Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love (Like That)". Beginning in late 1986 with the release of their single Sometimes, Erasure established themselves on the British charts; albums such as The Circus, Wild!, Chorus, I Say I Say I Say, Loveboat and Nightbird demonstrated a further diversity of sound.
The album that boosted their career tremendously was The Innocents, which was released in 1988. A Little Respect and Chains of Love both hit the Billboard Top 100. Most people will probably remember Erasure for A Little Respect, which became one of their signature songs.
Clarke formerly was a member of Depeche Mode and later had a successful career with the duo Yazoo (known as Yaz in the US). Later he split with Yazoo partner Alison Moyet and briefly formed The Assembly with producer Eric Radcliffe. After a successful Assembly single ("Never Never"), Clarke released an unsuccessful one-off single with vocalist Paul Quinn ("One Day"). He then placed a blind advertisement in Melody Maker looking for a vocalist for a new musical project. He selected Andy Bell, who was the forty-first to audition (and whose voice would often be compared to Moyet's). From the start, their success was founded upon their songwriting skills. Clarke's talent for writing melodic, catchy pop songs was evident from his years with Depeche Mode and Yazoo. Bell's gifts as a lyricist and melodist added depth and character to Clarke's style (additionally, Bell was openly gay from the beginning, and he reflected this in his lyrics at a time when society as a whole was more ignorant around queer issues than it is today - making Erasure's success all the more phenomenal). As pop craftsmen, the pair's work bears comparison with that of Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Eurythmics, OMD, Alphaville, a-ha, Roxette and other pop songwriters.
Though their productivity and record sales declined beginning in the second half of the 1990s, Erasure scored at least one Top 30 hit with the release of every new album. Few electronic bands have demonstrated the durability of Erasure.
In 2005 Erasure made a comeback with their number one position on the US Dance Chart, eighteen years after their first chart-topper. This success was mirrored in the UK with the debut single from Nightbird ("Breathe") reaching number four in the charts. Erasure also enabled fans to configure and buy their own remixes of the single 'Don't Say You Love Me' through the band website. Each variant of the song was limited to a single download.
2006 saw the release of the album Union Street, which features a collection of previously released Erasure songs that the band have reinterpreted with an acoustic / country & western style. The album is named after the recording studio in Brooklyn where it was recorded.
A new album, Light at the End of the World, was released in 2007.
BE MY BABY
Erasure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could be loving you deep, my baby
Ooh, there could be love in your soul
I wanna feel the emotion
Ooh, there could be love in your heart
I want to feel it so deep down baby
Ooh, I could love you so bad
Oh what's the matter with me now, baby
Feelings are mixed up inside
Come along and be mine only, child
You'd better be careful
Or you might just get what you are looking for
Now I'm in chains, not exactly what I'm looking for
Ooh, I'm putting magic aside
I love the look in your eyes now, baby
Ooh, it tells me you're mine
I want to dive in your ocean
Oh what's the matter with me now, baby
Feelings are mixed up inside
Come along and be mine only, child
You'd better be careful
Or you might just get what you are looking for
Now I'm in chains, not exactly what I'm looking for
You'd better be careful
Or you might just get what you are looking for
Now I'm in chains, not exactly what I'm looking for
You'd better be careful
Or you might just get what you are looking for
Now I'm in chains, not exactly what I'm looking for
The lyrics of Erasure’s song Be My Baby speak about the intense emotion of love and the desire to give oneself wholly to another person. The song is written in the first person, with the singer expressing his desire to love and be loved by the subject of his affection. The lyrics use various body parts – eyes, heart, and soul – to express the deep-seated nature of the feeling. The lines “Ooh, it tells me you're mine, I want to dive in your ocean” speak about the overwhelming desire to be completely immersed in the other person, to experience everything they have to offer.
However, amidst the declarations of love and devotion, there is also an underlying hint of caution. The lines “You'd better be careful, or you might just get what you are looking for, now I'm in chains, not exactly what I'm looking for” seem to be a warning to the other person to be careful what they wish for. The singer is now “in chains”, possibly indicating that the love he once desired has now become suffocating or difficult to manage. Nonetheless, the singer is still hopeful that the other person will reciprocate his feelings and come along to be his one and only.
Overall, the lyrics of Be My Baby express the powerful emotions experienced in a romantic relationship, from the intense desire for union to a cautious undertone of warning against the potential risks of such a commitment.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh, there could be love in your eyes
The singer is hopeful that he can find love in the eyes of his partner.
I could be loving you deep, my baby
The singer wants to love his partner very deeply.
Ooh, there could be love in your soul
The singer hopes that his partner has a lot of love in her soul.
I wanna feel the emotion
The singer wants to feel the love that his partner has.
Ooh, there could be love in your heart
The singer hopes that his partner has a lot of love in her heart.
I want to feel it so deep down baby
The singer wants to feel his partner's love very deeply.
Ooh, I could love you so bad
The singer can love his partner very intensely.
I want to give you devotion
The singer wants to show his partner how devoted he is to her.
Oh what's the matter with me now, baby
The singer is feeling confused about his emotions.
Feelings are mixed up inside
The singer's emotions are all over the place.
Come along and be mine only, child
The singer is asking his partner to be his and his alone.
You'd better be careful
The singer is warning his partner to be cautious.
Or you might just get what you are looking for
The singer is suggesting that his partner might find love if she is open to it.
Now I'm in chains, not exactly what I'm looking for
The singer feels trapped in a relationship he doesn't want.
Ooh, I'm putting magic aside
The singer is trying to be more realistic about his relationship.
I love the look in your eyes now, baby
The singer appreciates the way his partner looks at him.
Ooh, it tells me you're mine
The way his partner looks at him makes the singer feel like she belongs to him.
I want to dive in your ocean
The singer wants to explore his partner's emotions more deeply.
Contributed by Bella R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.