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.

Should've Known
Mario Winans Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If I had to do it all over
I would've never kissed you
But at that time I just couldn't
Resists still can't believe you went
And told her how well I got to know ya
Its crazy baby I
Wasn't ready for this,

Breakin' up is so hard to do babe,
Sometimes your feelings
Could get hurt and it seems like it
Won't work and I'm sorry I did not respect you babe
Why was I under her shirt liftin' her skirt
What did I do baby
Shoulda known shoulda known
That a man gets weak
And I shoulda known shoulda
Known it could happen to me
And I'm down on my knees begging please

For what its worth ill say I'm sorry
But I know you won't forgive me
So I had to put myself
Right in your shoes
No matter how much you love me
Girl I did you so dirty
And I see some you
Win and some you lose

Breakin' up is so hard to do babe,
Sometimes your feelings
Could get hard and it seems like it
Won't work and I'm sorry
I did not respect you babe
Why was I under her shirt liftin' her skirt
What did I do baby I shoulda known shoulda known
That a man gets weak (o baby) and shoulda know
Shoulda know it could happen to me sweet lady
Tell me what must I do baby, what I gotta do I
Made a fool outta myself
And I feel so stupid baby
And I really hate it I guess I should
Learned not to have taken time
With someone else
Cause I'll end up losin' my baby

I shoulda known shoulda known
That a man gets weak
And I shoulda known shoulda known it could
Happen to me

And this is what I should've done
I shoulda known better
I touched that stormy weather and it
Hit me right back in my face oh baby
I shoulda known better

I touched that stormy weather and it
Hit me back in the face I'm all dismay

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Mario Winans's song "Should've Known" describe a man who regrets his past actions and wishes he could go back in time to make different choices. He explains that if he could do it all over again, he would never have kissed the woman who caused him so much trouble. However, he could not resist her at the time. He reflects on his mistake of not respecting his partner and pursuing someone else while under her shirt, lifting her skirt. He acknowledges that he did wrong and asks for forgiveness from his partner, although he knows he may not receive it.

Throughout the song, Winans expresses his remorse for his actions and acknowledges that he should have known better. He understands that breaking up is hard to do, and it can be challenging to navigate through these situations without hurting anyone's feelings. He wishes he had never taken time with someone else, as he ended up losing the love of his life. The lyrics convey the feeling of regret and the idea that everyone makes mistakes, but one can learn from them and try to make amends.

In conclusion, Mario Winans's song "Should've Known" is a reflection of love and regret, expressing the idea that one can learn from past mistakes and attempt to make up for them. The lyrics convey a deep sense of remorse and the hope of redemption.

Line by Line Meaning

If I had to do it all over
If given the chance to go back in time, I would not have kissed you.

But at that time I just couldn't resist
However, at that moment, I was unable to control my desire and passion for you.

Still can't believe you went and told her how well I got to know ya
I am still in disbelief that you shared with another person, the intimate details of our relationship.

Its crazy baby I wasn't ready for this
It's unbelievable that I was unprepared for the consequences of my actions.

Breakin' up is so hard to do babe, Sometimes your feelings could get hurt and it seems like it won't work
Ending a relationship can be difficult and it can be painful for both parties involved. It may seem like it's not possible to fix things.

And I'm sorry I did not respect you babe
I apologize for not showing you the respect you deserved.

Why was I under her shirt liftin' her skirt What did I do baby
Why did I engage in a sexual encounter with someone else and cheat on you?

Shoulda known shoulda known That a man gets weak And I shoulda known shoulda Known it could happen to me
I should have realized and been aware that men can be tempted and have moments of weakness, and that includes me.

And I'm down on my knees begging please
I am pleading and begging for your forgiveness on my knees.

For what its worth ill say I'm sorry
I want to apologize and express that I am truly apologetic.

But I know you won't forgive me
However, I know that it is unlikely that you will forgive me even though I ask for your forgiveness.

So I had to put myself right in your shoes
I had to imagine myself in your position to try and understand the heartache and betrayal you must be feeling.

No matter how much you love me Girl I did you so dirty
Even though you love me, I treated you unfairly and betrayed your trust.

And I see some you Win and some you lose
I realize that there are winners and losers in relationships and I lost by cheating on you.

Tell me what must I do baby, what I gotta do I Made a fool outta myself
What can I do to make things right? I feel embarrassed and ashamed of my actions.

And I feel so stupid baby And I really hate it I guess I should learned not to have taken time With someone else
I feel foolish and regretful for cheating. I should have known better than to engage in a fling with someone else.

Cause I'll end up losin' my baby
I risked and ultimately lost the most important thing in my life, my significant other.

And this is what I should've done I shoulda known better
This is what I should have done. I should have been aware of the temptation to cheat and the consequences of my actions.

I touched that stormy weather and it Hit me right back in my face oh baby
I made a mistake and suffered the painful consequences of my actions.

I shoulda known better I touched that stormy weather and it Hit me back in the face I'm all dismay
Once again, I should have been aware of the consequences of my actions, as it resulted in disaster and disappointment.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARIO WINANS, MARIO MENDELL WINANS, MICHAEL JONES, MICHAEL CARLOS JONES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS