Martin got her start singing opera while attending Eastern Illinois University in the late '90s. Her father was a respected professor in the music department, and naturally Martin followed his footsteps. She began playing piano when she was a little girl and her childhood was surrounded by music.
While attending school, Martin experienced "real life," from living with her goth roommate and dealing with typical college-like drama to the tragic suicides of two close friends. Martin turned to music for solace. She desperately wanted to make music into a career; therefore, a whirlwind move to Los Angeles seemed like the right thing to do.
Martin eventually made a record, One Girl Army, with producer Tom Rothrock (Badly Drawn Boy, Beck, Elliott Smith), but it was never released. Before 2002 came to a close, Martin got her own studio and recorded a new batch of songs with Ken Andrews (Air, Pete Yorn). The melodic dreamscapes of In Parentheses arrived in August 2003 and Martin's bright voice drew comparisons to Fiona Apple and Kate Bush. Dates with Howie Day and Damien Rice also coincided with the release of the EP.
On Your Shore followed in 2004. Unfortunately, Martin's relationship with RCA proved creatively trying as the singer/songwriter continued writing and recording new material. A decision to leave the major label in 2005 allowed Martin to accomplish her creative goals, thus reconnecting with Test-Drive Records to issue the Veins and Darkest Hour EPs before the year's end. Additional support dates around North American followed into the fall, and Martin rounded out the Veins tour with her first DVD recording, the limited-edition Something Like a DVD.
She also married her long-time collaborator and co-producer, Ken Andrews (Pete Yorn, Year of the Rabbit, Failure), in the midst of recording her second album, Stromata. The album arrived on Martin and Andrews' own Dinosaur Fight label in September 2006.
In 2009, Martin released the instrumental album Piano Trees, a collection of improvised piano songs.
In 2011, Martin released her album, Dancing on Needles.
In 2014, Martin released Water Breaks Stone.
On October 5, 2018, Martin released the second of her instrumental piano albums (after Piano Trees), entitled Clear Blue Sky. The following year, in 2019, two more albums in a similar vein were released: Monotonous Night on March 8 and Dawn on December 27.
http://www.charlottemartin.com
Just Like Heaven
Charlotte Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How you do that trick
The one that makes me scream," he said
"The one that makes me laugh," he said
And threw his arms around my neck
"Show me how you do it
And I promise you
I'll run away with you"
Spinning on that dizzy edge
I kissed his face
I kissed his head
I dreamed of all the different ways
I had to make him glow
"Why are you so far away?" he said
"Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you?
That I'm in love with you?"
You, soft and only
You, lost and lonely
You, strange as angels
Dancing in the deepest ocean
Existing in the water
You're just like a dream
Daylight licked me into shape
I must have been asleep for days
And moving lips to breathe his name
I opened up my eyes
I found myself alone, alone, alone
Above the raging sea
That stole the only boy I loved
And drowned him deep inside of me
You, soft and only
You, lost and lonely
You, just like heaven
Just Like Heaven by Charlotte Martin is a cover of the original song by The Cure. The song is a conversation between two individuals who are in love, but only one of them knows that the other is in love too. The first verse starts with the singer asking the other person to show them the trick that makes them scream and laugh. The second verse sees the singer dreaming of ways to make the other person glow. The chorus is a description of the other person as being soft, lost and lonely, and strange as angels. The bridge takes a turn, and the singer finds themselves alone after being kissed by the other person. They open their eyes to see that the other person has gone away and has drowned deep inside of them.
The lyrics are highly emotional and poetic. The use of metaphors such as the "deepest ocean" and "existing in the water" adds to the dreamy and ethereal quality of the song. The song speaks to a deep desire that we all have to be loved and to be seen by the person we love. Charlotte Martin's version of the song is more haunting and soulful than the original and adds another layer of emotion to the already moving lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Show me show me show me
The singer requests to be shown something by someone.
How you do that trick
The singer wants to learn a specific trick from someone.
The one that makes me scream," he said
The singer wants to learn the trick that elicits a scream from them.
"The one that makes me laugh," he said
The artist wants to learn the trick that makes them feel happy and amused.
And threw his arms around my neck
The person who the artist is talking to embraces them.
"Show me how you do it
The singer again requests to learn a trick from someone.
And I promise you
The singer makes a commitment to the person they're speaking with.
I promise that I'll run away with you
The artist commits to running away with someone.
Spinning on that dizzy edge
The artist is in a state of disorientation and confusion.
I kissed his face
The artist kisses someone's face.
I kissed his head
The singer kisses someone's head.
I dreamed of all the different ways
The artist imagines various scenarios in their head.
I had to make him glow
The singer desires to make someone look radiant and happy.
"Why are you so far away?" he said
The singer is questioning why someone is distant from them.
"Why won't you ever know that I'm in love with you?
The singer wants the person they're talking to to be aware that they are in love with them.
That I'm in love with you?"
The artist reiterates that they are in love with the person they're talking to.
You, soft and only
The person being addressed is gentle and singular.
You, lost and lonely
The person being addressed is feeling isolated and abandoned.
You, strange as angels
The person being addressed is peculiar, like an angel.
Dancing in the deepest ocean
The person being addressed is metaphorically dancing in the midst of deep emotions.
Existing in the water
The person being addressed is submerged in their emotions and existence.
You're just like a dream
The person being addressed seems too perfect to be real.
Daylight licked me into shape
The singer is describing the effects of sunrise on them.
I must have been asleep for days
The artist believes that they have been asleep for a long time.
And moving lips to breathe his name
The singer moves their lips to say someone's name.
I opened up my eyes
The singer finally opens their eyes to their surroundings.
I found myself alone, alone, alone
The singer discovers that they are alone.
Above the raging sea
The artist is above a tumultuous body of water.
That stole the only boy I loved
The sea has taken away the person the artist loved.
And drowned him deep inside of me
The singer is devastated by the loss of the person they loved.
You, soft and only
The person being addressed is gentle and singular.
You, lost and lonely
The person being addressed is feeling isolated and abandoned.
You, just like heaven
The person being addressed is perceived as idyllic and heavenly.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robert James Smith, Porl Thompson, Laurence Andrew Tolhurst, Boris Williams, Simon Johnathon Gallup
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
dodgersnty
I love this song, I saw her perform it in Denver and it was great.
whitelabrador1
This is beautiful. I love the piano. I sometimes think if the singer plays their own piano accompaniment there is more emotion in the playing, because it is affected by the emotion they feel when singing.
alecs810
A really wonderful n delicate version... I love it...
Sarah M
beautiful rendition!
TheGreggster63
Who would have thought a Cure song would be so beautiful with just piano? Wow.
Marshall Jim Duncan
I have just listened to 6 or 7 different versions. It's just as good a song as any ever written.
showmyoface
Outstanding!
Peter Newturkey
The single greatest Cure cover ever. If you disagree reply to my comment with a link.
aligned ring pop
IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS COVER FOR YEARS
MaryEllen Stevenson
Does anyone know if the sheet music for this "arrangement" is available anywhere?