She is the daughte… Read Full Bio ↴Alice Russell (b. 1975) is a British soul singer.
She is the daughter of an organist, and grew up in Framlingham in Suffolk. At the age of nine, following in her father's and sisters' musical footsteps, Russell began taking lessons on cello, and sang in choirs, before studying art and music in Brighton from 1994.
As well as the classical influences of her father, and formal music lessons, Russell listened to gospel music and soul artists such as Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin from an early age, which played a big part in the shaping of her style. Other artists such as Minnie Ripperton, Eva Cassidy, Chaka Khan, and Jill Scott are listed by Russell as influences.
She began making a name for herself in the early 2000s, contributing to recordings by Bah Samba, Quantic, TM Juke, Kushti and Nostalgia 77. Her work with Bah Samba sees Russell fusing Latin sounds with tinges of house, jazz and funk, whereas her material with the band Kushti involved a more laid back, hip-hop and soul inspired sound. Her debut album, Under the Munka Moon (2004), was an amalgamation of various singles, remixes, and collaborations.
It was followed by My Favourite Letters in 2005, her debut studio album, created in collaboration with co-writer, producer, and guitarist Alex Cowan (a.k.a. TM Juke). Her third release, Under the Munka Moon II (2006), compiled her most recent collaborations, remixes, and cover versions, including her popular interpretation of The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army. The Alice Russell – Live in Paris DVD also came out in 2006.
Russell and TM Juke have been touring together since 2006 in the U.K, Europe, Australia, the U.S., and other countries. In summer 2006, Grant Marshall (a.k.a. Daddy G of Massive Attack) asked Russell to play the main stage at The Big Chill music festival. Russell has also supported Lonnie Liston Smith, Femi Kuti and De La Soul, and has appeared on the bill with Amy Winehouse for the British showcase at the Midem Music Conference in Cannes 2007.
Lights Went Out
Alice Russell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dragging its heals and waiting for the sunshine of the day
Something out there, weren’t right
Darkness of night, snapping at our heals
Nothing was right, nothing to see
Skinful of dust, rise to the sea
Greed, swallowing up all of we
Just take what you give
Judge another by the way you live
Gonna take that tired old soul
Don’t you know
I’m waiting for the sunshine of the day
To dry all my tears, cause of so so much sorrow
Take my wiry old soul, and pass it on through to tomorrow
To tomorrow, Take my weary old soul
Lights went out then came judgement day
stomping its heals and waiting for the sunshine of the day
Something out there, weren’t right
The darkness of night, was snapping at our heels
Nothing seems right, nothing to see
Skinful of dust, rise to the sea
Greed, swallowing up all of we
Just take what you give
Judge another by the way you live
Gonna take that tired old soul
Don’t you know
Waiting for the sunshine of the day
To dry all my tears, cause of so so much sorrow
Take my wiry old soul, and pass it on through to tomorrow
pass it on through to tomorrow, Take my wiry old soul
Just take what you give, Judge another by the way you live
Gonna take that tired old soul, Don’t you know
I said just take what you give, Judge another by the way
you live
Gonna take that tired old soul, Don’t you know
What you give, what you give
Just take what you give
And pass that soul, and pass that soul onto tomorrow
Take it on to tomorrow, pass it through to tomorrow
The song "Lights Went Out" by Alice Russell seems to be a contemplation on the state of the world and the choices that are made. The lines "Lights went out then came judgement day / Dragging its heels and waiting for the sunshine of the day" suggest that there has been some kind of reckoning or evaluation, and that people are waiting for a brighter future. However, the lines "Something out there weren't right / Darkness of night, snapping at our heels / Nothing was right, nothing to see" suggest that things are not as they should be, and that people are struggling to find their way forward.
The song seems to be calling for a sense of accountability and responsibility, as evidenced by the lines "Just take what you give / Judge another by the way you live." There is a suggestion that people should be more mindful of their actions and how they affect others. The lines "Greed, swallowing up all of we" suggest that selfishness and a lack of concern for others has led to a kind of moral decay.
Ultimately, the song seems to offer hope. The lines "I'm waiting for the sunshine of the day / To dry all my tears, cause of so so much sorrow / Take my wiry old soul, and pass it on through to tomorrow" suggest that there is a sense of resilience and determination, and that people are ready to move forward and build a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Lights went out then came judgement day
The world was plunged into darkness and chaos erupted
Dragging its heals and waiting for the sunshine of the day
Judgement day was slowly approaching, but there was still hope for a brighter tomorrow
Something out there, weren’t right
There was a feeling of unease in the air
The darkness of night, was snapping at our heels
The darkness threatened to overtake and consume us
Nothing seems right, nothing to see
Everything was shrouded in darkness and uncertainty
Skinful of dust, rise to the sea
The wastefulness and excess of humanity was causing harm to the very environment that sustained us
Greed, swallowing up all of we
The insatiable desire for more was consuming us to the point of self-destruction
Just take what you give, Judge another by the way you live
We should treat others with the same kindness and understanding with which we would hope to be treated
Gonna take that tired old soul, Don’t you know
We must strive to rise above selfish materialism and focus on what truly matters in life
Waiting for the sunshine of the day, To dry all my tears, cause of so so much sorrow
We long for a brighter future where we can leave our troubles behind and begin anew
Take my wiry old soul, and pass it on through to tomorrow
Our experiences, wisdom, and values should be shared and passed down to future generations
Just take what you give, Judge another by the way you live
We must treat others respectfully and compassionately, and be true to ourselves
What you give, what you give
The effort and intent we put forth in our interactions with others will have a lasting impact
And pass that soul, and pass that soul onto tomorrow
We must strive to leave a positive legacy, for the benefit of generations to come
Take it on to tomorrow, pass it through to tomorrow
We should approach life with a forward-looking perspective, focusing on how we can create a better future
Writer(s): Alice Emily Russell, Alex Cowan Copyright: Five Missions More
Contributed by Thomas W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sada Reed
the best under played artist in the world!!!!! I l-o-v-e Alice and all the amazing ppl she works with!
wheezardth
That's SO much better than the studio version... so much more feeling! I love this track!
yit
This is the best female singer.. hands down!
dacul darius
She is my Goddess, its like she enters in my heart ..... just divine ! I saw her at Chiasso Jazz Festival , the best live performance live I ever seen !!! They are just like angeles ....
Mrs. Nkosazana DuppyConqueror
Giles helped take me from unknown california regional art scholar new in music to the whole world like at ferrari speeds...he is still so inexplicably brilliant in who he works with and the remixes and productions and his collaborations with artists like Sande, and Russell. I have to reach out to him now that the lil spoken word house dance music phenom he fertilized, is like Alice and Emeli, a singer :- D
Desko Graphio
I LOVE HER POWERFUL VOICE
Ana Paula Girardi R. Oliveira
Wonderful!! What an incredible voice!!
Catherine Rouquine
Amazing voice !!! this performance is awesome ! I love the song...
Britt Ixchel
i just love this song so much, i keep coming back to it, alice is amaaazing!!!
Gurdeep Singh
This is soooooooo cool Alice - real music !!