Corinne Bailey Rae has existed in my universe for as long as I can remember. My parents were music snobs back in the day and only allowed me and my sisters to listen to what they listened to in a (successful) attempt to make sure that we all picked up their taste. Growing up I heard a lot of Prince, a lot of Sade, a lot of Billie Holiday, and a lot of Stevie Wonder. And while all of those artists have a special place in my heart none of them have stuck with me the way that Corinne Bailey Rae has.
Corinne Bailey Rae's self-titled debut album came out in 2006 when I was 2 years old. My family was still a family of four, we hadn't moved to the suburbs yet, and my father still had all of his hair. Things were different. I don't what hearing CBR's music for the first time felt like (re: two years old) but I do know that I heard it all of the time. It played during road trips down to Mississippi, while my mom cooked dinner, while me and my older sister slept. That album was everywhere and it was everything. The songs within it talk about joy, loss, insecurity, regret, and above all else love. I wasn't consciously picking up any of these messages for a long time because when I listened to music as a little kid I never paid attention to the lyrics. I know, it kind of screws up the whole point right? But I think that my rationale for it was (and this is just a guess because I wasn't doing a whole lot of rationalization when I was 4) that the instruments were just a lot more interesting and easier to grasp onto. The strum of a guitar, blow of a trumpet, and tik-tik-tik of a snare drum have always been pleasing to my ear and I'll catch myself shifting my attention during a song to focus what's happening behind the voice. But as I grew older (and learned how to read) words started to mean more to me and I started listening to music fervently. Like really listening.
One of my boldest CBR memories is one that happened in 2013. I was nine, my sister was eleven and we were grounded.The two of us were banned to our shared room for the weekend with only our books and CDs to keep us company. Because we were older our parents had finally shed off some of their music restrictions so we had current music like Taylor Swift's Red and Bridgit Mender's Hello My Name is (which is one of my top 10 albums of all time) were at our disposal. But for some reason we decided that CBR's Corinne Bailey Rae would be the soundtrack for our sentence. I remember the weekend vividly. I tore through Geronimo Stilton book after Geronimo Stilton book with Corinne's voice in the background just stewing about how angry I was at my parents. But then night came and the words "Just like a star across my sky, just like an angel off the page. You have appeared to my life, feels like I'll never be the same. Just like a song in my heart, just like oil in my hands. Oh, I do love you" played and I wasn't all that angry anymore.
As I've gotten older my love for Corinne Bailey Rae has only grown and it shows no signs of stopping. I can relate more to her music now. My heart twinges a little when her voice delicately inquires "Do you ever think of me? Do I ever cross your mind? Does my memory linger and flood the room for you like I'm when alone and I've thought of you?" in her album The Heart Speaks in Whispers because I've (foolishly) wondered the same damn thing. CBR's music has always been apart of the backdrop of my life but I feel like it's just now officially entering it. I can enjoy it for more reasons than because I like the bass riff, the lyrics are just now starting to hit. There are songs within her discography that have yet to resonate with me in a meaningful way. She has loved and lost more in her 41 years on this planet than I have in my 15 so there are going to be lyrics in her songs that I just don't get yet---But I can appreciate them. And man oh man do I appreciate a good Corinne Bailey Rae Lyric. Here are a couple that I love.
5 Corinne Bailey Rae Lyrics that I absolutely adore
1. "Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams. Just go ahead let your hair down."---Put your Records on
2."Another rainy day, we sat inside by the radiator watching old black and white films where everybody sang." ---Another rainy day
3. "Shower me with your love, all of everyday.You make the milk, gold sun shine on me"-Butterfly
4. "Don't you recognize a fellow astronaut? We've been here our movements are elliptical"---I've been to the moon
5. "I could see the lights from the restaurant, I couldn't quite perfect that nonchalance. Paris and Champagne with one brown sugar cube"---Paris nights/New York mornings
Here's some of the magic for yourself.
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