She supposedly declared that at a very young age she decided that she would be an actress, singer, musician and dancer, most preferably all at the same time. She studied classical piano, but practically hated her education. She enrolled at the age of 17 at the art-school Studio Herman Teirlinck in Antwerp. In her third year there she made a solo-programme with songs of her own, alone at the piano. Shortly after she became known to a moderately wide audience in 1996 when she entered Humo’s Rock Rally with a tape of her own version of Are 'Friends' Electric?, originally sung by Tubeway Army. The song ended up on Random, a tribute album to Gary Numan (of the Tubeway Army), who says he was impressed by An's version.
After this, An toured for two years with a theatre group, and starred in a Belgium television series ("Moeder, waarom leven wij"), gave a few solo performances and collaborated with DAAU on their song "Broken", where she sings all of the vocals.
In 1998 she signed a record deal with Warner Music Benelux. This resulted in her first album titled Mud Stories, completely in singer-songwriter fashion. Most of the album was recorded on electric piano in the winter of 1998 and 1999 in the attic of a theatre in Gent. The extra acoustic piano parts were done in the spring of 1999. This resulted in a range of songs with very little production. It’s basically just An and her piano (and accordion, occasionally). Mud Stories speaks to the mind with complex lyrics and professional piano play, which misled the press (especially the Dutch) into comparing her with Tori Amos, much to An's surprise. An herself said that her music was not at all influenced by Tori Amos, but rather by John Cale and classical music. The record sold over 25,000 copies in Belgium and the Netherlands. Even though the Dutch press didn't give her good reviews, she managed to sell a lot of albums, possibly because of her extensive touring and appearing at a few big festivals.
In 2002 An Pierlé released her second record, Helium Sunset. Unlike the previous album, this album was also released outside of the Benelux and France. The sound of Helium Sunset moves away from the dark, gloomy solo performance to a more enriched band feel, with expanded drums, cello and other instruments. Her lyrical style remains of highly poetic and complex level.
Following the release of Helium Sunset was a live album named Live Jetset with Orchestra, an album with back up from a full orchestra. The album was apparently very limited in release numbers and sold out pretty quickly.
An Pierlé and band released the album An Pierlé & White Velvet in early May 2006. An and the band are now also performing under the same name. As of late April 2006, the first single named "How does it feel" was already available for download in online stores.
An Pierlé is involved in a romantic relationship with her guitarist, Koen Gisen.
Mexico
An Pierlé Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Being a long, long way from home eases your mind
It's hard to take courage with no one around
But the deeper you dig the more you'll find without doubt
'Cause how would you feel without best friends
Who'll notice you're there and need a hand
Every day in the morning light
How would you save me if you would sense I was falling apart
Would you rise to the occasion
How would you know I was living a special all time low
You'd make me believe that you know
'Cause how would you feel without best friends
Who'll notice you're there and need a hand
Every day in the morning light
'Cause everything's easy when you know how to treat me right
A better place than Mexico is hard to be found
Being a long, long way from home eases your mind
It's hard to take courage with no one around
But it's healthy for one's self when you're down
How would you save me if you would sense I was falling apart
Would you rise to the occasion
How would you know I was living a special all time low
You'd make me believe that you know
'Cause how does it feel when you best friends
Notice you're there and need a hand
Every day in the morning light
Everything's easy when you know how to please me
Again and again and again and again till i'm fine
The song "Mexico" by An Pierlé has a melancholic yet comforting tone, with complex lyrics that touch on themes of isolation, friendship, and the struggle to find comfort in unfamiliar surroundings. The opening line, "A better place than Mexico is hard to be found," is a poignant remark on the idea of escaping to a foreign place to find relief from one's problems. Pierlé sings about being far away from home, and how it can ease one's mind despite the challenges of feeling alone and lacking courage. She suggests that as one digs deeper, they may find solace, even without the presence of others.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of friends, and how having them can make one feel noticed, supported, and empowered. The lyrics ask the listener to imagine themselves in a vulnerable state, and to consider how their friends would react in such a scenario. The verses that precede the chorus reflect on specific situations in which a person might need help or guidance, and how a friend could make a difference. Pierlé's lyrics also suggest that true friends are intuitive, able to sense when someone is struggling and willing to step up to help them without being asked.
Overall, "Mexico" is a song about the human desire for connection and support, and how these are especially important when one is feeling lost or alone. Pierlé's lyrics are powerful in their simplicity, and the combination of her voice with the haunting piano melody creates a beautiful and emotive piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
A better place than Mexico is hard to be found
It is difficult to find a better place than Mexico.
Being a long, long way from home eases your mind
Being far from home can provide some relief and relaxation.
It's hard to take courage with no one around
It's difficult to build courage when there is no one around to support you.
But the deeper you dig the more you'll find without doubt
If you keep digging deeper, you'll eventually find what you're looking for.
'Cause how would you feel without best friends
How would you feel if you didn't have any best friends?
Who'll notice you're there and need a hand
Friends who notice you and offer their help when needed.
Every day in the morning light
Each morning, waiting for someone to arrive.
I'm waiting for you to arrive
Waiting to spend time with someone.
How would you save me if you would sense I was falling apart
If you sensed that I was struggling, how would you help me?
Would you rise to the occasion
Would you step up and offer help when needed?
How would you know I was living a special all time low
How would you recognize if I was experiencing a particularly difficult time?
You'd make me believe that you know
You would make me feel understood and supported.
'Cause everything's easy when you know how to treat me right
Things become easier when you know how to interact with me appropriately.
But it's healthy for one's self when you're down
It's important for one's own well-being to take care of oneself during difficult times.
'Cause how does it feel when you best friends
How does it feel when your best friends...
Notice you're there and need a hand
...notice you and offer their help when needed?
Everything's easy when you know how to please me
Things become easier when you know how to make me happy.
Again and again and again and again till i'm fine
Repeating actions to make me feel better until I am okay.
Contributed by Alexis L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.