Agnes Obel was born Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel in 1981. Living in Copenhagen, and coming from a musician family, Agnes Obel learned piano at a very young age. Her mother used to play Bartók and Chopin at the piano. During her childhood, Agnes Obel found inspiration in Jan Johansson's work. Johansson's songs, European folk tunes done in a jazzy style, have influenced the young musician a lot.
She attended high school at Det frie Gymnasium and university at Roskilde University.
At the age of seven, Agnes Obel worked in a little band where she used to sing and play bass guitar. The group appeared in a festival and even recorded some titles.
Later, and with the help of Danish musician and producer Elton Theander, Obel founded the Copenhagen based band Sohio. After few years of collaboration, Obel debuted as a solo singer with her first album Philharmonics (2010).
Agnes Obel writes, plays, sings, records and produces all her material herself.
She is influenced by artists such as Roy Orbison, Joni Mitchell, PJ Harvey and also by the French composers Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Eric Satie.
Obel lives in Berlin.
Website: http://agnesobel.com
It's Happening Again
Agnes Obel Lyrics
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The past isn't dead
It's alive, it is happening
In the back of my head
No future, no past
No laws of time
Can undo what is happening
With the stars and the moon
I woke up in the night
In the same place, no
It's sailing before my eyes
It's happening, it's happening, it's happening
It's happening, it's happening, yeah
It's happening, it's happening, it's happening
It's happening, it's happening, yeah
I took a day or two
To exile from the light
To unfold that prisoner
They call a mind
And for a brief moment
We could stop the time
But with the stars and the moon
I woke up in the night
In the same place, no
It's sailing before my eyes
It's happening, it's happening, it's happening
It's happening, it's happening, it's happening, it's happening, it's happening
In Agnes Obel's song "It's Happening Again," the singer reflects on the power of the past to influence the present moment. The lyrics suggest that memories and events from the past are not simply distant echoes, but are alive and actively shaping the present moment. The opening lines declare that "the past isn't dead," indicating that the singer is aware of the ways in which past experiences continue to exert an influence on her consciousness. This is further emphasized by the repetition of the phrase "it's happening" throughout the song, suggesting that the memories and emotions of the past are not just static images, but are constantly in motion within the mind.
The second verse of the song shifts slightly, emphasizing the singer's desire to escape the confines of time and space. She declares that "no future, no past, no laws of time" can undo what is happening in her mind when she closes her eyes. This suggests that the singer seeks a kind of transcendence, where past and present blur together, and time becomes a more fluid and malleable concept. Ultimately, however, the song seems to conclude on a more realistic note, with the singer acknowledging that the past cannot be escaped entirely. The final repetition of "it's happening" suggests that the past will always exert a powerful influence on the present moment, whether we want it to or not.
Line by Line Meaning
I swear it is true
I am telling the truth
The past isn't dead
The past still lives
It's alive, it is happening
The past is still ongoing
In the back of my head
In my mind
No future, no past
There is no concept of time
No laws of time
No rules of time apply
Can undo what is happening
What is happening cannot be reversed
When I close my eyes
When I sleep
With the stars and the moon
At night
I woke up in the night
I woke up during the night
In the same place, no
Not in the same physical place
It's sailing before my eyes
It's happening in front of me
It's happening, it's happening, it's happening
What's happening is occurring rapidly
It's happening, it's happening, yeah
What's happening is continuing to occur
I took a day or two
I took some time for myself
To exile from the light
To avoid the outside world
To unfold that prisoner
To release myself from mental confinement
They call a mind
The thing that is called the mind
And for a brief moment
For a short time
We could stop the time
We could pause time
It's happening, it's happening, it's happening
What's happening is still unfolding
It's happening, it's happening, it's happening, it's happening, it's happening
What's happening is happening repeatedly
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind