Miles was a member of groups "The Influence", which also included Paul Thompson, later drummer with Roxy Music and Vic Malcolm, later vocalist with Geordie and "The John Miles Set," before starting his solo career in 1971. During the 1970s he issued 18 singles and four albums, including "Rebel" (1976), "Stranger In The City" (1977), and "Zaragon" (1978). He had most success with singles; in addition to Music, he also charted with "Highfly" (1975), "Remember Yesterday" (1976), and "Slow Down" (1977). Most of his songs were co-written with his bassist Bob Marshall.
Miles has toured with Tina Turner, often filling in for Bryan Adams when the latter was unavailable to join her on tour for their duet. Miles is also a frequent guest vocalist on albums by The Alan Parsons Project.
In the 1980s he continued to record and tour. In 1983 a new radio station in the south of England, Radio Mercury, used parts from the song "Music" for their link jingles. The actual song itself also received extensive airplay on the station, leading one to speculate this was perhaps part of a deal for the usage in their jingles.
A list of Miles album releases from the 1980s and 1990s is as follows:
Sympathy (1980)
Miles High (1981)
John Miles' Music (1982)
Play On (1983)
Transition (1985)
John Miles Live In Concert (1992)
Anthology (1993)
Upfront (1993)
Master Series (1998)
Tom and Catherine (1999)
Millennium Edition (1999)
Throughout the late 80s and into the 90s John Miles was musical director to Tina Turner on her various tours, and played on several of her albums. He also played Hammond organ on Joe Cocker's album "Night Calls"(1992).
In 2002 he issued the DVD "John Miles - Live In Concert." In 2007, Miles performed in Gelsenkirchen, Germany with German band Pur and sang two songs. One of those songs, "Abenteuerland", Miles sang with Pur in German. The concert is available on the DVD, Pur-Friends-Live-Schalke-2007. In October 2008, Miles began touring once again with Tina Turner until May 2009.
In 2017, Miles was awarded an outstanding contribution to music award at the Progressive Rock awards.
c'est la vie
John Miles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're my woman
But you're cool like ice in my brain.
I don't wanna stay but I can't get away you won't leave me alone,
I keep runnin'
But I soon come back here again.
Ooh you make me suffer,
And I know it wouldn't ease my mind ,
I could never leave you far behind,
But things are getting better
Yes things are getting better.
C'est la vie,
C'est la vie,
All you can say to me is
C'est la vie.
But girl you know you make me wonder,
Everytime you push me under,
All you can say to me is
C'est la vie.
Somebody said that I'm losin' my head but it's already gone,
What a woman,
And I just don't know you at all.
Who do I blame it's a sin not a shame you keep turning me on ,
You got something
And I'm always there when you call.
Ooh you make me suffer,
Ooh but there's no other.
So no matter what the people say,
I would never change you anyway,
And things are getting better,
Yes things are getting better.
C'est la vie,
C'est la vie,
All you can say to me is
C'est la vie.
But girl you know you make me wonder,
Everytime you push me under,
All you can say to me is
C'est la vie.
C'est la vie,
C'est la vie,
All you can say to me is
C'est la vie.
But girl you know you make me wonder,
Everytime you push me under,
All you can say to me is
C'est la vie.
C'est la vie,
C'est la vie,
All you can say to me is
C'est la vie.
But girl you know you make me wonder,
Everytime you push me under,
All you can say to me is
C'est la vie ...
The lyrics to John Miles's song C'est la vie speak to a tumultuous and complicated relationship that is simultaneously captivating and exhausting. The singer's "woman of stone" is "cool like ice in [his] brain," suggesting that she is emotionally closed off and difficult to connect with. Despite this, the singer admits that he cannot get away from her, and is constantly returning to the relationship. He describes himself as suffering and pushed under by her, but also acknowledges that there is no one else for him but her.
The singer's use of the French phrase "C'est la vie" (meaning "that's life") adds an air of resignation to the song. It implies that the singer has accepted the difficulties of the relationship as an inevitable part of life, and that there may not be a solution to their issues. Despite this, he is still drawn to his elusive partner and cannot imagine leaving her behind. Overall, the lyrics to C'est la vie capture the complex emotions of a tumultuous relationship and the difficulty of truly breaking away from someone who has captivated you.
Line by Line Meaning
Breakin' my heart everytime I'm apart from my woman of stone
My emotionally unavailable partner causes me great pain whenever we are apart
You're my woman
I consider you my partner
But you're cool like ice in my brain.
However, you are emotionally detached and unresponsive towards me
I don't wanna stay but I can't get away you won't leave me alone
I desire to end the relationship, but you won't let me go
I keep runnin'
I attempt to leave
But I soon come back here again.
Yet, I always end up back with you
Ooh you make me suffer
You cause me emotional pain
Ooh but there's no other
Despite this, I still desire only you
And I know it wouldn't ease my mind
I acknowledge that leaving the relationship would not bring me peace
I could never leave you far behind
I could never move on from you completely
But things are getting better
Despite the difficulty, the relationship is improving
Yes things are getting better.
Things are definitely improving
C'est la vie
That's life
All you can say to me is
C'est la vie.
You only respond to my issues with a dismissive 'that's just life'
But girl you know you make me wonder
Despite this, I still question the relationship
Everytime you push me under
Whenever you hurt me or push me away
Somebody said that I'm losin' my head but it's already gone
Others say I'm crazy for staying with you, but I've already lost my sanity to this relationship
What a woman
What a confusing and challenging partner you are
And I just don't know you at all.
I struggle to understand you as a person
Who do I blame it's a sin not a shame you keep turning me on
I don't know who to blame for my continual attraction to you despite your negative behavior
You got something
Despite your flaws, you have qualities I find attractive
And I'm always there when you call.
I continue to be available to you no matter what
So no matter what the people say
Regardless of what anyone else thinks
I would never change you anyway
I would never want you to change
Contributed by Amelia M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
p A
What a great song! But John Miles I don't think ever has done a bad song!!
Paul Doerwang
Excellent tune!
Andrew
MERVEILLEUX !!!!!!!!!! je m'en lasserai jamais de mon disque fétiche ........
C'est une autoroute de souvenirs sans péage.