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.
South Of The Border
Chris Isaak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's where I fell in love where stars above, came out to play.
And now as I wonder, my thoughts ever stray
South of the border, down Mexico way.
She was a picture, in old spanish ways
Just for a tender while I kissed the smile, upon her face.
For it was fiesta, and love had its day
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay (Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay)
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay (Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay)
Then she sighed as she whispered manana, never dreaming that we were parting
And I lied as I whispered manana, for our tomorrow never came.
South of the border, I rode back one day.
There in a veil of white by candlelight, she kneeled to pray.
The mission bells told me, that I shouldn't stay
South of the border, down Mexico way.
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay (Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay)
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay (Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay)
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay (Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay)
Good bye good bye.
Chris Isaak's song "South of the Border" is a heart-wrenching story of a love that couldn't survive the test of time. The lyrics describe the singer's memories of falling in love in Mexico, with stars watching over them as they kissed under the Old Spanish ways. The fiesta was going on and love was in the air, but then they parted ways with the expectation of meeting again soon. The song's chorus features the repeated phrase "Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay," which adds to the Latin American feel of the song.
As the song progresses, however, the singer's memories of Mexico become more melancholic. The song reveals that the singer came back to Mexico and saw his love kneeling to pray in a veil of white, with the mission bells ringing in the background. The singer realized that he couldn't stay, and that their love was over. The song ends with the repeated phrase "Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay" followed by "Goodbye, goodbye," leaving the listener with a sense of finality.
The song's lyrics are simple yet powerful, and Isaak's vocals provide the perfect mixture of sadness and longing. The use of the Spanish words and phrases throughout the song adds to its authenticity and creates a sense of place. Overall, "South of the Border" is a nostalgic and bittersweet tribute to a lost love.
Line by Line Meaning
South of the border, down Mexico way
I fell in love in Mexico, where the stars were shining bright.
That's where I fell in love where stars above, came out to play.
I fell in love under the bright Mexican sky.
And now as I wonder, my thoughts ever stray
Now I often think back to my time in Mexico.
She was a picture, in old spanish ways
She was beautiful and had a classic Spanish look.
Just for a tender while I kissed the smile, upon her face.
I kissed her sweet face for just a short time.
For it was fiesta, and love had its day
We fell in love during a celebratory time and enjoyed each other's company.
Then she sighed as she whispered manana, never dreaming that we were parting
She said 'see you tomorrow' without realizing that we were actually saying goodbye.
And I lied as I whispered manana, for our tomorrow never came.
I also said 'see you tomorrow' even though we both knew it wouldn't happen.
South of the border, I rode back one day.
I returned to Mexico at another time.
There in a veil of white by candlelight, she kneeled to pray.
I saw her praying in a white veil, illuminated by candles.
The mission bells told me, that I shouldn't stay
I heard the bells of a nearby mission, and it felt like a sign that I needed to leave.
Good bye good bye.
We said our final goodbyes.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIMMY KENNEDY, MICHAEL CARR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind