Born the daughter of Dvora und Abraham Schneider (the name is German and means tailor), she studied piano before starting to perform as a singer in venues in New England and New York.
Between 1978 and 1984 she achieved some success as a rock singer in Germany; her song Rock'n' Roll Gypsy even reached the top 10 record charts. 1980 she toured as an opener with the German rock legend Udo Lindenberg. She played one of the leads and the love interest of Eddie Wilson in the 1983 film Eddie and the Cruisers, which has since gained a huge cult following, especially in unusual places for an American film such as Nepal, Russia and especially Germany, where Schneider had name recognition.[1]
In 1987 she began her acting career at the Theater des Westens in Berlin playing the Sally Bowles in the musical Cabaret. From 1995 to 1998 she performed as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Since 1998 she mainly performs chansons and songs with lyrics pieces by Kurt Weill. She worked with Eberhard Schoener on the recording of the Short Opera (1996) and on the goodbye-song for the TV series Derrick. From 1999 to 2001 she performed as Eva Perón in the musical Evita at the Bad Hersfelder Festspiele.
In 2007 Schneider released the CD Just Like A Woman [1]
You Go To My Head
Helen Schneider Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you linger like a haunting refrain
And I find you spinning round in my brain
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne
You go to my head
Like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew
And I find the very mention of you
The thrill of the thought
That you might give a thought to my plea, cast a spell over me
Still I say to myself get a hold of yourself
Can't you see that it never can be?
You go to my head
With a smile that makes my temperature rise
Like a summer with a thousand July's
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes
Though I'm certain that this heart of mine
Hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance
You go to my head
You go to my head
In this song, the singer is expressing her love for someone who has captured her thoughts and emotions. She feels as though they are constantly on her mind, like a "haunting refrain" that she can't get rid of. She compares this feeling to the bubbles in a glass of champagne, which rise to the surface and intoxicate the drinker.
The singer also acknowledges the hopelessness of her situation - she knows that the object of her affection may never love her back, but she can't help but be enamored by them. She describes the person's smile as something that makes her temperature rise, and says that they intoxicate her with their eyes. Despite her awareness that their romance may never be, she still can't shake the feeling that this person goes to her head.
The lyrics of this song were written by Haven Gillespie, a prolific songwriter who is credited with co-writing over 1,000 songs. The music was composed by J. Fred Coots, who also wrote the music for the famous Christmas song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."
Line by Line Meaning
You go to my head
You occupy my thoughts and emotions constantly
And you linger like a haunting refrain
Your presence stays with me long after you are gone and is difficult to forget
And I find you spinning round in my brain
You are constantly on my mind and I cannot stop thinking about you
Like the bubbles in a glass of champagne
Your presence and the thoughts of you are effervescent and uplifting
Like a sip of sparkling burgundy brew
The feeling of being with you or just thinking of you is intoxicating
And I find the very mention of you
Even hearing your name or a reference to you is enough to bring me joy
Like the kicker in a julep or two
You are the perfect complement to my happiness, like a final ingredient in a drink
The thrill of the thought
The excitement and anticipation of the possibility of being with you
That you might give a thought to my plea, cast a spell over me
The idea that you might consider my advances is powerful and captivating
Still I say to myself, get a hold of yourself
Despite my overwhelming emotions, I try to rationalize and regain control
Can't you see that it never can be?
I am aware that our relationship is unlikely or impossible
With a smile that makes my temperature rise
Your smile has the power to physically affect me and create strong emotions
Like a summer with a thousand July's
Your presence and happiness feels like a never-ending, idyllic summer
You intoxicate my soul with your eyes
The way you look at me has a profound effect on my inner self and emotions
Though I'm certain that this heart of mine hasn't a ghost of a chance in this crazy romance
Despite the odds being against us, I cannot help but feel strongly towards you
You go to my head
You continue to consume my thoughts and emotions
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Royalty Network
Written by: J Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind