Talent will out, they say, but sometimes the exit route is a long and winding road. For Shawn Lee, the journey began in Wichita, Kansas.
Shawn grew up in a rural area on the outskirts of the city. His mother is half Lebanese, half American Indian, his father Irish-American. While his peers got off on cheesy corporate rock and the kind of line-dancing tunes recently fashionable in Gap ads, Shawn was groovin' to the blaxploitation funk Sly and the Isleys. Later, his local Baptist Church widened his appreciation of black music, but when he sang in its gospel choir, he discovered some of his white 'friends' were racists who disapproved. "Fuck this," he thought. "I'm leaving the Mid-West" It was 1988.
Next stop Los Angeles. Already an able multi-instrumentalist (guitar,drums,bass,etc) Shawn now set about developing his songwriting. There were bands, publishing deals, relationships and day jobs: more notches on the bedpost of experience. This period also saw Shawn befriend the late Jeff Buckley, and somebody, somewhere has a tape of them jamming "Honky Tonk Woman" Be sure that Buckley would have recognized Shawn's talent.
In 1995, Shawn moved to London, where he recorded his solo debut. For all the wrong reasons, the album was never released. It was soul destroying; a bit like somebody erasing 3 years of your life." Resolving to write and record on his own terms, Shawn kept working. He passed CD's of songs to friends with no agenda other than "hope you enjoy it." As Shawn continued to do it his way, air play garnered by a self-financed EP prompted several major labels to phone him. He had no intention of re-boarding the corporate merry-go-round, though. Instead, he opted to sign a deal with Mark Jones at Wall of Sound. "The label's got real credibility," he says "and Mark was happy to put out a record which sounds exactly like I wanted it to." Subsequently Shawn became the flagship artist for the new Wall of Sound imprint, We Love You....
Which brings us to Monkey Boy, an inspired and beautifully crafted album which warrants your undivided attention. Like the best work by The Isley Brothers, it takes rock, soul, funk and folk textures, then fuses them with unquestionable panache. For afters, there's deft scratching, sumptuous bossa-nova and a dark waltz which evokes Burt Bacharach on downers. What's new pussycat? This is.
The bossa track is 'Happiness', all itch-scratching Latin percussion a la Sergio Mendez. Had Arthur Lee's Love formed in Rio rather than Los Angeles, they might have sounded like this. Further in, A&R Man of Love (yes, the title's ironic) was inspired by Vincent Gallo's fabulous soundtrack for Buffalo 66. You'll be pleased to know that as much as Shawn admires Gallo's many talents, he doesn't share his arrogance.
Shawn's album was self-produced, and although friends dropped by to add strings, double bass, brass and woodwind, Shawn's skills as a multi-instrumentalist hold court. You'll notice, too, that his voice is a marvel throughout; check out "Harmony In Falsetto" (a self-explanatory ballad), or his sweet-honey-in-the-rock delivery on "Floating" Class.
If Ian Brown is the king of the swingers, I'm a baboon's arse and Britney's Nina Simone..
It's time to swap bravado and pap for soul and a solid gold talent. Shawn Lee, aka Monkey Boy, is top banana....
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A&R Man of Love
Shawn Lee Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every night I dream a little dream,
And of course Prince Charming is the theme,
The he for me.
Although I realize as well as you
It is seldom that a dream comes true,
To me it's clear
That he'll appear.
Some day he'll come along,
The man I love
And he'll be big and strong,
The man I love
And when he comes my way
I'll do my best to make him stay.
He'll look at me and smile
I'll understand,
And in a little while,
He'll take my hand,
And though it seems absurd,
I know we both won't say a word
Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
Maybe Monday, maybe not,
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day
He'll build a little home
Just meant for two,
From which I'll never roam,
Who would, would you?
And so all else above
I'm waiting for the man I love.
The lyrics of Shawn Lee's "A&R Man of Love" capture the hopeful longing and romanticism of a person waiting for their ideal partner. The song begins with the singer dreaming of their "Prince Charming" every night as they watch the moon glow. The singer is aware that these kinds of dreams rarely ever come true, but still holds onto the hope that their ideal partner will eventually appear.
The second verse further emphasizes the singer's idealized vision of their partner - someone big and strong - and how they will strive to make them stay. The singer imagines a moment of shared understanding and connection with this person. They believe that things will fall into place naturally, without needing to exchange a single word.
The final verse is marked by anticipation and a sense of uncertainty. The singer is unsure about when they'll meet their ideal partner, but they have faith that it will happen someday - maybe on a Sunday, maybe on a Tuesday. They imagine a future where they build a home together and live happily, never wanting to leave each other's side.
Interestingly, the song is a cover of a 1924 George and Ira Gershwin song, "The Man I Love". It has been covered by several artists, including Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald.
Line by Line Meaning
When the mellow moon begins to beam,
At night, when the peaceful light of the moon shines,
Every night I dream a little dream,
Each night I imagine and hope for a certain dream,
And of course Prince Charming is the theme,
The common element of my hopes and dreams is to find my perfect partner,
The he for me.
The ideal partner, made just for me.
Although I realize as well as you
I understand just as you do
It is seldom that a dream comes true,
Most often, the things we want don't actually happen,
To me it's clear
But for me, I know without a doubt,
That he'll appear.
That one day, the perfect partner will come into my life.
Some day he'll come along,
At some point, my ideal partner will find me,
The man I love
The person who I truly love and care for,
And he'll be big and strong,
This person will be physically strong and tough,
And when he comes my way
When I finally meet this person,
I'll do my best to make him stay.
I will try my hardest to keep him in my life forever.
He'll look at me and smile
When we first make eye contact, he will smile at me,
I'll understand,
Understanding that he is the one I've been waiting for,
And in a little while,
After some time,
He'll take my hand,
He will reach out and hold my hand,
And though it seems absurd,
Even though it might not seem logical,
I know we both won't say a word
Neither of us will need to say anything to know how we feel about one another.
Maybe I shall meet him Sunday
Perhaps I will finally find him on a Sunday,
Maybe Monday, maybe not,
Or maybe not on a Monday, who knows,
Still I'm sure to meet him one day
But I am confident that eventually, I will find my perfect partner.
Maybe Tuesday will be my good news day
Perhaps Tuesday will be the day I finally find my ideal partner and receive good news.
He'll build a little home
Together, we will create a small and comfortable space,
Just meant for two,
A home that is perfect for just the two of us,
From which I'll never roam,
And I will never want to leave this special place,
Who would, would you?
Who would want to leave their perfect home, would you?
And so all else above
Above all else that I hope for,
I'm waiting for the man I love.
I am still patiently waiting for my perfect partner to finally come into my life and complete it.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind