As a young girl, Myles competed as an equestrian in Canada's prestigious Royal Winter Fair later studying to be a graphic artist, actor, stunt model, make up artist and wardrobe stylist to pay for her true calling, music. Myles changed her surname from Byles at the age of 19, after deciding to pursue a career in entertainment. Between appearing in TV ads, modelling and local gigs which, due to her multi-tasking confused Canadian labels who continually rejected signing her as a recording artist, she financed two songs from her 1989 debut album with match financing from FACTOR and Much Music's Christopher Ward who wrote songs (Black Velvet), executive produced and helped manage her music career signed to Atlantic Records with worldwide international success.
Myles' first self titled album (1989) produced four Top 40 hits, “Love Is”, “Lover of Mine”, and “Still Got This Thing”, as well as the international classic hit, “Black Velvet”, won her a 1991 Grammy award for best female rock vocalist along with four Juno Awards, and a Diamond award for sales in excess of one million in Canada - the only debut artist to retain this status.
In 1991 America's ASCAP awarded the song, Black Velvet with a 'Millionaire Award' for the highest radio airplay in the world and again in 2005 for over five million radio plays of “Black Velvet”. Canada's SOCAN awarded the songs, “Black Velvet” and “Lover Of Mine” each with an award for over one hundred thousand plays in Canada in 2005 with her classically orchestrated ballad, international number one hit, “Song Instead Of A Kiss” to follow.
Her follow-up album; Rockinghorse (1992) received a Grammy nomination for best female rock vocalist and three Juno Awards. After sale of over eight million records on three albums Alannah concluded her alliance with Atlantic Records and signed with Miles Copeland's Ark 21 Records to release her fourth record, A Rival (1997) which produced the top 40 hit, 'Bad 4 You'. WMG released The Very Best Of Alannah Myles (1999) containing hits from four albums and newly recorded songs.
After a lengthy songwriting hiatus, Myles released her fifth studio album in 2009 containing 11 new studio recordings along with several new versions of her classic worldwide hit title track, 'Black Velvet'. Executive produced with co-producer Mike Borkosky from Toronto and Veronica Ferraro from Paris, France, world renown producer Terry Brown mixed one her finest audio CD recordings to date showcasing the same sultry rock blues we've grown accustomed to from Alannah.
After terminating a six-year lease with Canadian indie label Linus Entertainment in August 2013, Myles's "Black Velvet" album was retitled "85bpm", repackaged for her 25th Anniversary with new images photographed by fellow Canadian Deborah Samuel. A newly recorded song written by Anne Peebles, produced by Michael Borkosky, "Can't Stand the Rain" was added to "85bpm", featuring a solo played by Canadian guitarist Jeff Healey, re-released on Myles's independently owned label, Fascinate inc. The last track, Trouble, was written in Nashville and recorded in Toronto with a jug band.
Leave It Alone
Alannah Myles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
85 bpm - ( E Flat )
Some are confused between love and sex
For there is a difference... oh yeah
Sex satisfies lust, lust won't change you
It just lies there.. yeah, yeah
You can't pay no one to love you
If true love can be bought...
I could never be rich enough
Chorus
Ah... Leave it alone
Don't bet that I'm ready to sell my soul
Ah... leave it alone...
Don't mean that I'm willing to make it alone
Am I missing the point
Ah... leave it alone
Verse II
Some love to lie, don't care with who
I think I'm indifferent... what about you...
Two halves are whole, no one is in control
Or more the wiser... yeah, yeah
Sex without love is lust
That's where we get confused
In love you give yourself...
Lust is just, someone gettin' used...
Chorus
Ah... Leave it alone...
Don't bet that I'm ready to sekll my soul
Ah... Leave it alone...
Don"t mean that I'm willing to make it alone
Am I missing the point
Ah... Leave it alone...
Breakdown:
Chorus x4
The lyrics to Alannah Myles's song, Leave It Alone, touch on the difference between love and sex. The song acknowledges that some people confuse the two, but emphasizes that they are not the same thing. The lyrics state that sex satisfies lust, but it won't change you. In contrast, true love cannot be bought or paid for. The chorus urges listeners to leave the issue alone, indicating that the song may be about a personal experience where the artist was pressured to compromise their values or beliefs for love or sex. The song warns listeners not to sell their soul or make a decision that will result in loneliness.
Verse II continues to explore the theme of love and sex. It acknowledges that some people love to lie, but seem indifferent to who they are lying to. The lyrics suggest that in a relationship, both parties should give themselves fully, and no one is in control of the situation. The lyrics further differentiate between love and lust, noting that sexual encounters without love may be pleasurable but do not involve the same level of intimacy and vulnerability that one experiences with love.
Line by Line Meaning
Some are confused between love and sex
Many people struggle to differentiate between the feelings of love and those of sexual attraction
For there is a difference... oh yeah
These two emotions are distinct from one another, there is no question about that
Sex satisfies lust, lust won't change you
Engaging in sexual acts can fulfill temporary physical desires, but those feelings will not have a transformative effect on a person
It just lies there.. yeah, yeah
Lust is a passive emotion, it does not actively contribute to a person's growth or change
You can pay someone for sex
It is possible to exchange money for sexual acts
You can't pay no one to love you
True love cannot be bought with money
If true love can be bought...
The idea of being able to purchase genuine love is purely hypothetical
I could never be rich enough
Even if it were possible to buy love, the amount of money required to do so would exceed what Alannah Myles could afford
Ah... Leave it alone
This refrain encourages the listener to cease their attempts to blur the lines between love and sex
Don't bet that I'm ready to sell my soul
Alannah Myles is unwilling to compromise her values in order to satisfy her physical desires
Don't mean that I'm willing to make it alone
However, she also recognizes the importance of intimate relationships and is not willing to forego them altogether
Am I missing the point
Alannah Myles questions whether she is misunderstanding something important
Some love to lie, don't care with who
Some people enjoy being deceitful even in matters of love and sex
I think I'm indifferent... what about you...
Alannah Myles is unsure how she feels about this behavior, and wonders if the listener has any thoughts on the matter
Two halves are whole, no one is in control
In a relationship between two consenting adults, both parties contribute equally to the partnership and neither has complete power over the other
Or more the wiser... yeah, yeah
There is no clear winner or loser in these situations, both people may be equally knowledgeable about what they want
Sex without love is lust
When physical attraction is not accompanied by emotional connection, it is categorized as lust rather than love
That's where we get confused
This is the point at which many people struggle to differentiate between love and sexual attraction
In love you give yourself...
True love is accompanied by a willingness to be vulnerable and to be fully present for the other person
Lust is just, someone gettin' used...
In purely physical relationships, one partner may feel used or objectified by the other
Breakdown:
This heading indicates a change in the song's structure or tone
Chorus x4
The chorus is repeated four times, indicating its importance to the message of the song
Contributed by Mila M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gabriel Aguiar
hermosa Cancion !! hermosa Alannah!!!
Cristian Amargós
Killer chorus, one of the standouts on the album
Fabio Tito Montefinale
Excelentes canciones!!
Grande Alannah :))
Dax Key
enjoying again listening to her.. after a long time! amazing
Too Fresh
Your music gives me goosebumps and makes me cry but I love it it reminds me of someone special in my childhood. ... love sissy
Ronni Marzolf
Awesome song!
ahol967
Amazing.
Olivera Spasic
This is actually quite good. That rocky sound suits you better than pop.