Ben met Tracey when they were at Hull University and she was singing in pop girl-band Marine Girls. Ben contributed a photograph, for a forthcoming album cover, after which, the pair became partners (later getting married). They formed Everything But the Girl in 1982, the name inspired by a Turner's Furniture advertising slogan (a popular store near the university). For a period, Tracey was active in both bands and the album with Ben's photo materialised, Lazy Ways (Apr 1983), which was to be Marine Girls' last. EBTG soon achieved national success and singles from The Language of Life (1990), got VH-1 airtime - heralding USA notoriety.
Once internationally established, they successfully achieved one of the greatest stylistic changes in modern music; originally a 'folk-pop with jazz influences' band, their fortunes changed with Amplified Heart (Jul 1994) and Todd Terry's successful remix of its track "Missing" (Aug 1994). Since then, EBTG have become more widely known as an electronic act, with Walking Wounded (May 1996), being a well-received example of their metamorphosed sound.
As of 1999, EBTG as a duo are currently on hiatus, as the couple raise their children, out of the public eye. Watt is a very successful club DJ, Buzzin Fly label-manager and remixer, releasing several 'Lazy Dog' mix compilations (named after his London-based deep house night).
Thorn's 2006 collaboration with Tiefschwarz, on the underground hit song "Damage", seems to have re-awoken her artistic spirit and she released a second solo album, Out of the Woods (Mar 2007).
As of March 2023 evidence that the hiatus will end soon emerges in an interview with Alexis Petridis, in which the release date of the new album 'Fuse' is given as 21 April. This new music was first mentioned by Tracy Thorn on twitter in late 2022, and now it emerging, with 2 new singles already released
Corcovado
Everything But the Girl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Este amor, uma canção
Pra fazer feliz a quem se ama
Muita calma pra pensar
E ter tempo pra sonhar
Da janela vê-se o Corcovado
Quero a vida sempre assim com você perto de mim
Até o apagar da velha chama
E eu que era triste
Descrente deste mundo
Ao encontrar você eu conheci
O que é felicidade meu amor
O que é felicidade, o que é felicidade
These lyrics, from Everything But the Girl's cover of Antonio Carlos Jobim's classic song "Corcovado," evoke a sense of romantic bliss and tranquility. The first two lines describe a simple scene: a corner and a guitar, a love and a song. The purpose of the song is to make those that we love happy, and the rest of the lyrics describe the ideal situation in which we can do so. There is a need for calmness and the freedom to dream, as one gazes out of the window and sees the iconic Corcovado mountain, and the statue of Christ the Redeemer that looms over Rio de Janeiro. The singer wishes to spend life like this, always with their loved one close, until the old flame dies out.
These lyrics are about finding joy through love and simplicity and celebrating the beauty of nature. There is a sense of contentment and peace in these words, as the singer has found their happiness through loving someone else. The final lines, "O que é felicidade, o que é felicidade" ("What is happiness? What is happiness?"), are a rhetorical question that suggest that true happiness is found in the simplicity of love and nature.
Line by Line Meaning
Um cantinho e um violão
A secluded spot with a guitar
Este amor, uma canção
This love, a song
Pra fazer feliz a quem se ama
To make happy the person you love
Muita calma pra pensar
A lot of calm to think
E ter tempo pra sonhar
And have time to dream
Da janela vê-se o Corcovado
From the window, you can see Corcovado
O Redentor que lindo
The beautiful Redeemer
Quero a vida sempre assim com você perto de mim
I want life to always be like this with you near me
Até o apagar da velha chama
Until the old flame dies out
E eu que era triste
And I who was sad
Descrente deste mundo
Disbelieving of this world
Ao encontrar você eu conheci
By finding you, I learned
O que é felicidade meu amor
What happiness is, my love
O que é felicidade, o que é felicidade
What happiness is, what happiness is
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Antonio Carlos Jobim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Herbert Donnell Gray III
This is magical. Thorn is such a special lead vocalist. The way she sings this is the most elegant way a song could possibly be sung. I love the woman.
Slaphead
I so love her singing skills. So pure. So subtle yet powerfully moving and touching.
Herbert Donnell Gray III
@Slaphead Underrated
D.S.O.
Ben Watt is an amazing multi instrumentalist musician, i think he created the most chill out sounds that came out in the 90s from Radio to dance clubs
Wesley Vieira Fonseca
Somente uma grande artista como Tracey Thorn para poder conseguir imprimir uma tanta emoção em uma música cantada em português, um idioma que é extremamente difícil para os britânicos e pra grande maioria do restante do mundo.
Ficou sensacional.
adriano saldanha
ela arrasou no portugues
Klaatu Barada Nikito
Fantástica‼️🥰
Robert Whitelaw
🔥😎👍
Marcelo Bello Mollik Bello
Uma verdadeira artista a nível mundial, parabéns sempre.
Voz que encanta desde a década de 90. Voces são divinos 🍀💯🎁🥇🍾🥂🏆👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
La Chechi
Qué belleza oir a Tracey cantando este himno de Brasil. Amé está versión.