Isaak's music can be described as a blend of country, blues, rock'n'roll, pop and surf rock.
He signed a contract to Warner Brothers Records in 1984 for his first album "Silvertone". Isaak's contract was renewed in 1988 when Warner moved him to their Reprise Records label.
His best-known song is "Wicked Game". Though released on the 1989 album "Heart Shaped World", an instrumental version of the song was later featured in the David Lynch film 'Wild at Heart' (and also years later in the 2000 film The Family Man). An Atlanta radio station DJ began playing the full version and it quickly became a nation-wide top ten hit. The music video for the song was directed by Herb Ritts and was a big MTV and VH1 hit; shot in black and white, it starred Isaak and model Helena Christensen rolling on the beach, embracing and whispering in each others' ears.
In 1999, Isaak's "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film 'Eyes Wide Shut', starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
In 2001, Chris Isaak starred in his own television show, 'The Chris Isaak Show'. It aired from March 2001 to March 2004 in the United States on the cable television network Showtime. This adult comedy show featured Chris Isaak and his band playing themselves with the episode plots based on fictional accounts of the backstage world of Chris Isaak - the rock star next door.
In 2004, his track "Life Will Go On" was featured on the 'Chasing Liberty' soundtrack, which starred Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode.
He hosted a talk show on the Biography cable channel in the United States in 2009 that offered a unique twist - each guest was a musical artist, and both Chris and the artist performed various songs throughout each show. Eight episodes aired in early 2009, featuring guests Trisha Yearwood, Stevie Nicks, Glen Campbell, Michael Buble, Chicago, The Smashing Pumpkins, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and Jewel.
Isaak has also appeared in numerous films, mostly playing minor cameo roles, though he starred with Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda in the 1993 Bernardo Bertolucci-directed 'Little Buddha', and also played a major role in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992). Other motion pictures include 'Married to the Mob' (1988), 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991), 'That Thing You Do!' (1996), and 'A Dirty Shame' (2004). He also guest-starred on the Super Bowl Sunday (1996) edition of the television sitcom Friends and on the HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon (HBO).
Chris is also an amateur boxer, avid surfer and a former Golden Gloves champion.
Live It Up
Chris Isaak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if you ever leave me baby, I won't take it if you go, oh no
Oh no, I'm falling with you
You could go downtown and run around and baby I could be your clown
But if you ever cheat on me, well I won't take it, I know
Yeah I know, I know, and I've been falling for you, yo!
I'll always feel the same about you
You can roll your eyes, and tell me lies and I might even sympathize
But if you ever leave me baby, I won't take it, I know
Yeah, I know, I'm all alone, I be falling with you, yo!
Oh, maybe someday you change
I'll always feel the same about you
You can live it up, love it up, but I won't ever give you up
And if you ever leave me baby, I won't take it, oh no
Oh no, if you go, I'm following you
The song Live It Up by Chris Isaak is about the fear that the singer has of being left by his lover. The chorus, "You can live it up, love it up, but I won't ever give you up, And if you ever leave me baby, I won't take it if you go, oh no, Oh no, I'm falling with you," reflects his determination to keep the relationship going despite any obstacles that may arise. He acknowledges the possibility of his partner cheating on him by saying, "You could go downtown and run around and baby I could be your clown, But if you ever cheat on me, well I won't take it, I know, Yeah I know, I know, and I've been falling for you, yo!" The use of the word 'yo' in the song is slang and creates a sense of familiarity with the listener.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of uncertainty and fear of being alone. The lines, "Oh maybe someday you'll change, I'll always feel the same about you, You can roll your eyes, and tell me lies and I might even sympathize, But if you ever leave me baby, I won't take it, I know, Yeah, I know, I'm all alone, I be falling with you, yo!" demonstrate the singer's willingness to forgive and stay in the relationship, even if his partner might be lying to him.
In conclusion, the song Live It Up is about the fear of being left alone in a relationship and the determination to keep it going despite any obstacles that may arise.
Line by Line Meaning
You can live it up, love it up, but I won't ever give you up
I will let you live your life and have fun, but I will not abandon you.
And if you ever leave me baby, I won't take it if you go, oh no
If you ever decide to leave me, I will not take it lightly.
Oh no, I'm falling with you
I have fallen deeply for you.
You could go downtown and run around and baby I could be your clown
You are free to go wherever you want and I will come along and make you happy.
But if you ever cheat on me, well I won't take it, I know
However, if you cheat on me, I will not tolerate it.
Yeah I know, I know, and I've been falling for you, yo!
I am aware of the possibility of being hurt, but I cannot help but love you.
Oh maybe someday you'll change
Perhaps someday you will change.
I'll always feel the same about you
But my feelings for you will never change.
You can roll your eyes, and tell me lies and I might even sympathize
Even if you lie to me, I may still understand why you did it.
But if you ever leave me baby, I won't take it, I know
However, if you leave me, I will not accept it.
Yeah, I know, I'm all alone, I be falling with you, yo!
I am aware that I will be alone without you and I am still deeply in love with you.
Oh, maybe someday you change
Perhaps you will change someday.
I'll always feel the same about you
But my feelings for you will always stay the same.
You can live it up, love it up, but I won't ever give you up
You can have fun and love life, but I will never abandon you.
And if you ever leave me baby, I won't take it, oh no
If you ever decide to leave me, I will not accept it.
Oh no, if you go, I'm following you
If you leave, I will follow you.
Lyrics Š O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ava Grace
I love this CD.....especially going on a 4 hour road trip, it's great...
Gosia C
great voice and this guitar !!! Chris is wonderful!
Meyaka Brown
This guy is so good.đł
Ava Grace
A VERY CATCHY SONG â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸ I HAVE THE CD BUT CAN'T PUT MY HANDS ON IT, AT THE MOMENT....I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO REMEMBER THIS TRACK, ALL IS GOOD NOW.
Lesley Gaither
I donât know how those people stay in there seat𤨠I gotta dance!
CLEGG777
love it... but will it be available in dvd region 2 or blu-ray region B formats? ;-) pretty please?
TheMargaretfletcher
Brilliant
Dave Woods
Great!