Their first single, the ambient house track "Der Erdbeermund", with a spoken vocal in German by Jo van Nelsen, peaked at number 11 on the German singles chart. Versions in English and French were also released (titled "Cherry Lips" and "Les lèvres cerises", respectively). An instrumental version was also a club hit in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 55.
Shortly afterwards, Culture Beat recruited New Jersey-born rapper Jay Supreme and singer Lana Earl to front the act. While the second single "I Like You" reached number 22 in the Netherlands, their fourth single "No Deeper Meaning" managed to reach as high as number 5 in the Netherlands and number 3 on the Canadian RPM Dance Chart. They released their first album, Horizon, in 1991 which went with only minor success.
Lana was replaced by British singer Tania Evans in 1993, and the act took a harder Eurodance sound. "Mr. Vain" became their biggest hit to date, reaching number-one in 13 countries including Germany, Australia and the United Kingdom. It was also their first mainstream hit in the United States, peaking at No.17 on the Hot 100. The single was certified three times Gold in Germany for selling over 750,000 units, it also managed to reach a Gold status in several other countries including US.
Subsequent singles "Got to Get It" and "Anything" were also pan-European hits, and their second album Serenity was awarded at the ECHO award for being the Best-selling German Act Abroad, with more than two million copies sold. This also got Torsten Fenslau nominated in the same year at the Echo for being the Best Producer of the Year, who also walked away as a winner.
On November 6, 1993, Culture Beat's founder Torsten Fenslau was killed in a car accident in Messel (district of Darmstadt) at age of 29. His brother Frank Fenslau took over the act as producer and manager.
The group returned the act in 1995 with a third album called Inside Out, preceded by a single of the same title "Inside Out" which reached number 5 in Germany and number 32 in the UK.
In 1997, Frank decided to take Culture Beat in a different musical direction diverging the act from the Eurodance sound into a more commercial pop sound. He also replaced Tania with Kim Sanders, who had previously scored a hit with "Impossible" by Captain Hollywood Project. Jay Supreme remained with the act for a short time after Tania's departure, but during recording of the next album he decided to leave the group and the Rap-vocals on the next album (only a few tracks contained Rap) were produced by rapper Next Up. Although, in 1998, the album Metamorphosis managed to reach No.12 at home, it was a minor chart success as it remained in the top-20 of the album chart for only four weeks, and spent overall 10 weeks appearing on the chart.
Three years later, Jacky Sangster replaced Kim as the fourth female lead singer for Culture Beat. The single called "Insanity" was released in 2001 which flopped in Germany; however, reached No. 1 in Israel. In 2003, to commemorate ten years since the release of the group's biggest hit, a new version of "Mr. Vain" was issued in Germany and reached No.7 in the singles chart. In 2004, a Greatest Hits package was released ahead of a planned new album with Jacky as vocalist, but was canceled before "Can't Go on Like This (No No)" was released. This single had minor success as well.
In January 2013, a compilation album was released, "The Loungin' Side of", which contains acoustic and lounge versions of hits taken from Inside Out and Metamorphosis.
Official website: http://www.culture-beat.com
Guardian Angel
Culture Beat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was compelled to write it down
Astonished by the things she told me
Revealing all she had to say
I'm your guardian angel
Longing to hear my name
And I've been with you for ages
Open breathe me in
And sprinkle candy in your dreams
I'm your guardian angel
Only a prayer away
And I'll shelter you from darkness
Open and breathe me in
The song "Guardian Angel" by Culture Beat is about a guardian angel who has been with the singer for ages, listening silently to his thoughts and wishes. The singer describes how, in his silence, he could hear her voice and how he feels compelled to write down what she tells him. The angel speaks of granting all the singer's wishes and sprinkling candy in his dreams. She also offers to shelter him from darkness and protect him. The lyrics suggest that the singer has been unaware of his guardian angel's presence, but now that he is aware, he can open himself up to her guidance and protection.
The lyrics reflect the human desire for guidance and protection, as well as the idea that we are never truly alone, even when we feel that way. The idea of a guardian angel who has been with us for ages is comforting and reassuring. The candy in the dreams is a symbol of the sweet things in life that the angel can bring to us. The mention of darkness suggests that the angel can also protect us from the negative aspects of life.
Line by Line Meaning
In all my silence I could hear her
Although I was not talking, I could hear the voice of my guardian angel within me.
I was compelled to write it down
The words she told me were so powerful that I felt the urge to note them down.
Astonished by the things she told me
I was surprised by the revelations made by my guardian angel.
Revealing all she had to say
She shared all the secrets with me that she had been keeping for so long.
I'm your guardian angel
I am your protector, the one who watches over you, always.
Longing to hear my name
I am waiting for you to call me by my name, as I am your guardian angel.
And I've been with you for ages
I have been with you for a very long time, protecting and guiding you.
Open breathe me in
Just accept me and let me protect and watch over you, who are my responsibility.
She says I'll grant you all your wishes
If you let me protect you, I will be able to fulfill all your desires.
And sprinkle candy in your dreams
I will make your dreams sweeter, joyous and peaceful, so that you sleep better.
Only a prayer away
I am always there for you, only a prayer away.
And I'll shelter you from darkness
I will protect you from anything that can cause any harm or darkness in your life.
Open and breathe me in
Let me in completely and trust me to take care of everything.
Contributed by Lucas V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.