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 It contained the minor hit, the Carole King-penned song "You've Got a Friend" that was originally made famous by James Taylor.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.

Mind Trips
The Brand New Heavies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ego trippin' got you step
Steppin' on someone else's toes
I'm not your sister not your mother
It's not fun being left alone
Staying out all night long
Wondering when you'll be back home
Tired of being on my own

Mind trips got me trippin' out
Mind trips I can do without
Mind trips pushing me around
Mind trips turn me upside down

Always talkin' about how good
About how good you can make me feel
How can you tell me it's true love
When you're out there playin' the field
I don't need the pain no more
Break my heart I'll close the door
Ain't livin' life just like before
Time to stop the crazy games that you're
Playin' with my heart

Mind trips got me trippin' out
Mind trips I can do without
(Boy you've got me trippin')
Mind trips pushing me around
(You've got me trippin' out)
Mind trips turn me upside down

Lying cheating so misleading
Hurtin' scheming so deceiving
Ruinin' all the plans I'm makin'

Time to stop the crazy games that
You're playin with my heart

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Mind Trips" explore the theme of a person who is tired of being in a relationship with someone who is constantly playing games with their heart. The song is about a partner who is ego-driven, cheats, lies, and manipulates, leaving the other person feeling alone, hurt, and deceived. The song expresses the frustration, pain, and confusion that the singer feels while in this situation. The chorus emphasizes her desire to end the relationship and stop the "mind trips" that are pushing her around and turning her world upside down.

The verses describe how the singer is tired of being left alone, waiting for her partner to come home after being out all night. The partner talks about how he can make her feel good but is not committed to their relationship. She feels betrayed and wants him to stop playing with her heart. The lyrics show how the singer has had enough of the lies, cheating, and pain that the partner is causing her.

The song communicates a message of strength and empowerment as the singer decides to end the relationship and put a stop to the mind games. The lyrics reveal the emotional turmoil that one can go through in a toxic relationship and the power of deciding to end it.

Line by Line Meaning

Ego trippin' got you steppin'
You're being arrogant and stepping on the toes of others

Steppin' on someone else's toes
You're infringing on the rights of others

I'm not your sister not your mother
I have no obligation to take care of you

It's not fun being left alone
I'm not happy being left by myself

Staying out all night long
You keep going out and leaving me alone

Wondering when you'll be back home
I'm worried about when you'll return

Tired of being on my own
I'm exhausted and unhappy being alone

Mind trips got me trippin' out
Your mind games are messing with my head

Mind trips I can do without
I don't need these psychological games

Mind trips pushing me around
These mind games are controlling me

Mind trips turn me upside down
These mind games are overwhelming me and causing chaos in my life

Always talkin' about how good
You keep boasting about how great you are

About how good you can make me feel
You keep bragging about how you make me feel

How can you tell me it's true love
How can you claim it's real love?

When you're out there playin' the field
You're out there fooling around with other people

I don't need the pain no more
I'm tired of being hurt

Break my heart I'll close the door
If you break my heart, I'm done with you

Ain't livin' life just like before
I'm not going back to the way things were

Time to stop the crazy games that you're
It's time for you to stop playing these psychological games

Playin' with my heart
You're messing with my emotions and feelings

Lying cheating so misleading
You're lying, cheating, and being deceptive

Hurtin' scheming so deceiving
You're causing me pain and being manipulative

Ruinin' all the plans I'm makin'
You're ruining my plans and goals

Time to stop the crazy games that
It's time for you to stop these manipulative games

You're playin' with my heart
You're toying with my emotions and feelings

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

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS