In 1991, at the age of eleven, Monica was discovered by music producer Dallas Austin at the Center Stage auditorium in Atlanta performing Whitney Houston 1986's Greatest Love of All. Amazed by her voice, Dallas offered her a record deal with his Arista Records-distributed label Rowdy Records and consulted rapper Queen Latifah to work as Monica's first manager. Shortly afterwards Dallas and then staff producers Tim & Bob entered the studio with Monica to start writing and producing her debut Miss Thang which was eventually released in July 1995 and scored number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number seven on the Top R&B Albums chart. It was certified triple platinum by the RIAA for more than three million store-shipped copies and produced three top ten singles, including debut single Don't Take It Personal (Just One of Dem Days) and Before You Walk out of My Life both of which made Monica the youngest artist ever to have two consecutive chart-topping hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. Miss Thang subsequently won Monica a Billboard Music Award and garnered her an American Music Award nomination in the Favorite Soul/R&B New Artist category.
After a label change to Clive Davis's Arista Records, Monica mainstream success was boosted, when Diane Warren-written For You I Will, from the Space Jam soundtrack, became her next top ten pop hit. The following year she was asked to team up with singer Brandy and producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins to record The Boy Is Mine, the first single from both of their second albums. Released in May 1998, surrounding highly publicized rumors about a real-life catfight between both singers, the duet became both the biggest hit of the summer and the biggest hit of 1998 in general in America, spending record-breaking thirteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It earned the pair a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and garnered multi-platinum sales (to date, it remains as one of the top twenty most successful American singles in history based on Billboard chart success).
Jermaine Dupri, David Foster and Austin consulted on the album The Boy Is Mine, which was released later that year and eventually became Monica’s biggest-selling album, becoming certified triple platinum by the RIAA for more than three million store-shipped copies. It yielded another two U.S. number-one hits with The First Night and Angel of Mine, a cover of Eternal's 1997 single, as well as a remake of Richard Marx' Right Here Waiting. Rolling Stone Magazine proclaimed it as "closer to soul's source... hearking back past hip-hop songbirds like Mary J. Blige and adult-contemporary sirens like Toni Braxton," while Allmusic called the album an "irresistible sounding [and] immaculately crafted musical backdrop [...] as good as mainstream urban R&B gets in 1998."
In 2000, Monica contributed chorus vocals for I've Got to Have It, a collaboration with Jermaine Dupri and rapper Nas. Released as the Big Momma's House theme song, the song saw minor success in the United States only. The following year, she released the Ric Wake production track Just Another Girl, recorded for the Down to Earth soundtrack, as a single.
A year later, Arnold channeled much of her heavily media-discussed experiences into the production of her third studio album, All Eyez on Me, her first release on mentor Clive Davis newly-founded J Records label. "I just wanted to give the people back something that had personal passion, instead of just, 'Oh, let's dance to this record'," she said about the issues worked into the tracks. The first single All Eyez on Me a Rodney Jerkins-produced R&B-dance track, saw minor to moderate success on the international charts but failed to enter the higher half of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. A follow-up song, Too Hood, also got a lukewarm response and as a result, the album's tentative release was pushed back several times. "I don't think people wanted to hear a big fun record from me, after knowing all the things that I had personally experienced," Monica second-guessed her new material which saw both early and heavy bootlegging via internet at that time.
After the Japan-wide release of All Eyez on Me Monica was asked to substantially reconstruct the record with a host of new producers, and as a result the singer re-entered recording studios to start work with songwriters Kanye West, Jazze Pha, Andre "mrDEYO" Deyo, Bam & Ryan and Dupri-replacing executive producer Missy Elliott. Finally released in June 2003, After the Storm debuted at number one on Billboard`s Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and on top of the official Billboard 200, with sales of 186,000 copies emerging as Monica's first and only number-one album to date. It eventually received a gold certification, and has sold over one million copies domestically. Media reception of the CD was generally enthusiastic, with the Allmusic saying the album "has all the assuredness and smart developments that should keep Monica's younger longtime followers behind her — all the while holding the ability to appeal to a wider spectrum of R&B and hip-hop fans." The album's lead single, Elliott-penned So Gone, was one of Monica's biggest commercial successes in years, becoming her first top ten single since 1999's Angel of Mine. In addition, it reached the top position of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks and Hot Dance Club Play charts. Subsequently, After the Storm spawned another three singles, with final single U Should've Known Better reaching number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 2005, Monica appeared on the Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman soundtrack. The track was one of Monica's last production by Dallas Austin.
