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"
Enchantment -
Corinne Bailey Rae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know why
All I know is I can't hide
At this temperature you could take over my mind
Like gossamer, you softly touch
He draws me in, I'm powerless
He possesses an enchantment
Tell me I'm forgiven
He calls; don't know how I fell under his spell
Lately, I've been driven
He smiles an enchantment
I wait for you
I'm mesmerized
This love is like a potion in disguise
I'd tightrope walk with a blindfold on my eyes
I can't escape, or so it seems
I'd run away; he's in my dreams
He possesses an enchantment
Tell me I'm forgiven
He calls; don't know how I fell under his spell
Lately, I've been driven
He smiles an enchantment
It's the kind of sleepwalk that never ends
A type of loan with no dividends
It's a parlor game where you're giving chase
Guess it could be called an acquired taste
I know, he knows, he calls, I go, I know
This could be an enchantment
Why don't you tell me I'm forgiven?
He calls; don't know how I fell under his spell
I'm forgiven
Lately, I've been driven
(He smiles) and I give in
An enchantment
The song Enchantment is about being spellbound by someone and not being able to resist their pull. The singer is waiting for this person, even though they don't know why. They feel powerless around them and describe their touch as gentle as gossamer. The person possesses an enchantment that the singer cannot escape, even though they might want to. The love they feel is like a potion in disguise, and they would "tightrope walk with a blindfold on [their] eyes" for this person.
The singer is aware that they are entranced by this person and that it's an acquired taste. They know that the person is calling them and they are going, seemingly without any control over themselves. However, they also seem to enjoy being under the person's spell, describing it as a kind of sleepwalk that never ends. The repetition of the line "tell me I'm forgiven" suggests that there is some guilt or conflict involved in the relationship, but the pull of the enchantment is too strong to resist.
Overall, the song Enchantment is a description of being in love with someone who has a powerful hold over you, even if it might not be entirely healthy or rational.
Line by Line Meaning
I wait for you
I eagerly await your arrival
I don't know why
I'm unsure why I desire you so much
All I know is I can't hide
I can't conceal my emotions for you
At this temperature you could take over my mind
I am vulnerable to your seduction and influence
Like gossamer, you softly touch
Your touch is delicate and light
He draws me in, I'm powerless
You have an irresistible attraction that captivates me
He possesses an enchantment
You possess a magical quality that enthralls me
Tell me I'm forgiven
Assure me that you accept and pardon me
He calls; don't know how I fell under his spell
You have a mysterious and enticing effect on me
Lately, I've been driven
Recently, I've been preoccupied and fixated on you
He smiles an enchantment
Your smile has a spellbinding charm
I'm mesmerized
I am entranced and spellbound by you
This love is like a potion in disguise
Our love is intoxicating and seductive
I'd tightrope walk with a blindfold on my eyes
I am willing to take great risks and sacrifices for you
I can't escape, or so it seems
I feel trapped and unable to resist you
I'd run away; he's in my dreams
I would try to flee, but you still haunt my thoughts
It's the kind of sleepwalk that never ends
Our love feels like a surreal, endless dream
A type of loan with no dividends
Our relationship has a high cost with no tangible benefits
It's a parlor game where you're giving chase
Our love feels like a game of pursuit and capture
Guess it could be called an acquired taste
Our love may seem unusual to others but feels natural to us
I know, he knows, he calls, I go, I know
I am aware of your power and influence over me
This could be an enchantment
Our relationship may be a magical, alluring spell
Why don't you tell me I'm forgiven?
Please validate and absolve me of my mistakes
I'm forgiven
I am accepted and pardoned
and I give in
I surrender to your charms
An enchantment
Our relationship feels like a bewitching, enchanting experience
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CORINNE BAILEY RAE, ROD BOWKETT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@glove3694
I wait for you
I don't know why
All I know is I can't hide
At this temperature you could take over my mind
Like gossamer you softly touch
He draws me in
I'm powerless
He possesses an enchantment
Tell me
I'm forgiven
He calls, don't know how I fell under his spell
Lately I've been driven
He smiles an enchantment
I wait for you
I'm mesmerized
This love is like a potion in disguise
I tightrope walk with a blindfold on my eyes
I can't escape
Or so it seems
I'd run away
He's in my dreams
He possesses an enchantment
Tell me I'm forgiven
He calls, don't know how I fell under his spell
Lately I've been driven
He smiles an enchantment
It's the kind of sleepwalk that never ends
A type of loan with no dividends
It's a parlor game where you're given chase
Guess it could be called an acquired taste
I know he knows
He calls, I go
I know
This could be an enchantment
Why don't you tell me
I'm forgiven
He calls, don't know how I fell in love his spell
I'm forgiven
Lately
I've been driven
He smiles and I give in
An enchantment
@82jfrizz
The composer is brilliant. They managed to capture the very sound of "enchantment" in the entirety of this song...Ethereal!
@TheeMimiDeshun
Ugh this song is so underrated. I keep it on repeat every time I play it.
@andreagray2860
Loved this whole album in college! I still get butterflies when I hear this song!
@royalreed990
Me too...i use to study with it playing in the background
@fernandocosta3605
Andrea Gray o
@Xzamilloh
Her voice is butter. Butter on a warm biscuit on a Saturday afternoon
@Gxyz222
Everything this woman touches turns into gold, she's one in a million!
@gracewilford9556
Been loving this young lady for years never stop making music. I have turned others on.
@jdanielle5670
Corinne gave me wonderful music as a teenager. I would get home, listen to her music as I coded my myspace layout. Times were so simple for me then, I miss those days :)
@82jfrizz
Hypnotic, ethereal...a WELL-CRAFTED spell is woven into this song. Love it, Corinne!