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
Chelsea Morning
Emilíana Torrini Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the first thing that I heard,
Was a song outside my window,
And the traffic wrote the words,
It came ringing up like Christmas bells,
And rapping up like pipes and drums.
Oh, won't you stay we'll put on the day,
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning,
And the first thing that I saw,
Was the sun through yellow curtains,
And a rainbow on the wall,
Blue, red, green and gold to welcome you,
Crimson crystal beads to beckon
Oh, won't you stay we'll put on the day,
There's a sun show every second.
Now the curtain opens on a portrait of today.
And the streets are paved with passersby,
And pigeons fly, and papers lie,
Waiting to blow away.
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning,
And the first thing that I knew,
There was milk and toast and honey,
And a bowl of orange juice too,
And the sun poured in like butterscotch,
And stuck to all my senses.
Oh, wont you stay we'll put on the day,
And we'll talk in present tenses.
When the curtain closes,
And the rainbow runs away,
I will bring you incense owls by night,
By candlelight, by two jewel light
If only you will stay.
Pretty baby won't you.
Wake up, it is a Chelsea morning.
Emiliana Torrini's "Chelsea Morning" is a tribute to New York City's Chelsea neighborhood. The song starts with the singer waking up to the sound of a song outside her window and traffic writing the words. She then goes on to describe the colorful scene she sees in her room, with the sun shining through yellow curtains and a rainbow on the wall. Everything seems to welcome her and beckon her to stay and enjoy the day.
The second verse takes us outside, where the singer observes the bustling streets filled with passersby, pigeons, and papers waiting to blow away. The third verse brings us back indoors to a breakfast of milk and toast and honey, with the sun pouring in like butterscotch and sticking to all her senses. The singer invites her lover to stay and enjoy the day with her, even offering to bring incense owls and light candles by the two jewel light if they will only stay.
One of the interesting things about this song is that it was written and originally recorded by Joni Mitchell on her 1969 album "Clouds." Mitchell wrote the song for her friends David Crosby and Stephen Stills, who were living in the Chelsea hotel at the time. Another interesting fact is that the song was covered by many artists over the years, including Jennifer Warnes and Fairport Convention. Emiliana Torrini's version was featured in the TV series "Grey's Anatomy."
Chords:
Unfortunately, the chords for this song are not available as it is copyrighted material.
Line by Line Meaning
Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning,
I awoke in the morning, with a sense that it was a Chelsea-style morning.
And the first thing that I heard,
The first thing I perceived were sounds.
Was a song outside my window,
A melody I heard from an outdoor source.
And the traffic wrote the words,
The sounds of cars and hustle and bustle contributed to form the sounds of the environment.
It came ringing up like Christmas bells,
The sound was clearly audible with a festive vibe.
And rapping up like pipes and drums.
It had a quality that could be compared to the sound of music being played on pipes or drums.
Oh, won't you stay we'll put on the day,
Stay with me and we'll make the day something special.
And we'll wear it 'till the night comes.
We will make the day our own, until it's time for night.
And the first thing that I saw,
My first visual perception of the day was...
Was the sun through yellow curtains,
The sunlight filtering through the yellow curtains.
And a rainbow on the wall,
There was a spectrum of colours painted on the wall.
Blue, red, green and gold to welcome you,
The colours represent a welcome feeling for you.
Crimson crystal beads to beckon
The colour red is used to attract or invite.
There's a sun show every second.
The day is filled with displays of the endless sunshine.
Now the curtain opens on a portrait of today.
A new day has arrived, with the opening of the night's curtain.
And the streets are paved with passersby,
The streets are filled with people going about their day.
And pigeons fly, and papers lie,
Pigeons are flying around and papers are scattered everywhere.
Waiting to blow away.
The papers appear to be waiting to be taken away by the wind.
And the first thing that I knew,
The first realization of the morning was that...
There was milk and toast and honey,
There were breakfast items of milk, toast, and honey.
And a bowl of orange juice too,
A bowl of orange juice was also available.
And the sun poured in like butterscotch,
The sun filled the room with golden hues.
And stuck to all my senses.
It had a profound effect on my senses.
And we'll talk in present tenses.
We will discuss things as they currently are.
When the curtain closes,
At the end of the day, signaling its completion...
And the rainbow runs away,
The colourful display of the day fades away.
I will bring you incense owls by night,
To soothe you with pleasant aromas in the stillness of the night, I will bring you owl-shaped incense burners.
By candlelight, by two jewel light
It will be lit by candle, or perhaps two precious jewels.
If only you will stay.
If only you will stay with me through the night.
Pretty baby won't you.
Addressing someone as endearing would be my request.
Wake up, it is a Chelsea morning.
Wake up, and enjoy the unique attitude of Chelsea-style mornings.
Contributed by Chloe B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.