Returning from yet another musical hiatus, Arnold's fourth studio album The Makings of Me was released in October 2006. Titled after Curtis Mayfield's 1970 recording The Makings of You, the album saw her particularly reuniting with producers Elliott, Dupri, and Bryan Michael Cox, all of whom had previously contributed to After the Storm (2003). The Makings of Me received a positive reception from most professional music critics, with Allmusic calling it a "concise and mostly sweet set of songs," and Entertainment Weekly declaring it "a solid addition" to Monica's discography. While it debuted at number one on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and at number eight on the official Billboard 200, it received a domestic sales total of 328,000 copies, it widely failed to revive the success of its predecessors and became the singer's lowest-selling effort to date. Singles such as snap-influenced Everytime Tha Beat Drop featuring Atlanta hip hop group Dem Franchize Boyz and Elliott-produced A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me) failed to reach the top forty of the regular pop charts.
In 2009, Arnold lent her voice to the ballad Trust a duet with Keyshia Cole, that peaked in the top five on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The recording of Arnold's sixth studio album Still Standing was chronicled by her BET reality series of the same name. Featuring production by Stargate, Ne-Yo, and Polow da Don, it was released in March 2010 and garnered a generally positive response by critics, who perceived its sound as "a return to the mid-'1990s heyday" of contemporary R&B, The album debuted atop on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, and number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 with opening week sales of 184,000 copies, becoming the singer's second highest-charting debut since 2003's After the Storm. The leading single Everything to Me scored Monica her biggest chart success since 2003's So Gone, reaching the top position of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks charts for seven weeks. The album was certified gold by the RIAA with domestic shipments of 500,000 copies within a single month. With it success, the album and Everything to Me was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, presented at the 53rd Grammy Awards in 2011. In August 2010, Arnold joined Trey Songz on his Passion, Pain & Pleasure Tour, her first North American concert tour in ten years.
The New Life (Intro) Songfacts reports that New Life was Monica's debut release with RCA, following the disbandment of her former label, J Records in October 2011. The album was dropped on April 10, 2012 in the US. She explained the meaning of its title on Twitter: "A good word goes a long way. Life is hard enough. Me and my followers believe in God, love, strength, family, unity and growth [...] Don't be afraid of new things, new people, new opportunities or new love. It just may give you a New Life."
U Should've Known Better
Monica Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh oh ooh-oh
Oh, I didn't ask to go with you to Mexico
I really didn't need the shopping spree in L.A. and Melrose
Boy, if you didn't know it, well now you know
I didn't need the furs or the jewelry
Because material things they don't mean much to me
I've been holding us down on my own
You know
I never ever cheated
I never ever lied
So you can stop asking
Asking me why
Why I never left you
And why I've kept it real
And why I'm still with you
You should've known better than to think I would leave (leave)
You should've known better than to doubt me (me)
It don't matter if you're up, matter if you're down
Either way I'm gonna be around
You should've known that I would stay by your side (side)
You should've known your girl was gonna ride or die
And it just don't matter if you're rich or poor
Out or in, doing five to ten
You should've known better
What makes you think that I would forget about you?
Think about it, who comes to see you?
Every Saturday and Monday, I was on that receiver
It's me (me), your girl (girl), your life (life), your world (world)
My family and friends, they just don't understand
They say I should leave you alone
But I say that they should all just leave us alone
Don't you get it?
I never every cheated
I never ever lied
So you can stop asking
Asking me why
Why I never left you
And why I've kept it real
And why I'm still with you
You should've known better than to think I would leave
You should've known better than to doubt me
It don't matter if you're up, matter if you're down
Either way I'm gonna be around
You should've known that I would stay by your side
You should've known your girl was gonna ride or die
And it just don't matter if you're rich or poor
Out here doing five to ten
You should've known better
You should've known better than to think I would leave
You should've known better than to doubt me
It don't matter if you're up, matter if you're down
Either way I'm gonna be around
You should've known that I would stay by your side
You should've known your girl was gonna ride or die
And it just don't matter if you're rich or poor
Out here doing five to ten
You should've known better
Monica's song "U Should've Known Better" is about a woman who has stayed committed to her partner, despite the absence of material things and the pressures of outside influences. In the first verse, she talks about not needing luxurious items, which her partner may have believed that she desired. She emphasizes that material things are not what matters to her and that she has been holding herself down independently since her partner's departure. In the chorus, she reminds him that he should have known better than to think she would leave or doubt her. It doesn't matter if he's rich or poor or whether he's going through a difficult time, she will still be there for him.
