Her father is Italian and her mother Icelandic. Emilíana grew up in Kópavogur where, at the age of 7, she joined a choir as a soprano. She continued with the choir until she went to opera school at the age of 15. Later she worked as waitress at her father's restaurant. In 1994, Emilíana became well-known at the age of 17 after winning the song competition for junior college students (Icelandic: Söngkeppni framhaldsskólanna), singing "I Will Survive".
Prior to her appearance on the worldwide stage, she released 3 other albums in Iceland: Spoon in 1994, Crouçie D'où Là in 1995, and Merman in 1996. Emilíana also worked with trip-hop group Gus Gus on their debut Polydistortion (1997) on two songs: Is Jesus Your Pal? and Why?.
Later Torrini continues to collaborate with other artists, notably composing Kylie Minogue's international #1 track Slow with Dan Carey in 2003, and providing the voice for Gollum's Song, the closing theme for the film "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers". Also in 2002, she sang vocals on Paul Oakenfold's song Hold Your Hand taken from his Bunkka album.
In 2003 she collaborated with Thievery Corporation on two songs Heaven's Gonna Burn Your Eyes and Until the Morning from The Richest Man in Babylon (2005), and Slovo's debut album, Nommo.
Emilíana Torrini released her international debut album, Love In The Time Of Science in November 1999. This trip-hop album was produced by Roland Orzabal of Tears for Fears. Four singles were issued: Dead Things, Baby Blue, To Be Free, and Unemployed in Summertime.
Working with Dan Carey, her second major album release released in 2005, Fisherman's Woman, signified a departure from her earlier electronic roots to an acoustic-folk sound; applying the ethereal beauty of her voice in a much more intimate setting, reminiscent of the work of Nick Drake and fellow Icelanders múm. The singles Lifesaver, Sunnyroad, and Heartstopper supported the album.
Her third album, Me and Armini was released on 8 September 2008, to generally good reviews. The album was promoted by three singles: Me and Armini, Big Jumps, and Jungle Drum. The single Jungle Drum became Emilíana's most successful song, reaching #1 in Iceland, Austria, Belgium, Germany, #5 on Finland, and #11 in Switzerland.
Her fourth international studio album, Tookah was released in 2013.
http://www.emilianatorrini.com/
Torrini has lately worked with Canada's Kid Koala, providing vocals on the ambient album Music To Draw To: Satellite, released in January 2017.
The album is described as "...his first non sample-based album, with all the instruments and effects being manipulated by him and him alone) and lyricist (a collaboration with Icelandic vocalist Emilíana Torrini, who somehow makes this sometimes stark, often celestial-sounding record even more chilling with her captivating performances on tracks like "Collapser" and "Adrift") — is able to transport listeners to the depths of space, or wherever their imagination wills them, with ease."
http://exclaim.ca/music/article/kid_koala-music_to_draw_to_satellite
A Least It Was
Emilíana Torrini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hid behind some men
I had never seen you look so good
I'm glad you're doing well
I went out for a walk today
To think of things unsaid
Of course I found I'd said too much
And when the day falls
I guess it was love
And when the day falls
At least it was
You thought of the name to call me
I guess that's how it goes
I know a few with the same name
Yes, I'm sad I'm one of those
Ungraceful as I am in loving
And leaving I'm the same
It's way too late to say I'm sorry
But I'll say it anyway
And when the day forwards
I guess it was love
And when the day forwards
At least it was
Dumb dumb dumb dumb
These lyrics are from Emiliana Torrini’s song, “At Least It Was,” which is a melancholy reflection on a past lover. The singer is admitting to herself and to her lover that she made mistakes and wasn't perfect while they were together. She saw him on a train, but hid. She thought he looked great and was relieved that he seemed to be doing well, but she didn't want to confront him.
The song talks about how she went for a walk to think about all the things that had been left unsaid between them. She realized, however, that it was too late and that she had said too much. The singer accepts that the relationship failed and is now over. She thinks about how she was ungraceful in her loving and leaving, and it's too late to change things between them. Still, she wants to apologize and acknowledges that she's sad that she is one of many people with the same name.
The chorus "And when the day falls, I guess it was love. And when the day falls, at least it was," repeats throughout the song. This lyric tells us that the singer is accepting that even though the relationship ended, it was still a form of love. It might not have been the love that was meant to last, but it was still love that they shared, and the singer finds a kind of solace in this realization.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought I saw you on the train
I spotted what looked like your figure on the train
I hid behind some men
I tried my best to avoid you by hiding myself behind some men
I had never seen you look so good
I've never seen you appearing so fine and fit before
I'm glad you're doing well
I'm happy to know that you're doing good for yourself
I went out for a walk today
Today, I decided to take a casual walk
To think of things unsaid
I reflected on things that were left unspoken
Of course I found I'd said too much
Later, I realized that I ended up saying too many things
So I laid all that to rest
I tried to bury all of those thoughts away
And when the day falls
As the day comes to an end
I guess it was love
I suppose it might have been love
At least it was
But at the very least it was something meaningful
You thought of the name to call me
You came up with a name to use for me
I guess that's how it goes
I suppose that's just how things play out sometimes
I know a few with the same name
I'm aware of a few other people who have the same name as me
Yes, I'm sad I'm one of those
I'm feeling upset about being one of those people
Ungraceful as I am in loving
I tend to act somewhat awkwardly when it comes to love
And leaving I'm the same
And the same thing goes for when I have to leave
It's way too late to say I'm sorry
I know it's long overdue to apologize
But I'll say it anyway
Nevertheless, I'll still express my apologies
And when the day forwards
As the day pushes forward
I guess it was love
I suppose it could've been love all along
And when the day forwards
As the day moves forward
At least it was
But again, at the very least it was something with substance
Dumb dumb dumb dumb
This is likely an expression of regret or disappointment in oneself
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DANIEL DE MUSSENDEN CAREY, EMILIANA TORRINI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ajlich
I heard this song on the radio today, and I don't get it. Why such a good song doesn't have more views. Its so good <3
akinnasuam
this is such a wonderful song. I almost cry every time I listen to this... thank you for posting!
KaansRoom
What a true song. It's like Feist's Intuition. A similar thing happened to me. Felt sick to my stomach, like I was going to faint.
Peter Anderson
Greatest song ever
inv0Lver
This is exactly what I needed today..
3Dartist247
I heard Emilíana (full name is Emilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir) on last.fm today, but because their play lists don't quickly repeat what you heard and liked, here I am. Beside Emilíana, the only other Icelandic singer I've heard is Björk, also very good, but very different. "It's way too late to say I'm sorry but I'll say it anyway..." and who hasn't been there. She speaks to the heart, with a sweet voice.
Meryl Álvarez
Beutiful song amazing
thecheesburgler
You thought of a name to call me, i guess that's how it goes. I know a few with the same name, i'm sad i'm one of those. </3
sriracha2009
@katakotia3 me too! I googled the two line chorus. I love her voice!
Laura RCH
she's got a great voice! don't u think is a bit similar to Ellie Goulding?