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.
Snakesong
An Pierlé Lyrics
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So I tried my luck in the garden of dusk where the wise snake presides
How was I to know I'd be badly advised
Before I fell from the blistering sky with eyes opened wide
"so" said the snake, "what brings you to me"
He sizzled about lust and the small fare he'd charge as a favour to me
So warm was his breath but so cooling his skin
And he said, "soon, baby, soon, baby"
I guess you wonder
I guess you wonder
The best things come first, where was my mind
I should have known that a snake on a throne is bound to beguile
I guess you wonder
I guess you wonder
And the instant you left I knew what not to decide
And the instant you left I knew what not to decide
Lost my innocence due to my otherwise much revered pride
How stupid I was to rely on the snake's advice
The lyrics of An Pierlé's song "Snakesong" tell the story of a person who seeks advice from a wise snake residing in the garden of dusk. Despite warnings, the person is beguiled by the snake's charm and forgets all caution. The snake promises great things will come soon, but ultimately, the person realizes they lost their innocence and trusted in the wrong advice.
The lyrics deal with the theme of the temptation to make rash decisions and the consequences that come with it. The snake in the song symbolizes the allure of temptation, and its power to lead one astray. The line "Lost my innocence due to my otherwise much revered pride" speaks to the notion that pride can be the downfall of even the most intelligent or rational individual. Ultimately, the song serves as a cautionary tale to those who may be tempted to follow advice that is too good to be true.
Line by Line Meaning
Do the best things come first I was in two minds
I was indecisive about whether the best things in life come first or not
So I tried my luck in the garden of dusk where the wise snake presides
I went to a place where a wise snake lived to see if fortune would favor me
How was I to know I'd be badly advised
I didn't realize that I would end up receiving bad advice
Before I fell from the blistering sky with eyes opened wide
Before I experienced a painful or devastating event with complete awareness
"so" said the snake, "what brings you to me"
The snake asked me why I had come to see him
He sizzled about lust and the small fare he'd charge as a favour to me
The snake spoke to me about lust and offered to help me for a small fee
So warm was his breath but so cooling his skin
The snake's breath felt warm but his skin felt cool
That I forgot every warning I got, my resistance grew thin
I became so enamored by the snake that I ignored all previous warnings and became less resistant
And he said, "soon, baby, soon, baby"
The snake promised me that my desired outcome would arrive soon
I guess you wonder
You may be curious about what happened next
The best things come first, where was my mind
I was so confused that I forgot to consider that the best things in life may come first
I should have known that a snake on a throne is bound to beguile
I should have realized that an influential or powerful snake is likely to deceive
And the instant you left I knew what not to decide
After the snake left, I realized what decisions not to make
Lost my innocence due to my otherwise much revered pride
I lost my innocence because of my excessive pride, which was otherwise respected
How stupid I was to rely on the snake's advice
I regretted depending on the advice of the snake and viewed it as a foolish decision
Contributed by Madelyn A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.