Mario Mendell Winans (born August 29, 1974 in Orangeburg, SC) is an America… Read Full Bio ↴Mario Mendell Winans (born August 29, 1974 in Orangeburg, SC) is an American R&B producer, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known for his 2004 song "I Don't Wanna Know", which reached number 2 in the United States and number 1 in the United Kingdom. Winans also won a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance for co-writing CeCe Winans's song "Pray".

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.

Ready for Love
Mario Winans Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tell me whyyy?
Did you
Say that you were ready for love
When you knew that
Hardly ever think of my heart again
Tell me whyyy?
Ohhh why didn't you baby
Say that you were ready for my love
When you don't even know
What a real love is made of
Tell me babeeeee

Ohhh nooo
You hurt me so badly

Overall Meaning

In the song "Ready for Love" by Mario Winans, the lyrics convey a sense of betrayal and heartbreak. The singer is lamenting the fact that they were led on by someone who claimed to be ready for love, only to find out later that they were not truly willing to commit. The song starts with the singer expressing that if they had known the truth earlier, they may have still loved the other person even if they were not ready for a relationship. However, instead, they were misled and the love they had is gone.

Throughout the song, the singer questions the other person's intentions and their ability to truly love. They wonder why the other person claimed to be ready for love when they were not in a position to reciprocate feelings or commitment. The hurt and disappointment are evident when the singer asks why they were hurt so badly and why the other person did not tell the truth. The ups and downs of love are represented here, where love can be unexpected, but one must be truthful about intentions and feelings, so as not to hurt others.

Line by Line Meaning

You should of told me how you felt
You should have expressed your feelings when we first met

The day we met
Referring to the time when they first met each other

I probly would of loved you anyway
I might have fallen in love with you anyway if you had expressed your feelings

Oohhhhhhhh yeaaaaaa
An expression of regret and disappointment

But instead you led me on to believe that you
You gave me the impression that you

Were ready for my love
Were willing to reciprocate my love

Ohhhhh babyyyyy
An expression of sadness and frustration

Now its gone aw-ay
Our relationship is now over

Tell me whyyy?
Asking for an explanation and justification for the other person's actions

Did you
Why did you

Say that you were ready for love
Give the impression that you were ready to love and be loved

When you knew that
When you were aware that

Hardly ever think of my heart again
You would not think of my feelings or well-being

Tell me whyyy?
Asking for an explanation and justification for the other person's actions

Ohhh why didn't you baby
Expressing deep hurt and betrayal

Say that you were ready for my love
Give the impression that you were ready to reciprocate my love

When you don't even know
When you have no idea

What a real love is made of
What true love actually means

Tell me babeeeee
Asking for an explanation and justification for the other person's actions

Ohhh nooo
Expressing sadness and despair

You hurt me so badly
You caused me a great deal of pain and emotional distress

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRISTOPHER STEVEN BROWN, DAYNA MARIE KOVACIC

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@rchu24

You should of told me how you felt
The day we met
I probly would of loved you anyway
Oohhhhhhhh yeaaaaaa
But instead you led me on to believe that you
Were ready for my love
Ohhhhh babyyyyy
Now its gone aw-ay
Tell me whyyy?
Did you
Say that you were ready for love
When you knew that
Hardly ever think of my heart again
Tell me whyyy?
Ohhh why didn't you baby
Say that you were ready for my love
When you don't even know
What a real love is made of
Tell me babeeeee
Ohhh nooo
You hurt me so badly