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"
Choux Pastry Heart -
Corinne Bailey Rae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When they came along to say
That a rose done changed your clear ol' way
You had said I was gamine
But we didn't mean the same thing, I think
Broke my Choux pastry heart
Guess life's no picture post-card
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Sometimes you win, ooo, sometimes you lose
Don't wanna lose ya
Don't even own ya
I just wanna stay right here
Until never dawns, yeah, ooo
I was just waiting for your answer
Still, you made your own apologies
I cried so much I had to leave
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Sometimes you win, ooo, sometimes you lose
Don't wanna lose ya
Don't even own ya
I just wanna stay right here
Until never dawns, yeah, ooo
Ooo
The first verse of "Choux Pastry Heart" by Corinne Bailey Rae is about waiting for a phone call from someone when she is told that their attitude has changed. This change of attitude is symbolized by the "rose" in the song which is a metaphor for the person she was waiting for. Bailey Rae then goes on to mention that the person called her "gamine" which means a young woman. However, they didn't mean it in the same way that Bailey Rae interpreted it. This misinterpretation led to her getting her "Choux pastry heart" broken. The phrase "Choux pastry heart" is used metaphorically to describe a fragile heart that has been hurt.
In the second verse, Bailey Rae talks about waiting for an answer from the person who she was waiting for earlier. She says that the person has made apologies of their own which did not ease her heartbreak. The chorus of the song then comes in, where Bailey Rae uses the nursery rhyme "One for Sorrow, Two for Joy" to describe the ups and downs of life. She says that she doesn't want to lose the person but also doesn't own them. She just wants to stay by them until forever.
Overall, "Choux Pastry Heart" is a song that communicates the feeling of heartbreak and the confusion that comes with it. Bailey Rae uses metaphors and imagery to describe these complicated emotions and brings a depth to the song that is both relatable and beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
I was just waiting for your phone call
The singer was anticipating a call from the person being addressed
When they came along to say
However, another group interrupted with news
That a rose done changed your clear ol' way
Indicating that something significant has changed in the person's life
You had said I was gamine
The person being addressed made a comment about the artist's youthful appearance
But we didn't mean the same thing, I think
The artist misunderstood the comment and is now reflecting on it
Broke my Choux pastry heart
The situation has caused the singer emotional pain, likened to a delicate pastry being broken
Guess life's no picture post-card
Reflecting on how life doesn't always turn out as beautifully as a postcard image
One for sorrow
Referencing the superstitious belief that seeing a single magpie is a sign of sorrow
Two for joy
In contrast, seeing two magpies is a sign of joy
Sometimes you win, ooo, sometimes you lose
Acknowledging life's unpredictability and how things don't always turn out as hoped
Don't wanna lose ya
Expressing a desire to maintain a connection with the person being addressed
Don't even own ya
Recognizing that the person being addressed has their own agency and cannot be possessed
I just wanna stay right here
The singer wants to remain in this moment or situation with the person being addressed
Until never dawns, yeah, ooo
The singer wishes to prolong the moment indefinitely
I was just waiting for your answer
Continuation of the earlier waiting for a response theme
Still, you made your own apologies
The person being addressed took accountability for their own actions
I cried so much I had to leave
The artist became overwhelmed with emotion and had to remove themselves from the situation
Three for a girl
Expanding on the magpie superstition, seeing three magpies is believed to be a sign of a girl's coming
Four for a boy
Similarly, seeing four magpies is a sign of a boy's coming
Ooo
Vocalization of emotion or a refrain
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: CORINNE BAILEY RAE, TEITUR LASSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nessasianipar1829
I was just waiting for your phone call
When they came along to say
That a rose done chased you clear away
You had said I was gamine
But we didn't mean the same thing i think
Broke my choux pastry heart
Guess life's, no picture post card
One for sorrow
Two for joy
Sometimes you win or sometimes you lose
I don't wanna lose you
Don't even own you
I just wanna stay right here
Until never dawns yeah
Oooooh
Mmmmmm
I was just waiting for your answer (Still)
You made your own apologies
I cried so much I had to leave
Three for a girl
Four for a boy
Sometimes you win or sometimes you lose
I don't wanna lose you
Don't even own you
I just wanna stay right here
Until never dawns yeah
Oooooh
Oooooh
@blee7713
This song is very underrated. It really is SO GOOD!
@celestacy
How does she not cry everytime she sings those two first lines? Having lost a loved one, I cry everytime.
@courtneyyoung9758
I think this was before she lost her husband
@blestgirlonthablock
I lost one of my best friends to cancer in 2017. Next week will be 7 years since she went clear away. This was the song that sat in my heart. RIP Lolo! Still miss you, Bestie!
@BeluArredondo
10 years ago I was so obsessed with this album.
@mnanji4
Corinne Bailey Rae is such an incredible and underrated songwriter
@NaturalDivineGoddess
The JAM for the 99 and 2000!! 🤞 I PROMISE
@The-Bone-Zone
I like how she opens her eyes at the end, and is as amazed as the rest of us. True channeling of art and love. TY.
@majr6852
This sounds better than the album version, if that's possible!?!! This woman is incredible!
@marcie101080
this song almost brings me to tears everytime