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.
Never Really Was
Mario Winans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It won't take me long,
I gotta get this off my chest,
Listen!
I'm really glad that you can take out time,
Cause I got a lot on my mind,
I never thought that you would be the kind,
Babygirl won't you make me understand,
Why you would say the things you said to me,
You made me believe we would be forever
But it was all a lie
If it never really was what you seen in me,
Why did you say you believed in me,
It's all because of you my security,
It's driving me crazy baby,
If it never really was what you had for me,
Why did you say that you wanted me, needed me,
If it never really was what you ment for me,
Tell me
Now I know I've asked you time and time again,
Were you sure you didn't want another man,
I would of understood it back then,
But you had to wait until I gave in,
Now I know I've been a sucker for your love,
Baby tell me what the hell was I thinking of,
I should of listened to them when they told me
But I learned the hard way
If it never really was what you seen in me,
Why did you say you believed in me,
It's all because of you my security,
It's driving me crazy baby,
If it never really was what you had for me,
Why did you say that you wanted me, needed me,
If it never really was what you ment for me,
Tell me
Why would you play with my heart,
When I gave it all,
It's tearing me apart girl,
All you had to do is so say,
I would of let you go,
You're making it so hard girl
Why would you play with my heart,
When I gave it all,
It's tearing me apart girl,
All you had to do is so say,
I would of let you go,
You're making it so hard girl
Tell me why, why baby
If it never really was what you seen in me,
Why did you say you believed in me,
It's all because of you my security,
It's driving me crazy baby,
If it never really was what you had for me,
Why did you say that you wanted me, needed me,
If it never really was what you ment for me,
Tell me
If it never really was what you seen in me,
Why did you say you believed in me,
It's all because of you my security,
It's driving me crazy baby,
If it never really was what you had for me,
Why did you say that you wanted me, needed me,
If it never really was what you ment for me,
Tell me
If it never really was what you seen in me,
Why did you say you believed in me,
(I just tried to give you what you needed)
It's all because of you my security,
It's driving me crazy baby,
(Would you just tell me why you lied to me)
If it never really was what you had for me,
Why did you say that you wanted me, needed me,
(don't know)
If it never really was what you ment for me,
Tell me
The lyrics to "Never Really Was" by Mario Winans express feelings of confusion and betrayal experienced by the singer after discovering that his lover has been dishonest with him. He confronts her about her actions, demanding to know why she would deceive him and play with his heart. He feels hurt and vulnerable, as he had trusted her completely and thought they would be together forever. The song speaks to themes of honesty, trust, and communication within relationships, as well as the pain that comes with betrayal and heartbreak.
Specifically, the lyrics explore the idea that sometimes people pretend to be something they're not, or to want something they don't actually want, in order to gain something else. In this case, the singer's lover may have pretended to love him in order to gain a sense of security or stability in her life. The singer is expressing frustration and confusion about why she would do such a thing, especially since it has caused him so much pain.
Overall, the lyrics to "Never Really Was" are emotional and raw, capturing the feeling of betrayal that comes with a broken heart. The song offers a relatable narrative for people who have experienced heartbreak, reminding us that we are not alone in our pain.
Line by Line Meaning
I just need to talk to you for a second,
I need to talk to you urgently.
It won't take me long,
It will be a brief conversation.
I gotta get this off my chest,
I need to share my feelings.
Listen!
This is important, please pay attention.
I'm really glad that you can take out time,
I appreciate that you are giving me some of your time to talk.
Cause I got a lot on my mind,
I have a lot of thoughts and emotions to express.
I never thought that you would be the kind,
I never expected this behavior from you.
To do the dirt and hang you head,
To act unfaithfully and be ashamed.
Babygirl won't you make me understand,
I am trying to comprehend your perspective.
Why you would say the things you said to me,
I need you to explain your words and actions.
You made me believe we would be forever
You gave me the impression that our relationship was long-lasting.
But it was all a lie
None of it was true.
If it never really was what you seen in me,
If what you saw in me was not real,
Why did you say you believed in me,
Why did you tell me that you had faith in me?
It's all because of you my security,
My sense of security came from you.
