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.
Single To Mingle
Mint Condition Lyrics
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From across the room
My memory can't erase
My heart exceeded its normal pace
As oxygen takes a violent haste from my face
Time and time again
It's agreed that we are friends
Awake from my daydreams
Sleeping all the time
There was something on my mind
Listen to my heart beats begin
If you're single to mingle
I'd love if we could do the town
There's a love that could be found
If your single to mingle
I'd love if we could do the town
There's a love that could be found
When I lay me down to sleep
I close my eyes and all I see is you
Happy thoughts of us in a deep romance
You and dancing close with our eyes in a trance
Time and time again
It's agreed that we are friends
Then I awake
Awake from my daydreams
Sleeping all the time
There was something on my mind
Listen to my heart beats begin
If you're single to mingle
I'd love if we could do the town
There's a love that could be found
If your single to mingle
I'd love if we could do the town
There's a love that could be found
The lyrics to "Single to Mingle" by Mint Condition are a portrayal of a person who has developed an attraction to someone they have seen from across the room. The attraction is so strong that the individual cannot forget the feeling and the smile they saw on the person's face. The lyrics of the opening verse paint an image of that moment when the singer first saw the person as their heart raced, and they became breathless. The singer hopes that the object of their desire is also interested in mingling considering the lyrics state "If you're single to mingle / I'd love if we could do the town / There's a love that could be found." The lyrics and the melody of the song play with the theme of friendship but also hint at the possibility of a romantic relationship.
As the song moves towards the chorus, the singer continues to have daydreams of the person being the object of their affection, and they continue to toss and turn dreaming about being in a deep romance with them. There is a sense of desperation or eagerness in the lyrics when the singer talks about their heart beating, which can be a sign of the anxiety that comes when someone is hoping that their feelings are mutual.
Overall, "Single to Mingle" by Mint Condition is a song that portrays the complexity of feelings between two individuals and the possibility of moving from being just friends to a romantic relationship. The lyrics play with the idea of daydreams and the itch to take things to the next level with someone you have growing feelings for.
Line by Line Meaning
I spotted that smile across your face
I noticed you smiling from a distance
From across the room
From a long distance away
My memory can't erase
I can't forget what I saw
My heart exceeded its normal pace
My heart was beating faster than usual
As oxygen takes a violent haste from my face
I felt breathless and overwhelmed
Time and time again
Repeatedly
It's agreed that we are friends
We've established that we're friends
Then I awake
But then I realize
Awake from my daydreams
I snap out of my fantasies
Sleeping all the time
I'm always dreaming
There was something on my mind
I was thinking about something
Listen to my heart beats begin
I feel my heart racing
If you're single to mingle
If you're looking to date
I'd love if we could do the town
I'd like to go out with you
There's a love that could be found
We might find love together
When I lay me down to sleep
When I go to bed at night
I close my eyes and all I see is you
You're always on my mind
Happy thoughts of us in a deep romance
I imagine us in a loving relationship
You and dancing close with our eyes in a trance
We're dancing intimately and lost in each other
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: HOMER RODERICK O'DELL, JEFFREY STEPHEN ALLEN, KEIRSTON JAMAL LEWIS, LAWRENCE EL GRECCO WADDELL, RICKY KINCHEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind