Early life
Hunt was born in Dayton, Ohio and raised by his single mother. His father, Van Hunt, Sr., was a factory worker and part-time painter, who was a friend of Ohio Players drummer Jimmy "Diamond" Williams. Hunt took up the drums at age 7, and saxophone at the age of 8, later adding bass and keyboards. Guitar was the last instrument he learned to play; he played guitar in a rock band called Royalty. Hunt moved to Texas for a short time before relocating to Atlanta, Georgia in 1996 to attend Morehouse College, where he studied English, but soon dropped out. In Atlanta, he started producing a few hip-hop demos for Atlanta rappers in order to pay bills. Hunt met up-and-coming record producers and artists like Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri and TLC through his work on demos.
Career
Early career
Hunt wrote and co-produced the song "Hopeless" for singer Dionne Farris, formerly of Arrested Development, and joined her band on guitar and keyboards. "Hopeless" appeared on the soundtrack for the film Love Jones (1997). Hunt co-wrote several songs with Rahsaan Patterson on his album Love in Stereo (1999), and co-wrote with Cree Summer, including the song "Mean Sleep", for her album Street Faërie (1999), produced by Lenny Kravitz. He also collaborated with Joi on the single "Missing You" (2002). Through Dionne Farris, Hunt met A&R person Randy Jackson (who later went on to be a judge on Fox's American Idol). Jackson would become Hunt's manager in 2002.
Capitol Records
Hunt recorded much of the material from his debut album in 2000. Producer Dallas Austin took Hunt's recording to Capitol Records, leading him to sign with the label in 2001. Hunt's first album, Van Hunt, was released in February 2004. The album included the singles "Down Here in Hell (With You)", "Dust", and "Seconds of Pleasure", and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Hunt's second album, On the Jungle Floor, was released in 2006. The album featured the single, "Character," a revisited "Mean Sleep", as a duet with Nikka Costa, and a cover of "No Sense of Crime" by The Stooges. The album was co-produced by Bill Bottrell. Hunt has toured and appeared with Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, Boney James, The Roots, Seal, Angie Stone, Coldplay, The Brand New Heavies, the Dave Matthews Band, and Kanye West.
In 2006, Hunt appeared with Nikka Costa on the Sam Moore album, Overnight Sensational, on the song "If I Had No Loot". Hunt was also featured on "Half the Fun", a track on the Count Bass D album, Act Your Waist Size, released on Fat Beats Records.
in 2007, Hunt won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, along with John Legend and Joss Stone, for their cover of the Sly & the Family Stone song, "Family Affair", which appeared on the 2006 tribute album Different Strokes By Different Folks. Hunt described winning the award as "one of the bigger pleasures I've had" to The Athens Blur Magazine in 2009.
Blue Note
Hunt released the 4 track digital EP, The Popular Machine, on August 7, 2007. Hunt announced a full length album, Popular, to be released on Blue Note Records on January 15, 2008. Hunt moved from Atlanta to Los Angeles in 2007 while the album was nearing completion. Blue Note had taken over Hunt’s recording contract after corporate restructuring at Blue Note and Capitol's parent company, EMI. In December 2007, Blue Note announced that they would not be releasing the album, and that Hunt and the label mutually agreed to part ways. Hunt wrote on his MySpace blog in January 2008, that he couldn't promise that Popular would ever be officially released. Blue Note owns the master recordings and opted not to sell it back to him at an affordable price. Hunt commented that he "didn't think that they had enough money" to promote the album properly. LA Weekly called the album an "appealingly trippy fusion of funk grooves, punk guitar and soul vocals", and "a left-field stunner". Hunt told the Atlanta alternative weekly newspaper Creative Loafing that he was "devastated" when the label decided not to release the album.
Independent
As of June 2008, Hunt was recording a fourth album, which he plans to release himself and market using the Internet. Hunt has blogged about his new approach on his MySpace page. Hunt toured the U.S. in July and August 2008. He released Use In Case Of Emergency, a compilation of demos, remixes and B-sides recorded between 1997 and 2005, through his Web site in May 2009. Hunt has also been working on autobiographical book of short stories titled Tales of Friction. In July 2009, Hunt told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he plans to release one more album and tour once more, but doesn't know what his plans are after that. Hunt performed at the National Black Arts Festival's tribute to Curtis Mayfield at Atlanta Symphony Hall on July 16, 2010.
Influences
David Bowie
Serge Gainsbourg
The Isley Brothers
Curtis Mayfield
Thelonious Monk
The Ohio Players
Iggy Pop
Prince
Richard Pryor
Sly Stone
Neil Young
Discography
Albums
Van Hunt (2004), Capitol
On the Jungle Floor (2006), Capitol
Popular (2008) - unreleased studio album
Compilations
Use In Case of Emergency (2009), self-released - collection of outtakes
EPs
Acoustic E.P. (2004), Capitol - digital EP
Napster Sessions (2004), Capitol - digital EP
Connect Set (2006), Capitol - digital EP
The Popular Machine (2007), Blue Note - digital EP
Singles
"Down Here in Hell (With You)" (2004), Capitol
"Dust" (2004), Capitol
"Seconds of Pleasure" (2004), Capitol
"Character" (2006), Capitol
"Being A Girl" (2006), Capitol
Awards and nominations
2005 Grammy Award nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for "Dust."
2006 Grammy Award win for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Family Affair"
Daredevil baby
Van Hunt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once dared to make his dreams come true
And make up hides the damage from the crash and burn
When he told her that he loved her
The wind was blowing way to strong that day
The clouds drifted and the trees swayed
Words are the chances that we take
Words
Till you open up your heart
And find that you can't stop bleeding
Til you playing iwth your careds out on the table flying
Flying without wingsn
Your a daredevil baby
Your a daredevil baby
He fell hard in love as he (progressed)?
He looked but she was nowhere to be found
He hoped she'd soon forget
Everything that he had shared
You don't know anything
Till you open up your heart
And find that you can't stop bleeding
Til you playing iwth your careds out on the table flying
Flying without wingsn
You're a daredevil baby
You're a daredevil baby
Girl I want to be a superman
Give me half a chance
Girl I want to be a superman
Give me half a chance
Girl I wanta be a superman
Give me half a chance
Girl I wanna be a super man
Give me half a chance
The lyrics of Van Hunt's song "Daredevil Baby" describe the experiences of a man who takes risks in life and love, and suffers the consequences of his actions. The opening line compares a clown to a dreamer who has dared to make his dreams come true. The imagery of the clown highlights the idea that risk-taking requires a sense of playfulness and humor, qualities that help us to bounce back when we fall. The chorus emphasizes the theme of risk-taking, with the lyrics "you're a daredevil baby" repeated throughout. The phrase suggests that the singer is someone who is not afraid to take chances, even if it means risking his heart.
The second verse reveals that the singer has fallen in love, but has been hurt by the experience. The line "he looked but she was nowhere to be found" suggests that the woman he loves has left him, possibly because he took a risk that didn't pay off. He hopes that she'll forget what he shared with her, suggesting that he's ashamed of his vulnerability. The chorus continues to emphasize the theme of risk-taking, with the lyrics "you don't know anything till you open up your heart and find that you can't stop bleeding". This line suggests that the singer's heart has been broken and that he's still bleeding emotionally.
One interpretation of the song is that it is a cautionary tale about the risks of taking chances in love. The chorus suggests that opening up your heart can lead to pain and vulnerability. However, the clown imagery and upbeat tempo of the song suggest that taking risks is also a part of life, and that sometimes the only way to make your dreams come true is to take a leap of faith.
Line by Line Meaning
A clown's really just a man who
A clown is a man who once had the courage to pursue his dreams.
Once dared to make his dreams come true
The clown took a risk and went after what he wanted to achieve
And make up hides the damage from the crash and burn
The makeup a clown wears helps conceal the pain and failure that comes with pursuing their dreams
When he told her that he loved her
The man expressed his love to his partner
The wind was blowing way too strong that day
The atmospheric condition was not favorable at that time
The clouds drifted and the trees swayed
The skies turned cloudy and the trees moved due to the wind
Words are the chances that we take
Using words to express ourselves is a risk we take to communicate our thoughts and feelings
Words
Expressions we use to communicate our thoughts and feelings
You don't know anything
You lack knowledge and understanding
Till you open up your heart
You need to be vulnerable and expressive to acquire knowledge and understanding
And find that you can't stop bleeding
You may continue to experience emotional pain from the risk you took
Til you playing iwth your careds out on the table flying
Revealing your emotions is like playing a game of cards without any certainty of the outcome
Flying without wingsn
Taking risks and pursuing your dreams is like flying without wings
Your a daredevil baby
You are someone who takes risks to achieve their goals
He fell hard in love as he (progressed)?
He fell deeply in love as he grew closer to his partner
He looked but she was nowhere to be found
He couldn't find his love interest anywhere
He hoped she'd soon forget
He wished that his partner would move on and forget him
Everything that he had shared
He hoped his partner would forget all the moments and memories they had shared together
Girl I want to be a superman
The singer wants to be a hero for his partner
Give me half a chance
He wants to prove himself to his partner if given an opportunity
Contributed by Kaitlyn E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
howdy
This song is an #experience ✨ 🎵
Asante
This song never gets old.
Josh Icban
Great, great, awesome song. The lyrics, the arrangement, when those drums hit...yes!
dlsmith300201
This song makes me weep over a breakup that I never even had. Damn.
N. Grubbs
I'm all smiles remembering this cut!!! VAN HUNT FOREVER!
Ark Antika
Genius