In the spring of 2005, a 17-year-old Carlsson auditioned for the second series of phenomenally popular Swedish singing competition Idol in Göteborg, singing "Varje Gång Jag Ser Dig" by Lisa Nilsson. The four judges were all hugely impressed by the strong power of her voice and she successfully passed through to the theatre rounds of the contest. Her vocals continued to impress, and she made it to the semi-finals. To the dismay of the judges, Carlsson did not get a place in the final eleven contestants, and when she again failed to grab a place through the special 'wildcard' round, they decided to pass her through to the finals as the judges' choice contestant. Despite this setback, Carlsson wowed both the judges and the public during every week of the finals, and after making it to the grand finale nine weeks later, she defeated runner-up Sebastian Karlsson and was crowned as the second Swedish Idol. Throughout the finals, Carlsson had never landed in the bottom 2 or 3, and she is currently one of only 4 wildcard contestants to win an Idol competition anywhere in the world. She was preceded in 2004 by Canada's Ryan Malcolm and Kazakhstan's Almas Kishkenbayev, and followed in 2007 by Australia's Natalie Gauci.
Immediately after winning Idol, Carlsson signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and her debut single, "Right Here Right Now" was released. A week later, the song debuted at number one on the Swedish singles chart, a position it held for six weeks. It was quickly certified double platinum for the sale of 40,000 copies in Sweden. Just one week later, on December 19, 2005, her debut album Agnes was released to positive reviews and massive opening week sales. It shot into the albums chart a week later at number one, a position it held for two consecutive weeks.
In March 2006, whilst touring in support of her debut album, Carlsson released her second single, "Stranded". Although it received positive critical reviews, the single did not gain commercial success and stalled in the singles chart at number twenty-seven. Despite this however, Carlsson's debut album continued to enjoy huge sales success, selling over 90,000 copies in Sweden alone. It was certified double platinum and to date holds the record for being the highest-selling album by any Idol contestant.
On August 22, 2006, only eight months after her Idol win, Carlsson's third single "Kick Back Relax" premiered on the TV-show "Sommarkrysset". The song, which would serve as the lead single from her much anticipated sophomore album, was released on September 7 and narrowly missed the top spot on the Swedish singles chart, peaking at number two. Her second album, Stronger was released on October 11, less than a year after the release of her debut. Like its predecessor, Stronger debuted at number one on the albums chart, and went on to sell 50,000 copies, certifying it platinum. One of the album's tracks, "Love Is All Around" has since been covered by numerous singers in three continents, the most notable being by Australian Idol alumni Ricki Lee Coulter, which peaked at number two in Australia and became one of the country's biggest hits in 2007.
On November 15, Carlsson released "Champion", the second single from her sophomore album. The song peaked at number nineteen, seemingly setting a pattern of high-low chart positions for Carlsson, which had also occurred with the two singles from her first album. In early 2007, Carlsson embarked upon her second national tour in just over one year. In December, Carlsson and her former Idol fellow contestant Måns Zelmerlöw joined forces for a huge Christmas campaign for clothing store MQ. In order to promote the company, they released a cover of the Mariah Carey song "All I Want For Christmas Is You", which peaked at number three on the Swedish singles chart.
In early 2008, it was announced that Carlsson had parted ways with her record label Sony BMG, citing creative differences as the reason behind the split. She quickly signed to record company Roxy Records, who stated that after taking a short break from the music industry, Carlsson would return with her third studio album, the first with her new label. On August 11, Carlsson's fifth single "On And On" was passed to radio stations and released as a digital download. Geared towards the dance and club genre, the single was a clear change of artistic direction for Carlsson's music, which had previously consisted of pop and RnB. The first public performance of the single was on August 16 during the Swedeish TV-show "Sommarkrysset". The single debuted at number twenty-seven, but following its physical release it surged up the chart and spent three weeks at its peak of number 8, as well as charting at the top spot of the dance and club charts.
On September 13, Kaj Kindvall, the host of the radioshow "Tracks" announced that Carlsson's highly anticipated third studio album would be called "Dance Love Pop" and then went on to explain the reason behind the record's name: "Dance Love Pop covers the three things that the music is all about on this album; dance-music that has a twist of pop and is about love". Roxy Records confirmed the album's title four days later, and also stated that the release date of the album would be October 29, 2008.
In an interview with Swedish radio channel P3 the song "Love Me Senseless" was played, and although it was confirmed as a track on Carlsson's third album, it was not confirmed whether it would be released as the second single. The album Dance! Love! Pop! was released on October 28 and debuted on the Swedish albums chart at number 5 with sales of 10,000 copies. On November 24, "Release Me" was released as the second single from the album. It debuted on the Swedish singles chart at number 60 based on digital downloads alone, whilst the album was certified gold for the sale of 20,000 copies since its release.
24 Hours
Agnes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't wanna listen, I gave you my heart
Oh, little by little it all fell apart
Oh, yesterday was black and blue (blue, blue, blue)
Too many reasons to not go back again
Oh, sweet dreams finally came to an end
I thought that I would never see the light, my friend
Oh, yesterday was black and blue (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Walking through the fire all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Me, myself and I, all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago
In the religion of the insecure
Yeah, backlash hitting you down to the core
Oh, forgive and forgive and maybe there is hope
It's not all in black and blue (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Walking through the fire all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Me, myself and I, all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago (twenty-four)
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
As my world fell apart
It hit me like lightning in the dark
This is my sliding door moment
Here and now, I choose my future
Here and now, I choose my future
(I choose my future)
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
The lyrics of Agnes's song 24 Hours depict a story of betrayal and heartbreak. From the beginning, the singer's intuition warns her not to trust her lover, but forlorn, she gives him her heart. As time passes and their relationship deteriorates, the pain becomes unbearable. Yesterday was a day of sorrow and bruises, and there's no reason to return to that dark place. However, through the pain, the singer discovers something to believe in - herself. She chooses to move forward and embrace her future. The song's lyrics reflect on the insecurities and heartache of a doomed relationship.
The song's chorus repeats the phrase "Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away" emphasizing how quickly things can change. It feels as though it's been a lifetime since the singer last experienced love, just 24 hours ago. This line represents the emotions that rise from one betrayal and how it can change someone's perspective on life. The second half of the song is about moving on from the pain inflicted by the singer. The singer realizes that her happiness should not depend on someone else and seeks to take control of her life independently.
Line by Line Meaning
My intuition said it from the start
I had a feeling that things wouldn't end well
I didn't wanna listen, I gave you my heart
Despite my intuition, I still fell in love with you
Oh, little by little it all fell apart
Our relationship slowly deteriorated
Oh, yesterday was black and blue (blue, blue, blue)
Yesterday was a painful and hurtful experience
Too many reasons to not go back again
There are too many negative things about our relationship to try again
Oh, sweet dreams finally came to an end
The hopes and dreams we had for our relationship are over
I thought that I would never see the light, my friend
I didn't think I would find happiness again
Walking through fire all because of you
I went through a lot of pain and suffering because of our relationship
I found that something to believe in
I found hope and strength to keep going
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Time seems to be passing so slowly
Feels like a lifetime ago
It feels like a long time has passed
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
I didn't anticipate how much my life would change in just one day
In the religion of the insecure
In a world where people are always doubting themselves
Yeah, backlash hitting you down to the core
Negative feedback is really hurting you
Oh, forgive and forgive and maybe there is hope
Forgiving others and ourselves can help us find hope
It's not all in black and blue (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Life has more colors than just pain and sadness
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
I'm choosing to move on from you, forever
As my world fell apart
My life was falling apart
It hit me like lightning in the dark
I realized something important suddenly
This is my sliding door moment
This is a moment where my life could change direction
Here and now, I choose my future
I'm taking control of my life and choosing my path forward
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Time seems to be slowing down again
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
I'm reaffirming my decision to move on from you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Agnes Emilia Carlsson, Kerstin Elisabeth Ljungstrom, Maria Karolina Hazell, Salem Al Fakir, Vincent Fred Pontare
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Junior
Lyrics
My intuition said it from the start
I didn't wanna listen, I gave you my heart
Oh, little by little it all fell apart
Oh, yesterday was black and blue (blue, blue, blue)
Too many reasons to not go back again
Oh, sweet dreams finally came to an end
I thought that I would never see the light, my friend
Oh, yesterday was black and blue (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Walking through the fire all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Me, myself and I, all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago
In the religion of the insecure
Yeah, backlash hitting you down to the core
Oh, forgive and forgive and maybe there is hope
It's not all in black and blue (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Walking through the fire all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Me, myself and I, all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago (twenty-four)
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
As my world fell apart
It hit me like lightning in the dark
This is my sliding door moment
Here and now, I choose my future
Here and now, I choose my future
(I choose my future)
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
James Forbes
@Brian These are all prorgammed and tailored for the radio. What makes a radio ready track is a no beat mix in, or a bass line mix in, and tracks under 3.75 minutes, with full vox. Release Me was remixed by several artists and was in the dancefloors of the world. Her technique and voice alone are miles beyond that track, she is good on it, but here she has the voice of an artist in control of her artistic vision and emotional rnage. The lyrical content is radically improved. Let's compare:
Release me
Release my body
I know it's wrong
So why do I keep coming back
I say release me
'Cause I'm not able to
Convince myself
That I'm better off without you
So she's covering the same ground as on 24, bad relationship, but the words are basic, vocabulary is repetitive, the timeline here is blurry, but she is leaving and returning again several times, asking to be let go, her body no less, he has her body, and her mind is too weak. This is pretty poor ideology and it's not very convincing.
My intuition said it from the start
I didn't wanna listen, I gave you my heart
Oh, little by little it all fell apart
Oh, yesterday was black and blue (blue, blue, blue)
Too many reasons to not go back again
Oh, sweet dreams finally came to an end
I thought that I would never see the light, my friend
Oh, yesterday was black and blue (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Here, her mind isn't weak, her intuition told her it was a mistake, and she has a strong mind now, ignores it and gives in to a lover, and this time she isn't going back and forth, but it fell apart because the guy is trash. Yesterday (this is the last day of her relationship before she leaves) and it was black and blue which means she was beaten. Bruises, but the way she is expressing it has poetic impact and a finality because she knows now. She says there are reasons this time, not too weak of mind, Sweet Dreams is a reference to Eurythmics and the chorus "some of them want to use you, some of them want to be used by you, some of them want to abuse you, some of them want to be abused". Annie is saying that her career is taking her to abusive men and men who abuse (you can find this in her video statements), Agnes had a similar experience with the industry so they "came to an end". But the play on words is there was nothing sweet about these dreams. See the light my friend is a reference to salvation and friend to protestant ideas in Scandinavian culture and the gospel of the Black church in rock and roll music In this useage she compares gfetting away from abuse as salvation, see the light (perhaps we are in a group setting, hence the "my friend:
Then we can look at production, writing, and the quality of the artistic vision, and on all three counts, it shows an earlier less comprehensive vision of her art and a lot of corporate decisions to water it down
IKHWANHAFIZ
LYRICS
My intuition said it from the start
I didn't wanna listen, I gave you my heart
Oh, little by little it all fell apart
Oh, yesterday was black and blue (blue, blue, blue)
Too many reasons to not go back again
Oh, sweet dreams finally came to an end
I thought that I would never see the light, my friend
Oh, yesterday was black and blue (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Walking through the fire all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Me, myself and I, all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago
In the religion of the insecure
Yeah, backlash hitting you down to the core
Oh, forgive and forgive and maybe there is hope
It's not all in black and blue (ooh, ooh, ooh)
Walking through the fire all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Me, myself and I, all because of you
I found that something to believe in
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
As my world fell apart
It hit me like lightning in the dark
This is my sliding door moment
Here and now, I choose my future
Here and now, I choose my future
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago
Twenty-four hours never seemed so far away
Feels like a lifetime ago
Twenty-four hours, so little did I know
Twenty-four hours ago
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
Now is the last time, the last time I'll ever be yours
Just twenty-four hours ago
Agnes
When we need to process a dramatic change in our life, we go through different stages of emotion. The video for 24 hours is based on that journey, and the different personalities that it brings to light. All tailored to help us cope with everything from sadness and frustration to anger and grief. It’s not pretty, but without them we wouldn't be rewarded with the powerful energy that then helps us move forward
Angel Djay
Or the subconscious mind shuts down the pain and blanks the trouble, then the creative side protects through the imagination when the mind removes the protective barrier you see through everything and see life as it really is, straight through people to who and what they really are.
Ezequiel Martinez
de acuerdo contigo nena!
Andrew Waller
THIS is what EPIC DANCE POP looks and sounds like —> Agnes for the win
✨❤️🙌🏽❤️✨
Andie Lima
Agnes, this video and this song are simply perfect! Greetings from Brazil <3
Andrew Garduno
waiting for the merch and VINYLL PLEASEE
lorofcb3
The only thing I don't like about this song and this album, is that it did not reach a bigger audience. This has the potential to smash global charts. It is pop perfection with soul and depth!
Stunning.
Vortex87
Agree, this deserved to be a worldwide smash!
Baby Doll
The album is kinda underwhelming, is not as good as the singles and felt rushed.
Rutger Hauer
Its because you can't buy it apparently You can only stream it :/