It's driving me crazy baby,
It's making me feel insane.
If it never really was what you had for me,
If what you felt for me wasn't genuine,
Why did you say that you wanted me, needed me,
Why did you express that you desired and depended on me?
If it never really was what you ment for me,
If your intentions towards me weren't honest,
Tell me
Please explain to me.
Now I know I've asked you time and time again,
I have repeatedly inquired about this.
Were you sure you didn't want another man,
I have questioned your fidelity.
I would of understood it back then,
I would have been more accepting of it previously.
But you had to wait until I gave in,
You chose to admit it only after I committed fully to you.
Now I know I've been a sucker for your love,
I have been foolish and naive in loving you.
Baby tell me what the hell was I thinking of,
I don't understand what I was doing.
I should of listened to them when they told me
I should have taken their advice.
But I learned the hard way
But I had to experience the consequences myself.
Why would you play with my heart,
Why did you manipulate my emotions?
When I gave it all,
When I gave you everything.
It's tearing me apart girl,
It's breaking me down emotionally.
All you had to do is so say,
You could have been honest from the beginning.
I would of let you go,
I would have moved on without you.
You're making it so hard girl
Your actions are making this situation more difficult.
Tell me why, why baby
Please explain to me.
If it never really was what you ment for me,
If your intentions towards me weren't honest,
Why did you say that you wanted me, needed me,
Why did you express that you desired and depended on me?
If it never really was what you had for me,
If what you felt for me wasn't genuine,
Tell me
Please explain to me.
If it never really was what you seen in me,
If what you saw in me was not real,
Why did you say you believed in me,
Why did you tell me that you had faith in me?
It's all because of you my security,
My sense of security came from you.
It's driving me crazy baby,
It's making me feel insane.
If it never really was what you ment for me,
If your intentions towards me weren't honest,
Why did you say that you wanted me, needed me,
Why did you express that you desired and depended on me?
If it never really was what you had for me,
If what you felt for me wasn't genuine,
Tell me
Please explain to me.
If it never really was what you seen in me,
If what you saw in me was not real,
Why did you say you believed in me,
Why did you tell me that you had faith in me?
(I just tried to give you what you needed)
(I tried my best to fulfill your needs)
If it never really was what you ment for me,
If your intentions towards me weren't honest,
It's all because of you my security,
My sense of security came from you.
It's driving me crazy baby,
It's making me feel insane.
(Would you just tell me why you lied to me)
(Please explain why you were dishonest with me)
If it never really was what you had for me,
If what you felt for me wasn't genuine,
Why did you say that you wanted me, needed me,
Why did you express that you desired and depended on me?
(don't know)
(I don't understand)
If it never really was what you ment for me,
If your intentions towards me weren't honest,
Tell me
Please explain to me.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRIAN ELLIOT, TAURIAN SHROPSHIRE, TAURIAN ADONIS SHROPSHIRE, MARIO WINANS, MARIO MENDELL WINANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevaun Mitchell
The one you warned me all about
The one you said I could do without
We're in an awful mess
And I don't mean maybe, please
Papa don't preach I'm in trouble deep
Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep
But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, hm
I'm gonna keep my baby, hm
I'm sorry yall this song was sampled from a 1986 song called papa don't preach by madonna
l_QuEEn_AriEs_l
We need more rnb with real instruments these days. ..this music is so good..i can't believe that no one is making song like this anymore
JK_is_in_the_ hood
I agree🙏🏼 Its so sad that there’s no music like that anymore...
Wäh Wäh
Thx i agree from germany 😤
THE Ruby RedD Tilly SHOW
Yesssss tell it gurl!😎💎
dds2190
Fair point but this is sampled from Madonna-Papa Don't Preach
Costin Rusu
Capitalist system fuc**d up everything
javrob
These are icons. I don't think we will never see music on this level from rapping to singing ever again
morenaso1
His vocal harmonies are 👌🏾👌🏾👌🏾🔥
Akiki Hauser
2020. I'd be impressed if we have this kind of music from now on. Tied of the recent bs music. Who with me?
Life Of Lossy Boii
Facts