In 1994 and 1995 they won the Brit Award for Best British Dance Act. In 1994, they won the Mercury Music Prize for the album Elegant Slumming. The victory sparked controversy as they beat Britpop band Blur, who were deemed by critics to be more 'worthy' than a mere dance band. With ten Top Ten UK singles, the band was one of the most consistent hit-makers of the 90s, and the album Bizarre Fruit stayed in the UK charts for two years.
In the United States, their biggest success was on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, where they achieved five Top 5 singles, four of which hit number one.
With the closure by BMG of the deConstruction dance record label in the late 1990s, M People gained their own record label called M People Records to release their 1997 album Fresco.
After the release of The Best of M People in 1998, the band took a long break. Heather Small recorded a solo album and it seemed that the band had split, although a repackaged greatest hits album was released in 2005 and the band also embarked on a short tour of the UK. Small continued to pursue a solo career, as her song Proud was the soundtrack to the successful London 2012 Olympic Bid.
Fan Site: http://www.mpeople-heathersmall.co.uk
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What A Fool Believes
M People Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't be a fool, Don't be a fool, Don't be a fool
Don't be a fool, Don't be a fool
He came from somewhere back in here long ago
The sentimental fool don't see
Tryin' hard to recreate what had yet to be created
Once in her life
She musters a smile for his nostalgic tale
Never comin' near what he wanted to say
Only to realize
It never really was
She had a place in his life
(Tu ru ru ru tu tu ru)
He never made her think twice
(Tu ru ru ru tu tu ru)
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He's watching her go
(Watching her go)
What a fool believes, he sees
No wise man has the power
To reason away
(Reason away)
What it seems to be
Is always better than nothin'
(Nothin')
And nothin' at all
Keeps sendin' him somewhere back in her long ago
Where he can believe
There's a place in her life
Someday, somehow, she will return
She had a place in his life
(Tu ru ru ru tu tu ru)
He never made her think twice
(Tu ru ru ru tu tu ru)
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He's watching her go
(Watching her go)
What a fool believes, he sees
No wise man has the power
To reason away
(Reason away)
What it seems to be
Is always better than nothin'
(Nothin')
And nothin' at all
What he sees he don't believe
(He)
What he sees he don't believe
(He sees)
What he sees he don't believe
(No wise man has the power)
Let me hear it from them
I wanna hear it for love
What he sees he don't believe
(Sees)
What he sees he don't believe
What he sees he don't believe
(See it's always better than nothin')
Let me hear it from them
The lyrics of M People's "What A Fool Believes" speak about a man who is nostalgic for a relationship that never truly existed. He is trying to recreate what was never there, and the woman in question is only humoring him with a smile, never quite understanding his intentions. As he watches her go, he realizes that what he perceived to be real was only what he wanted to see, and "no wise man has the power to reason away what it seems to be." Essentially, the song shows the danger of reading too much into a situations or relationships and the consequences of being foolish in matters of the heart.
The song was originally written and recorded by The Doobie Brothers, with Michael McDonald on vocals. M People released a cover version on their album "Elegant Slumming" in 1993. However, while The Doobie Brothers' version was upbeat and more heavily guitar-driven, M People's version was a slower, more soulful take on the song. It was well-received, earning them a hit on the UK charts.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't be a fool, Don't be a fool, Don't be a fool
Don't make foolish decisions or fall for false hopes. Don't be blind to reality.
He came from somewhere back in here long ago
He is reminiscing about the past, where he and the person he is thinking of had a connection.
The sentimental fool don't see
He is being foolishly nostalgic and not seeing the reality of the situation.
Tryin' hard to recreate what had yet to be created
He is attempting to recreate something that never actually existed in the first place.
Once in her life
This occurred only once during her lifetime.
She musters a smile for his nostalgic tale
She puts on a smile to show that she is listening to his story, but she does not feel the same way.
Never comin' near what he wanted to say
He cannot fully express his true feelings to her and fails to convey his message accurately.
Only to realize
Eventually, he understands the true nature of their relationship.
It never really was
Their relationship was never what he believed it to be.
She had a place in his life
She held a significant place in his life, but that is now in the past.
(Tu ru ru ru tu tu ru)
This is a background vocalization that does not contribute to the song's overall meaning.
He never made her think twice
He never made her second-guess her decision to move on from their relationship.
As he rises to her apology
He apologizes to her for the way he acted in the past and tries to make amends.
Anybody else would surely know
He realizes that anyone else in his situation would have already moved on and accepted the reality of the situation.
He's watching her go
He watches as she leaves him behind and moves on with her life.
What a fool believes, he sees
Being foolishly nostalgic, he perceives things differently than the reality of the situation.
No wise man has the power
No one can reason away or change what he chooses to believe or feel in his heart.
(Reason away)
This is a background vocalization that does not contribute to the song's overall meaning.
What it seems to be
What he perceives or imagines is better than nothing at all.
Is always better than nothin'
Holding onto the possibility of what he perceives is better than having nothing at all.
(Nothin')
This is a background vocalization that does not contribute to the song's overall meaning.
Keeps sendin' him somewhere back in her long ago
His nostalgia keeps bringing him back to their past connection, no matter how distant it may be.
Where he can believe
In his memories, he still believes that they have a deep connection, and he clings to that belief.
Someday, somehow, she will return
He holds onto the hope that she will eventually return to him, even though it may be unlikely.
What he sees he don't believe
He sees the truth, but he cannot accept or believe it.
(He)
This is a background vocalization that does not contribute to the song's overall meaning.
(He sees)
This is a background vocalization that does not contribute to the song's overall meaning.
(No wise man has the power)
No one, no matter how wise, can convince him to believe otherwise.
Let me hear it from them
He wants to hear from others that they can understand his feelings and his pain.
I wanna hear it for love
He wants to hear that his love is real and valid, in spite of the reality of their situation.
(See it's always better than nothin')
This is a background vocalization that does not contribute to the song's overall meaning.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind