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"
Seconds of Pleasure
Van Hunt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's written in your face
It's rain against a windowpane
The sound it makes
It's dreamin' the day away
It's the shine of a precious pearl
Light of the world
It's the smile of our baby girl
It's a walk along the shore
I hold on to the feeling
I don't know when I will feel it again
I've become amused by the little things
Seconds of pleasure
Second of pleasure
Life's little treasures
Ooh, girl, it's small talk
A touch so soft
It's watchin' you walk
It's the taste of a sour pop - a lemon drop
It's the last one in the box
It's a kiss in the mornin' sun
A few minutes of fun
Before you have to run
It's all of the little things that you've done
To ease my burden and my confusion
Second of pleasure
Life's little treasures
The lyrics of Van Hunt's "Seconds of Pleasure" describe how the singer finds joy and beauty in the small and seemingly insignificant moments of life. He sings about things like the sound of rain on a window, a baby's smile, and a walk along the shore. These moments bring him happiness and he holds on to them, knowing that they are fleeting.
The song is a tribute to the little pleasures in life that often go overlooked. The singer sees these moments as "life's little treasures" and finds meaning in them. The chorus repeats the phrase "seconds of pleasure," emphasizing the brevity and transience of these experiences.
Overall, the song encourages listeners to savor the small moments in life and find joy in the simple things. The message is a reminder that happiness can be found in unexpected places and that we should take the time to appreciate the small things that make life worth living.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, girl it's what you say between a phrase
It's the beauty in the unspoken words that you communicate between what you say.
It's written in your face
Your emotions and feelings are displayed on your face.
It's rain against a windowpane
The sound it makes
The sound of raindrops hitting against the windowpane is soothing.
It's dreamin' the day away
It's daydreaming about the possibilities of the future.
It's the shine of a precious pearl
Light of the world
It's the beauty of something small and simple that has so much value.
It's the smile of our baby girl
It's the joy that a baby can bring into our lives.
It's finding a moment for a thought so pure
It's taking a moment to appreciate a genuine and honest thought.
It's a walk along the shore
It's the peace and calmness that comes with being near an ocean or beach.
I hold on to the feeling
I treasure the feeling of happiness and contentment in these small moments.
I don't know when I will feel it again
I appreciate these moments because I don't know when they will come again.
I've become amused by the little things
I've learned to find joy and entertainment in the small things in life.
Seconds of pleasure
These brief moments of happiness are precious and valuable.
Second of pleasure
Life's little treasures
These small moments of joy are the treasures of life.
Ooh, girl, it's small talk
A touch so soft
It's the simplicity of small talk and the gentle touch of a loved one.
It's watchin' you walk
It's the appreciation of someone's natural beauty in their everyday actions.
It's the taste of a sour pop - a lemon drop
It's the last one in the box
It's appreciating the last little bit of something sweet or sour.
It's a kiss in the mornin' sun
A few minutes of fun
Before you have to run
It's all of the little things that you've done
To ease my burden and my confusion
It's appreciating the small moments of intimacy and connection with a loved one that can bring comfort in life's challenges.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: VAN HUNT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Afrozzz
Oh, girl it's what you say between a phrase
It's written in your face
It's rain against a windowpane
The sound it makes
It's dreamin' the day away
It's the shine of a precious pearl
Light of the world
It's the smile of our baby girl
It's finding a moment for a thought so pure
It's a walk along the shore
I hold on to the feeling
I don't know when I will feel it again
I've become amused by the little things
Seconds of pleasure
Second of pleasure
Life's little treasures
Ooh, girl, it's small talk
A touch so soft
It's watchin' you walk
It's the taste of a sour pop - a lemon drop
It's the last one in the box
It's a kiss in the mornin' sun
A few minutes of fun
Before you have to run
It's all of the little things that you've done
To ease my burden and my confusion
Second of pleasure
Life's little treasures
Mz2ootie 2sweet
This song is so underrated! This is so beautiful. It's 2022 I'm still listening to this song and it still gives me goosebumps!!!
janicepeoples82
I absolutely 💯 agree. I'm listening to it now. It's a good song for making love.
Shelby Onic
It's now 2023 and I still lose myself in the lyrics
Dana Blaq Smith
It’s 2023 & I’M STILL LISTENING to THIS JOINT ❤️🔥🔥🔥🔥
34 JAL
Y'all trippin and need to catch up, it's 2027, wait until you hear the remix❤
Dana Blaq Smith
@34 JAL 😂😂🤣😂🤣😂👍🏾
Samar Hollinger
It’s 2021 and this joint is still on REPEAT!!! This song is for the grown folks PERIODTTTTTT💁🏽♀️🔥🔥🔥
Lynda Bryant
I’ve always enjoyed his vibe! 🔥 A Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack type of vibe!
locadisa
@Lynda BryantNo doubt. Yep. Captured Curtis Mayfield when he first began to sing....and then "The Womacks" when I heard the guitar. It would be shocking to hear if they were not his influences.
Judah 1
2022 and still fire 🔥