Born in Hereford, England, she later moved to the country's east coast to study drama at the University of Kent. Goulding had developed a love for folk music as a teenager, and her time at university also exposed her to electronica. After two years, she took a break from her studies and moved to West London, where she pursued a career as an alternative singer/songwriter and befriended producers like Starsmith and Frankmusik, who gave her songs an electro-pop twist. In 2009, Goulding began building an audience via the Internet, where early tracks like "Starry Eyed" and a cover of Sam Sparro's "Black & Gold" were posted on tastemaking MP3 blogs such as Discodust. Goulding soon graduated from the blogosphere to print media, gaining praise from mainstream publications like The Guardian and fielding offers from record labels. She ultimately signed a major-label deal with Polydor Records and began making preparations to release her debut album. In the meantime, she penned songs for Diana Vickers, Gabriella Climi, and others.
During the final weeks of 2009, Goulding topped the BBC's Sound of 2010, a poll conducted by British music critics and industry insiders to identify new talent. Building on that momentum, she released Lights -- a sparkling debut album that splashed Goulding's vocal flutter across a landscape of acoustic and synthesized instruments -- in March 2010. Lights topped the U.K. charts during its first week and spun off "Starry Eyed" as a Top Five single (it also charted well in Ireland and New Zealand). Later that year, the album was re-released as Bright Lights, featuring seven new recordings (including a cover of Elton John's "Your Song," which peaked at number two).
In 2012, Goulding returned with her sophomore album, Halcyon, which showcased an even more sonically adventurous, electro-pop-infused sound. In 2013, a deluxe reissue featuring ten extra songs was released; entitled Halcyon Days, it acted as a supplement to the original release. Two of its new songs, "Burn" and "How Long Will I Love You," were among her biggest hits. The following year, she was featured on Calvin Harris' Top Ten U.K. hit "Outside," participated in Band Aid 30's update of "Do They Know It's Christmas?," and entered the U.K. Top Ten once more with "Beating Heart," a song released on the soundtrack for Divergent. Another soundtrack single, "Love Me Like You Do," added to the success of Fifty Shades of Grey in 2015.
That same year, Goulding released her third studio album, Delirium, which featured collaborations with Max Martin, Greg Kurstin, and others. The pop-leaning Delirium included the single "On My Mind" and peaked at number three on the U.S. and U.K. charts. Goulding returned in 2017 on "First Time," a collaboration with electronic producer Kygo.
In 2018, Goulding joined Tap Management after almost a decade with First Access Management.[107] She appeared on a collaboration with Sean Paul on his Mad Love the Prequel EP titled "Bad Love", released on 29 June 2018.[108]
Goulding collaborated with Diplo and Swae Lee on the single "Close to Me", which was released on 24 October 2018.[109] On 1 January 2019, The Guardian reported that she has been working on her fourth album, set to release in the same year.[110] On 1 March, she released the next single "Flux".[111] She said regarding the album, "It's very much written by me".[112]
On 12 April 2019, Goulding released the single "Sixteen".[113] Goulding said of the single, "...That age was such a pivotal year for me in many ways and this song is so close to my heart. It takes me back to the reckless days of being a teenager and I hope it reminds us all about the innocence of youth."[114]
Goulding released "Hate Me" with American rapper Juice Wrld on 26 June 2019.[115][116] It was premiered by Zane Lowe as his 'World Record' on Beats 1.[117] In July, Goulding stated that her next material to be released would be the songs "Woman I Am" and "Start".[118] In November, she released her rendition of Joni Mitchell's Christmas song "River", which topped the UK Singles Chart, becoming her third UK number one single and the last UK number one song of the 2010s.[119]
On 13 March 2020, Goulding released the new single "Worry About Me" which was created in-collaboration with Blackbear.[120] In a radio interview with Heart the same month, she revealed that the album "kind of comes in two parts", adding that "the first side is something written entirely by me which was fun and I wrote most of it in New York when I was living there a few years back. I play the guitar and I play the bass and piano and then I'm singing a lot of vocals. It's very classically influenced because I love classical music. There's a lot going on, it's a big soundscape and one big film. The second half is my kind of alter ego songs."[121] On 21 May she released single "Power" and on 30 June single "Slow Grenade" with Lauv.
Goulding released her fourth studio album, Brightest Blue, on 17 July 2020. Originally scheduled for 5 June 2020, the album's release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The album debuted at the top of the UK Album Chart, becoming Goulding's third album to do so,[122] as well as at No. 2 in Scotland.[123] It reached the top 10 in Ireland[124] as well as the top 40 in over ten countries including Australia, Germany and the United States.
Goulding announced on an Instagram Q&A that she would be releasing new music which was not part of the Brightest Blue era at the end of January 2021.[125] On 21 January, she released a collaboration with electronic duo Silk City, titled "New Love".[126] On 30 September, Goulding performed "Anything Could Happen" as part of the opening ceremony for Expo 2020, held in Dubai.[127]
On 19 June 2022, Goulding performed at Rock in Rio in Lisbon, Portugal. After the concert, she announced that she would be releasing new music in July. The following day, she blacked out all her social media profiles.[128] Back in July 2021, during an interview with Joe Wicks, she described the forthcoming album as "a dance record. It's electronic pop, a dance thing from outer space".[129] On 4 July 2022, she announced the release of "Easy Lover" featuring Big Sean, which was released on 15 July.[130] The single did not enter the UK Singles Top 100, but peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart Top 100.[131] It was followed by "All by Myself", a collaboration between Goulding and producers Alok and Sigala, on 7 October.[132] Goulding released the single "Let It Die" along with its video on 19 October and announced the same day that her fifth studio album Higher Than Heaven would be released on 3 February 2023.[133][134]
On 22 March 2023, Goulding released the single "By The End Of The Night".[135][136]
We Can't Move to This
Ellie Goulding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lips like Tanqueray
Tropical sunrises, never sleeping
I don't know what changed
And all I want to do is feel the rhythm of the night
You've been running from the dark
You can't look me in the eyes
Being called into the heat
I just need to dance without you
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
It never works
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
You're not in love
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
It never works
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
Through the streets and all the places I've been
I can see we never had harmony
I won't go even though I'm alone and I know I want out
I go up without you bringing me down
Such a rush
So now I'm staying to dance on my own
On my own
Oh, and all I know is
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
It never works
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
You're not in love
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
It never works
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
You're not in love
Now I'm giving you up tonight
Now I'm giving you up tonight
And I'm dancing on my own because
We can't move together
Now I'm giving you up tonight
Now I'm giving you up tonight
And I'm dancing on my own because
We can't move together
Now I'm giving you up tonight
Now I'm giving you up tonight
And I'm dancing on my own because
We can't move together
Now I'm giving you up tonight
Now I'm giving you up tonight
And I'm dancing on my own because
We can't move to
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
It never works
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
And all I know is
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
It never works
We can't move to this
We can't even talk, boy
We don't even kiss
I'm not in love
Ellie Goulding's song We Can't Move to This tells the story of a relationship that is lacking connection and passion. The opening lines paint a picture of a previous time when things were good and carefree, with the singer describing the perfect motion and tropical sunrises. However, the relationship has since changed, and the singer can feel the absence of something that used to be there. She wants to feel the rhythm of the night, but her partner is running from the darkness, and the two can't even look each other in the eye. The chorus repeats the phrase "we can't move to this" to emphasize the lack of harmony between the two.
The second verse continues to describe the disconnect between the two partners, with the singer lamenting that they never had harmony, even as they travel through different places. She acknowledges that she wants out, but she doesn't want to be brought down by her partner anymore. The bridge declares that the singer is ready to give up on the relationship and dance on her own because they can't move together.
Overall, the song is a reflection on a one-sided relationship that lacks the passion and connection needed to move forward. The repeated phrase "we can't move to this" acts as a symbol for the relationship's stagnant nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Used to roll in perfect motion, easy
We used to move in perfect harmony, without any difficulty
Lips like Tanqueray
You used to kiss like a smooth drink of Tanqueray gin
Tropical sunrises, never sleeping
We used to stay up all night enjoying tropical scenery, never wanting to sleep
I don't know what changed
I'm not sure what happened, but something is different now
And all I want to do is feel the rhythm of the night
All I want to do is dance and feel the energy of the music
You've been running from the dark
You've been avoiding dealing with the difficult parts of our relationship
You can't look me in the eyes
You're avoiding eye contact because you know things aren't right between us
Being called into the heat
I'm being drawn to a passionate experience
Even if it's burning me
Even if it hurts or causes problems for me
I just need to dance without you
I need to dance alone and move on from our troubled relationship
Through the streets and all the places I've been
Despite all the places I've been, I know we don't work together
I can see we never had harmony
I realize that our relationship never had the necessary balance and unity
I won't go even though I'm alone and I know I want out
Even though I know I need to leave, I'm still holding on and resisting the urge to go
I go up without you bringing me down
I'm moving on and finding happiness on my own without you dragging me down
Such a rush
It's exhilarating to be on my own and moving forward
So now I'm staying to dance on my own
I'm choosing to dance and live my life without you
Now I'm giving you up tonight
I'm letting go of you tonight
And I'm dancing on my own because
I'm dancing alone because you and I can't move to this
We can't move together
We can't make this work, we're not compatible
And all I know is
The only thing I'm sure of is that we can't move to this
I'm not in love
I don't have romantic feelings for you anymore
Lyrics © DOMINO PUBLISHING COMPANY, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Alex Gibson, Ellie Goulding, Fred Gibson, Greg Kurstin, Maureen McDonald
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Milena Donis
on Love Me Like You Do - From "Fifty Shades of Grey"
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