Rae was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire to a Kittitian father and an English mother, and she was the eldest of three daughters. She began her musical career at school where she studied classical violin before she turned her attention to singing: "I started off singing in church, I suppose, but people think it must have been a gospel church because of the whole, you know, black assumption", she says in reference to her multiracial background. "But it wasn't gospel at all, it was just your regular Brethren church, very middle-class, where we would sing these harmonies every Sunday. It was always my favourite part of the service, the singing".
Rae later transferred to a Baptist church, where the choir would sing traditional hymns, and Primal Scream tunes. "We changed the words though", Rae states on her website. "We didn't want to offend the regular churchgoers, now did we?"
Performing in church broadened Rae's musical horizons, and her love affair with making music was solidified after a local youth leader offered to buy her an electric guitar. In her mid-teens, she became obsessed with rock legends Led Zeppelin, "I loved that band during my teens; I wanted, somehow, to follow in their footsteps, and to create music of my own".
Rae formed an all-female indie group called Helen, which was inspired by similar acts such as Veruca Salt and L7. "It was the first time I'd seen women with guitars. They were kinda sexy – but feminist. I wanted to be like that, at the front of something".
The group raised eyebrows on several fronts; in the white male-dominated world of indie music, they were an all-female group fronted by a mixed-race singer from Leeds. The moniker "Helen" also drew attention, albeit for not all the right reasons: "What can I say? We were 15 years old, and thought that Helen was a cheeky, indie kind of thing to do. It seemed clever at the time. Admittedly, it seems less so now".
The group played many gigs around Leeds, including a memorable performance at Joseph's Well with Leeds-based band Swift, fronted by wildman rocker Royce Dunston. Despite this, the group became the first indie act to be signed to heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records, home to acts such as Slipknot, in 1995. The venture proved to be short-lived however after the bassist became pregnant and the group disbanded. "[Was I] Disappointed? I was gutted! I had no idea what to do next".
Corinne has often stated that she is a proud Leeds United Football Club fan.
After the disappointment of Helen, Rae went on to attend the University of Leeds where she studied an English Literature degree. While at University, she began work as a hat check girl on an evening in her local jazz club. Permitted to sing on stage with the jazz band when business was slow, it was there that she discovered a different type of music that sent her on a different musical path: "I kept hearing this jazz and soul stuff and I realized I loved that music too". It was there also that she met saxophone player Jason Rae, whom she eventually married in 2001 at age twenty-two. "I was Corinne Bailey. I added on Rae, my husband's name, when I got married. There's no hyphen; stops it being posh!" Jason died in March 2008.
Career
Over the space of the next three years, Rae began working on solo material – this time steering away from her indie past and embarking on a more "soulful" path. She collaborated with Leeds-based funk group The New Mastersounds on the track "Your Love Is Mine", featured on their 2003 album Be Yourself, released via One Note Records. The following year she again worked with another Leeds-based group, Homecut Directive, on the song "Come the Revolution", which was the first single from the group's debut album.
In 2004, Rae got a breakthrough when she was signed by Global Talent Publishing and then approached by Craig David's mentor Mark Hill, from the duo The Artful Dodger, to appear on his new album better luck next time under his new alias, The stiX. The resulting collaboration, "Young and Foolish", was released in April 2005 and brought Rae to the attention of the major record label bosses. Rae released her debut single, "Like a Star", in November 2005 and her first album, Corinne Bailey Rae, in February 2006. In September 2006, Rae scooped two awards at the UK's MOBO Awards: "Best UK Newcomer" and "Best UK Female". Rae recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios in July 2006 for Live From Abbey Road.
Rae also received three nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards: "Record of the Year", "Song of the Year" (both for "Put Your Records On"), and "Best New Artist". During the ceremony, she performed "Like a Star" and joined John Legend and John Mayer in a collaborative performance, providing accompanying vocals to Legend's "Coming Home" and Mayer's "Gravity". The poll's predictions subsequently came true, as she became only the fourth female British act in history to have her first album debut at number one. She has been nominated for Grammy Awards and BRIT Awards and won two MOBO Awards.
During an interview for the 2011 Mercury Awards, Corinne revealed she is writing a follow-up album to her critically acclaimed The Sea.
In 2013, Bailey Rae was moved from Capitol Records to Virgin Records due to corporate restructuring as a result of their parent company being purchased by Universal Music Group in 2012.
Discography
Albums
* 2006: "Corinne Bailey Rae"
* 2007: Live in London & New York
* 2010: "The Sea"
Bluebird
Corinne Bailey Rae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll come flying through your door
And you'll know what love is for
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird
I'm a bluebird, l'm a bluebird
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah
Touch your lips with a magic kiss
And you'll be a bluebird too
And you'll know what love can do
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird
I'm a bluebird, l'm a bluebird
Yeah, yeah, yeah
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird
I'm a bluebird, yeah, yeah, yeah
Bluebird, ah, ha
Bluebird, ah ha
Bluebird
Fly away through the midnight air
As we head across the sea
And at last we will be free
You're a bluebird, you're a bluebird
You're a bluebird, you're a bluebird
Yeah, yeah, yeah
You're a bluebird, you're a bluebird
You're a bluebird, yeah, yeah,yeah
Bluebird, ah, ha
Bluebird, ah ha
Bluebird
All alone on a desert island
We're living in the trees
And we're flying in the breeze
We're the bluebirds, we're the bluebirds
We're the bluebirds, we're the bluebirds
Yeah, yeah, yeah
We're the bluebirds, we're the bluebirds
We're the bluebirds, yeah, yeah, yeah
Bluebird, ah, ha
Bluebird, ah ha
Bluebird
The lyrics of Corinne Bailey Rae's song Bluebird convey the idea of freedom and love. The bluebird is used as a metaphor for love and emphasizes the idea of flight and freedom. The bluebird represents the free spirit of an individual in love that cannot be caged, it's free to fly, and it’s full of joy. The song seems to say that when someone is in love, they have a deep sense of liberation and happiness that cannot be found elsewhere. Moreover, the lyrics also suggest that love can be contagious and that a single kiss can transform someone into a bluebird, full of the same kind of freedom.
The lyrics "Fly away through the midnight air, as we head across the sea, and at last, we will be free" signifies that love is a journey of freedom and that the lovers are willing to leave everything behind to be together, even on a deserted island. The metaphor of the bluebird is also used to show how love and freedom are intertwined, and they can make people feel invincible.
Overall, Bluebird is a song that celebrates love's liberating power and how it can make us feel free, alive, and full of joy.
Line by Line Meaning
Late at night when the wind is still
During the quiet hours of the night, I will appear before you.
I'll come flying through your door
I will enter your life in a dramatic fashion.
And you'll know what love is for
You will learn the true meaning of love.
I'm a bluebird, I'm a bluebird
I am a symbol of love and freedom.
Touch your lips with a magic kiss
Experience an extraordinary and enchanting moment.
And you'll be a bluebird too
You will share in the feeling of freedom and love.
And you'll know what love can do
You will understand the power of love.
Fly away through the midnight air
Travel great distances under the cover of darkness.
As we head across the sea
Journey to far-off places.
And at last we will be free
Finally experiencing true freedom.
All alone on a desert island
Isolated with no one else around.
We're living in the trees
Making do with minimal resources.
And we're flying in the breeze
Enjoying the feeling of freedom and ease.
We're the bluebirds, we're the bluebirds
We are both symbols of love and freedom.
Bluebird, ah, ha
Repeating the symbol of love and freedom.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: LINDA MCCARTNEY, PAUL MCCARTNEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
A J
One of the greatest McCartney covers ever.
Elaine Melanie92
My most favorite McCartney solo song. It was in a way my childhood, because I was born in 1992. I would listen to bluebird when I was going through pain from my parents divorce. Now everytime I see a bluebird I think of Paul. This is making me cry because of how beautiful it sounds
michael smith
Technically not McCartney solo but with Wings.
bladex264
92 baby
kavous niamir
@michael smith yup, if it wasn't for Denny Lane or Linda, it would've been crap😄
Kossip News
Her voice is perfection, always sings from the soul! Love this beautiful song!
Daniel Marzella
God I miss Corinne!!! We need a new album!!!
Alexsander Alves
Yeah!!!!
Kaff231
She has such an awesome voice just love hearing her songs. Not like some of these cookie cutter artist. Corrine is very talented and unique.
Noisy Koel
Her voice... the song... I love this rendition so much XD