(For the 70s British rock band, see Mr Big.)

Mr. Big combined two po… Read Full Bio ↴(For the 70s British rock band, see Mr Big.)

Mr. Big combined two popular musical trends of the rock scene in the mid to late 80s: a particular brand of hard rock focused on melodies and listener-friendly choruses made for the arena, and impressive technical proficiency, then called shredding. The seeds for the group were sown when bass player Billy Sheehan (considered one of the top bassists of rock, often thought to be the bass equivalent of guitarist Eddie Van Halen) left David Lee Roth's solo band in 1988. Almost immediately after his exit, Sheehan began piecing together a new outfit, with the help of Mike Varney from Shrapnel Records, a label specialized in the shredding genre. The band comprised Shrapnel artist and former Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert, Pat Torpey on drums, and singer Eric Martin, who had a number of album releases throughout the 1980s with his Eric Martin Band.

By 1989, the newly formed quartet, already regarded as a budding supergroup, had already inked a recording contract with Atlantic, resulting in the release of a self-titled debut the same year. Produced by Kevin Elson and Val Garay, 'Mr. Big' proved a partial commercial success, reaching the 46th slot on the Billboard 200 chart. Lead-off single "Addicted to that Rush", featuring the band's aggressive guitar and bass playing, also brought the group some mainstream attention, reaching the #39 slot on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

Despite causing a buzz among musicians, the album didn't quite cross over to a mainstream rock audience stateside, though Mr. Big was an immediate smash success overseas in Japan. The band's breakthrough came with their second album, 'Lean Into It', in 1991. It featured two power ballads that established the band as a total commercial success: "To Be With You" and "Just Take My Heart". The group also released arena rock songs that have remained staples of their live set for years, such as "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind".

Other releases followed, 'Bump Ahead' in 1993 and 'Hey Man' in 1996, but the band never replicated its earlier success in the U.S. market. The rise of grunge and nu metal groups damped much of the mainstream's interest in traditional arena-made hard rock. In Japan, on the other hand, they continued to sell out tours, resulting in a number of live releases for the Japanese market throughout their career (from "Raw Like Sushi" in 1990 to Mr. Big in Japan in 2002 among later releases). Paul Gilbert left the band in 1997 to pursue a solo career and eventually reform Racer X. Richie Kotzen, another Shrapnel artist and former guitarist for Poison, was brought in to take on guitar duties, also contributing occasional vocals.

Two studio albums were released by this lineup: 'Get Over It' in 2000 and 'Actual Size' in 2001, which featured the single Shine used in the anime Hellsing. Tensions in the band between Billy Sheehan and the other members, especially Eric Martin, led to the band's demise-- contractual obligations for yet another Japanese tour were fulfilled in the form of a "farewell tour". The multi-million record-selling band broke up in 2002, many years since their last hit in the United States but while still enjoying great popularity in Japan.

In February 2009, as a result of fan-demand and also after several coincidences over the past couple of years that have gradually brought the group back together again, Eric Martin, Pat Torpey, Paul Gilbert, and Billy Sheehan finally announced their decision to reunite.

In September 2010, Mr. Big recorded a seventh album with producer Kevin Shirley at a Los Angeles-area studio. The album (What If...) was released in Japan on December 15, 2010, in Europe on January 21, 2011, and in the US in February 2011. The group's latest album, Defying Gravity, was recorded in Los Angeles in six days, and released on July 21, 2017. Due to Pat Torpey being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he could not play drums fully on the record and played on only several tracks. Matt Starr recorded the drum tracks, while Pat Torpey acted as "drum producer."

On February 7, 2018, drummer Pat Torpey died from complications of Parkinson's disease at the age of 64. His last show took place at the Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton on November 23, 2017. A memorial show took place on May 23, 2018 at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, California, with former member Richie Kotzen as a special guest.

Hold me
Mr. Big Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yeah ya yeah ya
Ta da ta ta ha
No o oh
Chaow
So gial you fit to be my ride or die
(Chaow)
But you say if I ride with you I go kpai
(Uh uhnn)

Now you gat me thinking my decisions
Weighing all my options, yeah
I gat no rule over my emotions
Now you gat me thinking my decisions
Weighing all my options, yeah
I gat no rule over my emotions
Cos gial you hold me down
Pull me up
Take me out
Bring me in back
Take me down
Make me high
Make me low
So gial you hold me down
Pull me up
Take me out
Bring me in back
Take me down
Make me high
Make me low
Oh gial you hold me down
Gial you hold me down
(No o oh, yeah)
Baby hold me down
Oh gial you hold me down (uh uhnn)
(Chaow)
Now wey the breeze don blow
And fowl yansh don open
Shebi now you realize this love wey dey my eyes
(Chaow)
But you say you no wan roll with a brother
Like me sey a man like me go for break your heart
Sey you no wan roll with a brother like me woyo oh oh (Chaow)
Sey you no wan roll with a brother like me sey a man like me go fit break your heart
Sey you no wan roll with a brother like me woyo waga ah ye
Cos gial you hold me down
Pull me up
Take me out
Bring me in back
Take me down
Make me high
Make me low
So gial you hold me down
Pull me up
Take me out
Bring me in back
Take me down
Make me high
Make me low.
Oh gial you hold me down
Gial you hold me down
(No o oh, yeah)
Baby hold me down

Oh gial you hold me down (Uh uhnn)
(Chaow)

Overall Meaning

The song "Hold Me" by Mr. Big speaks of a complicated romantic relationship. The chorus of the song emphasizes how the subject of the song holds the singer down, pulls him up, takes him out and brings him back, makes him high and then low. This depicts a rather turbulent relationship where the singer is at the mercy of his lover's moods, and they have a passionate, almost addictive connection.

The first verse of the song talks about the singer's lover being his "ride or die", but she tells him that if he "rides" with her, he'll "kpai" (meaning he will die in Nigerian pidgin English). This has the singer rethinking their decisions and weighing his options. The second verse features the singer expressing that his lover realizes the love in his eyes after a particular incident has occurred. However, she still says she doesn't want to be with him because he's likely to leave or break her heart.

Overall, the song describes a tumultuous relationship marked by passion, doubt, and uncertainty. The singer seems to be caught up in his lover's emotions, giving her an enormous amount of power over him.

Line by Line Meaning

Yeah ya yeah ya
Expression of excitement and joy

Ta da ta ta ha
Nonsensical sounds made in joyful expression

No o oh
Exclamation of surprise or disappointment

Chaow
Sound made to indicate a change in tone or topic

So gial you fit to be my ride or die
Addressing a potential partner and expressing desire for their unwavering support

(Chaow)
Sound made to indicate a change in tone or topic

But you say if I ride with you I go kpai
Acknowledging partner's concern for their safety in relationship

(Uh uhnn)
Acknowledging partner's statement with a sound

Now you gat me thinking my decisions
Partner's statement causing reflection on personal choices

Weighing all my options, yeah
Considering all possibilities and outcomes

I gat no rule over my emotions
Feeling overwhelmed by emotions and lack of control

Now you gat me thinking my decisions
Partner's statement causing reflection on personal choices

Weighing all my options, yeah
Considering all possibilities and outcomes

I gat no rule over my emotions
Feeling overwhelmed by emotions and lack of control

Cos gial you hold me down
Acknowledging how partner provides emotional support and stability

Pull me up
Partner helping to lift the singer's mood or spirits

Take me out
Partner providing an escape from stress and worries

Bring me in back
Partner bringing the singer back to reality after escapism

Take me down
Partner helping the singer to come down from a high or intense emotional state

Make me high
Partner bringing the singer to a state of excitement or joy

Make me low
Partner bringing the singer to a state of depression or sadness

Oh gial you hold me down
Repeating and emphasizing how partner provides emotional support and stability

Baby hold me down
Asking partner to continue providing emotional support and stability

(No o oh, yeah)
Exclamation of surprise or disappointment followed by a positive affirmation

Now wey the breeze don blow
Acknowledging that things have changed

And fowl yansh don open
Using a Nigerian slang to say that someone has been exposed or revealed

Shebi now you realize this love wey dey my eyes
Partner now understands and recognizes the singer's love and affection

But you say you no wan roll with a brother
Partner acknowledges singer's love, but expresses hesitation

Like me sey a man like me go for break your heart
Partner expresses fear of heartbreak or disappointment

Sey you no wan roll with a brother like me woyo oh oh
Partner repeats their concern over heartbreak or disappointment

(Chaow)
Sound made to indicate a change in tone or topic

Sey you no wan roll with a brother like me sey a man like me go fit break your heart
Partner repeats their fear of heartbreak or disappointment more forcefully

Sey you no wan roll with a brother like me woyo waga ah ye
Partner repeats their concern over heartbreak or disappointment and emphasizes it with a Nigerian slang