In the second verse, she talks about the effort she puts into their relationship, which her family and friends don't understand. She is always there for him and knows all about his life, as she is his partner. She acknowledges that her devotion is sometimes tested, but reminds her partner that she never cheated or lied to him. In the chorus, she repeats her stance on the matter, reminding him that she is always going to be there for him, regardless of his circumstance.
In summary, “U Should’ve Known Better” is a song about loyalty and commitment, the importance of putting effort in a relationship, and the value of love above material things. The song encourages partners to stay committed to each other, even in the face of difficult times, and to trust in the bond that they share.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, I didn't ask to go with you to Mexico
I didn't want to go on vacation with you to Mexico
I really didn't need the shopping spree in L.A. and Melrose
I didn't want you to buy me expensive things in L.A.
Boy, if you didn't know it, well now you know
I hope you understand now
I didn't need the furs or the jewelry
I don't care about material possessions
Because material things they don't mean much to me
I value experiences and emotions over material items
And ever since you've been gone
Since you left me
I've been holding us down on my own
I've been taking care of things alone
You know
I hope you understand this
I never ever cheated
I've never been unfaithful
I never ever lied
I never lied to you
So you can stop asking
Stop questioning me
Asking me why
Asking why I still love you
Why I never left you
Why I haven't left you despite everything
And why I've kept it real
Why I've been honest with you
And why I'm still with you
Why I'm still in this relationship
You should've known better than to think I would leave (leave)
You should know I won't leave you
You should've known better than to doubt me (me)
You shouldn't have doubted me
It don't matter if you're up, matter if you're down
I will always be there for you, no matter what
Either way I'm gonna be around
I'll always be by your side
You should've known that I would stay by your side (side)
You should know I will always stand by you
You should've known your girl was gonna ride or die
You should know I'll stick with you through thick and thin
And it just don't matter if you're rich or poor
Your wealth doesn't determine my loyalty
Out or in, doing five to ten
Whether you're free or in jail, I'll be there
What makes you think that I would forget about you?
Why would you think I would forget about you?
Think about it, who comes to see you?
I'm the one who visits you
Every Saturday and Monday, I was on that receiver
I've been there for you, always
It's me (me), your girl (girl), your life (life), your world (world)
I am important to you
My family and friends, they just don't understand
My loved ones don't get why I'm still with you
They say I should leave you alone
They advise me to end things with you
But I say that they should all just leave us alone
I want them to mind their own business
Don't you get it?
Don't you understand my loyalty?
You should've known better than to think I would leave
You should trust my commitment
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRYAN MICHAEL PAUL COX, JERMAINE DUPRI, HAROLD SPENCER JR LILLY, HAROLD LILLY JR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aladyslegacy1
To finally realize that she was singing this for C-Murder, gives it whole other sound... 💜
@justdc3517
Actually she confirmed she was singing about Rocko in an IG live stream with Tiny & TI. I thought it was about C Murder too. But she explained Rocko caught a charge around this time.
@aladyslegacy1
@@justdc3517oh wow! Really?! I wonder if C-Murder was just as surprised as I am, to find that out? 🤔 Lol....
@XahraaK
I also thought it was for C😳😳 I'm just as shocked
@yoyomunie.
I’m just now realizing that
@wiltuhoward8164
Right
@Keisolomon7489
Reminds me of my situation, I got sentenced to 4 years in prison in 2015 and I told my dude to move on....he did all of my time with me. I got out of prison July of 2018 and were still together. November will be 9 years we've been together. It's men out here that will hold a woman down too💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾
***UDATE**** it’s 7/23/23 and we’re still holding on! 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Ohhhjj ok it’s 2/20/24 and the ACE TO MY SPADE ♠️ IS STILL ROCKING! 😘🫶🏽🌹
@rachelpayares3932
Nice im currently with someone in feds got 3 years left its tough i question him everyday if he gonna mess up on me when he get out i know that bad
@wgaines323
🙏Love is Real. When Its Love.... God Continue To Bless You Both.. Him For Staying..and You For Trusting🙏🙏
@asiaace9966
SHOUTOUT TO YOU BEING HOME!