Dennis achieved her first success as a vocalist with Dancin' Danny D's dance project D Mob, when their single "C'mon and Get My Love" reached #15 in the UK Singles Chart and #10 in the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990. Originally, it had only reached #93 (UK). It is regarded as an underground classic in the dance music field, and a second collaboration with D Mob, "That's The Way Of The World," was also a major dance hit. It was followed by Dennis' debut album, Move to This.
She subsequently scored three solo Top 20 UK / Top 10 U.S. hits and had considerable success in Japan in the early 1990s with "Just Another Dream" (#13 UK, #9 U.S., #14 Australia), "Touch Me (All Night Long)" (#5 UK, #2 U.S., #16 Australia), which is probably her most remembered hit to date, and "Too Many Walls" (#17 UK, #8 U.S., #57 Australia).
Subsequent releases were only minor hits. Her final Top 40 hit in the U.S. was "You Lied to Me" in 1992, and her final Top 40 hit in the UK was "Waterloo Sunset", which made #11 during 1997. That same year her last solo single "When Your Dreams Turn To Dust", peaked in the UK at #43.
"Touch Me (All Night Long)" stayed at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, and was kept out of the #1 spot by Hi-Five's "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)" the first week and Mariah Carey's "I Don't Wanna Cry" the second week. The song was a cover of a 1985 single by Wish featuring Fonda Rae, which had hit #70 on the U.S. R&B chart that year. "Touch Me" did reach #1 on the U.S. Dance chart, and its follow-up, "Too Many Walls," which Dennis co-wrote with Anne Dudley of Art of Noise, was a #1 Adult Contemporary hit. It was around this time Dennis agreed to join MTV Club's first tour, booked for six weeks. She dropped out on the third date, later publicly accussing one of Milli Vanilli's members (the tour's headline act) of sexual harassment.
Dennis released her second album, Into The Skyline, in December 1992 written with an aim toward the U.S. market. The album featured the singles "You Lied To Me", "Irresistible", "Falling" and "Why [D Mob with Cathy Dennis]". The album got to #8 in the UK, whilst in the U.S., "You Lied to Me" was a Top 40 hit and "Irresistible" made the Adult Contemporary Top Ten; however, the album descended the chart rapidly. Dennis experienced a brief peak of fame, making a cameo in Beverly Hills 90210 singing the song "Moments of Love" (a minor U.S. AC chart hit), "Why" and "Touch Me (All Night Long)". In Japan the album was called Into the Skyline +1, and featured three extra tracks, "Nothing Moves Me", a previous b-side, and two tracks that were both released as singles, "It's My Style" and "Love's a Cradle."
Dennis started to record her third album Inspiration. The title track was recorded with Todd Terry, along with another song "Is There Life After You", plus other songs as yet unknown. She decided to stop recording this album and only two songs have ever been released, "Find the Key to Your Life" with David Morales for the then-popular movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and "SOS", which can be found on the Beverley Hills 90210, The College Years soundtrack.
Dennis made her first attempt at co-writing a song for Dannii Minogue called "Love's on Every Corner".
In 1996 Dennis changed musical track away from the dance-pop sound of previous releases, to a more traditional singer-songwriter approach. The resulting album Am I the Kind of Girl? was more in keeping with the Britpop sound of bands such as Blur and performers such as Stephen Duffy, and featured collaborations with Guy Chambers of The Lemon Trees and Andy Partridge of XTC. However, even though a couple of singles charted in the UK (including a Number 11 cover of Ray Davies' "Waterloo Sunset"), the album failed to make much inroads into the album charts.
Dennis' last release appeared on the OST Robin Hood Men in Tights singing "Marian (Duet Version) - Cathy Dennis & Lance Ellington".
In recent years, her greatest success has come as a songwriter: in 1996 she co-wrote "Bumper to Bumper", which was the B-Side to Spice Girls' first hit single "Wannabe". Five of her compositions have reached number one in Britain. "Never Had a Dream Come True" and "Have You Ever" (both recorded by S Club 7), "Anything Is Possible" (recorded by Will Young), and "Toxic" (recorded by Britney Spears) all reached number one, with "Toxic" and "Never Had a Dream Come True" also hitting the Top 10 in the United States. Her highest-selling composition, "Can't Get You Out of My Head" (recorded by Kylie Minogue), spent four weeks at number one in Britain, rekindled interest in Minogue in America, where it hit #7 on the Hot 100, and sold over three million copies worldwide to become the world's second highest selling single in 2001. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" also won Dennis an Ivor Novello Award for the year's most performed composition. She also won this award two years later for "Anything Is Possible" (Cathy Dennis, Chris Braide).
She co-wrote the Pop Idol theme for the television series, and in Britain and the United States contestants Will Young, Gareth Gates, Kelly Clarkson, and Clay Aiken have recorded her songs as their first singles. Other artists who have recorded her songs include Dannii Minogue, Delta Goodrem, Céline Dion, Spice Girls, Emma Bunton, Ronan Keating, Rachel Stevens, Hear'Say, S Club Juniors, P!nk, Janet Jackson, Brooke Hogan, Michelle McManus, Hooverphonic, Jentina, Thalia, Katy Perry, Rosin Murphy, Heidi Montag, David Cook, Le Toya Lucket.
She has recently collaborated with the British singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor, and song-writer Greg Kurstin, on a track called "Catch You". Ellis-Bextor's album entitled Trip the Light Fantastic is set to be released in early 2007 through Fascination Records.
According to news reports, Dennis was working on a new album under the name Sexcassettes which she planned for a 2008 release. The albums' first single, "Killer Love" was also to be released before the end of 2008. There is currently no news information avaliable about this project.
Too Many Walls
Cathy Dennis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dream of the good times that we never knew.
No late nights alone in your arms.
I'll dream on. Living in wonder, thinking of you.
Still looking for ways to uncover the truth.
You're so young is all they can say.
They don't know,
If I could change the way of the world I'd be your girl.
Too many walls have been built in between us.
Too many dreams have been shattered around us.
If I seem to give up they'd still never win.
Deep in my heart I know the strength is within.
Watching the others chances drift by.
They'll never discover these feelings I hide.
Deep inside I'm falling apart.
All alone with a broken heart.
Thinking in silence is all they allow.
These words still unspoken may never be found.
All these dreams one day will be mine.
They cross my mind.
My time has yet to come. Until then.
Deep in my heart I know the strength is within.
Too many walls have been built in between us.
Too many dreams have been shattered around us.
If I seem to give up they'd still never win.
Deep in my heart I know the strength is within.
Too many walls have been built in between us.
Too many dreams have been shattered around us.
If I seem to give up they'd still never win.
Deep in my heart I know the strength is within.
Too many walls have been built in between us.
Too many dreams have been shattered around us.
If I seem to give up they'd still never win.
Deep in my heart I know the strength is within.
The song "Too Many Walls" by Cathy Dennis is a heart-wrenching ballad that expresses the pain and longing of a person who wishes for a love that they have never experienced. The lyrics convey a mixture of emotions including hope, loss, and despair. The opening lines, "Wish on a rainbow is all I can do. Dream of the good times that we never knew" set the tone for the song by depicting the singer's unfulfilled wishes and hopes. The next lines, "No late nights alone in your arms. I'll dream on. Living in wonder, thinking of you" reveal that the singer is alone and is only able to imagine what it would be like to be with the one they love. The line "Still looking for ways to uncover the truth" suggests that the singer is searching for answers to questions they may have about the relationship or the other person.
The chorus of the song, "Too many walls have been built in between us. Too many dreams have been shattered around us. If I seem to give up they'd still never win. Deep in my heart I know the strength is within" highlights the obstacles that have prevented the singer from experiencing the love that they desire. The repeated mention of "too many walls" and "shattered dreams" emphasizes the severity of the situation and the singer's frustration. However, the line "Deep in my heart I know the strength is within" demonstrates the singer's resilience and determination to keep going despite the circumstances.
The second verse talks about the singer watching others move on and find love. "Watching the others chances drift by. They'll never discover these feelings I hide. Deep inside I'm falling apart. All alone with a broken heart" portrays the singer's feelings of loneliness and envy of those around them who have found love. The line "Thinking in silence is all they allow. These words still unspoken may never be found" suggests that the singer is unable to express their feelings openly or may feel unheard. However, the final lines "My time has yet to come. Until then. Deep in my heart I know the strength is within" echo the chorus and make it clear that the singer is not giving up on their dreams of finding love.
Line by Line Meaning
Wish on a rainbow is all I can do.
I can only hope for good things to happen, even though it's unlikely.
Dream of the good times that we never knew.
I imagine a better future that I never had.
No late nights alone in your arms.
I don't want to be alone at night, I want to be with you.
I'll dream on. Living in wonder, thinking of you.
I'll keep dreaming and wonder about what could have been.
Still looking for ways to uncover the truth.
I'm trying to find out what went wrong and what the real reason is for our separation.
You're so young is all they can say.
Everyone says that you're too young for me because of the age gap.
They don't know, If I could change the way of the world I'd be your girl.
They don't understand how much I care for you and that I wish we could be together despite the odds.
Too many walls have been built in between us.
There are too many barriers that keep us apart.
Too many dreams have been shattered around us.
Too many hopes that we had together have been destroyed.
If I seem to give up they'd still never win.
Even if I seem to lose hope, I won't let the obstacles beat me.
Deep in my heart I know the strength is within.
I believe in myself and know that I am strong enough to overcome any challenge.
Watching the others chances drift by.
I see other people getting what they want while I'm still struggling.
They'll never discover these feelings I hide.
No one will ever know how much I love you and how hard it is for me to be without you.
Deep inside I'm falling apart.
Despite my facade, I am deeply hurt and broken.
All alone with a broken heart.
I am alone and hurting because of our separation.
Thinking in silence is all they allow.
I can't voice my feelings to anyone, so I'm forced to hold them inside.
These words still unspoken may never be found.
I may never find the courage to express my true feelings to you.
All these dreams one day will be mine.
I still hold on to the hope that one day I'll achieve my dreams, despite the obstacles.
They cross my mind.
I think about my dreams often, but they seem unreachable.
My time has yet to come. Until then.
I believe that good things will happen to me eventually, but until then, I'll keep on trying.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Songtrust Ave
Written by: SHAWN LEE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@manifestgtr
For almost 30 years, this was a “lost song” for me. I remembered a few lyrics from the verse and remembered it “sounded a bit like Madonna”…I actually thought it was probably a Madonna song for a long time. Discovering a lost song from your childhood is a really unique, crazy feeling. It’s rare and difficult to describe…
@kufitop
I love this song. If you hear the song all the way to the end ( https://youtu.be/5Lq1LLlxaW4?si=kiHPbMJEiasgETn1 ) there's a musical allusion to "Somewhere" from West Side Story at the very end. It's a quick musical phrase, but i think it speaks to some inspiration for the song.
@gigi2292
Yes true
@brianbale9511
Ya know life is a journey enjoy and Thankyou for the comment
@lydiaherrera
I’m actually here because all of a sudden I remembered some of the lyrics as I lay in bed … out of no where.
@jodylancaster8706
I know exactly what you are talking about. If it wasn't for YouTube, I never would have found the songs from my youth. ❤
@latinguy67
It was the autumn of 1991. I was working at a bank overnight and a record store during the day. I had this cassette single in my car. It was my favorite song that cold November. I had just broken up with my very first boyfriend. Me working overnight precluded me from going out/going to the club. I remember quitting that job because I was 23 and wanted to be out with my friends. My mgr at the bank told me, "I can think of 20 ppl who I wish would resign but not you." I remember listening to this song on the parking lot of the bank, driving away, and that longing I had for my ex. I usually try to go back to that location, late at night, when it's cold in November...wishing I was 23 again. Probably my favorite song of 1991. I love Cathy Dennis. <3
@AslanKyoya1776
This song definitely has those melancholy vibes that go so well with November. What a beautiful slice of life to experience, thank you for sharing. I love reading stuff like this, as I wasn't born yet when this song came out but I grew up hearing music like it played at grocery stores and malls as I was growing up in the late 90s and 2000s.
@pcattech7860
I just love this memory you wrote ❤❤❤because songs will bring up memories and exact times for me too I absolutely love this song and it’s melancholy feeling because I remember being married and I was very unhappy about the way he treated me and the kids I divorced him in 1995 and have been happily divorced since ❤
@hank8291
I’m a 41 year old dude. Grew up on Metallica, megadeth, then later the grunge era and so on. And I absolutely love this song! The melody, the way it’s sung, the lyrics. It’s a fantastic song!