In 1999, the band appeared on a split CD release with Swedish band Dozer. The Unida portion was titled The Best of Wayne-Gro EP. Later that year, they released their debut full length album entitled Coping with the Urban Coyote on the now defunct Man's Ruin Records.
Relations with their next record company in New Jersey, American Recordings, ended with legal problems. Their second album, The Great Divide, was originally scheduled for release in 2001 but is now in limbo. The album has surfaced on the internet in bootleg form. In a 2002 interview, bassist Scott Reeder spoke out about the delay in getting the full-length album released.
"Everything was set to come out on American via Columbia Records, and you know, we've been meeting a lot of people who've been working on it," he explained. "The artwork was done, everything was looking really good, and then, I guess, (American owner) Rick Rubin had a falling out with Sony, moved the whole label over to Island Def Jam, and apparently, after months of being just strung along — 'Oh, yeah, the release date got bumped back a little bit' — finally we found out that somebody at the label didn't like the record, so they didn't want to deal with it. The lawyers had to go back and forth for months and months and months — a chess game where every move takes two months... 'You have sixty days to reply to this letter'...and...so we just got out of the deal, a month ago."
Since the delay, John Garcia has released three studio albums and one live album with Hermano and toured with the band in the latter half of 2008. In 2004, Unida appeared on the High Times Records' High Volume: The Stoner Rock Collection, contributing the track Left Us To Mold. Garcia is also working on a solo album. Arthur Seay (principal song writer, guitarist) and Mike Cancino (Drums) along with their longtime friend Eddie Plascencia (who also has been filling the bass duties in Unida recently) have started a new band called House of Broken Promises (H.O.B.P.). H.O.B.P. have also filmed a video with Rick Kosick (from Jackass fame) to coincide with the release of their forthcoming album "Using the Useless".
Unida's song "Black Woman" was featured on the soundtrack to the skateboarding video game Tony Hawk's Underground.
MFNO
Unida Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just ride all night long, yeah
(Alright)
Heavy like my lady
Just fly all night long, yeah ride on
Some say that you're crazy
That doesn't mean my face is always blue, yeah
(Alright)
Should it be the boy you never call you're gone?
(Yeah)
Should it be the intro, should it be the sun?
Can it be the black girl you never call at one?
So can you find my lady?
Can you justify the love you see tonight? Yeah
(Right on)
So fly with me baby, just fly all night long
(Right on)
Huh
Should it be the answer, should it be the sun?
Should it be the yon you never want to come?
Should it be the intro, should it be you're gone?
Should it be your boy you never call your son?
Can it be the black girl you never call at one?
You got it on
You got it on
Get it, get it, you got it
Black woman
Black woman
Black woman, yeah
The song "MFNO" by Unida is an invitation to the listener to ride with the singer all night long. The lyrics are mysterious, and the meaning is quite challenging to grasp. The singer addresses his lady, inviting her to fly with him while acknowledging that some people might think they are crazy. He insists that just because others think they are crazy, it doesn't mean that his face is always blue. The lyrics suggest that the singer and his lady are just living their lives without worrying about what others think.
The chorus of the song is a series of questions that can be difficult to interpret. It talks about various choices that the singer and his lady could make, including answering, becoming someone's son, or never calling someone. However, the chorus emphasizes the idea that the lady is a black woman, a message that is repeated several times throughout the song. The singer seems to be accepting and celebrating the lady's identity, and the chorus could be interpreted as a challenge to people who might judge her.
Line by Line Meaning
Ride with me, baby
Come along with me, my dear
Just ride all night long, yeah
Stay with me all night, no need to hurry
(Alright)
Acknowledging agreement
Heavy like my lady
I am burdened like my partner
Just fly all night long, yeah ride on
Let's glide and roam along the path tonight, keep going
Some say that you're crazy
Some people believe you're insane
That doesn't mean my face is always blue, yeah
Your odd behavior doesn't always affect me in a negative way
Should it be the answer, should it be a sun?
What is the solution, should it be an answer, should it be light?
Should it be the boy you never call you're gone?
Could it be the guy you never get in touch with, that's gone?
(Yeah)
Expressing agreement
Should it be the intro, should it be the sun?
Maybe it's the beginning or the light that's illuminating?
Can it be the black girl you never call at one?
Is it the African American woman that you never call around one in the morning?
So can you find my lady?
Can you locate my lady?
Can you justify the love you see tonight? Yeah
Can you explain the affection you notice today? Yes
(Right on)
Acknowledging approval
So fly with me baby, just fly all night long
Come travel with me, sweetheart, let us glide all through the night
(Right on)
Acknowledging approval
Huh
Expressing hesitation, uncertainty or surprise
Should it be the answer, should it be the sun?
Could it be the solution or the light that's shining bright?
Should it be the yon you never want to come?
Maybe it's the place you never want to go to?
Should it be the intro, should it be you're gone?
Or perhaps it's the beginning or fact that you're not around?
Should it be your boy you never call your son?
Is it your kid that you don't bother to call your own?
Can it be the black girl you never call at one?
Is it the young African American woman that you never contact before dawn?
You got it on
You understand now
You got it on
You've comprehended it now
Get it, get it, you got it
Grasp the knowledge, you now possess it
Black woman
African American female
Black woman
African American female
Black woman, yeah
African American female, oh yeah
Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.