Born in Rotterdam, the Netherlands as the youngest of eight children, Korsten and his family emigrated to South Africa when he was nine years old. He married Elna Burger and had five children, among them renowned conductor and violinist Gérard Korsten.
Initially he worked as an electrician, but from the age of 20, started singing in choirs. However, he received his first formal vocal training in 1952, when he was well into his 20s, studying under Adelheid Armhold at the South African College of Music.
In 1955 he moved to Pretoria, where he was one of the founder members of the Pretoria opera company. In 1956, he debuted as Canio in Ruggero Leoncavallo's Pagliacci.
Korsten won a bursary to study in Vienna in 1962, where he received tuition under Judith Hellwig. During this period he had the opportunity to perform in Vienna and Munich, but he never sang professionally outside South Africa, mainly due to family considerations. It was only in 1970 that Korsten sold his business to devote himself to full-time singing. In the course of his operatic career, Korsten appeared on stage more than 3,000 times, playing 23 roles in most of the major operas.
In 1965, Korsten started his career in light music, with his album Gé Korsten Sing Uit Die Hart (English: Gé Korsten Sings From The Heart), and soon became a best-selling recording artist, with a career spanning 40 years. Nine of his 58 albums achieved gold status. Most of his recorded work is light Afrikaans music, including the song "Liefling" (English: Sweetheart), which is still performed at rugby matches in Bloemfontein and Pretoria. His popularity as a singer also led to lead roles in films such as Hoor My Lied (English: Hear My Song), Lied In My Hart (English: Song In My Heart) and A New Life, all of which included singing scenes. He received six Sarie awards and, in 1979, an ARTES award for his TV program Gé Sing (English: Gé Sings).
In his later life, Korsten was well-known for his role as family patriarch Walt Vorster in the long-running South African soap opera Egoli: Place of Gold.
In 1985 he was appointed the managing director of the Cape Performing Arts Board (CAPAB) in Cape Town, a post which he held until 1989.
In 1999 he committed suicide.
Stranger In Paradise
Gé Korsten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm a stranger in Paradise
All lost in a wonderland
A stranger in paradise
If I stand starry eyed,
That's a danger in Paradise
For mortals who stand beside
An angel like you
And I ascended
Out of the common place
Into the rarest somewhere in space
I hang suspended
Until I know
There's a chance that you care
Won't you answer this fervent prayer?
Of a stranger in paradise
Don't send me in dark despair
From all that I hunger for
But open your angel's arms
To this stranger in paradise
And tell him that he need be
A stranger no more
The song “Stranger in Paradise” by Gé Korsten is a romantic ballad that talks about the feeling of being in love and how it can transport you into a world of wonder and magic. The singer starts by asking his lover to take his hand because he feels like a stranger in paradise, lost in a wonderland. He confesses that his admiration for her is so great that he is in danger of losing himself in her beauty.
In the following lines, the singer talks about how he saw her face and felt like he was ascending to the rarest somewhere in space. He feels suspended and is praying that she could reciprocate his feelings. He wants her to accept him and bring him out of this dark despair because he hungers for her love. He ends the song by pleading with her to open her angel's arms and make him a stranger no more.
The song perfectly captures the feelings that come with falling in love, and the emotions that the singer projects can resonate with anyone who has gone through the same thing. With its hypnotic melody and lyrics, the song manages to create a sense of enchantment that can sweep anyone off their feet.
Line by Line Meaning
Take my hand,
Please hold my hand,
I'm a stranger in Paradise
I feel lost in this beautiful place
All lost in a wonderland
I am amazed and bewildered by the surroundings
A stranger in paradise
I feel like an outsider in this idyllic place
If I stand starry eyed,
If I look at you with admiration,
That's a danger in Paradise
It may be risky to admire someone as perfect as you
For mortals who stand beside
For us, ordinary humans who are lucky enough to be near you
An angel like you
Someone as divine as you
I saw your face,
I caught a glimpse of your charming countenance,
And I ascended
And I felt like I was lifted up into the heavens along with you
Out of the common place
Out of the ordinary and mundane life
Into the rarest somewhere in space
Into a special, extraordinary place beyond this world
I hang suspended
I feel suspended in time and space,
Until I know
Until I am sure
There's a chance that you care
That you might have feelings for me
Won't you answer this fervent prayer?
Could you please answer this heartfelt plea?
Of a stranger in paradise
As an outsider in this wonderful place
Don't send me in dark despair
Please don't leave me hopeless and discouraged
From all that I hunger for
From all that I desire and yearn for
But open your angel's arms
Instead, please embrace me lovingly and warmly,
To this stranger in paradise
To me, who feels like an alien in this beautiful place
And tell him that he need be
Please tell me that I no longer have to
A stranger no more
Be an outsider or a stranger but can now belong and feel welcome here
Contributed by Sadie O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@rxellis01
A fantastic South African Singer. Gone too early.