Anouk has released twelve studio albums to date, the most recent one being Wen d'r maar aan, released on 12 October 2018. She represented the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest 2013 in Malmö, Sweden, with the song "Birds". Her song made it to the final – the first since 2004 for the Netherlands; and finished 9th with 114 points.
Musical style
Anouk's musical style has been described as a combination of Joan Osborne, Melissa Etheridge and Alanis Morissette. She is known for explosive rock songs like "Nobody's Wife" and "R U Kiddin' Me", but has also made small and fragile songs like "Lost" and "Michel". In addition to her pop/rock sound she also experiments with soul, funk and hip hop.
Personal life
Anouk was married to her manager Edwin Jansen until 1998. She married Remon Stotijn (aka The Anonymous Mis), frontman of the reggae/rap band Postmen, on 16 March 2004. Stotijn is the father of three of her children; son Benjahmin Kingsley (b. 18 April 2002), son Elijah Jeramiah (b. 5 December 2003) and daughter Phoenix Ray (b. 3 June 2005). In May 2008, Anouk and Remon announced a "harmonious" mutual separation. In 2010 Anouk gave birth to her fourth child, a son named Jesiah Dox. Her son Sion Jethro was born in June 2014. In June 2016, she gave birth to her sixth child, a baby girl, Jelizah Rose, with her current partner, mixed martial artist and former basketball player Dominique Schemmekes.
I'm a Cliche
Anouk Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Living a lie, I couldn't go on another day
There must have been a way to busy adoring you
It's over, oh oh
I hear hello, holding on my phone and I can't recall
That I ever felt this sad in my whole life before
My blood runs cold and honestly
These days are just way to bright
I need a reason to believe
'Cause I keep telling myself
That we are still in love
Even though you took off and broke my heart
And letting me know that I ain't the one you're looking for
Oehh, why do I keep telling myself
That we are still in love
Even though you took off and broke my heart
And letting me know that I ain't the one you need, no
We're talking all night to a filthy sky and some rain
I'm tryin' to find just little bits of yesterday
I guess you never knew how much I needed you, ooh
It's over
And handle it, covering my eye so I can see
Something's angels always what they seem to be
Things in my mind keep flashing by
What's going on, what the hell is going on
These days are just way to bright
I need a reason to believe, yeah
'Cause I keep telling myself
That we are still in love
Even though you took off and broke my heart
And letting me know that I ain't the one you're looking for
Ooh, why do I keep telling myself
That we are still in love
Even though you took off and broke my heart
And letting me know that I ain't the one you need, no
Ooohhhh, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
Oohhh, no
We're living a lie, baby, oh
We're living a lie, baby
We're living a lie, baby
We're living a lie, baby
We're living a lie, now
Lie now, heeyy, he-he-he-he
He-he-he-he
He-he-he-he
We're living a lie
We're living a lie, hey
We're living a lie, baby
We're living a lie, baby
The lyrics of Anouk's song "I'm a Cliche" deal with the aftermath of a failed relationship. The singer is struggling to come to terms with the fact that the person they loved has left them and is no longer interested in them. Despite this, they are still holding onto the idea that they are still in love and trying to find reasons to believe that things will work out. The use of the phrase "living a lie" suggests that the singer may have been aware that the relationship was not healthy or sustainable but continued to pursue it anyway.
The refrain of the song where the singer asks, "why do I keep telling myself that we are still in love, even though you took off and broke my heart?" is particularly poignant. It highlights the tendency that people have to hold onto unhealthy relationships even when they know it's not good for them. The use of the word "cliche" in the song's title also suggests that the singer sees their situation as a stereotypical and overused narrative of failed love.
Overall, Anouk's lyrics in "I'm a Cliche" offer a candid and emotionally honest exploration of love, loss, and the difficulties of moving on from an unhealthy relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
It's not what I needed or what I wanted, but then again
I didn't get what I wanted but maybe it's for the best
Living a lie, I couldn't go on another day
Pretending was too much to handle for me
There must have been a way to busy adoring you
I was so blinded by my love for you that I didn't see the truth
It's over, oh oh
Our relationship has come to an end
I hear hello, holding on my phone and I can't recall
I'm feeling so empty that I can't remember the last time I felt this sad
That I ever felt this sad in my whole life before
This is the saddest I've ever been in my life
My blood runs cold and honestly
I feel numb and alone
I feel lonely, baby, so lonely, baby
I'm feeling so lonely without you
These days are just way too bright
Everything seems too happy when I'm feeling so sad
I need a reason to believe
I need something to hold onto to get through this
Cause I keep telling myself
I'm trying to convince myself
That we are still in love
That we still have a chance at love
Even though you took off and broke my heart
Even though you left me and hurt me
And letting me know that I ain't the one you're looking for
And making it clear that you don't want me
We're talking all night to a filthy sky and some rain
We talked through the night under a stormy sky
I'm tryin' to find just little bits of yesterday
I'm searching for any reminder of our past together
I guess you never knew how much I needed you, ooh
You never realized how important you were to me
And handle it, covering my eye so I can see
I'm trying to deal with this but it's hard to face
Something's angels always what they seem to be
Things aren't always as they appear
Things in my mind keep flashing by
Memories keep coming to mind
What's going on, what the hell is going on
I can't make sense of what's happening
We're living a lie, baby, oh
Our relationship is based on falsehood
Ooohhhh, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey
vocalization
Oohhh, no
I don't want this to be happening
We're living a lie, now
Our relationship is based on lies
We're living a lie
We're not being truthful with ourselves or each other
We're living a lie, hey
We're pretending everything is okay when it's not
We're living a lie, baby
Our love is not real
We're living a lie, baby
Our love is not true
Contributed by Maya E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.