he paid tribute to my all time favorite artist, and he sang it the same way Michael would sing it live. I have a lot of respect for him. I miss Michael so much,
C White
Agreed plus it was a GREAT tribute. I was impressed, surprised and entertained. That is how you show homage
ninjawarriorofthenorth
The same way 😂😂😂😂😂
hyperACtive
Well MJ wouldnt sing it with autotune
HP maraurders
same here bro
Marco Silva
Same here, barely know anythig from Jason but wow he nailed it. The moves, the voice, the style. Nicely performed !!! And god knows it's not easy to sing MJs songs
Say Cheese
I am not a fan of Jason Durelo
But, he NAILED this tribute
I didn't know he has got such amazing vocal skills
HellScream
I think this is the best tribute to MJ. Only someone who really loved Michael could do this and Derulo proved it.
Kimani Wray
The best!!!!???? No
Myles Breezy
Definitely Chris brown