As the winner of The X Factor, Burke released her debut single, "Hallelujah", originally a Leonard Cohen song, that became the current European record holder for single sales over a period of 24 hours: selling 105,000 copies in one day; but also, the top-selling song of the year in the UK as well as becoming the 2008 Christmas number one single in the UK. By January 2009, sales of Burke's version of "Hallelujah" had passed one million copies which made her the first British female soloist to sell that amount of copies in the UK.
Her debut album, Overcome, was released in October 2009 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one. The album's lead single "Bad Boys" was released a week in advance to the album and debuted at number one in the UK: becoming her second consecutive number-one single and first Brit-nominated single. She has sinced followed "Bad Boys" with singles that have consecutively stole top ten places in the UK Singles Chart. To date, Alexandra has achieved 4 Number one singles across the UK and Ireland: "Hallelujah", "Bad Boys", "All Night Long" and "Start Without You".
Burke has been nominated twice for Brit Awards and has achieved four solo number one singles: her most recent single "Start Without You" became her third solo UK number one hit; as well as two number one singles as a featured artist in charity singles "Hero" and "Everybody Hurts". As of December 2010, Burke has sold over 4 million records in the U.K alone with combined sales of her singles and her debut album Overcome.
Burke auditioned for the second series of The X Factor in 2005 (which was eventually won by Shayne Ward). She made it through to the final seven in Louis Walsh's 16–24 category, effectively the top 21 of the competition; however, Walsh did not choose her for his final four as he felt that she was too young for the competition. Burke however did not give up and went on to seek professional singing lessons over the next three years, proving her dedication and commitment to becoming a pop star. Burke's second bid to win The X Factor came in 2009. Falling into the "Girls" category, she was mentored by Girls Aloud's Cheryl Cole who selected her for the finals—a series of ten weekly live shows in which contestants are progressively eliminated by public vote. On the first live show, Burke performed Whitney Houston's classic "I Wanna Dance with Somebody". For the second live show she covered "I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5. In week three, big band week, Burke performed Christina Aguilera's "Candyman" and received her first standing ovation. For the disco-themed fourth live show, Burke performed Donna Summer's "On the Radio". During Mariah Carey week on 8 November, Burke and the other finalists met Carey for individual masterclasses, with Carey complimenting Burke on her voice. Burke performed "Without You" and received a standing ovation from the judges who all gave her positive comments. Cowell commented that "by any standard, that was just outstanding". Following the show Burke's performance was also praised by Carey who called her rendition of the song "absolutely amazing".
On 13 February 2009 it was reported that Burke signed a £3.5 million, five-album US record deal with Epic Records. Burke's first album was originally scheduled for March 2009, however, Simon Cowell confirmed that her album was scheduled for release later in the year to allow Burke to polish her skills and find the right songs for the album, so that it would not be rushed. The album was released on 19 October 2009 in the UK, titled Overcome.
"Elephant", the lead single off Alexandra Burke's second album finds the Londoner singing of a relationship breaking down and not discussing the "elephant standing in the room." Burke performed the song live for the very first time during her set for Asda's Tickled Pink charity concert on January 12, 2012. It will bereleased on March 11, 2012. (Elephant Songfacts).
Alexandra revealed that her next album will get "down and dirty", promising the record that will take risks. "It’s got to be sexy. So I’m going to get a lot fiercer and sexier. We’re just getting down and dirty with the next album. I’m going to take a lot more risks and it’s going to be insane." She also hinted at any collaborations on the LP, "I can’t say too much because my management will kill me if I let loose. But I have a special duet planned. I have the ideas, the collaborations in my mind - it’s all locked up in my head." The album is confirmed to be "half-way" finished, and revealed that she is planning to go to New York to record some new tracks. Recording is expected to stop from January to March, and then resuming after. Alex confirmed that she has worked with RedOne for a lot of the album, but hopes to work with David Guetta, Bruno Mars, Stargate and Ne-Yo, among others.
Éléphant
Alexandra Burke Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Eh, eh, eh
You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Eh, eh, eh
How you doing? How was your day?
