Beauvoir was born in Chicago to parents of Haitian background. He played drums as a child and switched to bass as a teenager. He was Gary U.S. Bond's musical director at age 14; following this, he sang in the doo wop group The Flamingos. He gained his first music experiences with these groups touring the US performing at Dick Clark revival concerts.[1] He moved to New York City during the punk rock explosion and answered a newspaper ad for a bassist, which led to his joining The Plasmatics for two albums. While with the Plasmatics and subsequently, Beauvoir sported a conspicuous blond mohawk.
He left the group after their release Beyond the Valley of 1984 to join Steve Van Zandt's Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul for two albums. Following this, he launched a solo career with the album Drums Along the Mohawk, released in the U.K. on Virgin Records in 1986. That same year, the track "Feel the Heat" was chosen by Sylvester Stallone for his film, Cobra.[1] The song was a hit, charting Top 10 across Europe and Australia and reaching No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 100.[2] On the strength of the single, Drums Along the Mohawk was released in the U.S. and peaked at No. 93 on the Billboard 200.[3] Jean Beauvoir's success has always been much greater in the rest of the world than in the US.
Beauvoir released several further solo albums since the late 1980s, mostly released in Europe. Since then he has also written, produced for, and performed with acts such as Kiss, John Waite, Ramones, Nona Hendryx, The Pretenders, Deborah Harry, Lionel Richie, Doro and N'SYNC. He has appeared on over 100 albums over the past two decades. He has also fronted the bands Voodoo X and Crown of Thorns, which was originally signed to Interscope Records for a much publicized record breaking deal. Both these hard rock groups have achieved significant success in the rest of the world. Beauvoir has earned a multitude of Platinum and Gold awards for his work in the US and abroad.
In addition to his film music work with Sylvester Stallone, his credit list includes the title tracks or theme songs for the movies Pet Semetary from Stephen King's novel, Wes Craven’s blockbuster Shocker, Flawless (with Robert De Niro), School of Rock (with Jack Black), Christmas with the Kranks (with Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis and Dan Aykroyd), The Guilty (with Bill Pullman), Rock 'n' Roll High School Forever, Berlin Nights (with Gabriela Tscherniack), RV (with Robin Williams) and Unthinkable (with Samuel Jackson).
Beauvoir founded and serves as CEO/President of Voodoo Island Entertainment Group whose divisions included Voodoo Island Records and Voodoo Island Productions. Over the course of his professional career, he has created joint venture partnerships with industry veterans such as Richard Branson, Al Teller, Ted Fields, Jimmy Iovine, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Lou Pearlman. Beauvoir is also the founder and CEO/President of Hot Boy Music and Tigre Noire Music. Beauvoir’s worldwide music catalogue contains over 250 published titles currently administered by Rondor/Universal.
For 61⁄2 years, Jean served as CEO/Managing Director of Steven Van Zandt’s media and entertainment company, Renegade Nation, whose operations include terrestrial and Sirius XM Satellite radio programming, live event and television production, record label operations, music licensing, merchandising and an online social networking venture.
Beauvoir was responsible for all aspects of Renegade Nation’s initiatives, which included the programming, management of staff, and coordination of two 24/7 Channels on Sirius XM Satellite, “Outlaw Country” and “Little Steven’s Underground Garage”. Negotiation of all agreements with artists, talent agents, managers, record companies, TV networks e.g., ESPN and VH1, retail outlets e.g., Best Buy and FYE, worldwide music distributors, brands/sponsors including Pepsi, AT&T, Dunkin Donuts, Rolling Rock, Budweiser, Hard Rock International, Olympus and others…
Beauvoir oversaw all events executed by Renegade in coordination with Steven Van Zandt including, Hard Rock/Underground Garage concerts and pool parties, ESPN and Underground Garage New Year’s Eve in Times Squares NY, Hawaiian Tropic weekly events in Times Square, Honda Grand Prix/Underground Garage in St Petersburg Florida, UG at SXSW, Teen Vogue at the Hard Rock and all UG national tours including the “Rolling Rock and Roll Tour” (Rolling Rock and AT&T).
He also negotiated personal agreements for Steven Van Zandt e.g., Lilyhammer, World Of Warcraft (TV commercial), IMG and others.
Beauvoir continues to produce, write and lead his group Crown of Thorns. Crown of Thorns re-released their 2008 CD "Faith" on June 9, 2009 here in the US through Lost Cathedral Sony Red.
He continues to write and produce for other Artists, his most recent successes are with the Artist "Vivi Jiang" (Fashion Show) #15 Global Pop Charts China April, 2013 and with the SHINEE mini album "Everybody" which was number #1 on multiple charts across ASIA as of October 15, 2013, #5 US iTunes and #2 Billboard World Charts in November 2013.
2014 - Beauvoir is currently an Executive Producers of a "Hit" Television show for SBS Discovery Television featuring the award winning comedian "Kristian Valen", he is also recording a new album due out 2015 with Micki Free under the project name Beauvoir/Free and is involved in various other TV and entertainment ventures.
Beauvoir serves on the advisory boards of the Naples Film Festival (NIFF) and also AMB, Academy of Music and Business (created by legendary songwriter Andreas Carlson), alongside other legendary writers (Desmond Child, David Foster, Dallas Austin and several other industry luminaries...
I Don't Need Ya'
Jean Beauvoir Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know I don't need to play
Since you're gonna leave anyway
Now maybe, baby, baby
You might think me funny
But you know
Think I don't see you walking about
Talking about, walking about, talking about
If this shit ain't good enough
I thought this was something
I don't need ya', I don't need ya'
(Not a little bit no)
If this thing ain't good enough
Acting like we're nothing
I don't need ya', I don't need ya'
No, no, no
Now girl, you making me crazy
You know I don't mean to say
That you ain't got a place in my life
But you keep me out here running
From your evil ways
But you know sure damn well
What I'm talking about
Think I don't see you walking about
Talking about, walking about, talking about
If this shit ain't good enough
I thought this was something
I don't need ya', I don't need ya'
(Not a little bit no)
If this thing ain't good enough
Acting like we're nothing
I don't need ya', I don't need ya'
One of a kind sometimes I just don't get it
And other times it flows perfectly
One of a kind sometimes I say forget it
And other times you're there for me
If this shit ain't good enough
I thought this was something
I don't need ya', I don't need ya'
(Not a little bit no)
If this thing ain't good enough
Acting like we're nothing
I don't need ya', I don't need ya'
In "I Don't Need Ya'" by Jean Beauvoir, the singer is addressing his girlfriend who is planning to leave him. He is admitting that he doesn't need to pretend that he wants her to stay, as he assumes she is going to leave anyway. The lyrics are quite straightforward, with the singer stating that he doesn't need his girlfriend if she can't accept him as he is. He goes on to say that even if she leaves, he'll still be okay because he doesn't need her in his life.
The chorus of the song repeats "If this shit ain't good enough, I thought this was something, I don't need ya', I don't need ya'". This line is quite telling, as it implies that the relationship is not meeting the singer's needs. He is disappointed that his girlfriend is treating their relationship like nothing, and he is deciding that he doesn't need her in his life. The bridge section of the song is a bit more optimistic, as the singer acknowledges that their relationship has both good and bad moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Now baby, baby, baby
The singer is addressing their partner with affection
You know I don't need to play
The singer is honest and doesn't feel the need to pretend
Since you're gonna leave anyway
The partner has expressed their intention to leave the relationship
Now maybe, baby, baby
The singer is still trying to appeal to their partner despite their imminent departure
You might think me funny
The partner may find the singer's attempts to save the relationship humorous
But you know
The partner is aware of the situation
Sure damn well what I'm talking about
The singer believes the partner understands the meaning behind their words
Think I don't see you walking about
The singer is observant and notices their partner's actions
Talking about, walking about, talking about
The partner is discussing their plans to leave with others
If this shit ain't good enough
The singer is questioning whether their effort in the relationship has been satisfactory
I thought this was something
The singer believed the relationship was meaningful and worth fighting for
I don't need ya', I don't need ya'
The singer is asserting their independence and stating they no longer need their partner
(Not a little bit no)
The singer is emphatic in their rejection
Acting like we're nothing
The partner is treating the relationship as insignificant
No, no, no
The singer is firm in their decision
Now girl, you making me crazy
The partner's actions are causing the singer undue stress
You know I don't mean to say
The singer is acknowledging that they may be speaking harshly
That you ain't got a place in my life
The partner is still important to the singer but the relationship is not working
But you keep me out here running
The partner's unpredictability makes the singer feel like they have to constantly adapt
From your evil ways
The singer perceives their partner's behavior as negative or hurtful
One of a kind sometimes I just don't get it
The singer recognizes their unique relationship but also feels confused by it
And other times it flows perfectly
There are times when the relationship is enjoyable and harmonious
One of a kind sometimes I say forget it
The singer experiences moments of frustration, feeling like it's not worth it
And other times you're there for me
The partner has been a source of support for the singer at times
Contributed by Abigail H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
RockJim72
Great as always, when it's Jean. In the beginning it sounds a bit like Prince ....