Early career:
Mario Winans was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina but grew up in Detroit. He is a member of gospel music's most notable family, the Winans, being the son of Marvin Winans and Vickie Winans. He is also the nephew of gospel singers BeBe Winans and CeCe Winans.
Winans started out learning music in school learning piano, keyboards, and drums. His mother Vicki Winans bought him a roomful of recording equipment, and he learnt the function of every piece of equipment. He started producing gospel groups straight out of high school and soon accumulated credits for Fred Hammond, The Anointed, and the Clark Sisters as well as various Winans family member albums.
In the mid-1990's, he signed a production deal with Dallas Austin's Rowdy Records. His breakthrough came with credits on the tracks "I Can't Sleep Baby" and "You Remind Me Of Something" on R. Kelly's R. Kelly album in 1995. Work with Pebbles and 98 Degrees soon followed.
Winans released his debut album Story of my Heart on Motown in 1997. While the song "Don't Know" reached the U.S. R&B top 50, the album failed to chart.
Soon after, Winans teamed up with P. Diddy and his Bad Boy roster. His first work with Bad Boy was playing drums on "Come With Me" in 1998 by Diddy and Jimmy Page, based on the classic Led Zeppelin song "Kashmir" from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti.
Over the past few years, Winans has racked a sizeable list of production credits for Bad Boy artists including Diddy, The Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim, Faith Evans, Loon, Black Rob, and 112. He has also worked with notable artists outside Bad Boy including Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Tamia, and Brian McKnight.
Winans co-wrote the 2-part song "I Need a Girl" with P. Diddy and appeared on the "Pt. 2" version with Loon, Ginuwine, and Diddy, which became a hit recording in 2002. He also produced the Bad Boy remix compilation We Invented The Remix in 2002.
Solo Success:
Winans recorded his second album Hurt No More in 2001, 2002, and 2003 in between his busy schedule working with other artists. The album is based on stories of love and betrayal.
The first single "I Don't Wanna Know" was based on a sample of the Fugees' 1996 hit single "Ready Or Not", which itself was based on a slowed-down sample of the instrumental track "Boadicea" by Enya from her 1987 self-titled album. Enya and her representatives became annoyed since Winans did not seek her approval for the sample, as he was unaware that the Fugees sample he had used had itself been a sample. So, a compromise was reached to credit the single as "Mario Winans featuring P. Diddy and Enya". [1]. The song features a rap by P. Diddy and radio programmers and club DJs started playing the track when it started appearing on mixtapes. The song was released as the single in early 2004 and became a worldwide hit going to #1 in Germany and on the rhythmic top 40 radio chart in the United States; to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, on the U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart, and on the world internet download charts; and to #3 on a composite world R&B chart (based on the R&B charts in the U.S., UK, Germany, France, and Australia) and on both the Australian and Norwegian singles charts. It also reached the top ten on a composite European singles chart.
Hurt No More was released on April 20, 2004 in the U.S. and, by early June 2004, had reached #1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, #2 on the Billboard 200, and #3 on the UK's album chart.
The album's second single, "Never Really Was", used a sample of the orchestrated beginning of Madonna's 1986 hit, "Papa Don't Preach", as its background music. However, the song failed to chart in America.
I Wanna Be Your Man
Mario Winans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold up, let me answer my phone
Some bitch callin me about some bullshit probably
I'ma call you right back
I'm doin this mixtape right here
Now back to what I was sayin
[Verse 1 - Mario Winans]
The person you were kissing wasn't me
And I would never ask you
I just kept it to myself
[Chorus - Mario Winans]
I don't want to know
If your playin me, keep it on the low
Cause my heart can't take it anymore
And if your creepin, please don't let it show
Oh baby, I don't want to know
[Verse 2 - Mario Winans]
Oh baby
I think about it when I hold you
When lookin in your eyes, I can't believe
I don't need to know the truth
Baby keep it to yourself
[Chorus - Mario Winans]
I don't want to know
If your playin me, keep it on the low
Cause my heart can't take it anymore
And if your creepin, please don't let it show
Oh baby, I don't want to know
[Break - Mario Winans]
Did he touch you better then me (touch you better then me)
Did he watch you fall asleep (watch you fall asleep)
Did you show him all those things that you used to do to me (do to me baby)
If your better off that way (better off that way)
Baby what I like to say (all that I can say)
Go on and do your thing and don't come back to me
(Stay away from me baby)
[Verse 3 - P. Diddy]
I don't want to know where your whereabouts or how you movin
I know when you in the house or when you cruisin
It's been proven, my love you abusin
I can't understand, how a man got you choosin (yeah)
Undecided, I came and provided ma
My undivided, you came and denied it (why?)
