The Brand New Heavies began in 1985 as an instrumental acid jazz group call… Read Full Bio ↴The Brand New Heavies began in 1985 as an instrumental acid jazz group called Brother International.

The group came up with the Heavies name after signing their first record contract, borrowing from a liner note on a James Brown single declaring the artist "Minister of New Super Heavy Funk". As The Brand New Heavies they gained a cult following in the London club scene and soon signed to Cooltempo as acid jazz replaced rare groove in clubs. The band issued a debut recording for Eddie Piller's Acid Jazz label in 1990 with Jay Ella Ruth as lead singer.

A single, "Got to Give", came out on Cooltempo before the Brand New Heavies signed to Acid Jazz Records and released Brand New Heavies to critical acclaim. The band signed to a division of Chrysalis Records in the UK, and American distribution was picked up by influential label Delicious Vinyl, and N'Dea Davenport (who had signed an artist development deal with Delicious Vinyl) joined the group. A revamped version of the first album with vocals by N'Dea Davenport was then released, and the singles "Dream Come True", "Never Stop" and "Stay This Way", all with Davenport on lead vocals, became hits on both sides of the Atlantic, with the latter becoming a music video directed by Douglas Gayeton that saw heavy rotation on MTV.

The group's appearance with MC Serch (formerly of 3rd Bass) and Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest) at a performance in New York City, inspired the group to incorporate elements of hip hop music. Their next album was the critically acclaimed Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1, which included collaborations with Guru of Gang Starr and The Pharcyde, among others, but lacked any female vocals.

While under management by Colin Lester's and Ian McAndrew's Wildlife Entertainment, The Brand New Heavies released Brother Sister (1994) which was the last album for a while with N'Dea Davenport, who had left to complete her solo album (which she had put on hold to join the Heavies). The album spawned more singles, though one of them, a cover of Maria Muldaur's "Midnight at the Oasis", was popular only in the UK because it was not included in the US version of the album.

Siedah Garrett joined the group for their next album, Shelter (1997). It contained the minor hit, the Carole King-penned song "You've Got a Friend" that was originally made famous by James Taylor. Again, though, this song did not appear on the US version of the album. The album also contained the hit "Sometimes". The remix of "Sometimes" included the rap vocals of Q-Tip from Tribe.

The Brand New Heavies then released their greatest hits album, Trunk Funk - The Best of The Brand New Heavies (2000) with Carleen Anderson on vocals for some newly recorded songs, followed by the Japan only album We Won't Stop (2003) featuring a variety of vocalists and Allaboutthefunk (2004) featuring British singer Nicole Russo on vocals.

In April 2006, the Brand New Heavies reunited with N'Dea Davenport and former label Delicious Vinyl. A new album, Get Used to It was released on June 27 2006 via Starbucks and more traditional music retail outlets. The album was recorded in New York and London; and the lead single "I Don't Know Why (I Love You)" was issued in early May. The single was notable for being one of very few late releases to feature the trademarked "A Tom Moulton Mix", as the legendary disco pioneer had been asked to contribute mixes. Later that year, their song "Jump 'N' Move" was featured on the soundtrack for the 2006 computer animated feature film, Happy Feet, and the in-game soundtrack for 2004's NBA Live 2005. The band toured at the end of 2006.

After the release of a live CD Live at the Indigo2 in late 2008, the Brand New Heavies announced they would be releasing a new album in 2009 with N'Dea Davenport on vocals.

Close To You
The Brand New Heavies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've been looking for the words to say
I've been looking baby night and day
Just to show how I feel
Thoughts of you and me inside my mind
You've got my head spinning all the time
I'm so into you
And I just can't forget the first day we met
You made me shiver

You're taken me up and down, swinging me round and round
Nothing feels better, better than being with you
Whenever I want your love you're all that I'm thinking of
No one else in this world will do I want to feel close to you
Whenever I want your love you're all that I'm thinking of
No one else in this world like you
I got to be close to you
There's a little piece of me you found
You took my heart to a higher ground
Don't you ever let go no
I told you baby how I feel
Now I'm asking you is this for real
Would you let me go?
Cause I just can't forget
The first day we met
You made me shiver

You're taken me up and down, swinging me round and round
But nothing feels better, better than being with you

Overall Meaning

The Brand New Heavies's song Close To You talks about how the singer has been on the lookout for the right words and the courage to express their love for the person they desire, both day and night. The lyrics speak of the intense feelings that the singer has for their partner, and with each passing thought, they become more and more entranced by the person they love. The lyrics reference the first day they met, a day that left a significant impact on the singer, and they continue to revel in the joy of being with their loved one.

The song conveys a sense of euphoria and joy that comes with being with the person you truly love. The lyrics describe how nothing feels better than being with the person they adore, and no one could ever take the place of their loved one. The singer acknowledges that they have found a part of themselves in their love, and they implore their partner never to let go. The song closes with the singer asking their loved one if their feelings are reciprocated and if they too, feel the magic that the singer experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

I've been looking for the words to say
I've been searching for the right words to express myself

I've been looking baby night and day
I've been searching for you all day, all night

Just to show how I feel
To finally reveal my true emotions to you

Thoughts of you and me inside my mind
Constantly thinking about us in my head

You've got my head spinning all the time
You make me dizzy with the way you make me feel

I'm so into you
I'm deeply infatuated with you

And I just can't forget the first day we met
That day we met left a lasting impression on me

You made me shiver
Your presence sent chills down my spine

You're taken me up and down, swinging me round and round
You have me on an emotional rollercoaster

Nothing feels better, better than being with you
There's nothing that comes close to how great it feels to be with you

Whenever I want your love you're all that I'm thinking of
Whenever I yearn for love, you're the only one on my mind

No one else in this world will do I want to feel close to you
No one else is good enough for me, I only want to be close to you

No one else in this world like you
No one compares to you in this world

I got to be close to you
I need to be near you always

There's a little piece of me you found
You discovered a part of me that was hidden

You took my heart to a higher ground
You elevated my level of happiness and contentment

Don't you ever let go no
Please don't ever leave me

I told you baby how I feel
I already expressed my emotions to you

Now I'm asking you is this for real
I need to know if this is genuine

Would you let me go?
Would you consider ending our relationship?

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SIMON BARTHOLOMEW, N'DEA R DAVENPORT, JAN KINCAID, ANDREW LEVY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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