(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.

Once Upon A Time
Mr. Big Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Once upon a time, the chemistry was cool
I had a little place, just a space standin' next to you
When you lost your mind, did you realize or wonder why
When you go insane, you're to blame now I gotta fly

Underhanded, how you planned it was the perfect crime
That was once upon a time * Once upon a time
That was once upon a time * Once upon a time

You never told me that you had a little dark spot on your heart
You threw me a bone, left me alone and then you ripped me apart
Now you're the one, come undone, the tables turned around
Where do you go, so low, I think your going under the ground

Underhanded, how you planned it was the perfect crime
That was once upon a time * Once upon a time
That was once upon a time * Once upon a time

Now it's time to take a stand * Take it back in my hands
I'm only doing what I can * Why should give a damn

Now it's going down, I dropped the other shoe
You know it's been said, your thick head, it all comes back to you
It seems you're the one come undone, the world has turned around
Original sin is doing you in and now I

Understand it, how you planned it was the perfect crime
That was once upon a time * Once upon a time

That was once upon a time * Once upon a time
Once upon a time

Overall Meaning

The song "Once Upon a Time" by Mr. Big is a song about a relationship that fell apart because one person wasn't honest about their true feelings. The lyrics suggest that the chemistry between the two partners was strong in the beginning, but that things changed over time. The singer hints that the other person may have been struggling with personal issues and that they didn't reveal these issues to the singer. As a result, the relationship suffered, and the singer had to leave.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "once upon a time," which is commonly used in fairy tales to suggest a time of happiness and magic. However, the repetition of this phrase in this context suggests that the happiness and magic of the relationship is now gone, and the singer is reminiscing about a time that can never be recaptured.

Overall, the lyrics are about the pain of betrayal and the difficulties of moving on from a relationship that didn't work out. The song's message is one of empowerment, with the singer taking control of the situation and choosing to move on with his life.

Line by Line Meaning

Once upon a time, the chemistry was cool
Back in the past, we had a good connection and got along well.

I had a little place, just a space standin' next to you
I had a small part in your life as your companion.

When you lost your mind, did you realize or wonder why
When you acted crazy, did you actually think about what you were doing?

When you go insane, you're to blame now I gotta fly
Your craziness caused problems and I have to leave now.

Underhanded, how you planned it was the perfect crime
Your sneaky planning made it the perfect wrongdoing.

You never told me that you had a little dark spot on your heart
You hid a bad trait from me and I didn't know about it.

You threw me a bone, left me alone and then you ripped me apart
You gave me false hope, abandoned me, and then hurt me badly.

Now you're the one, come undone, the tables turned around
Now it's your turn to suffer the consequences.

Where do you go, so low, I think your going under the ground
You're doing so badly that you seem to be heading towards failure or death.

Now it's time to take a stand * Take it back in my hands
Now it's time for me to assert my control over the situation.

I'm only doing what I can * Why should give a damn
I'll do what I can, but I don't care anymore.

Now it's going down, I dropped the other shoe
Now the negative consequences are happening as I anticipated.

You know it's been said, your thick head, it all comes back to you
It's common knowledge that those who are stubborn and ignorant will eventually face the consequences.

It seems you're the one come undone, the world has turned around
It appears that you're the one who is suffering now and the tables have turned.

Original sin is doing you in and now I
Your initial wrongdoing is causing your downfall and now I see that.

Understand it, how you planned it was the perfect crime
I understand now how you did it and it was an extremely sneaky thing to do.

That was once upon a time * Once upon a time
That was back in the past and things have changed now.

Contributed by Jake H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS