Armand Van Helden is a house music artist and music remixer whose biggest c… Read Full Bio ↴Armand Van Helden is a house music artist and music remixer whose biggest commercial successes came from his remixes of the 1996 Tori Amos song "Professional Widow", which reached the top of the UK singles chart, and his own track "You Don't Know Me" which was Number 1 in the UK in January 1999.

Van Helden was born in Boston on February 17, 1970 to a Dutch-Indonesian father and a French-Lebanese mother, but travelled around the world as a child spending time in the Netherlands, Turkey and Italy, as his father was a member of the US Air Force. At the age of thirteen, he bought a drum machine and started DJing two years later.

He returned to Boston in 1988 but also moonlighted as a DJ in Boston clubs. He attended Boston University. He quit his legal review job in 1989 to work as a remixer/producer for Mega-Mixx Productions DJ Remix Service (co-founded by his long time manager, Neil Petricone) where he reworked and re-edited a number of club records for the DJ-only service, including Shawn Christopher's "Another Sleepless Night." He also took up an occupancy at 'The Loft', Boston's leading nightclub.

Mega-Mixx's success was short lived. Mismanagement brought the company to a halt in early 1991. Later that year, he and Petricone, along with founding A&R coordinator, Tony Zeoli, launched X-Mix Productions, a similar DJ Remix service, which still exists today (http://www.xmix.com). Catching the attention of legendary Strictly Rhythm and Nervous Records A&R guru, Glady Pizarro, in 1992 Van Helden released his first official single "Stay On My Mind" under the psuedonym Deep Creed, through Nervous Records.

He released "Move It To the Left" (credited to Sultans of Swing) in 1992 on the Strictly Rhythm label, which became a moderate club hit. His first track to make the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart was "Witch Doktor" which made the top 5 in 1994.

The success of "Witch Doktor" led to opportunities to remix acts such as The Real McCoy ("Another Night", New Order ("Bizarre Love Triangle"), Blondie ("Atomic), Capella ("U Got To Know"), Lightning Seeds ("Jackie Lucky"), Deep Forest ("Marta's Song"), Jimmy Somerville ("Heartbeat"), Deee-Lite ("Dewdrops In The Garden") and Faithless ("Insomnia"). However, it was the "Professional Widow" remix that established him and became a dance hit around the world as well as a number one hit in the UK. Unfortunately, Van Helden did not receive a penny for this mix as he presented it uncommissioned, and thus was not entitled to compensation. However, it led to work remixing The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears and Puff Daddy as well as Daft Punk and the Sneaker Pimps, and adding to his reputation as one of the world's top house musicians.

Within dance music circles, Van Helden is widely credited for the introduction of the U.K. bred Speed Garage sound to the U.S. club scene with incredible set of remixes. The sound, identifiable by its deep bass subtones, long melodic breaks, and devestatingly hard hitting beats are exemplified in the following remixes beginning in 1995 with Jimmy Somerville "Heartbeat"; CJ Bolland's "Sugar Is Sweeter"; Faithless "Insomnia"; Tori Amos "Professional Widow"; Apollo 440 "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub"; and Sneaker Pimps "Spin, Spin, Sugar."

"Cha Cha" was another top ten dance hit from his first album Old School Junkies released in 1996, along with "The Funk Phenomena". A greatest hits album appeared the next year followed by a breakbeat album later in 1997. "U Don't Know Me," a collaboration with vocalist Duane Harden from the album, "2 Futur 4 U," was a number two hit on the Billboard dance chart, a Number one in the UK and a top 20 single on the pop charts in Australia and Canada.

In 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, Armand Van Helden explained, "You Don't Know Me was a perfect example of putting 2 simple things together, the beats from Jaydee's Plastic Dreams and a disco loop from Carrie Lucas."

Van Helden released the Killing Puritans album in 2000 which contained the dance hit "Koochy". His single "Why Can't You Spend Some Time" made the number 34 in the UK in 2001. His New York: A Mix Odyssey album released in 2004 produced two hits:

* "Hear my Name" reached number 7 on the Billboard dance chart, was top 30 on world and internet charts, made number 34 in the UK, and reached the top 40 in Australia; and
* "My My My" reached number 4 on the world internet charts, number 5 in the Belgian and Dutch charts, number 6 in Australia, number 15 in the UK and top 30 in the world dance charts.

In 2010 Van Helden teamed with A-Trak to form the duo Duck Sauce. They had an international smash hit with "Barbra Streisand," which used an ingenious sample from Boney M.