You getting further, further away,
No kiss No hug Just blank
And I just can't figure out,
How it all turned upside down
And when I look at you right now, it's strange 'cause
I know something's going on
That's going on with you
I think you should tell me
You got nothing left to lose
Ah, there's an elephant, standing in the room
Ah, though we're all alone,
It's not just me and you
You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it
Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it (eh, eh, eh)
You wanna talk, you wanna talk about it
There's an elephant in the room
Oh, you wanna, wanna explain
Well your talk is cheap cheap just saying
You say you're sorry, say you're to blame,
And you're promising, you swear you'll change
And I just can't figure out,
How it all turned upside down
And when I look at you right now, it's strange 'cause
I know something's going on
That's going on with you
I think you should tell me
You got nothing left to lose
Ah, there's an elephant standing in the room
Ah, though we're all alone,
It's not just me and you
You wanna talk, you wanna talk about it
Wanna talk, you wanna talk about it (eh, eh, eh)
You wanna talk, you wanna talk about it
There's an elephant in the room
And it's crushing me, there's no room to breathe
Got me backed against the wall, like that
And I just can't see, 'cause it's blinding me
Coming closer, I can't relax
(oh, ah)
You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it
Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it (eh, eh, eh)
You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it
Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it (eh, eh, eh)
There's an elephant in the room
The song "Elephant" by Alexandra Burke is about a complicated relationship. The lyrics describe a situation where there's an unspoken issue between two people, represented by the metaphorical "elephant in the room." The singer is trying to get the other person to open up and talk about what's going on, but they're being evasive and distant. The lyrics suggest that this avoidance is causing the singer stress and anxiety, which is illustrated through the lines "And it's crushing me, there's no room to breathe, Got me backed against the wall, like that, And I just can't see, 'cause it's blinding me, Coming closer, I can't relax."
The use of the elephant metaphor is powerful because it conveys the idea that the issue is too large and too obvious to ignore, yet it remains unaddressed. The song is ultimately about the difficulty of confrontation and the fear of being vulnerable with another person. In this case, the elephant in the room is the unspoken conflict that the two people are struggling with, and the singer is urging the other person to acknowledge it and talk about it in order to move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
You wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Would you like to discuss the issue at hand?
Wanna talk, do you wanna talk about it,
Are you willing to communicate openly?
Eh, eh, eh
How you doing? How was your day?
How are you feeling and how was your day?
Small talk, small talk, you wanna play?
Superficial conversation, would you like to engage in it?
You getting further, further away,
You're becoming more distant.
No kiss No hug Just blank
You're being cold and distant with no affection.
And I just can't figure out,
I can't understand why things have changed.
How it all turned upside down
How it all took an unexpected turn.
And when I look at you right now, it's strange 'cause
It's strange to look at you now because something seems off.
I know something's going on
I sense that something is happening.
That's going on with you
That is related to you.
I think you should tell me
I believe you should confide in me about it.
You got nothing left to lose
You have nothing to lose by opening up to me.
Ah, there's an elephant, standing in the room
There's an important issue that nobody wants to talk about.
Ah, though we're all alone,
Although we're alone together.
It's not just me and you
There are other factors at play.
Oh, you wanna, wanna explain
You want to explain yourself.
Well your talk is cheap cheap just saying
Your words are insincere, you're just saying what I want to hear.
You say you're sorry, say you're to blame,
You apologize and take responsibility.
And you're promising, you swear you'll change
You're making a promise to change your behavior.
And it's crushing me, there's no room to breathe
The situation is overwhelming, and I feel suffocated.
Got me backed against the wall, like that
I feel cornered like a trapped animal.
And I just can't see, 'cause it's blinding me
I'm unable to see the whole picture because of this issue.
Coming closer, I can't relax
The issue is getting closer and more urgent, and I can't calm down.
There's an elephant in the room
There's a significant problem that is being ignored.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRITTANY MARIE BURTON, ERICK A. MORILLO, HARRY ROMERO, JOSE NUNEZ, JOSH WILKINSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@paulroy5104
Such a tune so thankful for Alexandra bringing that saying over to the uk 😅
@lighttower2931
RIP - Erick Morillo.
@victoriasutton8340
Very sad . ..what a song !!!
@skurinski
Still a bop
@Bobbywoodhogan
One of my favourite gym tracks
@Arman-qx5gz
First time hearing this was yesterday, 10 years since 2012
@sergioparrado3107
SAMEEEEEE 🤣
@seldy07
London & London this is Dance 🔥 🙌🏻 not EDM 🙅♂️
@EarthOfAdjay
I remember when I first heard this 💖💖💖💖 was obsessed Alex x
@SarahCorixxne
Gurll we ain’t forgot about this🥰🥰💕