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 It contained the minor hit, the Carole King-penned song "You've Got a Friend" that was originally made famous by James Taylor.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.
Midnight At The Oasis
The Brand New Heavies Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Send your camel to bed
Got shadows painting our faces
Traces of romance in our heads
Heaven's holding a half moon
Shining just for us
Let's slip off to a sand dune real soon
Come on the cactus is our friend
He'll point out the way
Come on 'till the evening ends
'till the evening ends
You don't have to answer
There's no need to speak
I'll be your belly dancer
Prancer and you can be my sheik
I know your daddy's a sultan
A nomad known to all
With fifty girls to attend him
They all send him
Jump at his beck and call
But you won't need no harem
honey
When I am by your side
And you won't need no camel
No no when I take you for a ride
Come on the cactus is our friend
He'll point out the way
Come on 'till the evening ends
'till the evening ends
Midnight at the oasis
Send your camel to bed
Got shadows painting our faces
Traces of romance in our heads
Oh, come on (repeat)
The Brand New Heavies' song "Midnight at the Oasis" sets the scene for a romantic and exotic adventure in the desert. The first verse, "Midnight at the oasis, send your camel to bed, got shadows painting our faces, traces of romance in our heads," evokes a sense of mystery and adventure. The idea of sending the camel to bed implies that it is late and time for the couple to enjoy some private time together. The shadows painting their faces and the traces of romance in their heads suggest that they are experiencing a magical moment, perhaps under the moonlight.
The second verse, "Heaven's holding a half moon, shining just for us, let's slip off to a sand dune real soon, kick up a little dust," further adds to this exciting picture. The moon shining just for them implies that they are the only two people in the world, and the sand dune is the perfect place for them to enjoy their privacy.
The final verse, "You don't have to answer, there's no need to speak, I'll be your belly dancer, prancer and you can be my sheik," is an invitation to the listener to let go of their inhibitions and enjoy the moment. The reference to the belly dancer and the sheik adds to the exotic feel of the song and suggests that this adventure is taking place in a Middle Eastern setting.
Line by Line Meaning
Midnight at the oasis
It's dark and we are in a desert oasis at night.
Send your camel to bed
Park or tend to your camel for the night, as we won't be needing it now.
Got shadows painting our faces
There are shadows or dim lighting that make our faces look different.
Traces of romance in our heads
We feel romantic and may be thinking about love.
Heaven's holding a half moon
The sky has a half-moon in it.
Shining just for us
It's as if the half-moon is shining exclusively for us.
Let's slip off to a sand dune real soon
Let's go to a nearby sandy hill quickly.
Kick up a little dust
Let's make the sand fly around playfully.
Come on the cactus is our friend
Cactus can be helpful and show us directions.
He'll point out the way
Cactus can serve as a compass.
Come on 'till the evening ends
Let's hang out till it gets dark.
You don't have to answer
You don't need to say anything.
There's no need to speak
We don't want or need to talk right now.
I'll be your belly dancer
I can dance sensually for your amusement.
Prancer and you can be my sheik
You can be my partner in dancing like a sheik.
I know your daddy's a sultan
I know your father is a powerful ruler.
A nomad known to all
He is a well-known nomadic sultan.
With fifty girls to attend him
He has fifty female attendants.
They all send him
They all obey his orders.
Jump at his beck and call
They obey his commands immediately.
But you won't need no harem
You don't need a group of women to entertain you.
honey
a term of endearment
When I am by your side
I can make you happy just by staying close to you.
And you won't need no camel
You won't need your camel anymore.
No no when I take you for a ride
You can rely on me to take care of you.
Oh, come on (repeat)
Let's go and have fun together.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sheena B.
I never get tired listening to this!
interontour
il leave it on repeat !
leadsolo
Hate this version
Smart.Robot
@leadsolo It's the best version...the original album version was a stiff 70's lame version...
Andrea Bowman - Butler
You have really good taste in music...
Chadtopia
I loved this version so much. Bought the album off the back of it. Never regretted it. Great band
DayneR Potter
Throwback from the 90's she's so crisp and pure in voice ❤️
Black Hand
Can’t believe this song is nearly 30 years old!!!!!!! Better times
Stu Donaldson
Aah yes! What a joyful throwback to happier times in the 90s when funky music still had a look in. I was in my 30s, doing my own musical stuff and these guys and others were an inspiration. Fab song, fab groove, what’s not to like? As u youngsters say these days. Stu X
HIRAM JUVENTINO POOT CRUZ
Disculpe, soy latino y me encanta éste género.
Y esoty buscando más intérpretes con éste ritmo.
¿Cuáles me podría recomendar?
Por cierto escuchó también a jamiroquai, banda: incógnito los amo