Owner of a Lonely Heart
Armand van Helden Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Move yourself
You always live your life
Never thinking of the future
Prove yourself
You are the move you make
Take your chances win or loser

See yourself

You are the steps you take
You and you, and that's the only way

Shake, shake yourself
You're every move you make
So the story goes

Owner of a lonely heart
Owner of a lonely heart
Much better than a
Owner of a broken heart
Owner of a lonely heart

Say - you don't want to chance it
You've been hurt so before

Watch it now
The eagle in the sky
How he dancin' one and only
You, lose yourself
No not for pity's sake
There's no real reason to be lonely
Be yourself
Give your free will a chance
You've got to want to succeed

Owner of a lonely heart
Owner of a lonely heart
Much better than a
Owner of a broken heart
Owner of a lonely heart

Owner of a lonely heart

After my own indecision
They confused me so
Owner of a lonely heart
My love said never question your will at all
In the end you've got to go
Look before you leap
Owner of a lonely heart
And don't you hesitate at all - no no

Owner of a lonely heart
Owner of a lonely heart
Much better than a
Owner of a broken heart
Owner of a lonely heart

Owner of a lonely heart
Owner of a lonely heart
Much better than a
Owner of a broken heart
Owner of a lonely heart

Owner of a lonely heart

Sooner or later each conclusion
Will decide the lonely heart
Owner of a lonely heart
It will excite it will delight
It will give a better start
Owner of a lonely heart

Don't deceive your free will at all
Don't deceive your free will at all
Owner of a lonely heart

Don't deceive your free will at all
Just receive it

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Armand van Helden’s “Owner of a Lonely Heart” encourages independence and self-discovery through taking risks and exploring one’s own identity. The first stanza focuses on the importance of living in the present and shaping one’s own future by making bold moves and taking risks, regardless of whether one wins or loses in the end. The second stanza emphasizes the idea of being true to oneself, and that there is no need to feel lonely when one is confident in who they are, have faith in one’s abilities, and are willing to take advantage of opportunities to succeed. The chorus repeats the phrase “Owner of a lonely heart,” suggesting that one should aim to be the owner of a heart that may be alone but is confident, independent, and content.

The lyrics of “Owner of a Lonely Heart” capture the spirit of embracing change, taking risks, and pursuing one’s dreams, while also encouraging the listener to not be deceived by their own insecurities or the opinions of others. By affirming the power of individuality and taking control of one’s own destiny, the song creates an uplifting yet introspective journey of self-discovery and self-affirmation.

Line by Line Meaning

Move yourself
Take action and make changes in your life

You always live your life
You constantly experience life and are living it

Never thinking of the future
You don't consider the consequences of your current actions

Prove yourself
Demonstrate that you are capable and competent

You are the move you make
You are defined by the actions you take

Take your chances win or loser
Take risks and accept the outcome, whether it's a win or a loss

See yourself
Take an introspective look at yourself

You are the steps you take
You are shaped by the choices and actions you make

You and you, and that's the only way
The course of your life is determined solely by your own efforts

Shake, shake yourself
Wake yourself up and take control of your life

You're every move you make
Your life is entirely made up of the choices you make

So the story goes
These are the facts of life

Owner of a lonely heart
One who possesses a heart that is lacking in companionship

Much better than a
A preferable scenario to having

Owner of a broken heart
One who possesses a heart that is shattered and damaged

Say - you don't want to chance it
You express that you are hesitant and do not want to take a risk

You've been hurt so before
In the past, you have sustained emotional injuries

Watch it now
Be aware of your surroundings

The eagle in the sky
The bird soaring above

How he dancin' one and only
The bird is dancing in his own unique way

You, lose yourself
Become immersed in yourself

No not for pity's sake
Do not do it out of sympathy for yourself

There's no real reason to be lonely
There is no valid cause for feeling isolated or alone

Be yourself
Act according to how you genuinely feel and who you truly are

Give your free will a chance
Use your freedom to make your own choices, without any influence

You've got to want to succeed
You must have a strong desire to achieve your goals

After my own indecision
Following my own hesitation

They confused me so
They made me feel bewildered and uncertain

My love said never question your will at all
The person I love advised me to have faith in your own choices

In the end you've got to go
Ultimately, you must move forward

Look before you leap
Consider the possible consequences before taking action

And don't you hesitate at all - no no
Do not hesitate, not even for a moment

Sooner or later each conclusion
Eventually, every issue will be resolved

Will decide the lonely heart
The ultimate cause and reason for feeling isolated or alone will become clear

It will excite it will delight
It will evoke positive and enthusiastic emotions

It will give a better start
It will provide a favorable new beginning

Don't deceive your free will at all
Do not mislead yourself by ignoring or opposing your own free will

Just receive it
Embrace and accept it

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., CARLIN AMERICA INC
Written by: TREVOR RABIN, TREVOR HORN, JON ANDERSON, CHRIS SQUIRE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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