(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.

Tears
Mr. Big Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tears,
from saying goodbye,
Tears,
I'm sorry but I have made up my mind,
I'm leaving to find a new life,
a new love.

All I can tell you is never

all I can give you
are tears...

Tears,
fall down from my eyes,
tears,
A man never cries,
he should hold them back,
hide them so no one could see
the real me...

all I can tell you is never
all I can give you
are tears...

After the love ran out,
I might be going out of my head
but instead...

I've made up my mind,
I'm leaving to find a new life,
a new love...

All I can tell you is never
all I can give you
are tears...

All I can give you
are tears...

Fall down from my eyes,
tears...

oooohooow...

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Mr. Big's song Tears are about the sorrow and pain of leaving a relationship. The song begins with a reference to the tears shed while saying goodbye. The singer has made up his mind to leave the relationship and start afresh. He knows that he is going to cause his partner pain and he apologizes for that. He understands that he is the cause of the tears that his partner will shed, but he can't help himself as he needs to find a new life and love.

The song is a poignant reminder of the pain and heartache caused by the end of a relationship. The singer acknowledges that he is breaking his partner's heart but hopes that, in time, she will forget about him and move on. The lyrics also touch upon the gender stereotype that men should not cry, and how the singer feels the pressure to hide his tears to maintain his masculinity.

Overall, the song's message is one of regret and sorrow, encapsulating the heart-wrenching emotions that people experience when ending a relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

Tears, from saying goodbye,
The tears are the result of saying goodbye to someone or something, expressing deep sadness and regret.

Tears, I'm sorry but I have made up my mind,
Expressing remorse and apologizing for leaving, but reassuring that the decision to find a new life and a new love has been made.

I'm leaving to find a new life, a new love.
The decision to leave and start anew is made, with the hope of finding a better life and a new love.

All I can tell you is never all I can give you are tears...
Expressing that due to the deep sadness and regret, tears are all that can be given and offered as a form of expression.

Tears, fall down from my eyes, tears, A man never cries, he should hold them back, hide them so no one could see the real me...
Despite the sadness and need to express them, societal pressure and gender roles dictate that men should not cry, therefore they must be hidden and repressed.

After the love ran out, I might be going out of my head but instead...
After the love has ended, there is the possibility of going crazy or losing one's mind, but instead, the decision to leave and start anew is made.

All I can give you are tears...
Reiterating that tears are the only form of expression and offering for the deep sadness and regret being felt.

Fall down from my eyes, tears...
Repeating the physical manifestation of tears falling from the eyes as a result of the sadness being felt.

oooohooow...
An extension of the emotional expression being felt, a long-drawn-out vocal sound to express pain and sadness.

Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL BRANDON GILBERT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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