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"
Call Me When You Get This
Corinne Bailey Rae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What's it really like to be loved?
I've been alone now, how long?
Have you ever loved the way that I have?
And I have often wondered who
Who could love you the way I do?
Now, I just want you to know
How I'm touched deep in my soul
Just being with you
And I need you more each day
Baby, if you're still awake
Call me when you get this
I've got all this poetry now I didn't know then
I kept it inside, ooo
Guess I had never seen anything beautiful
Till I first saw you asleep at night
And I have often wondered who
Who could love you the way I do?
Now, I just want you to know
How I'm touched deep in my soul
Just being with you
And I need you more each day
Baby, if you're still awake
Call me when you get this
I just wanted to know what it was like
What's it really like to be loved?
These little volcanoes came as a surprise to me
Oh, I never thought I could be this way
Oh, oh, and I have been cautious
And I've tried to keep to myself
Who could love you the way I do?
Ooo, now I just want you to know
How I'm touched deep in my soul
Just being with you
So much more each day
Baby, if you're still awake
Call me when you get this
(Just want you to know)
(Touched deep in my soul)
I am touched deep in my soul
(Being with you)
And I need you
(Need you more each day)
If you're still awake
Call me when you get this
In "Call Me When You Get This", Corinne Bailey Rae expresses her longing for someone and the depth of her love for them. She starts by asking how it feels to be in her arms and what it's really like to be loved. She reveals that she has been alone for a while and wonders if someone else has ever loved in the same way that she has. She then confesses her deep feelings for this person and asks them to call her if they're still awake.
Bailey Rae then reflects on her past and how she kept her poetry to herself until she saw this person asleep at night. She realizes that she had never seen anything beautiful before that moment. She continues to wonder who else could love this person the way she does and tells them that she is touched deep in her soul just being with them. Although she has been cautious, she can't help but express her love for them.
Overall, the song is a beautifully honest expression of love and longing, with Corinne Bailey Rae's soulful voice adding depth to the emotions behind the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
How does it feel being in these arms?
What is the true sentiment behind being held by me?
What's it really like to be loved?
What is the true feeling of being truly loved by someone?
I've been alone now, how long?
How much time has passed since I have been alone?
Have you ever loved the way that I have?
Have you ever truly loved someone the way I have loved you?
And I have often wondered who
I have repeatedly questioned this for a long time
Who could love you the way I do?
Who is capable of loving you in the same way as I do?
Now, I just want you to know
At this moment, my desire is to make you aware
How I'm touched deep in my soul
My soul is profoundly affected and moved by you
Just being with you
Merely spending time with you
And I need you more each day
My dependence on you is increasing by the day
Baby, if you're still awake
My words are directed at you if you are still conscious
Call me when you get this
Contact me when you receive my message
I've got all this poetry now I didn't know then
Previously, I was unaware that I possessed this wealth of poetic expression
I kept it inside, ooo
I have never previously shared it with anyone
Guess I had never seen anything beautiful
Perhaps I have never witnessed anything as beautiful
Till I first saw you asleep at night
That is, until I first saw you sleeping at night
Oh, and I have often wondered who
Again, I have often pondered this question over time
Ooo, now I just want you to know
Now, my desire is for you to comprehend
So much more each day
Each day, the need for you increases astronomically
Just want you to know
I only want to share this one sentiment with you
Touched deep in my soul
My soul has been deeply stirred by you
Being with you
Merely spending time with you
If you're still awake
Provided that you are still conscious
Call me when you get this
After receiving this message, kindly contact me
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Corinne Jacqueline Bailey Rae, Steve Bush
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@helenfigueiredo07
How does it feel being in these arms?
What's it really like to be loved?
I've been alone now, how long?
Have you ever loved the way that I have?
And I have often wondered who
Who could love you the way I do?
Now I just want you to know
How I'm touched deep in
My soul just being with you
And I need you more each day
Baby, if you're still awake
Call me when you you get this
I've got all this poetry
Now I didn't know then, I kept inside
Guess I had never seen anything beautiful
Till I first saw you asleep at night
And I have often wondered who
Who could love you the way I do?
Now I just want you to know
How I'm touched deep in
My soul just being with you
And I need you more each day
Baby, if you're still awake
Call me when you get this
I just wanted to know what it was like
What's it really like to be loved?
These little volcanoes came as a surprise to me
I never thought I could be this way
And I have been cautious
And I've tried to keep to myself
Who could love you the way I do?
Now I just want you to know
How I'm touched deep in my soul
Just being with you
So much more each day,
Baby, if you're still awake,
Call me when you get this
FADE
Now I just want you to know
How I'm touched deep in
My soul just being with you
And I need you more each day
Baby, if you're still awake
Call me when you get this
@samanthajjackson
April 2024, and I'm still coming back to this stunning song and performance. I get chills listening to this song every time!
@simshill295
The joy of listening to Corine Bailey Rae over and over again. Her music 🎶 is timeless. What a voice.
@moepain4u
I can listen to Corrine all day, makes me think of having a glass of wine on a balcony in Paris. Pure talented singer not like most singers today.
@oluwaogundiran
You got that right. Her debut, The Sea, The Heart Speaks in Whispers and her features got me enmeshed in melodies throughout last year.
I am grateful to her, as well as Steve Chrisanthou for making her happy. Her music is even more beautiful today!
@michaelthomas6542
Absolutely true!
@michaelthomas6542
The best!
@theresatitus-lawson3431
Me too........and I actually have. Put her album on and just let it play all day, over and over! ❤
@brombromsmuva9215
Her debut was not the sea, it was self titled i believe
@UnknownPerson-yu1kg
This album is an era of my life I’ll never forget. Such a beautiful feeling to hear this song still.
@Dan-jz3ui
She deserves much more recognition. She's so wonderful. I love how joyful she looks when singing.