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.
Such a Shame
An Pierlé Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To believe in escape
A live on every face
And that's a change
Till I finally left with an ache
Tell me to relax
I just stare
Maybe I don't know if I should change
It's a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Number me in haste
Such a shame
This eagerness to change
It's a shame
That I still hide my face
And that's a shame
In these trembling hands my fate
Tells me to react
I don't care
Maybe it's unkind if I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Number me in haste
Such a shame
This eagerness to change
Such a shame
Tell me to relax
I just stare
Maybe I don't know if I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Number me in haste
Such a shame
Right across my name
Such a shame
This eagerness to change
It's a shame
Such a shame
At first glance, An Pierlé's "Such a Shame" might seem like a simple pop song with melancholic lyrics about the difficulty of change. However, a closer look reveals a deeper layer of meaning and emotion in the words and melody. The central theme of the song is the internal struggle of a person who wants to break free from their current situation, but feels trapped by their own fears and doubts. The opening lines set the tone for this theme, as Pierlé sings, "To believe in escape, a life on every face, and that's a change, till I finally left with an ache." She is expressing the desire to leave behind a life that feels suffocating or unfulfilling, but acknowledging the pain that comes with taking that step.
Throughout the rest of the song, Pierlé wrestles with conflicting emotions about whether to pursue change or stay where she is. On the one hand, she recognizes that her reluctance to change is holding her back: "It's a shame, that I still hide my face, and that's a shame, in these trembling hands my fate." On the other hand, she also acknowledges that change can be scary and uncertain: "Maybe I don't know if I should change, a feeling that we share." This back-and-forth struggle is reflected in the melody of the song, which builds gradually and then drops off repeatedly, like the ebb and flow of a person's internal dialogue.
Ultimately, "Such a Shame" is a song about the human experience of feeling stuck and wanting to break free, but also being afraid of what lies ahead. Pierlé captures this struggle in a way that is both relatable and poignant, and the result is a song that lingers in the mind long after it is over.
Line by Line Meaning
Such a shame
It's a terrible pity
To believe in escape
Thinking that we can run away from our problems
A live on every face
Everyone's pretending to be happy
And that's a change
But things are different now
Till I finally left with an ache
I left feeling hurt
Tell me to relax
People want me to calm down
I just stare
But I can't stop thinking
Maybe I don't know if I should change
I'm not sure if I need to change
A feeling that we share
Something we all experience
It's a shame
It's really unfortunate
Number me with rage
I feel overwhelmed with anger
Number me in haste
I'm rushed and can't think straight
This eagerness to change
Wanting to change things quickly without thinking it through
That I still hide my face
I'm still afraid to face my problems
In these trembling hands my fate
I feel like my future is uncertain
Tells me to react
I feel pressured to do something
I don't care
But I don't really want to do anything
Right across my name
My reputation is at risk
Contributed by Liam C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@saravos3531
Such A Shame
( Talk Talk Cover )
Such a shame
To believe in escape
"A live on every face"
And that's a change
Till I finally left with the "8"
Tell me to relax
I just stare
Maybe I don't know if I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Number me in haste
Such a shame
This eagerness to change
It's a shame
I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake
The dice decide my fate
And that's a shame
In these trembling hands my faith
Tells me to react "I don't care"
Maybe it's unkind if I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Number me in haste
Such a shame
This eagerness to change
Such a shame
Tell me to relax
I just stare
Maybe I don't know if I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Number me in haste
It's a shame
Write across my name
"Such a shame"
This eagerness to change
It's a shame
Such a shame
@paullavan6098
This is a great cover of a truly great song. Talk Talk remain entirely unique.
@MrFloyd29
Version épurée, dans la lignée de ce que Mark Hollis a fait vers la fin de Talk Talk. Bien vu! Bel hommage à ce talent oublié.
@streenathalie2786
Pourtant fan de la version originale, j'adore celle-ci aussi...magnifique! ♥
@philonico
C'est magnifique j'adore!!!
@paulrecords7872
Beautiful version!!!
@sarahessid206
J adore ❤
@Pengochan
Great cover. Reminds me a little of Tori Amos, due to making not just a cover but totally her own version/interpretation of it.
@saravos3531
Such A Shame
( Talk Talk Cover )
Such a shame
To believe in escape
"A live on every face"
And that's a change
Till I finally left with the "8"
Tell me to relax
I just stare
Maybe I don't know if I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Number me in haste
Such a shame
This eagerness to change
It's a shame
I'm always on the run and I hate copy paste for god's sake
The dice decide my fate
And that's a shame
In these trembling hands my faith
Tells me to react "I don't care"
Maybe it's unkind if I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Number me in haste
Such a shame
This eagerness to change
Such a shame
Tell me to relax
I just stare
Maybe I don't know if I should change
A feeling that we share
It's a shame
Number me with rage
It's a shame
Number me in haste
It's a shame
Write across my name
"Such a shame"
This eagerness to change
It's a shame
Such a shame
@Apiedapie1
Geweldig! Veel en veel mooier dan het origineel. Hier zit gevoel in.
@marietteiung433
INCREDIBLE !! You must do other cover