Rising to fame in late 2002, Cole was selected to become a member of girl group Girls Aloud on ITV's reality television programme Popstars The Rivals. Cole's first solo performance was on American rapper will.i.am's Heartbreaker in 2008. She was picked to appear as a dancer in the video after taking streetdancing classes during the filming of the ITV2 series The Passions of Girls Aloud, in which the members of the band achieve something they had always wanted to do, other than sing. She was later asked, by will.i.am, to sing additional vocals on the track.
In April 2009, Cole started working on solo material. Her debut album, 3 Words, was released in the UK on 26 October 2009. Cole was reunited with will.i.am for the album, in addition to collaborating with Fraser T. Smith, Syience, Danish production team Soulshock & Karlin, singer-songwriter Taio Cruz, Wayne Wilkins, and Steve Kipner. Recorded in Los Angeles and London, Cole mainly collaborated with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, the executive producer of 3 Words. It crosses from contemporary R&B, dance pop, house and a more general pop sound.
3 Words spent two weeks at number one. On 6 November 2009, BPI certified the album Platinum, denoting shipments of over 300,000 units. It later tripled this feat. The first single from the album, Fight for This Love, was written by Andre Merritt, Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins, and produced by Steve Kipner and Wayne Wilkins. According to Cole, it was released as the lead single because she "connected with the song so well". Following a performance on The X Factor live results show, Fight for This Love became the fourth best-selling single of 2009 in the UK. It charted at number one on both the Irish and UK Singles Chart. In 2010, Fight For This Love went to number one in Denmark, Norway and Hungary. The single was later certified platinum in the UK. Cole's second single 3 Words, which features will.i.am, went to number 4 in the UK and seven in Ireland. In 2010, the single was released in Australia and charted at number 5 and was certified platinum. The third single, Parachute, charted in the top five in both the UK and Ireland. The single was certified silver in the UK. From May to July 2010, Cole was the opening act for The Black Eyed Peas at the British shows (as well as some European dates) of The E.N.D. World Tour. Chris Johnson of the Daily Mail wrote, "she was supposed to be the support act. But as it turned out, Cheryl Cole ended up being the main event".
In March 2010, Cole stated that she had begun working on a follow up album to 3 Words, which she hoped to release "later on in the year". Cole's second solo album, titled Messy Little Raindrops, was released on 1 November 2010. The album's first single, Promise This, was released on 24 October 2010 and became her second number-one hit in the UK. The album was largely produced by Wayne Wilkins, but Cole also reunited with will.i.am, with collaboration from J. R. Rotem, Starsmith, Al Shux, and Free School for the first time. The album also features guest vocals from August Rigo, Dizzee Rascal, Travie McCoy, and will.i.am. The album's lead single, Promise This, went straight to number 1 in the UK, selling 157,000 in its first week. A week later, Messy Little Raindrops was released, charting at number 1 in the UK, 2 in Ireland and 7 in Europe.
Promise This
Cheryl Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Déployer les ailes
In my beginning there was nothing
So empty in the space between
And you came in, turned the lights on
Before I pluck your wings, cover me, please
Spread your wings cover me and
Promise this, if I die before I wake, oh
Promise this, take a time to say your grace
On your knees you pray for me
Promise this, be the last to kiss my lips
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Déployer les ailes
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Plumerez les ailes
Though I'm walking through the shadows
You are with me and you comfort me
Lay me down now, time for sleeping
But before that would you miss on me
Before I pluck your wings, cover me, please
Spread your wings cover me and
Promise this, if I die before I wake oh
Promise this, take a time to say your grace
On your knees you pray for me
Promise this, be the last to kiss my lips
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Déployer les ailes
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Plumerez les ailes
By a thread we're hanging on
In the hope you don't let go
If you ever leave me
No, I wanna go with you
Promise this, if I die before I wake oh
Promise this, take a time to say your grace
On your knees you pray for me
Promise this be the last to kiss my lips
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Déployer les ailes
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Alouette uette uette
Déployer les ailes
Allouette, déployer les ailes
Allouette, plumerez les ailes
The song "Promise This" by Cheryl Cole has a somewhat mystical and dream-like quality to it, with its soft, airy melody and lyrics that seem to speak to the idea of transformation and change. The repeated phrase "Alouette uette uette" is a French children's song that translates to "skylark, deploy your wings" and "skylark, pluck your wings" . This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the changes that the singer is experiencing or wants to experience - spreading their wings and taking flight, or being held back or even damaged.
The first verse seems to describe a state of emptiness and darkness, until the other person comes into the singer's life and illuminates everything. The singer is asking the other person to protect them, and perhaps even save them from harm or danger ("Before I pluck your wings, cover me, please"). The chorus is a plea for the other person to stay by the singer's side and promise to never leave them, even in death. The second verse continues with the idea of being kept safe and comforted ("Though I'm walking through the shadows, you are with me and you comfort me"), and the idea of taking a moment to appreciate what they have before it's too late.
Overall, "Promise This" seems to be a song about the importance of connection, safety, and affection in life. The repeated use of the phrase "Alouette uette uette" reinforces the idea of transformation and growth, and perhaps even the journey from darkness to light.
Line by Line Meaning
Alouette uette uette
The repetition of 'Alouette uette uette' is simply a musical refrain with no specific meaning
Déployer les ailes
Deploying the wings means to spread one's wings, as in taking flight
In my beginning there was nothing
The singer is reflecting on a time before a significant person entered their life
So empty in the space between
The artist felt lonely and adrift without this significant person in their life
And you came in, turned the lights on
The significant person brought joy and light into the artist's life
And created what it's came to be
The significant person helped shape the singer's current situation and life
Before I pluck your wings, cover me, please
The singer is expressing a desire for protection from the significant person, who they fear may cause them harm
Spread your wings cover me and
The artist wants the significant person to protect and shield them from danger
Promise this, if I die before I wake, oh
The artist is asking for a promise from the significant person to remember them and honor their memory if they were to pass away
Promise this, take a time to say your grace
The artist wants the significant person to take time to pray for them
On your knees you pray for me
The significant person is asked to pray to a higher power for the singer's well-being
Promise this, be the last to kiss my lips
The artist wants the significant person to be the last person to say goodbye to them before they pass away
Though I'm walking through the shadows
The singer is going through a difficult or challenging time
You are with me and you comfort me
The significant person is a source of comfort and support for the singer during this difficult time
Lay me down now, time for sleeping
The singer is ready to rest and recover from their difficulties
But before that would you miss on me
The artist wants to know that the significant person will still think of them and miss them even when they are no longer present
By a thread we're hanging on
The artist realizes that their situation is precarious and could fall apart at any moment
In the hope you don't let go
The singer is relying on the significant person to hold everything together and not let the situation fall apart
If you ever leave me
The singer is afraid of being abandoned by the significant person
No, I wanna go with you
The artist feels a strong attachment to the significant person and wants to be with them wherever they go
Alouette uette uette
The repetition of 'Alouette uette uette' is simply a musical refrain with no specific meaning
Plumerez les ailes
Plumerez les ailes means to pluck the feathers of wings, implying an act of violence or harm towards another person or creature
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WAYNE WILKINS, CHRISTOPHER JACKSON, PRISCILLA RENEA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@daisysalinas9094
After almost 8 years I finally found the song!!! T_T
@jessicabi9925
Me too today 😍😂
@PlasticPixiez
ME TOO
@craigmatthews1313
2020 yessss
@hapax94
Me too ahahha
@nautica00
I came here after Adele.. I was not expecting this to be so up beat
@vajeehakaiser2448
right there with you lol
@jaimecaputo5495
I prefer Adele’s cover!!
@sanali1792
2020 still loving it
@rezaheidargholi631
2021 now
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