Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters, having written fourteen Number 1 singles and twenty four top 10 hits. He has had three Number 1 singles, six top 10 singles and two Number 1 albums as a solo artist, and has had seventeen top 5 hits, twelve Number 1 singles and seven Number 1 albums with Take That. He is also a six-time recipient of the Ivor Novello Award and has sold over 50 million records worldwide. He was appointed an OBE in 2012 for services to music and charity.
Barlow's solo career was predicted to be very successful, being described as 'the next George Michael'. His first two solo singles "Forever Love" (released July 1996) and "Love Won't Wait" (composed by Madonna and Shep Pettibone) both leapt to the number one spot in his home country. "Forever Love" was also used as the soundtrack to the film The Leading Man. His debut album "Open Road" reached number 1 in the UK Albums Chart and went on to sell 2 million copies worldwide. Barlow's first single to be released in the United States as a solo artist was "So Help Me Girl", which reached number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 1 on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. He then achieved another top ten hit in the UK with "Open Road" peaking at number 7 and number 8 in the Netherlands with "Are You Ready Now".
After the success of his first solo album he released his second LP "Twelve Months, Eleven Days" in 1999. Barlow released "Stronger" as the lead single preceding the album. However, due to an expected backlash against Barlow, it received minimal support and airplay and only peaked at number 16. The second single "For All That You Want" again was subjected to minimal radio play and peaked at number 24, however it peaked just outside the top 5 in Finland. "Twelve Months, Eleven Days" was released soon after the first single to little promotion and peaked at a disappointing number 35, which led to Sony recalling Barlow's 'greatest' song according to critics, the scheduled third single from his second album "Lie to Me". This resulted in both Barlow and BMG parting company. To date Barlow has sold 5 million records worldwide as a solo artist.
On September 2013, Barlow announced via his Twitter account that he would be releasing his first full-length solo album in 14 years, on 25 November 2013. Barlow encouraged his followers and fans to tweet #GBSOLO to reveal the album artwork and title, with their profile pictures being used to create a collage of the album cover. On 4 October 2013, Barlow revealed his new album would be called "Since I Saw You Last", and would be preceded by his first single from the LP, titled "Let Me Go", released worldwide on 17 November 2013. He also announced that he would be touring the album in April 2014, playing some of the biggest arenas in the UK.
So Help Me Girl
Gary Barlow Lyrics
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Like this wasn't gonna last
Kept me from saying
Something I'll never take back
You could've held me like there was no chance of me waking up where I am
You could have stopped short of every dream I ever had
So help me girl
It's way too late
To save my heart
The way it feels
Each time we touch
I know I've never been so loved
And I can't help myself
So help me girl
You had to be there when that old sun came up
Making last night feel like a vision of things yet to come
You just had to hold me like nobody else
Now look what you've gone and done
You had to love me
'Til I just can't get enough
So help me girl
You've gone too far
It's way too late
Too save my heart
The way it's feel
Each time we touch
I know I've never been so loved
And I can't help myself
So help me girl
And I can't help myself
So help me girl
In Gary Barlow's song "So Help Me Girl," the lyrics seem to express a sense of surrender to the overpowering emotions of love. The singer speaks of being helpless in the face of a love that has gone too far, saying, "You've gone too far, it's way too late to save my heart." The lyrics also highlight the tension between the desire to speak openly and honestly about one's feelings, and the fear of saying something that might be regretted later. The lines, "Kept me from saying something I'll never take back," suggest that the singer is struggling to find a balance between expressing himself honestly and avoiding saying something that might damage the relationship.
At the same time, there is a sense of wonder and gratefulness in the lyrics, as the singer speaks of feeling more loved than ever before: "Each time we touch, I know I've never been so loved." The imagery in the song is also noteworthy, as the sunlight of a new day symbolizes the hope of a bright future, while the physical intimacy of holding and kissing suggests a deep emotional connection.
Overall, the song explores the complex emotions of being in love, from the fear of vulnerability to the thrill of intimacy.
Line by Line Meaning
You could have kissed me
Like this wasn't gonna last
You had the ability to kiss me as if it wasn't the last time we'd see each other
Kept me from saying
Something I'll never take back
You prevented me from saying something I would regret saying
You could've held me like there was no chance of me waking up where I am
You could have held me tight in a way that made me feel secure, like I wouldn't wake up in a strange place
You could have stopped short of every dream I ever had
You could have shattered every dream I ever had, but you didn't
So help me girl
You've gone too far
It's way too late
To save my heart
The way it feels
Each time we touch
I know I've never been so loved
And I can't help myself
So help me girl
You've already captured my heart and it's too late to turn back now. The way you make me feel when we touch is unlike anything I've ever experienced, and I can't control my feelings for you
You had to be there when that old sun came up
Making last night feel like a vision of things yet to come
You were present when the sun rose, turning our night into a beautiful vision of the future
You just had to hold me like nobody else
Now look what you've gone and done
You held me in a way that no one else ever has, and now I'm in love with you
You had to love me
'Til I just can't get enough
You loved me until I became so infatuated with you that I couldn't get enough
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: ANDREW RICHARD SPOONER, HOWARD PERDEW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind