In the late 70s, he and his childhood friend Steve George founded the band Pages (most notable for "I Do Believe In You") in Phoenix, Arizona. The outfit Mr. Mister sprang out of that project 1982. The two continued to apply their tight harmonies to background vocals on albums by successful pop artists like Laura Branigan while working on their own material as well. About the time when the first Mr. Mister album, titled 'I Wear the Face', came out in early 1984, Page was offered the chance to replace Bobby Kimball as lead singer of Toto. He even was also later offered Peter Cetera's place in the jazz rock outfit Chicago.
Page refused both offers, confident in Mr. Mister's potential. The single "Hunters of the Night" managed to become a near-hit, reaching the #57 slot on the Billboard Hot 100, and the new wave fueled album had brought them with producer Peter McIan, who had been behind releases by Dear Enemy and Men at Work. Still, the line-up of Page, George, Pat Mastelotto, and Steve Farris failed to reach a mass audience as the album just didn't sell that well.
Mr. Mister's second album, 1985's 'Welcome To The Real World', featured emotive lyrics from Page's cousin John Lang and became the breakthrough that the guys had been hoping for. The group had three top 10 singles, two of which even coming #1 hits on the U.S. pop charts. The band's compelling ballad "Broken Wings" had become a part of the national pop consciousness, particularly serving as a sort of 'signature song' for the outfit. In those days of widespread success, they toured with legendary diva Tina Turner, for whom their song "Stand And Deliver" was written. This song eventually appeared on Mr. Mister's third album, titled 'Go On', which the band said contined "some of the best stuff we ever did".
With expectations sky-high for the band, the guys planned on taking a more mature approach lyrically, standing up against the notorious materialism and celebration of greed during that decade, and the album had a sound that hinted at progressive rock. Nevertheless, 'Go On' failed to achieve commercial success, and the band members found themselves getting lost in the 80s pop/rock shuffle. Guitarist Steve Farris left around 1989, which seemed to spell the beginning of the end for the group. Still, the band began working on a fourth album, called 'Pull', with session guitarists. Dropped by their label before that work could be released, the band decided to break up for good.
That album remained unreleased for something like two decades, although one track ("Waiting In My Dreams") later appeared on a popular greatest hits collection. The release in its entirely finally surfaced in 2010 on the indie label Little Dume Recordings, a company project of Richard Page's that had also published solo efforts by him such as 'Peculiar Life'. After the band's split, Page continued to work as a composer (for example, he co-authored Madonna's 1994 Golden Globe nominated song "I'll Remember") and as a background singer for several artists. Page additionally produced a solo album, called 'Shelter Me', in 1996 that featured guest appearances by all his former band-mates.
Steve Farris has toured with Whitesnake and also recorded songs with artists such as Tori Amos and 4 Non Blondes. Pat Mastelotto has played with groups such as King Crimson and XTC. Steve George served as musical director for American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins until 1997, also having toured with the star Jewel. Finally, John Lang became a part of the alternative rock group Djinn (not to be confused with the DJ of the same name and other artists), an obscure band that gained some interest when they produced their 1998 album 'All-Time'.
Code Of Love
Mr. Mister Lyrics
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She said I read her diary, her secret inner fantasies
She said I broke the code of love
I caught her going through my drawers, an offense I felt of course
And then she broke the code of love
You broke it - you know you did - hah
She always thought she was my world, but I know lots of other girls
They made me break the code of love
We had a real prefab type thing, a docile domestic home scene
Until we broke the code of love
You broke it - you know you did - yeah
You broke it - I watched you do it
The code of love should never be broken
The code of love, words remain unspoken
(Solo)
The code of love should never be broken
The code of love, words remain unspoken
The code of, the code of, the code of, the code of (repeats 3x)
The code of love (the code of love) should never be broken
The code of love (the code of love), words remain unspoken
The lyrics of Mr. Mister's song 'Code of Love' describe a couple's distrust for each other as each believes the other has broken the code of love. The couple's actions have triggered a downward spiral in their relationship and the relationship is now on shaky ground. The woman accuses the man of reading her diary and violating her innermost secrets while the man accuses the woman of going through his drawers. The man is aware of the woman's insecurities and tries to play along by insisting that they've both broken the code of love.
The lyrics suggest that the code of love should never be broken and that some words should remain unspoken. The solo midway through the song provides a musical intermission before the chorus takes over, highlighting the importance of the code of love. 'Code of Love' is an introspective song that explores the intricacies of love and trust in a romantic relationship. The song makes a statement about the importance of honesty and openness, without which a relationship can quickly descend into chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
She said I read her diary, her secret inner fantasies
The singer's girlfriend accused him of reading her diary filled with secret fantasies.
She said I broke the code of love
According to the girlfriend, the singer violated the principles of love.
I caught her going through my drawers, an offense I felt of course
The singer accused his girlfriend of violating his privacy by going through his drawers.
And then she broke the code of love
The artist claims that his girlfriend violated the code of love afterwards.
She always thought she was my world, but I know lots of other girls
The girlfriend believed that she was everything to him, but he had other women in his life.
They made me break the code of love
The singer's interaction with other women was the reason for him breaking the code of love.
We had a real prefab type thing, a docile domestic home scene
The singer and his girlfriend had an artificial and mundane relationship.
Until we broke the code of love
Their relationship fell apart after breaking the code of love.
The code of love should never be broken
The code of love is a set of principles that must always be respected in a relationship.
The code of love, words remain unspoken
The code of love contains rules that don't need to be made explicit because they should be instinctual.
The code of love should never be broken
The code of love must not be violated under any circumstances.
The code of love, words remain unspoken
The code of love must have tacit rules and unspoken expectations.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN ROSS LANG, RICHARD JAMES PAGE, STEVE GEORGE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind