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"
River
Corinne Bailey Rae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it don't snow here
I'm going to make a lot of money
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I made my baby say goodbye
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
Corinne Bailey Rae's song "River" is a melancholic take on the festive season. The song opens with the mention of upcoming Christmas festivities and the traditional preparations that are underway. However, instead of feeling joyful and immersed in the holiday spirit, the song's protagonist expresses a sense of isolation and loneliness during this time. Rae expresses her longing for an escape from her current situation, wishing for a river that she could skate away on. The river represents a sense of freedom, a way to escape the confinement of her life.
Furthermore, the singer reflects on her personal relationships, specifically her lover, who has tried to help and support her. However, she ultimately acknowledges her shortcomings, including being "hard to handle" and "selfish and sad," ultimately leading to the loss of the person who loved her the most. The song's somber tone and the sense of regret that pervades its lyrics beautifully capture the feelings of longing and loss that many people experience during the holiday season.
Line by Line Meaning
It's coming on Christmas
The time of Christmas is approaching.
They're cutting down trees
People are cutting down trees for Christmas decoration purposes.
They're putting up reindeer
Families are setting up their decorations, including the use of reindeer figures.
And singing songs of joy and peace
Families are singing together to celebrate the holiday season.
Oh I wish I had a river
The artist desires a source of comfort and escape from their current situation.
I could skate away on
The singer wants to leave their current surroundings, with skating as a metaphor for escape.
But it don't snow here
The environment is not conducive to winter activities like skating because it does not snow.
It stays pretty green
The environment is lush and green, unlike a traditional winter landscape.
I'm going to make a lot of money
The artist has aspirations to make a lot of money to achieve their goals.
Then I'm going to quit this crazy scene
The artist dislikes their current situation and desires to make a change by leaving it.
I wish I had a river so long
The singer desires a substantial and lasting escape from their current life.
I would teach my feet to fly
The artist would have the freedom to metaphorically fly away from their problems with the assistance of the river.
I made my baby cry
The singer caused emotional harm to their loved one.
He tried hard to help me
The singer's partner made an effort to assist them.
You know, he put me at ease
The partner was a source of comfort and support for the singer.
And he loved me so naughty
The partner's love for the artist was playful, mischievous, and perhaps unconventional.
Made me weak in the knees
The artist's partner had a profound and all-encompassing effect on them.
I'm so hard to handle
The singer is difficult to please or manage.
I'm selfish and I'm sad
The singer is introspective and acknowledges their negative qualities.
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
The artist has lost their partner, whom they deemed to be the best they ever had.
That I ever had
The artist values their past relationship and regrets that it is now over.
I wish I had a river so long
The artist desires a river that would provide an extensive means of escape from their current heartbreak.
I made my baby say goodbye
The singer caused the end of their relationship with their partner.
It's coming on Christmas
The holiday season is approaching once again.
They're cutting down trees
People are once again cutting down trees for Christmas decorations.
They're putting up reindeer
Families are preparing their decorations for the holiday season.
And singing songs of joy and peace
People are joyfully celebrating the holidays.
I wish I had a river
The artist still desires an escape from their current situation and is longing for the peace that the river represents.
I could skate away on
The artist would like to use skating as a way of escaping their difficult and sad reality.
Lyrics © Reservoir Media Management, Inc.
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@aimeefoster5216
Her voice sounds like a reincarnated legend of the past. Smooth, classic, and soulful.....
@abellady
Billie Holiday
@MarkWoodChannel
Find her Live from Abbey Road performance with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tal Wilkenfeld, and Vinnie Colaiuta, if it's not on YT it's on Hulu I think. While she is great here, that performance will be stuck in my head forever.
@jwd223
yep,,,,Billie Holiday
@cywoods60
YESSSSSSSSSSS
@cywoods60
@@jwd223 yes
@zyxwut321
Colbert might not always get the highest ratings but his show will have the longest and most significant impact.
@GoldSag1
She has such a smooth classic sound! The type of sound that you sip tea close your eyes and escape the day to.
@blazinchalice
Echoes of BIllie Holliday here...very sweet
@kikivolauvent1
as beautifully expressed as this über-gifted duo ..... ;)