Becky Hill was born on 14 February 1994. She began making music at the age of 14 and started performing in a band called Shaking Trees – receiving BBC Introducing support from Andrew Marston at BBC Hereford & Worcester who selected her band to perform at the Nozstock Festival of Performing Arts, as well as a live session for Adam Green and Josh Withey at BBC Radio Shropshire. Hill is a supporter of Walsall F.C. In April 2021, she came out as queer on her Twitter account, stating "I've definitely felt uncomfortable branding myself as straight, or anything else for that matter, but queer seems to be the most fitting identity for who I am". On 11 January 2022, Hill announced her engagement via social media to her long-term boyfriend, Charlie Gardner.
Hill has appeared in a number of live performances for YouTube, including a web series called The Rebelations. She auditioned for the first series of The Voice UK, and at the blind auditions she performed "Ordinary People". Judges Jessie J and will.i.am, the only coaches with an available space on their teams, turned around for her. She opted to join Jessie. In the battle rounds she competed against Indie and Pixie performing the song "Irreplaceable", she won the battle and progressed to the live shows. She got to the semi-final stage of the competition where she was eliminated.
Since appearing on The Voice UK, versions of David Guetta's "She Wolf" and "Not Giving In" by Rudimental have been published, as have covers of Paolo Nutini's "Last Request" and Alex Clare's "Too Close". Hill featured on Rudimental's track "Powerless", taken from their debut album Home. She also provided cover for Ella Eyre's vocals for Rudimental's set at Glastonbury 2013, Bestival 2013, Wakestock 2013 and Lovebox 2013. Hill provided vocals for and co-wrote Wilkinson's song Afterglow, which peaked at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart in October 2013, the song also peaked at number 1 on the UK Dance Chart. "Powerless" received a full single release on 23 February 2014. The song peaked at number 73 on the UK Singles Chart. Hill appeared on and co-wrote a vocal version of Oliver Heldens' "Gecko", renamed "Gecko (Overdrive)", alongside MNEK. The song topped the UK Singles Chart on 29 June 2014 thus making her the first The Voice UK contestant to achieve a number 1.
On 9 November 2014 she released a single, "Losing", which was produced by MNEK and intended to be the lead single from her solo album with then label Parlophone Records. The single debuted at number 56 on the UK Singles Chart. Hill co-wrote Australian recording artist Reigan Derry's debut single "All of the Pieces". In July 2015, French house producer Watermät released a vocal version of his track "Frequency" with Hill as joint lead artist. The track was renamed to "All My Love".
In early 2016, Hill announced that she was songwriting with CocknBullKid. In May 2016 she released her first proper single in two years, entitled "Back to My Love", featuring vocals from rapper Little Simz. It was said to be the lead single off of her debut album, but was later included in the Eko EP, released in August 2017. During the summer, she collaborated with a number of artists. Her first was with DJ and record producer MK on his single "Piece of Me". The second was with Matoma on his breakthrough single "False Alarm". In the late months of 2016, she announced a second single from her EP, entitled "Warm". It was co-written with MNEK and produced by Shift K3Y. In the end of March 2017, she released a third single, entitled "Rude Love". The song was co-written and produced by MNEK. The music video was released in April alongside the launch of her official VEVO channel on YouTube.
In May 2017, Hill signed a worldwide publishing deal with Sony/ATV and also guest presented an episode of CBBC's The Playlist. Following from this, Hill released a fourth single "Unpredictable" from the Eko EP, along with the EP itself in August 2017 as the final release from her own independent label Eko Music Limited. "Unpredictable" was co-written by Karen Poole and MNEK, who also produced the track.
Hill announced in August 2017 that she had signed a worldwide record deal with Polydor Records and expected to release her debut album in 2019. Upon signing her record deal, manager Alex Martin was quoted saying "Becky is at an incredibly exciting stage in her career. The public have only seen a small amount of Becky as a solo artist and what she can do and we were looking for the right partner to work with to take that further".
In 2018, she released the single "Sunrise in the East", which was treated as the lead cut from her supposedly rejuvenated debut project. Not long after, she appeared on songs including "Back & Forth", alongside Marc Kinchen and Jonas Blue. This continued in the following year with "I Could Get Used to This", with Weiss, and finally "Wish You Well", with Sigala, which became her first top 10 hit in the UK Charts since "Gecko (Overdrive)". She also wrote the song "All Day and Night" by Jax Jones, Martin Solveig and Madison Beer, which was her first written effort to make it to the top 10 in the UK Charts. On 6 July 2019, Hill performed at Pride in London on the Trafalgar Square stage.
On 24 September 2019, Hill announced on social media that she was going to be releasing a "mini-album" that Friday, with four new tracks. These four tracks were previously planned on being released on their own as an extended play, entitled Fickle Emotions, but the idea was scrapped before including them on a compilation album. The album, under the title Get to Know, was released on 27 September 2019.
On 6 December 2019, Hill released a cover of the Yazoo song, "Only You", dedicated to her grandfather, who had introduced her to The Flying Pickets' cover version of the song when she was young.
At the beginning of 2020, Hill supported Irish pop rock band The Script on their Sunsets & Full Moons tour in the UK and Ireland and performed some of her songs from Get to Know. In late March of that year, the rest of the dates were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
She released the next singles from her debut album Only Honest on the Weekend; "Better Off Without You" with Shift K3Y and "Heaven on My Mind" with Sigala, both of which reached number fourteen on the UK Singles Chart. Follow up single "Space" peaked at seventy-nine, though this later did not make the final tracklist.
In April, she collaborated with Tiesto on the song "Nothing Really Matters" which was later released through Tiesto's seventh album The London Sessions, where she featured on another song called "Over You". In June, she premiered a Spotify podcast called "The Art of Rave" with features such as Pete Tong, Sister Bliss and DJ Zinc.
In November, she covered Alphaville's "Forever Young" for the UK's McDonald's Christmas advert. The track became her first song without a joint credit to reach the UK Top 40, when it peaked at number thirty-five.
Beginning in 2021, Hill released the singles "Last Time" and "Remember" with French DJ David Guetta. They peaked at number thirty-nine and number three respectively, the latter becoming Hill's fourth top-ten hit.
On 15 July 2021, Hill teased the release of her debut album, Only Honest on the Weekend, with a trailer on her Instagram featuring previously unreleased songs "My Heart Goes (La Di Da)" with Topic and "Through the Night" with 220 Kid. The tracklist was later confirmed in full by Official Charts. The album was originally planned to be released on 20 August 2021. Hill explained that the album would be delayed 1 week, and released on 27 August 2021 to let "My Heart Goes (La Di Da)" shine on the UK charts. Released as the final single from the album, the song spent four weeks at number 11 becoming Hill's ninth top-20 single.
Additionally, on 25 August 2021, days before the release of Only Honest on the Weekend, a "Kiss My (Uh Oh)" Girl Power Remix was released that Hill featured on along with Anne-Marie, Little Mix, Raye and Stefflon Don.
On 25 January 2022, Hill announced that she will release a song with Wilkinson 9 years after their previous hit "Afterglow". The song is called "Here For You" and it was released on 11 February 2022. She later released "Run", a collaboration with Swedish EDM duo Galantis was released on 25 February 2022. This was followed by a deluxe edition of her debut album Only Honest on the Weekend. It included singles "Space", "Run" with Galantis, "Hold On" with Netsky and "Here For You" with Wilkinson, the song "Personally" and the acoustic version of "Remember".
On 8 April 2022, Hill collaborated with David Guetta and Ella Henderson on the song "Crazy What Love Can Do". In July 2022, she performed at the closing ceremony of UEFA Women's Euro 2022 at Wembley Stadium, after which she was trolled online due to the silver leotard she wore for the performance. She also performed during the beach volleyball events at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
On 5 August 2022, Hill collaborated with British DJ Joel Corry on the song "History".
Only You
Becky Hill Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's like a story of love
Can you hear me?
Came back only yesterday
I'm moving farther away
Want you near me
All I needed was the love you gave
And all I ever knew
Only you
Sometimes when I think of this night
When it's only a game
And I need you
Listen to the words that you say
It's getting harder to stay
When I see you
Oh, all I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew (Ever knew)
Only you (Only you, only you)
All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew (Ever knew)
Only you (Only you)
This is gonna take a long time
And I wonder what's mine
Can't take no more (Can't take no more)
Wonder if you'll understand
It's just the touch of your hand
Behind a closed door
All I needed was the love you gave
All I needed for another day
And all I ever knew
Only you
Only you
Becky Hill's "Only You" is an emotional ballad about the pain and longing of lost love. The first verse takes the listener through a moment of nostalgia where the singer recalls looking out of a window and escaping into a story of love. She wonders if her partner can hear her thinking of the past, emphasizing her desire to be near to them once again. The chorus repeats the phrase "all I ever knew, only you" which emphasizes the importance of this person in her life. In the second verse, Hill admits that it's "only a game" and that it's getting harder to keep going, but she's still holding on tight to the memories of their love. She wonders if they'll ever understand how she feels and the bridge emphasizes the agony of lost love, saying "This is gonna take a long time, and I wonder what's mine, can't take no more."
Overall, Becky Hill's "Only You" captures the raw feeling of heartache and longing for someone who is no longer present. The nostalgic imagery and repeating chorus solidify the importance of this person in the singer's life, and the repeated verse about needing just their love emphasizes that all she ever needed was them.
Line by Line Meaning
Looking from a window above
Observing from high above, like a third party, watching a love story unfold
It's like a story of love
The situation feels like a typical love story
Can you hear me?
The singer is asking if the listener can empathize with the story being told
Came back only yesterday
The artist recently returned after leaving for a period of time
I'm moving farther away
Despite recently returning, the artist is already distancing themselves again
Want you near me
Despite the distance, the singer desires to be physically close to the other person
All I needed was the love you gave
The singer requires the other person's love to feel fulfilled
All I needed for another day
The other person's love is enough to get them through the day
And all I ever knew
The artist's knowledge and experience in life is centered around the other person's love
Only you
The other person is the only one they need in their life
Sometimes when I think of this night
When reflecting on this specific moment or experience
When it's only a game
The artist feels like their emotions and actions are not taken seriously by the other person
And I need you
Despite feeling like a game to the other person, the singer still wants the other person to be there for them
Listen to the words that you say
The singer wants the other person to pay attention to how their words and actions affect them
It's getting harder to stay
The difficulty of staying in this situation is becoming more prominent for the singer
When I see you
The other person's presence and actions are a significant factor in the artist's emotions and thoughts
This is gonna take a long time
The artist feels like it will take a while to work through their feelings and situation
And I wonder what's mine
The singer is questioning what they want and what belongs to them in this situation
Can't take no more (Can't take no more)
The singer has reached a breaking point and cannot continue with the current situation
Wonder if you'll understand
Despite the frustration and confusion, the artist still hopes that the other person will empathize and understand their feelings
It's just the touch of your hand
Small, physical gestures from the other person mean a lot to the artist
Behind a closed door
Privacy is important for the intimacy between the two people
Only you
Despite the confusion and uncertainty, the other person is still the only one the singer wants and needs
Writer(s): Vince Clarke
Contributed by Taylor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@thornerg2
It makes me sad that we can't actually hear the echo and reverb from this performance in that massive space. I bet it was beautiful.
@azizah4002
First heard this cover on love island and I love it so much😍😍💕
@TwoLadsandaLaptop
A tough song to cover given the debut singer's credentials - but you have absolutely 'nailed it' and bought a personal touch that enhances the song's ongoing narrative. Love it!!
@markrussell8058
One of the best songs Vince Clarke has given the world thanks sir Vince
@billyjoetully3337
Brilliant thanks u X ❤
@retrorobodog
😁I like coming back to this song in this performance.
@kamal9802
Thank you Vince Clarke for composing this song over 40 years ago ... and thank you Alison Moyet for your beautiful voice and thank you Becky Hill for your cover of this song
@adskibigman7639
Becky You Are A 💝
@dogshowish
What beautiful song really emotional makes think of the unfortunate children and. Adults life
@EAZTHARLEM
BECKY HILL 🌹
❤