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
Walking to You
Everything But the Girl Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And he said, "Fancy running into you again".
We talked a minute or so, then he turned to go,
And I walked into the crowd again.
And the morning was a different place,
In every passerby I saw your face.
Love leaves a lonely ghost,
Is this the case in every case?
Am I walking to you?
Am I walking to you?
In everything I do,
Am I just walking to you?
It was seven years ago to the day,
You rang my house and we met halfway.
We walked round Leicester Square and
Sat through ´Being There´ and every moment I replay.
And I was desperate for love to be pure,
Though what that meant, I never was sure.
You spent your time on me,
I took it willingly,
And I made you trust in literature.
Am I walking to you?
Am I walking to you?
In everything I do,
Am I just walking to you?
I just don´t know what to do.
The song "Walking to You" by Everything But the Girl speaks about a character who is haunted by the memory of a former lover. The song begins with the singer recounting a chance encounter with the ex-boyfriend of the lost love on St. Martin's Lane. The encounter serves as a reminder of how difficult it is to move on from the past. As the singer walks into the crowd after the brief reunion, they are surrounded by people, but all they can see is the face of their lost love. This line exemplifies how the singer is so consumed by their longing and ghostly memories that everything around them has been colored by their fixation.
The singer references an earlier point in the relationship with the repetition of the lines, "Am I walking to you? In everything I do, am I just walking to you?" This repetition shows that the fear and longing for the lost lover's return is a constant presence in the singer's life. The song references their meeting place seven years before on Leicester Square, walking around together and seeing the movie "Being There." The nostalgia and yearning that pervade the song are palpable, but they are also tinged with uncertainty. The lyrics reflect the singer's ambiguous feelings about the relationship and what went wrong as they reveal they were desperate for love to be "pure" without explaining what that means.
Line by Line Meaning
I met your boyfriend on St. Martin's Lane
I unexpectedly crossed paths with your partner on a specific street in London.
And he said, "Fancy running into you again".
He expressed surprise in seeing me for the second time.
We talked a minute or so, then he turned to go,
And I walked into the crowd again.
Our conversation was brief and he went his way as I rejoined the bustling crowd.
And the morning was a different place,
In every passerby I saw your face.
The ambiance of the morning was changed for me, seeing stray glimpses of you in random strangers.
Love leaves a lonely ghost,
With one thought uppermost
Is this the case in every case?
The memory of our love haunts me, and I question whether others face similar situations.
Am I walking to you?
Am I walking to you?
In everything I do,
Am I just walking to you?
Is my every move and thought unconsciously directed towards you?
It was seven years ago to the day,
You rang my house and we met halfway.
Exactly seven years ago, we arranged to meet each other halfway after you called me.
We walked round Leicester Square and
Sat through 'Being There' and every moment I replay.
We spent time at a specific square in London and watched a movie, each moment replaying in my mind.
And I was desperate for love to be pure,
Though what that meant, I never was sure.
I yearned for a love that was untainted, though unsure how to achieve it.
You spent your time on me,
I took it willingly,
And I made you trust in literature.
You devoted time and effort towards me, which I received with open arms, and I helped instill in you a love for literature.
I just don't know what to do.
I am uncertain of how to proceed or handle my feelings.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: WATT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind