The Band was founded together with Geir Jenssen. He left after the second album in 1990 and pursued a solo career in ambient music as Biosphere.
During the years from 1985 to present (2006) Bel Canto have been taking breaks as Anneli Drecker has pursued a solo career and done concerts with other bands and artists (including touring with A-Ha), as well as playing in films and theatre plays. Nils Johansen, on the other hand, has composed music for film and television as well as working and performing with his other band, Vajas.
21 Years after the band was founded they are still active. In the fall of 2006 they continued to do concerts, primarily in Norway.
In 2007 Bel Canto will continue to work together, both by writing new material and by doing more gigs. At the same time both Anneli Drecker and Nils Johansen will also work on other projects. Latest update by 2022 is that Bel Canto are currently working on their next album.
2) Bel Canto Choir from Lithuania.
Big Belly Butterflies
Bel Canto Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To coil around you tenderly feels like windows open wide, feels cold, fresh breeze
So, then why do tears roll down my cheeks, flow and flood the temple of my body's flesh and bones?
My body's flesh and bones
My body's flesh and bones
I want to give you more than I ever have
Somehow this is not my curse
The air, too thin, too many times recycled feels my big belly butterflies, feeds, grows too, wild
Do you want to see me cry?
Yeah, head bent, on my knees? No!
You know I have to let you know that I have to let you go
Sixteen rifts inside of me, inside this solid tube, inside is solitude, inside this solid tube...
Oh hopefully truth will make me free
Fly, you big belly butter, big jelly-belly butterflies
Is solitude
Inside they do
Inside too
My body's flesh and bones
My body's flesh and bones
Free
The lyrics of Bel Canto's "Big Belly Butterflies" seem to convey the desire to love and give oneself to someone else, despite the fear and vulnerability that comes with it. The opening line states this intention, but acknowledges that it takes courage and empathy to truly give love. The singer expresses their willingness to embrace their partner tenderly, which is described as feeling like windows opening wide but also with a cold, fresh breeze.
However, the chorus of the song reveals that despite this desire, the singer is struggling with intense emotions that are causing them to cry. It is unclear exactly what is causing these tears, but they seem to be connected to the singer's physical body, described as "the temple of my body's flesh and bones". This suggests that the emotion is deep and all-encompassing, not just something that is happening in the moment.
Later in the song, the singer suggests that the intensity of their feelings is like having "big belly butterflies", which could be interpreted as a mix of excitement and anxiety. They seem to be struggling to keep these feelings under control, and ask if their partner wants to see them cry. However, the final lines of the song suggest that the singer knows they need to let go of this intense emotion in order to move on and be free.
Overall, the song seems to be exploring themes of vulnerability, fear, and the desire for connection, but also the struggle to overcome intense emotions and move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to give you love but it takes some guts to have and hold with empathy
I desire to love you unconditionally, but it demands courage to understand and empathize with you.
To coil around you tenderly feels like windows open wide, feels cold, fresh breeze
Embracing you softly gives me immense joy and freshness, as if I am opening the windows of my soul to the world's beauty.
So, then why do tears roll down my cheeks, flow and flood the temple of my body's flesh and bones?
If I feel happy and content to love you, then why do my tears flow incessantly, flooding my body and soul with pain and sorrow?
My body's flesh and bones
My physical existence, my body.
I want to give you more than I ever have
Somehow this is not my curse
I wish to bestow you with everything I have, without any inhibitions, and yet it doesn't feel like a burden or a curse to me.
The air, too thin, too many times recycled feels my big belly butterflies, feeds, grows too, wild
The atmosphere around me feels suffocating and stale, triggering my anxiety and nervousness, making my big belly butterflies flutter wildly, almost ready to burst out.
Do you want to see me cry?
Yeah, head bent, on my knees? No!
Do you prefer seeing me vulnerable, broken and shattered, begging on my knees? No, I won't let you see me that way.
You know I have to let you know that I have to let you go
I want to confess that it's time for me to leave you, as I can't continue hurting and damaging myself anymore.
Sixteen rifts inside of me, inside this solid tube, inside is solitude, inside this solid tube...
There are sixteen divisions or conflicts inside me, trapped within this physical body, and each of them resides in isolation, within its own individual identity, within this solid container...
Oh hopefully truth will make me free
Fly, you big belly butter, big jelly-belly butterflies
I hope that by revealing the truth, I will gain my freedom and wings to fly away from here, leaving behind these big belly butterflies that plague me, heavy and burdensome as a slab of butter.
Is solitude
Inside they do
Inside too
Solitude exists within me, and each of those sixteen rifts has its own privacy and seclusion, residing in isolation within their respective space, which is also inside of me.
My body's flesh and bones
My body's flesh and bones
Free
My physical body exists, free from the emotional turmoil that has been brewing inside of me, in secrecy and isolation, all this time.
Contributed by Grace W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@munli686
one of the best band in the world !!!!
@texas4christ
i saw them open with this in the 90's, in brussels. still giving goosebumps. bel canto are as fabulous as anything
@HooLooVu
Yes, the world needs more of this musical mood.
@brionity
The greatest spine tingling song of the era.
@JohnIngalls
bittersweet memories...