Moyet was born to a French father and English mother. She grew up in Basildon, where she attended school. After leaving school at 16, she worked as a shop worker and a piano tuner. She was involved in a number of punk rock, pub rock and blues bands in the South East Essex area during the late 1970s and early 1980s, including The Vandals and the Screamin' Ab Dabs, The Vicars, The Vandals (UK 1978) and The Little Roosters.
Her mainstream pop career began in 1982 when she formed the electro-pop duo Yazoo with former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke. The duo had several hits, including "Situation", "Only You", "Don't Go" and recorded two albums, "Upstairs At Eric's" and "You And Me Both". The group was notable for melding Clarke's trademark electronic sounds with Moyet's warm, soulful voice.
In 1983 Moyet and Clarke decided to disband Yazoo. While Clarke went on to form Erasure, Moyet signed to CBS (in part because it had been Janis Joplin's label), and began her solo career.
In 1984 she released her debut album "Alf" (titled after her punk-era nickname). Alf included contributions by popular producers/songwriters Swain and Jolley, as well as a song, "Invisible", written by Motown legend Lamont Dozier. The record was a hit in Britain, reaching number one in the album charts. Alf spawned 3 hit singles, "Love Resurrection", "Invisible" and "All Cried Out". In the US, "Invisible" was a Top 40 hit (something Yazoo had never achieved).
In 1985 Moyet performed at the historic Live Aid concert, alongside Paul Young. She also released a single not featured on "Alf", a cover of the standard "That Ole Devil Called Love." The single went to #2 on the UK singles chart. (At present, it remains Moyet's highest-charting UK single.)
In 1986 Moyet had another big UK hit with the single "Is This Love?," followed in 1987 by the album Raindancing. Raindancing spawned further hit singles, including a cover of Floy Joy's "Weak In The Presence of Beauty" and "Ordinary Girl". In 1987, she scored another cover hit with "Love Letters"; the video for the song featured comedy duo French & Saunders.
Following a period of personal and career evaluation Hoodoo was released in 1991. Hoodoo, which took several steps away from the glossy pop sheen of Raindancing and was a far earthier and more personal album. Compared to her earlier releases, Hoodoo received little label support and only minimal promotion. The album sold respectably in Britain, and was nominated for a Grammy for the single "It Won't Be Long." However, the release of Hoodoo marked the beginning of what was to become a long fight for Moyet to secure complete control of her artistic direction. Like many similar artists of Moyet's calibre (including Aimee Mann and the late Kirsty MacColl), Moyet was reluctant to record a radio-friendly "pop" album simply for the sake of creating chart hits.
Moyet's next album Essex (1994) was also a source of controversy for her; in order for the album to be released, her label (now Sony) insisted that certain Essex tracks be re-recorded and re-produced, and that there be additional material remixed to create a more 'commercial' package. The video for the single "Whispering Your Name" again featured Dawn French.
Following the release of Essex, Sony released a greatest-hits compilation of Moyet's work the following year. Singles entered the UK charts at number one. Following incredible CD success and a UK tour, Singles was re-issued as a double CD set which included "No Overdubs", a bonus live CD. Upon re-issue Singles again charted, this time in the top 20.
Due to prolonged litigation with Sony, Moyet did not record or release a new studio album for over eight years after the release of Essex. During this time, however, Moyet recorded vocals for Tricky, Sylk-130, Ocean Colour Scene, The Lightning Seeds and King Britt, and was featured on the British leg of the Lilith Fair tour. 2001 saw the release of The Essential Alison Moyet CD.
In August 2002, after years of holding out and refusing to compromise, Moyet was finally released from her Sony contract. Moyet signed to Sanctuary Records and released her first studio album in eight years, Hometime, an album which Sony had refused to release. Hometime was produced by the Insects, who had also produced works by Goldfrapp and Massive Attack. The release of the CD launched Moyet into the top five best-selling female UK artists of 2002 and resulted in a Brit nomination for Best Female Vocal as well as a nomination for the Mercury Music Prize.
Moyet's following CD, Voice, an eclectic collection of covers, was released on 6 September 2004 and entered the UK charts at number seven. The album was later re-issued with a bonus track, "Alfie." A companion DVD, One Blue Voice, was released in 2006.
