Corneille developed an interest in music early on, and it was an interest his father supported and encouraged. His influences included Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole as well as Prince and other artists.
At 16 years old Corneille made his first recording, and was selected as a finalist in a music contest sponsored by the state run television station in Kigali. Corneille's childhood could be characterized as normal for a somewhat privileged youth brought up in a family with caring, highly educated parents.
Daily life in Kigali changed dramatically in 1994, when former President Habyarimana was assassinated, and the largest, most horrific genocide in modern history claimed over 800,000 victims.
Corneille managed to escape first to Kinshasa, and then to Germany, where he was adopted by friends of his parents. He stayed in Germany for three years completing his baccalaureate studies, before arriving ultimately in Montréal. Corneille enrolled in University when he landed in Montréal, but his focus was immediately diverted to music.
In Montréal at 20 years old, Corneille formed a band called O.N.E., meaning Original New Element. O.N.E. achieved modest success, thanks in part to a Ms. Jodi Richards, who supported and advised the band. When O.N.E. disbanded in 2001, Corneille again turned to Ms. Richards for advice. Ms. Richards imparted the belief that you are only an artist when you know what your art means, which became a guiding principal for Corneille.
In 2002 Corneille released his first studio album, 'Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin.' Initially, 'Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin' went for the most part unnoticed in Canada, but due in large part to promotional efforts made by Wagram, Corneille's label in France, Corneille's first album's sales skyrocketed. 'Ensemble' and 'Sans Rancunes,' were the first two hit singles from the album. Sales of 'Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin' gathered powerful momentum, but the album was still virtually unnoticed in Canada. DKD's (now DEJA Musique CEO) Janie Duquette completely re-released the album, with 'Rêves de Star' as the first single. By 2004 sales of 'Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin' on both sides of the Atlantic were booming. With sales reaching Platinum status in Canada, Corneille received his first Felix Award for Best Male Artist selected by the public at the 'Gala de la Disque' in Montréal. Meanwhile in France sales of the album reached over 500,000 copies.
In 2005 Corneille's ascent continued, as he recorded a song with Senegalese superstar Youssou N'Dour, in support of Unicef and the fight against AIDS. Corneille is a Red Cross Canada spokeperson, has been made a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, and continues to be active in those and other humanitarian roles.
In 2005 Corneille's second studio album, 'Les Marchands de Rêves' was released to rave critical reviews.
In 2007, Corneille earned and signed contracts with Sony Music Japan, and with UniversalMotown for the World ex-Japan (SMJI), France (Wagram) & Canada (DEJA). With these partners, as well as Universal Music Group partners in the UK and elsewhere, and with help from all of you at corneille.ca, Corneille's fanbase is becoming truly global.
On November 20, 2007, Corneille was given the award for best International Singer-songwriter by SOCAN. Look for 'The Birth of Cornelius' US' release on UniversalMOTOWN in Spring 2008. Corneille, a man of this world, and an artist whose time is now...
Murder
Corneille Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I have seen some dark sides of life in my days baby
But nothing, somehow nothing
Compares to this
No no baby
I ain't never been on my two knees before
And I ain't never been the kind to say please before
I'm out of options baby
And tricks to make you stay
This is not a threat
But if you walk out that door
It'll be like
Dragging my heart out in the concrete
It'll be like
Wasting my parts out in the dark streets
It'll be like murder
This will be murder
This is not a threat
But if you walk out that door
It'll be like
Leaving behind a helpless dying man
It'll be like
Simply killing me, don't you understand?
It'll be like murder
This will be murder
I've said I'm sorry
But I guess that didn't work
So I tried 'I love you'
But I guess that made it worse
Because now you're looking at me
Ever so calmly
And it's that look on your face that frightens me
'Cause that look means you've made up your mind
And that look means my crying is a waste of time
I'm out of options baby
Out of tricks to make you stay
This is not a threat
But if you walk out that door
It'll be like
Dragging my heart out in the concrete
It'll be like
Wasting my parts out in the dark streets
It'll be like murder
This will be murder
This is not a threat
But if you walk out that door
It'll be like
Leaving behind a helpless dying man
It'll be like
Simply killing me, don't you understand?
It'll be like murder
This will be murder
You see, I need you to stay
Out of pity, love or lack of choice
It don't matter today
We can face reality tomorrow
But for now, just for now
Let's just run away
This is not a threat
But if you walk out that door
It'll be like
Dragging my heart out in the concrete
It'll be like
Wasting my parts out in the dark streets
It'll be like murder
This will be murder
This is not a threat
But if you walk out that door
It'll be like
Leaving behind a helpless dying man
It'll be like
Simply killing me, don't you understand?
It'll be like murder
This will be murder
In Corneille's song "Murder", the singer is expressing his desperation to keep his partner from leaving him. He admits that he has been a strong man and has seen dark sides of life, but nothing compares to the pain of losing his lover. The singer goes on to say he has never been on his knees before or begged for someone to stay. He mentions being out of options and tricks to make his lover stay but still hoping that they can run away together.
The chorus of the song emphasizes how leaving him would feel like murder. It would be like dragging his heart out on the concrete or wasting his parts in the dark streets. He pleads with his lover, saying that her leaving him would be like leaving a helpless dying man behind or simply killing him. It's clear that the singer is in immense emotional turmoil and is willing to do anything to keep his lover from walking out that door.
The song is a powerful representation of the pain and desperation of a love that is slowly dying. The choice of words is impactful, and Corneille's delivery is both emotional and elegant. A person can relate to the feeling of giving it all for love, and when the love falls short, it feels like murder.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh baby, you see I'm a strong man
I want you to know that I'm a strong and resilient person
And I have seen some dark sides of life in my days baby
I've been through some tough times in my life, but I've always managed to come out on the other side
But nothing, somehow nothing
However, no matter what I've been through, nothing compares to what I'm feeling right now
Compares to this
This situation is the toughest thing I've ever faced
No no baby
Please understand how serious I am
I ain't never been on my two knees before
I've never begged anyone like this before
And I ain't never been the kind to say please before
I've never been the type of person to say please in this way before
I'm out of options baby
I don't know what else to do to make you stay
And tricks to make you stay
I've tried everything I know how to do to make you stay
This is not a threat
I'm not trying to threaten you in any way
But if you walk out that door
But if you leave me and walk out that door
It'll be like
It will feel like
Dragging my heart out in the concrete
You will be ripping my heart out and leaving it to die in the streets
Wasting my parts out in the dark streets
You will be wasting my entire being out in the cold, unforgiving streets
It'll be like murder
It will feel like you're committing a grave, terrible crime
This will be murder
The pain and hurt will be so severe that it will feel like a murder
Leaving behind a helpless dying man
You will be abandoning a helpless and dying person
Simply killing me, don't you understand?
Your absence will be so unbearable that it will feel like you're killing me
I've said I'm sorry
I've apologized for my actions
But I guess that didn't work
But that didn't seem to change anything
So I tried 'I love you'
So I tried expressing my love for you
But I guess that made it worse
But it seems like that only made things worse
Because now you're looking at me
Because now you're staring at me
Ever so calmly
With a calm and collected expression
And it's that look on your face that frightens me
And it's that expression that scares me the most
'Cause that look means you've made up your mind
That expression tells me that you've already made your decision
And that look means my crying is a waste of time
And that expression tells me that my crying and begging won't change anything
You see, I need you to stay
I need you to stay with me
Out of pity, love or lack of choice
It doesn't matter why you stay, as long as you're with me
It don't matter today
The reason why you're staying doesn't matter right now
We can face reality tomorrow
We can deal with the real issues tomorrow
But for now, just for now
But for now, in this moment
Let's just run away
Let's escape from our problems and run away
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: CORNEILLE NYUNGURA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind