Her debut album, Cheers to the Fall, was released on August 28, 2015. The album was produced by Adrian Gurvitz and Raphael Saadiq.
She was also featured in Rolling Stone's "10 New Artists You Need to Know" for July 2015. NPR's Katie Presley has praised her singing by saying it has "Eartha Kitt's unflappable confidence, Amy Winehouse's effortless grasp of classic jazz, Billie Holiday's access to raw emotion and Adele's range and pop sensibility."
On December 7, 2015 Day received two nominations at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards including Best R&B Performance for "Rise Up" and Best R&B Album for "Cheers to the Fall".
GOLD
Andra Day Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He had hard lessons for the kid
I could offer you true hell he put me under the same spell
He lied and he stressed me out
You love me like a precious gift
And he loved me like a sloppy kiss
You would tell me your heart aches
Oh why did I let you drown
Baby, would you believe that I been broken
You say memories again and again
I see the reel now it's real to me
I gave up gold for grains of sand
Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand, hand
Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand, hand
You had no problems with commitment
Like a king is loyal to what's his
You look for a ring to fit
while I played wifey with the kids
Oh the irony makes me sick
He tried to make me look crazy
Nothing new about his kind of scheme
I laugh when I think about his face
when truth nearly spilled out
He looked like me I get that now
But Baby, would you believe that I been broken
You say memories again and again
I see the reel now it's real to me
I gave up gold for grains of sand
Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand, hand
Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand, hand
Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand, hand
Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand, hand
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Baby, would you believe that I been broken
You say memories again and again
I see the reel now it's real to me
I gave up gold for grains of sand
Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand, hand
Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand, hand
Slippin' through my hand, ooh
Slippin' through my hand, hand
(Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand)
(Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand)
(Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand)
(Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand)
The lyrics of "Gold" by Andra Day speak of a relationship that was toxic and damaging, but the singer persevered, only to realize that she had wasted her time and effort on something that was not worth it. The singer had someone in her life who she called "the teacher" who had hard lessons for her as a young person. It is suggested that this person caused her pain and put her under a spell, but she stayed with him anyway because she did not know better, or because he made her feel like she was the only one who could save him. This relationship is juxtaposed against her current one, where her partner loves her like a precious gift, whereas her previous partner loved her like a sloppy kiss.
Day sings about how her current partner shares his heartaches, and only now can she understand the pain he must have been going through, as the previous partner had put her through the ringer. She regrets letting this person into her life, and giving up something as valuable as gold, for grains of sand. The song ends with a plea to her current partner to believe that she has been broken, and to understand that memories of her past relationship still haunt her.
Line by Line Meaning
He don't know I call him the teacher
The person being referred to in the song is unaware of being called โthe teacherโ by the singer
He had hard lessons for the kid
The teacher was harsh to the kid and taught them tough lessons
I could offer you true hell he put me under the same spell
The singer was put under a spell by the teacher and she is willing to tell the listener about all the pain he caused her
He lied and he stressed me out
The teacher was a liar and caused the singer a lot of stress
You love me like a precious gift
The person the singer is addressing loves her genuinely and considers her a precious gift
And he loved me like a sloppy kiss
The teacher's love was careless and lacking affection compared to the person the singer is addressing now
You would tell me your heart aches
The person the singer is addressing now is open about their emotions and shares their heartaches with her
now I understand the pain
The singer now has a better understanding of the pain she went through in her past relationships
Oh why did I let you drown
The singer regrets letting herself drown in the toxic and unhealthy relationship with the teacher
Baby, would you believe that I been broken
The singer is confessing to the person she is addressing now that she has been broken and hurt in the past
You say memories again and again
The person the singer is addressing now keeps bringing up memories of their past together
I see the reel now it's real to me
The singer now has a clearer picture of her past, and it feels more real to her now
I gave up gold for grains of sand
The singer sacrificed something valuable (gold) for something less valuable (grains of sand) in her past relationship with the teacher
Slippin' through my hand, hand, hand, hand
The grains of sand (less valuable things) slip through the singer's hand and are easily lost
You had no problems with commitment
The person the singer is addressing now is loyal and committed to their relationship
Like a king is loyal to what's his
The person the singer is addressing now is fiercely loyal and committed to their significant other, just like a king is devoted to his kingdom
You look for a ring to fit
The person the singer is addressing now is committed to the relationship and is looking for the perfect ring to signify their love
while I played wifey with the kids
The singer was playing the role of a motherly figure (referring to the kids) in her past relationship with the teacher
Oh the irony makes me sick
The singer realizes the irony of her past actions and feels sick about it
He tried to make me look crazy
The teacher attempted to manipulate and gaslight the singer by making her seem crazy
Nothing new about his kind of scheme
The teacher's manipulative tactics were not new and were commonly used by people like him
I laugh when I think about his face
The singer laughs when she thinks about the teacher's face when he almost revealed the truth
when truth nearly spilled out
The truth about the teacher almost came out, but it didn't
He looked like me I get that now
The singer realizes that the teacher and she look alike
Slippin' through my hand, ooh
The grains of sand (less valuable things) continue to slip through the singer's hand in the present too, emphasizing the importance of valuing what you have right now
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Raphael Saadiq, Cassandra Monique Batie, Chris Seefried
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jiyu Kim
He don't know I call him the teacher
He had hard lessons for the kid
I could offer you true helly put me under the same spell
He lied and he stressed me out
You love me like a precious gift
And he loved me like a sloppy kiss
You would tell me your heart aches,ย
now I understand the pain
Oh why did I let you drown
Baby, what you believe that I been broken
You say memories again and again
I see the real and it's real to me
I gave upย goldย for grains of sand
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands
You had no problems with commitment
Like a king is loyal to honesties
You look for a ring to fit,ย
while I played wify with the kids
Oh the irony makes me sick
He tried to make me look crazy
Nothing new about his kind of scheme
I laugh when I think about his faceย
when the truth now is spilled out
He looked like me I get that now
But Baby, what you believe that I been broken
You say memories again and again
I see the real and it's real to me
I gave upย goldย for grains of sand
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, handsย
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, handsย
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, handsย
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, handsย
Ah, ah, ah, ah
But Baby, what you believe that I been broken
You say memories again and again
I see the real and it's real to me
I gave upย goldย for grains of sand
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands...
Tonya Provost
I can't believe I'm just now discovering Andra Day!!! Where have I been!!! Under a rock!!! ๐ณ๐๐She is a BEAST !!! Her voice is indescribable!! A combination of Bille, Amy, Erykah, Nina, Etta all mixed up in one!!! She's just the ๐ฉ
Clarissa Alexandria
So mad Im just now finding out about this woman, her voice is so beautiful
Shanomae Milling
I'm finding out now and I'm so pissed
DJ The Man
I'm just finding her now!!!
Tonya Provost
I'm obsessed with Andra Day now!!! Can't get enough of her sound...๐๐๐๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ๐ฅฐ
TheColorOfCaramel
This has become my favorite song by her. I truly wish her the best, because in the music business that pushes young women to act sexy to sell records and the R&B stations [and other stations] play the same formats. I've seen artists like her get lost in the shuffle, cause the record companies don't know how to market them, so you wind up losingย artists with unique gifts & voices, like her. Hopefully Sia hears her one day and want to write for her, I think they would do well together or maybe Pharrell.
Jiyu Kim
He don't know I call him the teacher
He had hard lessons for the kid
I could offer you true helly put me under the same spell
He lied and he stressed me out
You love me like a precious gift
And he loved me like a sloppy kiss
You would tell me your heart aches,ย
now I understand the pain
Oh why did I let you drown
Baby, what you believe that I been broken
You say memories again and again
I see the real and it's real to me
I gave upย goldย for grains of sand
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands
You had no problems with commitment
Like a king is loyal to honesties
You look for a ring to fit,ย
while I played wify with the kids
Oh the irony makes me sick
He tried to make me look crazy
Nothing new about his kind of scheme
I laugh when I think about his faceย
when the truth now is spilled out
He looked like me I get that now
But Baby, what you believe that I been broken
You say memories again and again
I see the real and it's real to me
I gave upย goldย for grains of sand
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, handsย
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, handsย
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, handsย
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, handsย
Ah, ah, ah, ah
But Baby, what you believe that I been broken
You say memories again and again
I see the real and it's real to me
I gave upย goldย for grains of sand
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands
Slipin' through my hand, hand, hand, hands...
Picturaled
Thatโs for most of the lyrics I couldnโt find a video on it :)
Diulayne Soares
OMG ๐๐ค๐
Deja Cason
close but incorrect