After signing with the W14 Music label in late 2006, Moyet released the all-original The Turn in October 2007. As of this writing (15 Sept 2008), Moyet will be touring North America for the first time in 14 years after the huge success of the Yazoo Reconnected Tour of 2008.
www.alisonmoyet.com/
For You Only
Alison Moyet Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's like a story of love
Can you hear me?
Came back only yesterday
I'm moving farther away
Want you near me
All I needed was the love you gave
And all I ever knew
Only you
Sometimes when I think of her name
When it's only a game
And I need you
Listen to the words that you say
It's getting harder to stay
When I see you
All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you
All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you
This is going to take a long time
And I wonder what's mine
Can't take no more (can't take no more)
Wonder if you'll understand
It's just the touch of your hand
Behind a closed door
All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you
The lyrics of Alison Moyet's song Only You speaks to the profound pain of heartbreak and the desperate longing for a lost love. The song captures the raw emotions of the singer who is seemingly looking out of a window and reflecting on a love that seems to have slipped away. The line, "Looking from a window above, it's like a story of love" suggests the singer is detached from reality, almost as if watching their life unfold like a soap opera.
The lyrics, "All I needed was the love you gave, all I needed for another day, and all I ever knew, only you" captures the idea of being stuck in a moment and unable to move on without the love of their life. The song's structure moves from the present tense to the past tense, from the singer needing the love of their life in the present and then remembering the moments they once shared.
In the bridge, the lyrics suggest that the heartbroken speaker is at a breaking point, unable to withstand the pain of the loss any longer, "This is going to take a long time, and I wonder what's mine, can't take no more (can't take no more), wonder if you'll understand, it's just the touch of your hand, behind a closed door". It's a powerful moment where the singer acknowledges that they need more than words from their love and are willing to fight for them to come back to them.
Overall, the lyrics of Only You are raw, heartfelt, and relatable. The song captures the universal experience of heartbreak and the emotional journey that comes with it.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking from a window above
I'm staring out of a window high up, melancholically gazing at everything that's outside.
It's like a story of love
It appears to be like a love tale that's being told.
Can you hear me?
Are you able to comprehend me?
Came back only yesterday
I came back, my return was recent.
I'm moving farther away
I'm distancing myself from you.
Want you near me
I yearn for your presence in close proximity to me.
All I needed was the love you gave
The only requirement I had was for the love you provided to me.
All I needed for another day
Just the love you bestowed was enough to get me through one more day.
And all I ever knew
The only thing I have ever really understood is that you were the one for me.
Only you
All I ever truly wanted was you.
Sometimes when I think of her name
On occasion, when I contemplate her name.
When it's only a game
Even though this is only a game.
And I need you
I still require you.
Listen to the words that you say
Pay heed to your words.
It's getting harder to stay
It's becoming increasingly difficult to linger.
When I see you
The moment I glimpse you.
All I needed was the love you gave
The sole necessity was for the love you rendered.
All I needed for another day
Just the love you imparted sufficed for another day.
And all I ever knew
The only thing I have ever understood is that you were the one.
Only you
Only and solely you are what I craved.
This is going to take a long time
It's going to be a long road ahead.
And I wonder what's mine
I'm perplexed about what exactly belongs to me.
Can't take no more (can't take no more)
I cannot tolerate any more of this pain.
Wonder if you'll understand
I'm curious if you'll comprehend how I'm feeling.
It's just the touch of your hand
All I need is a mere touch from your hand.
Behind a closed door
In seclusion, behind a shut door.
All I needed was the love you gave
The only necessity was for the love you provided.
All I needed for another day
Just the love you showed sufficed for one more day.
And all I ever knew
The only thing I truly grasped was that all I wanted was you.
Only you
Exclusively and solely you were what I wanted.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Vince Clarke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Manfred Kallmeier
One of the Softest and sweetest Balades ever!!! Still Loving this Song in 2021
footienz
Gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it....it's so good!
Lucky Luke Walker
Pure gold
rallymunkey
still reduces me to tears after all this time
TheYlro
I ve listened to this on vinyl during my painful teenage years. Most beautiful voice. Alison- you re great
Gabriela Albonico
I love this song. One of the most beautiful ballad ever!!
Ja Ma
This song is sooo powerful always feel sad but happy to hear it its weird but genius
Andrew Bennion
one of the greatest female vocalist ever
silverxstar
Amazing song. What a beautiful voice she has!
Darryn Waugh
This is just such a gutsy powerful song. I think this is her best work. Just a brilliant brilliant song. I cant think of many other songs that stir me like this does.