Cheyne met producer and writer Andy Van in a dance club. Van was the founder of the Vicious Vinyl record label and had remix credits for Tina Arena and CDB. Van had also won an ARIA award for his production work on "Coma" by Pendulum.
The duo started working together mainly as writers and producers in 1988. Their first single "Fly" featured Kellie Wolfgram as the vocalist. However, Cheyne sang on the group's breakthrough single "Don't Call Me Baby" because Andy Van liked her version initially used as the guide track for the intended singer. Van took the song to the MIDEM Conference leading to the band being signed by Virgin Records in the UK and Sony Music for the rest of the world.
"Don't Call Me Baby" proved to be a breakthrough record for Madison Avenue topping the Australian charts in 1999. It sold 200,000 singles in Australia, the best singles sales achieved by any Australian act in that country for 1999 and Madison Avenue were the first Australian dance act to top the Australian singles charts. The single was released internationally in 2000. In the UK, the song sold 400,00 copies and topped the singles chart, and was a hit throughout Europe. "Don't Call Me Baby" also topped the Billboard dance charts in the US. By this stage, Cheyne was widely established as the public face of the band, although Madison Avenue was originally intended to be a collective dance group like C&C Music Factory or Soul II Soul.
The single's accompanying album, Polyester Embassy, was released in 2000 and reached #4 on the Australian album charts. It spawned three further singles:
* "Who The Hell Are You" - a #1 hit in Australia and on the Billboard Dance Charts, it also reached #10 in the UK.
* "Everything You Need" - went to #6 and was certified gold in Australia, as well as breaking into the UK's Top 40.
* "Reminiscing" - a cover version of the 1978 hit by Australian rock band Little River Band, it was the 9th most popular single by an Australian artist in Australia in 2001 (reaching #9 in the Australian singles charts that year).
In 2001, Madison Avenue won the Best Dance Artist at the International Dance Awards in Miami. Destiny's Child, Madonna, *NSYNC and Britney Spears were also nominated for the award.
The group officially disbanded in 2003, with Cheyne going on to pursue a solo career.
Who the Hell Are You
Madison Avenue Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh well now!
When I was a little girl
My mama sat me down and told me all about the world
Well now she, she told me true
She said one day you would probably break my heart in two
But now I, I beg to differ baby
I don't take it the way you like to give it
Now look at you, on your knees
Sweet as sugar baby, sayin' please
I said I'm looking at you, well
Said I'm looking at you, uh-huh
I said I'm looking at you
Now who the hell are you
To treat me like that?
I don't care where you been, what you done
Or where you're at
Now who the hell are you
To act the way you do?
You won't be smiling by the time I'm through with you
Now who the hell are you?
Oh well now!
Ain't no cheating, ain't no lying
Ain't no explaining, justifying going on around here
Now stand up, and be a man
If you want it, come and get it baby, catch me if you can
Come on and catch me if you can
Well you know that, if you want it
Come and get it, if you want it - ow!
Now who the hell are you
To treat me like that?
I don't care where you been, what you done
Or where you're at
Now who the hell are you
To act the way you do?
You won't be smiling by the time I'm through with you
Now who the hell are you?
Now when I was a little girl
My mama sat me down and told me all about the world
Well now she, she told me true
She said one day you would probably break my heart in two
But now I, I beg to differ baby
I don't take it the way you like to give it
Now look at you, on your knees
Sweet as sugar baby, sayin' please
I said I'm looking at you, well
Said I'm looking at you, uh-huh
I said I'm looking at you
Now who the hell are you
To treat me like that?
I don't care where you been, what you done
Or where you're at
Now who the hell are you
To act the way you do?
You won't be smiling by the time I'm through with you
Now who the hell are you?
The song "Who the Hell Are You" by Madison Avenue is a bold and assertive statement of self-worth and refusal to accept mistreatment from a partner. The lyrics speak of a mother's warning of heartbreak and disappointment, but the singer is no longer willing to take it lying down. The repeated refrain of "who the hell are you" serves to call out the partner's behavior as unjust and unacceptable, and the singer refuses to tolerate it any longer. The lyrics also suggest a sense of strength and confidence, with the singer asserting that the partner "won't be smiling by the time I'm through with you". Overall, "Who the Hell Are You" is a powerful anthem of self-respect and standing up for oneself in the face of mistreatment.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was a little girl
In my younger, more naive days
My mama sat me down and told me all about the world
My mother imparted her wisdom, knowledge, and experiences onto me
Well now she, she told me true
She spoke the truth
She said one day you would probably break my heart in two
She warned me that someday, I may cause her emotional pain
But now I, I beg to differ baby
However, I now have a different opinion
I don't take it the way you like to give it
I do not respond well to your particular approach
Now look at you, on your knees
I observe you in a position of submission
Sweet as sugar baby, sayin' please
You are pleading with me in a soft, gentle manner
Now who the hell are you
I question your identity and motives
To treat me like that?
How dare you treat me in such a manner?
I don't care where you been, what you done, Or where you're at
Your past actions and current circumstances are irrelevant to me
To act the way you do?
Why do you behave in such a way?
You won't be smiling by the time I'm through with you
I will make sure you regret your actions
Ain't no cheating, ain't no lying, Ain't no explaining, justifying going on around here
There is no dishonesty, deception, or rationalization taking place here
Now stand up, and be a man
Take responsibility for your actions, and act maturely and honorably
If you want it, come and get it baby, catch me if you can
If you desire something from me, you must pursue me and win me over
Come on and catch me if you can
Try to capture my heart and attention
Contributed by Alexis S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@lollypop8515
Now when I, was a little girl, my mama sat me down and told me all about the world
Now she, she told me true, she said one day you would probably break my heart in two
But now I, I beg to differ baby, I don't take it, the way you like to give it
Now look at you, on your knees, sweet as sugar baby, saying please...
I said I'm looking at you, well
Said I'm looking at you, aah nah
I said I'm looking at you, yeah
Now who the hell are you, to treat me like that?
I don't care where you've been, what you've done, or where you're at
Now who the hell are you, to act the way you do?
You won't be smiling by the time I'm through with you
Now who the hell are you?
Well now, ain't no cheating, ain't no lying
Ain't no explaining, justifying going on around here
Now stand up, and be a man, if you want it, come and get it
Baby, catch me if you can
Come on and catch me if you can
Well, you know that, if you want it, come and get it
If you want it, oww
Now who the hell are you, to treat me like that?
I don't care where you've been, what you've done, or where you're at
Now who the hell are you, to act the way you do?
You won't be smiling by the time I'm through with you
Now who the hell are you?
@Psysama
Nobody cares what year this is, people still listen to this song.
@p6mkq
They also do you know what to it. ;)
@chrishuston1992
β@@p6mkqENGLISH
@TheCory42
Melbourne in the late 90βs, early 2000βs was such a great place to live.
@robinsinaga4912
Gosh.... Miss this kind of music.....i'm so lucky to be born at this era...Viva house music πΆ
@kyachdistent1301
Really, as it sounds like the sort of identikit tripe burped out by every barbie bimbo twat today. Music was long dead before this thing came out, you know. The 90s was hellish mostly-and the following decades just compounded it.
@mamocontreras5028
I was looking for the name of this song since 2005, and finally found it. How happy I feel to have found this spectacular song! :) :'( Greetings from Chile! :) π¨π±
@VictorGabrielRS
No mamos nomames
@claudioulloa6662
Viva Chile ππ½π₯
@epicon6
I had been looking for this for 10+ years too :) And i never remembered the artist name and got lucky that youtube recommended this.