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"
Since I've Been Loving You
Corinne Bailey Rae Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Almost every night
Really makes life a drag
I don't think, I try
Really been, the best of fools
Did what I could
'Cause I love you, baby, how I love you darling
Since I've been loving you
I'm about to lose my worried mind
Ooh oh
All my friends have been telling me
That you're no good
Lord, Lord, Lord
I've been trying to do the very best that I could
I've been working
From seven to eleven almost every night
Ooh and I've tried
Oh, oh, oh, I've tried
Since I've been loving you, boy
I'm about to lose my worried mind
Oh, oh, oh
Said, I've been crying
All my tears they've felt like rain
Oh, they've felt like rain
Oh, they've felt, yeah
Since then, oh Lord
Ooh, I've been tryna do the very best I could
I've been working, working, working, working from seven to eleven
Every night
And the drives, and drives
Ooh, oh and drives
Since I've been loving you, boy
I'm about to lose my worried mind, oh, oh, oh
The lyrics to Corinne Bailey Rae's song, "Since I've Been Loving You" convey a sense of emotional exhaustion and frustration. In the first verse, the singer reveals that they are working long and tedious hours, which they find draining and tiresome. The repetition of the phrase "I don't think, I try" suggests that the singer is going through the motions and that their mind is preoccupied with other worries. The second half of the verse focuses on the singer's love for someone else, using the phrases "how I love you" and "darling" to emphasize the intensity of their feelings.
The second verse of the song introduces external voices, presumably friends of the singer who are warning them that their love interest is not trustworthy. Despite this advice, the singer is still committed to their love interest and willing to work hard to make the relationship work. The third verse is perhaps the most emotional and introspective, with the singer admitting that they have been crying and feeling drained as a result of their love. The final repetition of the chorus highlights the singer's sense of imminent loss and despair.
Overall, these lyrics suggest a complex, intense relationship that is both draining and fulfilling. The singer is committed to their love interest despite external warnings and personal struggles, and their emotional journey is conveyed through powerful, evocative imagery.
Line by Line Meaning
Working from seven to eleven
I've been working long hours, almost every night
Almost every night
I have not had much time for myself or other things outside of work
Really makes life a drag
My work routine is exhausting and not enjoyable
I don't think, I try
I'm not sure if my efforts are enough, but I keep pushing on
Really been, the best of fools
I may have made some foolish decisions in the past regarding love
Did what I could
But I did what I thought was best at the time
Cause I love you baby, how I love you darling, how I love you baby, how I love you darling, oh
My love for you is overpowering and I can't express it enough
Since I've been loving you
Since I've been in this relationship with you
I'm about to lose my worried mind
I'm beginning to feel stressed and anxious about our relationship
All my friends have been telling me
My friends have expressed their concerns about you and our relationship
That your no good
They think you're not a good match for me
I've been trying to do the very best that I could
Despite their warnings, I've been doing my best to make things work with you
Since I've been loving you boy
Since I've been in love with you, my dear
Said, I've been crying
I've been shedding tears over our relationship
All my tears they've felt like rain
My tears have been endless and heavy, like rain
Since, god, oh lord ,
Since the beginning of this relationship, oh my god
Oohh I've been trying to do the very best I could
I've been putting in all my effort to make it work
And the drives, and drives.
I've been working tirelessly and driving myself crazy
Oooh, oh and drives
My efforts and emotions have been symbolized as drives
Since I've been loving you boy, I'm about to lose my worried mind, oh oh oh
This relationship is causing me tremendous stress and I feel like I'm losing my mind
Oh
A sigh or expression of relief and release
Oh
A continuation of the sigh or expression of relief and release
Oh, oh, oh, oh
An emotional release and expression of intense feelings
Oh oh
Continued expression of intense feelings
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@compostwise
From a die hard Led Zeppelin fan and one of their greatest songs. I gotta say, you did it no harm at all, Corinne. Beautiful.
@markwakephord3049
Amen Compost. Couldn't have said it better myself. Dons Tunes has a bunch of cool slow blues stuff like this, check it out man and enjoy.
@kyote8177
This is how its done people! no backing track, no autotune. Nothing but pure talent!
@jgoliath2038
i do not understand how people don't listen to her music!!! shes amazing, i cant get enough. i could listen to Corinne the whole day and not get enough
@manofgodml
It's a lot of people who don't know good music
@Brooklyn3955
I have to be honest - your comment is very naive. People don't listen to her perhaps because they never heard of her. I never did but came across this song because I was searching for the Led Zeppelin version. She does a fine job on it by the way. Have you ever listened to Led Zeppelin? Pink Floyd? John Coltrane? Charles Mingus? The Allman Brothers Band? I could go on and on for the next half hour if I wanted to. Maybe people don't listen to her because they don't like her - they gave her a try and it wasn't for them. It happens, but for you to not understand how people don't listen to her music is too simple a thought. The world has countless musicians.
@whynot9899
I love the blues. Her spin on this song is unique. Without the drums and guitar from the original it leaves a deep impression. Relatable. Gives me chills.
@mihaisorescu4328
You're damn right
@nabeelaali77
Sensual👌😍
@angelwilliams413
she knocks it out of the park