Don't even try it, I know when you lyin (I know when you lyin)
Don't even do that, I know why you cryin (stop cryin)
I'm not applyin no pressure, just want to let you know
That I don't want to let you go (I don't want to let you go)
And I don't want to let you leave
Can't say I didn't let you breathe
Gave you extra cheese (c'mon), put you in the SUV
You wanted ice so I made you freeze
Made you hot like the West Indies (that's right)
Now it's time you invest in me
Cause if not then it's best you leave
Holla, yeah
[Chorus - Mario Winans]
I don't want to know
If your playin me, keep it on the low
Cause my heart can't take it anymore
And if your creepin, please don't let it show
Oh baby, I don't want to know
If your playin me, keep it on the low
Cause my heart can't take it anymore
And if your creepin, please don't let it show
Oh baby, I don't want to know
If your playin me, keep it on the low
Cause my heart can't take it anymore
And if your creepin, please don't let it show
Oh baby, I don't want to know
The lyrics to Mario Winans's song "I Wanna Be Your Man" revolve around a man who suspects that his partner is being unfaithful. He states that he heard from someone that she was seen with someone else, but he didn't confront her about it. He doesn't want to know if she's playing him because he can't handle the pain, instead asking her to keep it a secret if she is cheating. The chorus repeats this sentiment of not wanting to know, and the song includes a spoken verse by P. Diddy, who echoes these feelings of not wanting to know the truth about his partner's infidelity.
The song highlights the pain and fear associated with the possibility of being betrayed by one's partner. Mario Winans portrays a man who is vulnerable and doesn't want to face the truth, despite his knowledge that his partner may be unfaithful. It's a relatable feeling, and the song resonates with many people who have experienced similar situations in their own relationships.
Overall, "I Wanna Be Your Man" is a song about suspicion, fear, and the struggle to maintain trust in a romantic relationship. It reminds us of the importance of honesty and communication in relationships, and the pain that can result from a lack of trust.
Line by Line Meaning
Somebody said they saw you
Someone told me they saw you with someone else
The person you were kissing wasn't me
I saw you kiss someone else and it wasn't me
And I would never ask you
I don't want to know the truth from you
I just kept it to myself
I kept my doubts and suspicions to myself
I don't want to know
I don't want to know the truth about your cheating
If your playin me, keep it on the low
If you are cheating, keep it a secret
Cause my heart can't take it anymore
My heart can't handle the pain of being cheated on anymore
And if your creepin, please don't let it show
If you're cheating, please don't let me find out
Oh baby, I don't want to know
I really don't want to know if you're cheating
I think about it when I hold you
I think about the possibility of you cheating when I'm with you
When lookin in your eyes, I can't believe
When I look in your eyes, I can't believe you would cheat on me
I don't need to know the truth
I don't really want to know if my suspicions are true
Baby keep it to yourself
If you're cheating, keep it to yourself
Did he touch you better then me (touch you better then me)
Did he touch you better than I do?
Did he watch you fall asleep (watch you fall asleep)
Did he watch you falling asleep like I used to?
Did you show him all those things that you used to do to me (do to me baby)
Did you do all the things with him that you used to with me?
If your better off that way (better off that way)
If you're happier without me, if you're better off that way
Baby what I like to say (all that I can say)
I want to say something to you, but I can't bring myself to do it
Go on and do your thing and don't come back to me (Stay away from me baby)
Just go do what you want and stay away from me
I know when you in the house or when you cruisin
I can tell when you're home or out driving around
It's been proven, my love you abusin
It's obvious that you are taking advantage of my love
I can't understand, how a man got you choosin (yeah)
I don't understand how another man managed to steal your affection
Undecided, I came and provided ma
I'm still unsure about you, but I provided for you anyway
My undivided, you came and denied it (why?)
I gave you all of my attention and love, and you rejected it
Don't even try it, I know when you lyin (I know when you lyin)
Don't even bother lying to me, I can tell when you're lying
And I don't want to let you leave
I don't want to lose you
Can't say I didn't let you breathe
I gave you space to be yourself
Gave you extra cheese (c'mon), put you in the SUV
I provided for you financially, gave you luxury items
You wanted ice so I made you freeze
I gave you everything you wanted, but you still left me
Made you hot like the West Indies (that's right)
I made you feel desirable and attractive
Now it's time you invest in me
It's your turn to show me love and commitment
Cause if not then it's best you leave
If you can't invest in me, then it's best for you to leave
Holla, yeah
Just call me back
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARIO MENDELL WINANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind