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"
Who Will Love Me In Winter
Van Hunt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I say to the rising flame
A dynamic woe blows in with the cold
And brings back the loneliness again
Your voice, it haunts my nature
With the words that I used to make and you bleed
With one hand and my imagination
I thought I'd never need for anything
But my spaceship crashed against the wall
My neighbor's grass ain't so green after all
I wouldn't have a second thought about the fall
But I'm wondering who will love me in winter
Delusions of grandeur
Misled my adventurous spirit
Love of the unknown rose like a stone
Above my contentment
The autumn leaves fall from the trees
And hold me captive with a dance in the air
I know with the passing of these
I must find love from somewhere
But my spaceship crashed against the wall
My neighbor's grass ain't so green after all
I wouldn't have a second thought about the fall
But I'm wondering who will love me in winter
In the song "Who Will Love Me in Winter" by Van Hunt, the singer is talking about the challenges of finding love and companionship during the colder, lonelier months of the year. The opening lines set the scene, with the singer asking for someone to "send up a smile" as the flames rise. However, the mood quickly turns darker as the "dynamic woe" of winter arrives, bringing back feelings of loneliness and heartbreak. The singer's own memories and imagination have failed to bring them the comfort they need, and they wonder who will be there to love them when they need it most.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's inner turmoil, as they describe feeling both restless and unsatisfied with their current situation. Their "love of the unknown" has led them down many paths, but they haven't found what they're looking for. The autumn leaves, a classic symbol of change and transformation, hold the singer "captive" as they contemplate what they truly need from love. The final lines of the song return to the refrain, emphasizing the singer's sense of vulnerability and uncertainty in the face of winter's cold grasp.
One interesting aspect of the song is its use of metaphors and imagery to convey complex emotions. The "spaceship" in the chorus can be seen as a symbol of the singer's dreams, which have crashed and burned along with their hopes for love. The line about the neighbor's grass not being "so green after all" is a reference to the common saying that "the grass is always greener on the other side," suggesting that the singer is realizing that other people's relationships aren't perfect either. The use of autumn leaves, dancing in the air, adds a touch of whimsy and beauty to the otherwise bleak lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Send up a smile for me baby
Request for emotional support
I say to the rising flame
Conversing with a flickering light
A dynamic woe blows in with the cold
Painful emotions are triggered by winter
And brings back the loneliness again
Winter reminds the artist of loneliness
Your voice, it haunts my nature
The sound of the person's voice sticks with the artist
With the words that I used to make and you bleed
The singer caused pain to someone they loved
With one hand and my imagination
The singer believed they had everything they needed
I thought I'd never need for anything
The artist thought they had it all
But my spaceship crashed against the wall
The artist encountered a major failure
My neighbor's grass ain't so green after all
The artist realizes others have their own problems
I wouldn't have a second thought about the fall
The singer doesn't fear failure
But I'm wondering who will love me in winter
The artist is concerned about loneliness in hard times
Delusions of grandeur
Self-important fantasies
Misled my adventurous spirit
The singer's ambition took them down the wrong path
Love of the unknown rose like a stone
The singer was drawn to uncertainty
Above my contentment
The artist was not satisfied with their life
The autumn leaves fall from the trees
The changing season brings change and uncertainty
And hold me captive with a dance in the air
The beauty of autumn catches the singer's attention
I know with the passing of these
The singer is aware of the fleeting nature of life
I must find love from somewhere
The artist seeks companionship
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: VAN HUNT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Linda Shorter
So poetic and with a slamming beat & musical arrangement! Love it !!! 💕🎵🎤
Nikki W
This song is everything!!!
John Wesley
So deep and captures a lot of conflicting ideas and concepts I really feel a lot of us contain.
bubbles b
Fact..💯
Nikki W
My all time favorite from Van Hunt! Ahhhhh...this song is everything!!!
Evelyn Freeman
This album was bomb
C- Maine
My honey loves this song. 😌
marcus.
hard ass song 👌💨💨💨™
Honeya Sonja
Send up a smile!
bubbles b
Send up a smile 😊 💕🎧