The Meaning Behind “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison

Calling Mark Morrison a “bad boy” is nearly a euphemism. Though his run-ins with the law are certainly intriguing, letting them overshadow his music is a mistake.

He had a string of hits in the mid-’90s, but none bigger than “Return of the Mack.” The third single from his debut album of the same name combines new-jack swing with new wave R&B. It’s the kind of mashup now familiar with artists like Post Malone in an era where music genres are blending.

It’s no surprise Morrison and Malone connected a quarter century after “Return of the Mack’s” release—Mack’s influence appears throughout Malone’s brand of R&B pop. Morrison wore trouble like a second skin, and he returned, surviving prison and time.

Baby, Now I Got the Flow

“Return of the Mack” is a redemption song. Morrison wrote it, turning the page on a tumultuous period in his life. The words are about bouncing back from a broken relationship. Morrison takes a broken heart story and turns it into an underdog anthem.

Well, I tried to tell you so (yes, I did)
But I guess you didn’t know
As the saddest story goes
Baby, now I got the flow
’Cause I knew it from the start
Baby, when you broke my heart
That I had to come again and show you that I’m real

It wouldn’t be the last time Morrison had to come back from adversity. His legal troubles continued well after the success of “Return of the Mack,” with Morrison reliably breaking the law.

Mounting accolades joined a string of convictions. In 1997, Morrison received a Mercury Prize nomination and four Brit Award nominations while serving time. He served three months for threatening a London police officer with a 23,000-volt stun gun. Meanwhile, “Return of the Mack” topped Britain’s charts and reached No. 2 in the U.S.

So I’m back up in the game (hustlin’ snow)
Running things to keep my swing (all night long)
Letting all the people know
That I’m back to run the show
’Cause what you did, you know, was wrong
And all the nasty things you’ve done (oh, oh, oh)
So, baby, listen carefully
While I sing my come-back song

I Fought the Law and the Law Won

Morrison kept the courts busy in 1998 when he hired an imposter to work his community service hours imposed in 1995 for his role in a nightclub melee that left a student dead. He skipped the court appearance, hiding in Barbados. He ultimately served an 11-month sentence.

He explained the community service swap to the Guardian, “I sent someone else to do the community hours, but I never lied about it. People asked, ‘Did you do them?’ and I said, ‘Yes.’ I just didn’t say I did all of them. I’d sold millions of records as I reached the end of my hours. So what was I going to do—eight hours of mopping and sweeping or go to Europe for promotion?” 

The ’90s R&B male artists played it tough on MTV, but Morrison lived it, in and out of prison. He earned one of the worst reputations in British pop music, quite a feat considering his stardom happened alongside the rise of Oasis, whose singer, Liam Gallagher, was well-known to both the tabloids and the law.

Tom Tom Club

Tom Tom Club’s “Genius of Love” is one of the most sampled songs in pop music history. Tina Weymouth and her husband, Chris Frantz, formed the Tom Tom Club as a side project from Talking Heads and couldn’t have predicted the song’s ubiquity.

“It’s Nasty” by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five turns Tom Tom Club’s new wave track into a hip-hop touchstone, while Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” sampled it into a colossal R&B No. 1 hit.

Morrison and co-producer Phil Chill created their track from a “Genius of Love” sample, too. It has the same feel-good bounce as Carey’s hit, merging new wave and ’90s soul.

Tough Dudes

Jake Nava, known for his work with Beyoncé, Adele, and Arctic Monkeys, directed the music video for “Return of the Mack.” In the video, Morrison arrives in London on a Concorde before driving a Mercedes-Benz to a club in the city.

Nava filmed the video in East London to simulate the New York skyline of contemporary hip-hop videos. The club scenes echo the illegal warehouse parties common in London then. Nava remembered Morrison’s managers as “tough dudes,” saying Morrison didn’t simulate his hard persona.

Post Malone

Post Malone, Sickick, and Morrison released a mashup of “Cooped Up” and “Return of the Mack” in 2022. Malone performed Morrison’s hit in past concerts and during Seth Rogan’s Hilarity for Charity in 2018.

Morrison gets credit for jumpstarting a stagnant U.K. R&B scene. He turned American hip-hop chic into one of the decade’s biggest hits. He broke barriers as a Black British artist, leaving behind a mark not only for the court papers but pop chart history.

Image via @_markmorrison on X