Gabriella Lucia Cilmi (born 10 October 1991) is an Australian singer-songwr… Read Full Bio ↴Gabriella Lucia Cilmi (born 10 October 1991) is an Australian singer-songwriter. In 2008, Cilmi was awarded six ARIA Music Awards, including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist. Her debut album, Lessons to Be Learned, was released in March 2008, becoming a moderate international success. Her second studio album, Ten, was released in March 2010. Her third studio album, The Sting, was released in November 2013.

Gabriella Cilmi was born in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong. Of Italian and Albanian heritage, she moved to London with her family when she was fifteen, where she currently lives with her parents Paula and Joe (whose origins are in Calabria and Sicily, Italy) and her brother Joseph.

At an early age, Cilmi developed an interest in a wide range of pop music acts, including Nina Simone, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, The Sweet, T. Rex and Cat Stevens. She has also cited Suzi Quatro as a particular influence. Despite her natural aptitude and vocal talent, Cilmi was told that she lacked the discipline necessary to pursue a singing career. Idolising Janis Joplin, during this time she sang with a band (Foucault) covering songs by Led Zeppelin, Jet, Silverchair and others. Cilmi recorded original songs with writer/producers Barbara and Adrian Hannan of The SongStore.

In 2004, Cilmi captured the attention of Warner Music executive Michael Parisi while giving an impromptu rendition of the Rolling Stones' song "Jumpin' Jack Flash" at the Lygon Street Festa, a community festival in Melbourne. At the age of 13, Cilmi travelled to the US and UK with Adrian Hannan and was offered four major US deals. She eventually signed a contract with Island Records UK.

Cilmi's first album, Lessons to Be Learned, was written and recorded with hit production team Xenomania and was released in March 2008 in the UK. Cilmi has been compared to Amy Winehouse. The first single, "Sweet About Me", debuted on the UK Singles Chart that month and climbed to number six three months later, in June. It reached number seventeen on the Irish Singles Chart, and peaked at number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. The song was used in a worldwide advertising campaign for the deodorant Sure/Rexona. Cilmi's second UK single, "Save the Lies", was not as successful as "Sweet About Me", peaking at number thirty-three in the UK. In Australia, the second single from the album was "Don't Wanna Go to Bed Now", which reached number twenty-eight. The subsequent single, "Sanctuary", was issued in November 2008 and failed to chart.

The lead single of Gabriella Cilmi's Ten is "On a Mission". It was released on 5 February 2010 in Australia and on 7 March 2010 in Europe. As soon as the song was broadcast on Australian radios, it reached number-one most added track to Australian radio in its second week of release, getting played 296 times. The song reached number 9 on the UK Singles Chart and number sixteen in Australia.

The new album Ten was planned for 22 March 2010 and Cilmi said it would feature "lots of uptempo funk and disco-inspired numbers designed to make people groove", referring to "On a Mission", "Hearts Don't Lie", and "Love Me Cos", as well as "some more sexy tracks" probably referring to "Superhot" and "Invisible Girl". The song "Boys" incorporates a type of yodel into it. The song "Let Me Know" is described as the "Lessons To Be Learned-ish" song of the album.

It also features a new version of "Sweet About Me", with some disco/electronic style to show her music has changed.

While producing the album, Cilmi worked with Greg Kurstin, The Invisible Men and Dallas Austin, as well as Xenomania. She made her debuts in producing songs with the track "Love Me Cos", she says the song she is most proud of due to the fact it was produced with her band. It features production from Xenomania, Dallas Austin and Greg Kurstin, and bears an electropop sound in contrast to her first album, which had more of a pop/rock style.

By October 2010, Cilmi had already begun work on her third studio album. She has been quoted as saying: "It's totally exciting because I am spending a bit more time with this record. I want to see what works. I really love Dolly Parton, roots music, Tricky and Enya, so anything could happen."

On 20 January 2012, Cilmi released an acoustic version of a song from her album, "Vicious Love". It is played in a clip video where she sings with her band and walks around an Italian restaurant with sunglasses. Two days after the broadcast, she says: "This is an 'Acoustic-ish' version of a tune that will be on the new record, one that I love very much". The song has blues influences, contrasting the disco-inspired pop sound of Ten. Cilmi claims she felt pressured into adopting a more sexual image, which prompted her to part ways with Island Records and her management team. She also told the Herald Sun that the lacklustre commercial reception of her second album, Ten, taught her not to compromise herself or her music: "It was an awakening for me to realise the position I am in to make the record that I want to make and just stand up for myself."

On 22 January 2012, Cilmi explained how the song "Vicious Love" was inspired. She states: "If you've ever experienced any type of 'Vicious Love' you will know that sometimes despite all the arrows pointing to a dead end there is just no way out, there is no way back. But then again don't all roads lead to dead ends? Guess we should just enjoy the ride..."

In March 2013, Cilmi first performed "Sweet About Me", as well as two new songs "Come Wander With Me" and "Sweeter in History", at the Moxafrica Festival. On 15 March, the clip from her new single "Sweeter in History", is shown on her YouTube page. It was shot in Italy, precisely in Cassino and Valvori, Lazio. In July 2013, Cilmi announced a new track called "The Sting", released on 2 September as the album's lead single. The artwork of the single was revealed on 15 July 2013, picturing Cilmi in black and white, in front of a flower field. Cilmi's third studio album, The Sting, will be released on 4 November 2013 on her own UK-based imprint Sweetness Tunes, in association with Absolute Marketing & Distribution."Symmetry" is set to be released on 11 November as the album's second single.

Einstein
Gabriella Cilmi Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'd like to think like Einstein
Know the equal of pi
And never need to as why
Why, why boys don't cry
Where we go when we die
And what's the meaning of life

[Chorus]

Whatever the weather man's saying we follow
Sunshine or rain
But he'll never tell me how I feel tomorrow
Pleasure or pain

The lessons I'm learning, just leave me burning for more and more,
I lie awake hoping, Jesus ain't joking I'm sure, that his sure

[Chorus]

So tell me why the world keeps on turning, turning
And why so many people are hurting, hurting
How we traded honestly for lying, lying
Cause were only gonna make it if were trying, trying

You put a man on the moon
But you can't save that baby
And that pains me
You'll make a red rose turn blue
But you can't stop us dying keep on trying

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

In Gabriella Cilmi's song "Einstein," the lyrics express a desire to possess the wisdom and understanding of one of the most brilliant minds in history, Albert Einstein. The opening lines highlight this aspiration to gain knowledge of mathematical concepts such as pi, a number that is infinite and prevalent in the world of science. The desire to understand life's mysteries is also expressed through the questioning of why boys are told not to cry and contemplating what happens after death.

The chorus speaks of the unpredictability of life and how we cannot rely solely on external factors such as weather reports because ultimately, we are responsible for how we feel. The desire to learn and grow is showcased as the singer longs for more knowledge and lessons, adding that hopefully, the religious figure of Jesus is not playing a joke on them, indicating a quest for spiritual understanding as well.

The second verse delves into deeper issues plaguing our society such as the world's constant rotation and the pain and suffering it causes. The trade-off between honesty and deceit is discussed, and the critical message is conveyed that profound changes can only occur if we put in the effort to enact them. The lyrics conclude with a heartbreaking line about the fragility of human life, and despite humanity's impressive accomplishments like putting a man on the moon, the harsh reality remains that we cannot save every life, and all we can do is keep trying.

Line by Line Meaning

I'd like to think like Einstein
I wish to have the intellectual capability of Albert Einstein.

Know the equal of pi
To be knowledgeable about the mathematical constant π.

And never need to ask why
To have a comprehensive understanding of the world, where questioning is not necessary.

Why, why boys don't cry
Trying to comprehend societal expectations of masculinity and the lack of emotional expression in men.

Where we go when we die
Curiosity about the destination of the human soul after death.

And what's the meaning of life
Desire to know the purpose of human existence beyond survival and reproduction.

Whatever the weather man's saying we follow
The human tendency to blindly trust predictions and follow trends regardless of personal feelings and experiences.

Sunshine or rain
Regardless of pleasant or uncomfortable conditions.

But he'll never tell me how I feel tomorrow
Awareness of unpredictability and subjectivity of emotions.

Pleasure or pain
Either positive or negative experiences.

The lessons I'm learning, just leave me burning for more and more,
Acquiring knowledge fuels the desire for further understanding.

I lie awake hoping, Jesus ain't joking I'm sure, that his sure
Aspiring to a higher power for answers, despite skepticism.

So tell me why the world keeps on turning, turning
Questioning the inevitability of global events despite uncertainty and chaos.

And why so many people are hurting, hurting
Perplexed by the prevalence of suffering in society.

How we traded honestly for lying, lying
Observing the corrupt nature of society which lacks honesty and values deception.

Cause were only gonna make it if were trying, trying
Recognizing that progress and salvation require continuous hard work and perseverance.

You put a man on the moon
Celebrating human achievements and capability of exploring beyond our planet.

But you can't save that baby
Acknowledging the limitations of human power and the inevitability of death.

And that pains me
Expressing disappointment and sadness towards the inability to save innocent life.

You'll make a red rose turn blue
Reflecting on the beauty of nature and the potential of manipulating it artificially.

But you can't stop us dying keep on trying
Desire to overcome the natural law of death and the importance of efforts to prolong life.

Whatever the weather man's saying we follow
Reiteration of the idea that humans tend to blindly trust predictions and follow trends regardless of personal feelings.

Sunshine or rain
Reminder that individual experience of life can be both pleasant and uncomfortable.

But he'll never tell me how I feel tomorrow
Affirmation that emotions are subject to change and can never be precisely predicted.

Pleasure or pain
Reiteration of the idea that humans cannot avoid either positive or negative experiences in life.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GABRIELLA CILMI, MIRANDA COOPER, BRIAN HIGGINS, TIM LARCOMBE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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