The group is well known for its highly diverse musical style (able to play anything from traditional jazz stylings to mainstream R&B and rock-based music to funk grooves and even Latin and Jamaican-based rhythms) and also its captivating live performances.
Discovered and originally signed to Perspective Records by music producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in 1989 (after being heard at a performance at a club in downtown Minneapolis called First Avenue), their debut album was entitled Meant To Be Mint (released in 1991).
Despite their musical versatility the band attempted to attract New Jack Swing listeners with their dance cut "Are You Free", but it wasn't successful (the song hit #55 on the R&B charts). However, they did enjoy major success with the stunning ballad "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)".
The song stayed on the charts for 34 weeks, hitting the R&B top 5 (#3), and the Pop Top 10 (#6). Forever In Your Eyes was also successful (#7 R&B). Two years later they released their 2nd platinum album, From The Mint Factory (1993). They enjoyed success with the #2 hit "U Send Me Swingin'", while "Someone To Love" and "So Fine" hit the R&B Top 30. 1996 saw the release of "Definition of a Band". The album hit the R&B Top 20. Some successful singles on this album are: "What Kind Of Man Would I Be" (#2 R&B), and "You Don't Have To Hurt No More" (#10 R&B). Two years later, The Collection: 1991-1998, a greatest hits compilation, was issued.
After Perspective Records/A&M folded, the group signed with Elektra Records in 1999, releasing their fourth full-length album, Life's Aquarium (#7 R&B). It's main single, If You Love Me, hit the R&B Top 5.
As the 21st Century came around, Mint Condition was the only R&B/Funk band signed to a Major Record Label.
After a six year hiatus, the group resurfaced as a quintet due to former member and keyboard player Keri Lewis leaving the group to produce for other artists, such as his one-time wife, singer Toni Braxton .
During the same year, they released Living The Luxury Brown on their independent label Caged Bird Records. The album hit #1 on the Independent Album Charts. Live From The 9:30 Club, a performance of a concert at the 9:30 club in Washington DC, was issued in 2006.
Missing
Mint Condition Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Children come up missing
Crazy man who has no rights
Takes the life of young ones
On a weekend pass he asks,
"Hey, kid, do you want some candy?"
Young ones future in his hands
Keeps kids down and drives away
Left the town in dismay
[Chorus]
Hear me cry (me cry)
In the night (the night)
Someone come and rescue me
The sun comes up (comes up)
No sign of us (of us)
And where I'm at's a mystery
Teach them now and show them how
So they won't come up missing
Peers and pressure go hand in hand
Every day's a moral task
Crazy man won't go away
Till the laws are passed to stay cagead
Search is on for kids at night
With first in mind a child's rights
Bend(?) to one and have no fear
Want everyone to steer clear of here
[Chorus]
The lyrics of Mint Condition's "Missing" tackle the grim reality of child abduction and the horrors that come with it. The first stanza introduces the problem that every hour of every day, children go missing. The second stanza describes the situation wherein a man who's mentally deranged and shouldn't have rights abducts young children. The man lures the kids with candy, and he takes away their future, keeping them captive, and driving away as the town is left in frenzy. The chorus then comes in and petitions a cry for help and rescue from this mysterious place where the kids have been taken to. The third stanza emphasizes the need to teach children to avoid peer pressure and be mindful to prevent them from being victims of abduction. And the last stanza mentions the search for the missing children, emphasizing the importance of putting children's rights and safety first.
Line by Line Meaning
Every hour of every day
Children go missing all the time and it happens around the clock.
Crazy man who has no rights
The perpetrator is mentally unstable and does not have the right to take a child's life.
Takes the life of young ones
The kidnapper murders innocent children.
On a weekend pass he asks, 'Hey, kid, do you want some candy?'
The kidnapper uses deceit and lures children with candy or treats.
Crazy man proceeds to grasp young ones future in his hands
The perpetrator takes away the potential future of the children he kidnaps.
Keeps kids down and drives away
The kidnapper takes the children away from their families and loved ones.
Left the town in dismay
After the kidnappings, the town was left in a state of shock and sadness.
Hear me cry (me cry)
The singer is pleading for help and wants to be heard.
In the night (the night)
The kidnappings happen under the cover of darkness.
Someone come and rescue me
The singer is asking for someone to save the missing children.
The sun comes up (comes up)
Morning arrives and there is still no sign of the missing children.
No sign of us (of us)
The children are still missing and there are no clues or leads to their whereabouts.
And where I'm at's a mystery
The singer does not know where the missing children are or what has happened to them.
Teach them now and show them how
We should educate children on how to avoid dangerous situations to prevent them from going missing.
So they won't come up missing
We need to take steps to ensure that children do not become victims of kidnappings.
Peers and pressure go hand in hand
Negative peer pressure can lead children down the wrong path.
Every day's a moral task
Making good choices and doing the right thing is a daily challenge.
Crazy man won't go away
The danger of kidnappers is a constant threat.
Till the laws are passed to stay caged
The kidnappers should be punished with strict laws and should not be allowed to roam free.
Search is on for kids at night
Authorities are actively searching for the missing children.
With first in mind a child's rights
Protecting the rights and well-being of missing children is a top priority.
Bend(?) to one and have no fear
We should not let fear overcome us but stand up for what is right.
Want everyone to steer clear of here
The community should work together to make the area safe and prevent kidnappings from happening.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JEFFREY S. ALLEN, JEFFREY STEPHEN ALLEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind