Corinne Bailey Rae (born Corinne Bailey on 26 February 1979) is a Grammy-wi… Read Full Bio ↴Corinne Bailey Rae (born Corinne Bailey on 26 February 1979) is a Grammy-winning English singer and songwriter who released her eponymous debut album "Corinne Bailey Rae" in February 2006. Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an annual BBC poll of music critics.
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"
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"
Closer
Corinne Bailey Rae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
I don't want to give you up
I don't want to hold you up
I don't want ambiguous
I just know that I've had enough
I want you to travel with me
Let loose and let your mind go free
Show you things that you've never seen
You just go to go with me
Oh
[Chorus]
Your love is so good that I want to show you
Don't make me responsible, for something you that can't find
Oh
Your loving is so good, so good, the closer
I want it, I want it
Into me
I want it, I want it,
Leave it here
I want to get closer to you baby
Experience
I want it, I want it
Generous
Lay down what's impeding you
Cause I want to get closer to you
I don't want to give you up
I'm tired of the pull and push
I"m tired of the making love
Don't you feel like you've had enough
I want you to journey with me, explore all the innocence
I don't mind us to build tension but we've got to move in the same direction
[Chorus]
You just got to go with me
[Chorus: x2]
I don't want to hold you up
I don't want ambiguous
I just know that I've had enough
I want you to travel with me
Let loose and let your mind go free
Show you things that you've never seen
You just go to go with me
[Chorus]
Your love is so good that I want to show you
Don't make me responsible, for something you that can't find
Oh
Your loving is so good, so good, the closer
I want it, I want it
Into me
I want it, I want it,
Leave it here
I want to get closer to you baby
Experience
I want it, I want it
Generous
Lay down what's impeding you
Cause I want to get closer to you
I don't want to give you up
I'm tired of the pull and push
I"m tired of the making love
Don't you feel like you've had enough
I want you to journey with me, explore all the innocence
I don't mind us to build tension but we've got to move in the same direction
[Chorus]
You just got to go with me
[Chorus: x2]
In "Closer," Corinne Bailey Rae expresses a desire to be closer to her lover. She doesn't want to give up on the relationship, but she's tired of the push and pull. She wants to be with him and go on a journey, exploring new experiences and letting go of their inhibitions. The lyrics convey a sense of urgency, as if she's afraid of losing him if they don't take the chance to get closer.
The first verse sets the scene for the rest of the song. Corinne acknowledges that the relationship has been ambiguous, and she's ready for something more concrete. She wants her lover to travel with her and experience new things. The chorus repeats the phrase "I want it," emphasizing the singer's desire to make this relationship work. The repetition also conveys a sense of desperation, as if Corinne feels like this may be her only chance to get closer to her lover.
The second verse continues the theme of the first. Corinne is tired of playing games and wants to build a real connection with her lover. She is willing to create tension to move the relationship forward, but only if they are both on the same page. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, almost like a mantra, as if Corinne is trying to convince her lover to take the chance and get closer to her.
Overall, "Closer" is a song about the struggle to connect with someone on a deeper level. Corinne Bailey Rae's lyrics are emotionally charged and relatable, capturing the fear and desperation that come with trying to make a relationship work.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Corinne Bailey Rae
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Paula Eduarda
I don't want to give you up
I don't want to hold you up
I don't want ambiguous
I just know that I've had enough
I want you to travel with me
Let loose and let your mind go free
Show you things that you've never seen
You've just gotta go with me
Ooh
Your love is so good
That I want to show you
Don't make me responsible
For something that you can't find
Ooh
Your lovin' is so good, so good
The closer
I want it, I want it
Into me
I want it, I want it
Reel it in
I want it, I want it
I wanna get closer to you, Baby
Experience
I want it, I want it
Generous
Lay down what's impedin' you
Cause I want to get closer to you, Baby
I don't want to give you up
I'm tired of the pull and push
I'm tired of the makin' love
Don't you feel like you've had enough
I want you to journey with me
Explore all the hidden scenes
I don't mind just a bit of tension
But we've got to move in the same direction
Ooh
Your love is so good
That I want to show you
Don't make me responsible
For something you that you can't find
Ooh
Your lovin' is so good, so good
The closer
I want it, I want it
Into me
I want it, I want it
Reel it in
I want it, I want it
I wanna get closer to you, Baby
Experience
I want it, I want it
Generous
Lay down what's impedin' you
'Cause I want to get closer to you, Baby
Yeah
I wanna, I wanna get
I wanna, I wanna get
(Closer)
Oh, yeah
You've just gotta go with me
Ohh
Your love is so good
That I want to show you
Don't make me responsible
For something that you can't find
Ooh
Your lovin' is so good, so good
The closer
I want it, I want it
Into me
I want it, I want it
Reel it in
I want it, I want it
I wanna get closer to you, Baby
(Yeah) Experience
I want it, I want it
(Yeah) Generous
Lay
Closer
I want it, I want it
Closer
I wanna get cl-
I-I wanna
I wanna get close
I wanna
I wanna get clo-
Closer (Ohh)
I wanna get
Clo
To you, baby (I wanna- To you)
Hoo, baby (I wanna- To you)
Ahoo, Baby (I wanna- To you)
I wanna get, wanna get
Y McGowan
Who's still here with me in 2020?!! I love her songs, style and beauty! A true artist!
Mister Turner
I am 🙋🏽♂️ I'm just getting familiar with her music overall even though I have heard of some of it before. Nice 😁👍🏽
LATONIA BILLS
Me Girl! I was thinking about this song this morning :)
João Cristian
I'll be here until she stops singing ❤️
ItsMs.Lady2U!
So There.
Temporal72
Her voice is so expressive, she has a beautiful voice tone
s2ace1
She deserves more recognition, she has soul and class.
Optical illusion
s2ace1 shots of milk coffee whiskey
Alejandro Contreras
Oh yes totally agree
Michael Bull
Underrated