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'.
I don't know why
Mr. Mister Lyrics
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The statues stare with eyes of stone
I offer you these roses
Feel the cut of every thorn
And we keep falling, I don't know why
Like rain falling down from the sky
And I go 'round to follow you
Moving slow as turtles
Making sure our hearts our true
And we keep falling, I don't know why
Like rain falling down from the sky
We go on and on just the same
Knowing love will never die
Like rain falling, I don't know why
Here, take my hand to hold onto
In the garden
I'll be there with you, there with you
We talk about our freedom
And run back to each other's arms
If that's a sign of weakness
Then I don't want to be so strong
And we keep falling, I don't know why
Like rain falling down from the sky
We go on and on just the same
Knowing love will never die
Like rain falling and I don't know why
When the weight of the world is on you
Know I'll be there with you
In the garden
Oh, no matter where you go
I will be there with you
I don't know why
I don't know why
The opening lines of Mr. Mister's "I Don't Know Why" present the listener with a metaphorical garden filled with stone statues and roses. The roses are being offered to the singer's love interest as a symbol of their affection, but with a caveat: the word "feel" suggests that love can be painful, much like the thorns on the roses. The second verse shows the two lovers' relationship as circular: they both follow each other carefully, taking their time to ensure their love is genuine. Despite this, the singer can't explain why they keep falling for each other, using the imagery of rain falling from the sky to suggest that their feelings are out of their control.
The chorus repeats that main hook: "we keep falling, I don't know why / like rain falling down from the sky." This is followed by an optimistic line; "knowing love will never die." This suggests that even though their relationship is unpredictable, they both have faith that the love they share is genuine and will last. The bridge of the song makes this explicit: "when the weight of the world is on you / know I'll be there with you / in the garden."
Overall, "I Don't Know Why" is a romantic song that captures the feeling of losing control in a relationship. It uses metaphors such as rain and garden to suggest that love is unpredictable and can be full of thorns. The song emphasizes that even though they don't always understand why they keep falling for each other, they both have faith in their love.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to my garden
Come into my world, my personal space
The statues stare with eyes of stone
The inanimate figures around in the garden appear to be looking right through you, unresponsive and cold
I offer you these roses
I present to you what I cherish, though it may hurt you with its thorns
Feel the cut of every thorn
Experience the pain that comes with each gift and cheerful gesture that I present to you
And we keep falling, I don't know why
We continue to fall in love even without a clear understanding of why it's happening
Like rain falling down from the sky
Our love is just like rainfall coming forth unexpectedly
You go 'round in circles
You move in circles without clear direction or purpose
And I go 'round to follow you
I move in circles too, following your every move, looking for a direction back to you
Moving slow as turtles
Progress comes slowly, but we're sure-footed in taking steps towards completion
Making sure our hearts are true
We ensure that what we feel is genuine and from the heart, it's a real love
We go on and on just the same
We continue on this path without wavering, tirelessly putting effort into keeping our love flourishing
Knowing love will never die
We recognize that this love will persist throughout, and will never perish
Here, take my hand to hold onto
Take my hand and hold it tightly, so we don't let each other go
We talk about our freedom
We discuss the independence in our relationship
And run back to each other's arms
We always come back to one another as an ultimate result
If that's a sign of weakness
If our situation portrays weakness in us, then so be it
Then I don't want to be so strong
I'd rather be weak and soft, loving openly instead of being stone-cold with no feeling whatsoever.
When the weight of the world is on you
In times when things seem overwhelming including worldly pressure, I will be there to bear the load with you
Oh, no matter where you go
Wherever you choose to go, I'll be there with you
I don't know why
I have no explanation as to why I fall for you again and again
Contributed by Addison N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.