Of Jamaican descent, and the second youngest of nine children, he was born in Lewisham, London. He is known as the 'King of Lovers Rock'. His music is sometimes closer to R&B, and pop, than to reggae music itself. His first major album was the self-titled Maxi Priest (1988) along with his cover of Cat Stevens' Wild World established him as one of the British reggae top singers this internationally acclaimed vocalist, is the only UK reggae act to score an American Billboard Number One. That was with a track entitled "Close To You", which was released in 1990.
In addition, a duet with Roberta Flack - "Set The Night To Music", also reached the U.S. Top Ten in 1991. In the latter half of his lengthy recording career, he has favoured working alongside other established, or up and coming, artistes. For example, Maxi Priest has worked with Sly & Robbie, Shaggy, Beres Hammond, Jazzie B, Apache Indian, Roberta Flack and Shabba Ranks.
HeartBreak Lover
Maxi Priest Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can stay if you like
You can do almost anything
But you don't run my life
I don't need you ultimatums
I can't deal with no stress
You don't run no part of me
I'm different from the rest
[Chorus]
Don't need another heartache
Heartbreak Lover
'Cause I'm a boombastic kind of lover
You can do nothing now to please me
You don't fit my style
You can even try and sweet talk me
Only for a while
Don't ask your friends to call me
I won't change my mind
I tell you it's all over now
Don't waste you time
Has it ever occurred to you
That I'm a man who's heart can be broken
Woy, woy, woy woman
I want to speak to you
Don't you hurt me over and over again
Where me way?
Did it ever occurred to you
That I'm a a man whose heart can be broken
Woy, woy, woy girl a want to speak to you
Don't hurt me over and over again I lame
You can go if you want to
You can stay if you like
You can do almost anything
But you don't run my life
I don't need you ultimatums
I can't deal with no stress
You don't run no part of me
I'm different from the rest
[Chorus]
You can do nothing now to please me
You don't fit my style
You can even try and sweet talk me
Only for a while
Don't ask your friends to call me
I won't change my mind
I tell you it's all over now
Don't waste you time
Heartache what me fear spread it everywhere
Woman me honor you dolly me know come ya fe jeer
Pat says she loves me and me wonder if she care
The woman I'm looking for must be somewhere out there
See Buju ya, Maxi Priest, Beres Hammond gone clear
Type of man fe make the girl them chat
Armhouse and carousing that we don't want
Raise up gal picnee 'cause we don't stop dance
In "Heartbreak Lover," Maxi Priest, Beres Hammond, and Buju Banton implore a woman who has repeatedly hurt them to leave them alone. The lyrics convey a sense of liberation and independence; the singer declares that the woman "doesn't run no part of me" and that he can do without her stress and ultimatums. He doesn't want her to waste her time trying to win him back because it's "all over now." The chorus repeats the sentiment that the singer doesn't want another heartache, implying that he's been through this before and isn't interested in repeating the cycle.
The song's verses follow a similar pattern of defiance and self-possession; the singer tells the woman that she doesn't fit his style and warns her not to try to sweet-talk him, only for a while. The bridge of the song has Buju Banton rapping about how women can hurt men and his fear of heartache. Yet, the chorus repeats the 'boombastic kind of lover' before fading out. Overall, Maxi Priest, Beres Hammond, and Buju Banton deliver a message of empowerment and agency that centers around the idea of not giving someone the power to destroy or dictate one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
You can go if you want to
I'm not trying to control you, feel free to leave if you want.
You can stay if you like
You have the choice to stay if you'd like to.
You can do almost anything
I'm not restricting you in any way and you're free to do what you please.
But you don't run my life
I don't want anyone controlling my life or making decisions for me.
I don't need you ultimatums
I don't want to be given any ultimatums on how to live my life.
I can't deal with no stress
Stress isn't something I can handle and I prefer not to deal with it.
You don't run no part of me
I'm not going to let anyone have any control over me or any aspect of my life.
I'm different from the rest
I stand out because I don't let anyone else control me and I don't tolerate stress or ultimatums.
Don't need another heartache
I don't want to experience the pain of heartbreak again.
Heartbreak Lover
I don't want to be in a relationship with someone who could potentially break my heart.
'Cause I'm a boombastic kind of lover
I'm a passionate lover who wants to enjoy love without having to deal with drama or heartbreak.
You can do nothing now to please me
I can't be pleased by you no matter what you do now.
You don't fit my style
You're not the right fit for me and we don't have compatible styles.
You can even try and sweet talk me
I'm not going to be convinced easily by sweet talk or flattery.
Only for a while
Even if sweet talk works, it won't work for long.
Don't ask your friends to call me
I don't want you to involve your friends in trying to change my mind.
I won't change my mind
I have made up my mind and I'm not going to change it for you.
I tell you it's all over now
I'm ending this relationship and it's over now.
Don't waste you time
There's no point in trying to change my mind or convince me otherwise.
Has it ever occured to you
Have you ever considered the following?
That I'm a man who's heart can be broken
I'm not immune to heartbreak and my heart can be broken too.
Woy, woy, woy woman
An exclamation of emotion; expressing deep feeling in response to the situation.
I want to speak to you
I need to talk to you about what you're doing and how it's affecting me.
Don't you hurt me over and over again
I don't want to keep experiencing the pain and hurt you cause me repeatedly.
Where me way?
An expression of confusion and questioning one's whereabouts or actions.
That I'm a a man whose heart can be broken
I want you to understand that I am vulnerable and can be hurt by you.
Woy, woy, woy girl a want to speak to you
An exclamation of emotion; expressing deep feeling in response to the situation.
Don't hurt me over and over again I lame
I don't want to keep getting hurt by you and feeling helpless.
Heartache what me fear spread it everywhere
I'm afraid of heartbreak and don't want it to affect me.
Woman me honor you dolly me know come ya fe jeer
I respect women and I don't want to be in a relationship that is based on mocking or negativity.
Pat says she loves me and me wonder if she care
I question whether someone who claims to love me actually cares about me.
The woman I'm looking for must be somewhere out there
I haven't found the right person yet, but I trust that she exists somewhere.
See Buju ya, Maxi Priest, Beres Hammond gone clear
These three musicians are popular and have achieved success in their careers.
Type of man fe make the girl them chat
I'm the kind of man who girls like to talk about and gossip about.
Armhouse and carousing that we don't want
I'm not interested in casual dating or partying.
Raise up gal picnee 'cause we don't stop dance
We like to have fun and dance, while also taking care of our responsibilities.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ROBERT MCDONALD LIVINGSTON, SHAUN PIZZONIA, GARY BENSON, MARK MYRIE, MAXI ELLIOT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind