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"
Low Red Moon
Corinne Bailey Rae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Strange moon, strange land, strange, man.
Holding hands of tiny horses,
Hold them, hold them kindly,
Man
Low red moon,
Sleep like baby?
'Cause you, you shine so different on another
You shine different on another
Strange moon
I look up, and I see
The raising of an old hope,
Brave and tattered.
A shining knight is shining eyes,
He shines around me brightly.
So now, I say this is beautiful.
I think you are, strange.
Low red moon, how can you sleep like a baby,
Sleep like a baby?
'Cause you, you shine so different on another.
You shine different on another.
Strange moon, strange land, strange, man
You made me cry when I was young,
And I was young.
Now I got strong arms,
Strong arms for a girl,
And I say,
He belongs to me.
He belongs to me.
He's a human bed of roses.
The opening lines of Corinne Bailey Rae's song "Low Red Moon" suggest a sense of disorientation and unfamiliarity. The singer is in a strange land, under a strange moon, with a strange man. The image of "holding hands of tiny horses" adds to the dreamlike, almost surreal quality of the scene. The low red moon itself seems to embody a sense of mystery and otherness, as the singer wonders how it can "sleep like a baby" while shining so differently on different people.
As the song continues, however, there is a subtle shift towards a more positive interpretation of the situation. The singer sees the "raising of an old hope" and feels that a "shining knight" is watching over her. There is a sense of beauty and wonder in this unfamiliar landscape and in the man who was once so "strange" to her but now "belongs to me." The repeated refrain of the moon shining differently on another suggests that every person and every situation can be seen in multiple ways, depending on one's perspective.
Overall, "Low Red Moon" seems to be about the power of perception and the human capacity for finding beauty and meaning in even the most unfamiliar or unsettling circumstances. The imagery of the moon, the strange land, the tiny horses, and the shining knight all contribute to a sense of magic and wonder, while the repeated references to crying when young and the metaphor of the "human bed of roses" suggest a hard-won strength and resilience.
Line by Line Meaning
So what, you think this is usual?
Do you think that this situation is normal or typical?
Strange moon, strange land, strange, man.
The moon, land, and man all seem unfamiliar and foreign.
Holding hands of tiny horses,
Taking care of precious, small creatures.
Hold them, hold them kindly,
Man
Gentle encouragement to treat others with kindness and respect.
Low red moon,
How can you sleep like a baby,
Sleep like baby?
The bright and unusual moon is so striking that it's difficult to ignore or sleep through.
'Cause you, you shine so different on another
You shine different on another
Strange moon
The moon contrasts with other moons and celestial bodies; it stands out as unique and fascinating.
I look up, and I see
The raising of an old hope,
Brave and tattered.
Seeing a glimmer of hope, albeit one that has been through difficult situations and struggles.
A shining knight is shining eyes,
He shines around me brightly.
The radiant and impressive qualities of a heroic person seem to emanate in all directions.
So now, I say this is beautiful.
I think you are, strange.
Describing the object of admiration as strange and mysterious, yet still captivating and delightful.
Low red moon, how can you sleep like a baby,
Sleep like a baby?
The moon's unusual color and location in the sky make it almost impossible to ignore or rest peacefully.
'Cause you, you shine so different on another.
You shine different on another.
The bright red color of the moon stands out from other celestial objects and is captivating in its uniqueness.
Strange moon, strange land, strange, man
You made me cry when I was young,
And I was young.
Reflecting on past experiences of sadness and unfamiliarity, perhaps even loss or heartbreak.
Now I got strong arms,
Strong arms for a girl,
And I say,
He belongs to me.
Feeling empowered and confident in one's abilities, to the point of declaring ownership or protection over another.
He belongs to me.
He's a human bed of roses.
Describing the joy and comfort that another person brings, in poetic terms.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TANYA DONELLY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind