British broadcaster Mark Radcliffe hailed her voice and songs as “enchanting, beguiling and as fascinating as songs by Kate Bush and Björk” and KT Tunstall described her voice as "formidable and amazingly rhythmic". She was the BBC Radio 2 Folk Singer of the Year 2008 and has gathered a small army of fans around the world including an impressive list of celebrities including the aforementioned Mark Radcliffe, KT Tunstall plus Ricky Gervais and Phil Selway from Radiohead. In 2007 she was invited to appear on "Later...with Jools Holland" and was a special guest on the critically acclaimed "Transatlantic Sessions" series and has entertained millions of radio listeners around the world with her engaging live sessions and live performances.
She is somewhat of an enigma as she sings in a language only understood by around 60,000 people - which accounts for only approximately 1% of the population of Scotland. She sings in Scottish Gaelic and spends her time touring around the world bringing ancient songs from the Hebridean Islands to new audiences. She is an accomplished musician as well - playing Highland bagpipes, smallpipes, whistles, oboe & cor anglais and three waltzes on the one row melodeon.
She has broadcasting experience, including present two flagship music programmes on BBC Scotland - the traditional music programme "Travelling Folk" and the world music show "Global Gathering". A one hour documentary on her and her musical travels, entitled "Bliadhna Julie/Julie's Year" was broadcast by the BBC in 2007. She was publicly voted Gaelic Singer of the Year 2007 at the Scots Trad Music Awards and her album "cuilidh", produced with husband Eamon Doorley, was voted "Album of the Year" at the same awards. She has a clutch of other awards, including BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award 2006 for Best Emerging Artist (the first ever Gaelic Artist to be nominated for such an award) and was also voted Gaelic Singer of the Year 2005 at the Scots Trad Music Awards. She remains the only singer to have won this prestigious award twice.
Into The Open Air
Julie Fowlis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
guiding us home wherever we are
This love it is a burning sun
shining a light on the things that we've done
I tried to speak to you every day
but each word we spoke the wind blew away
Could these walls come crumbling down?
I want to feel my feet on the ground
And leave behind this prison we share
Step into the open air
How did we let it come to this?
What we've just tasted we somehow still miss
How will it feel when this day is done?
And can we keep what we've only begun?
And now these walls come crumbling down
and I can feel my feet on the ground
Can we carry this love that we share?
Into the open air
Into the open air (into the open air)
Into the open air
This love it is a burning sun
shining a light on the things that we've done, and this light is guiding us home, no matter where we are. The singer is expressing how their love is like a beacon of hope in the dark, leading them back to where they belong. However, despite this, there seems to be a distance between them, and each time they try to connect through words, it seems that the wind blows them away, perhaps symbolizing their inability to truly communicate and understand each other.
The second verse starts with a contemplative tone, as the singer wonders how they got to this point. They have tasted something beautiful, yet they still feel like they miss out on something, as if they cannot fully embrace their love. They dream of a day when they will feel free, when the walls that have been imprisoning them will finally crumble. The singer wants to feel the ground beneath their feet and step into the open air, no longer bound by the walls that separate them. As they finally break free, they wonder if their love can endure and continue to shine in the open air.
Line by Line Meaning
This love it is a distant star
Love may seem far away, but it still guides us no matter where we are.
guiding us home wherever we are
Love is always with us, leading us back to where we belong.
This love it is a burning sun
Love is a powerful force that illuminates everything we've done.
shining a light on the things that we've done
Love reveals the truth about our actions and helps us see things clearly.
I tried to speak to you every day
I made an effort to communicate with you on a daily basis.
but each word we spoke the wind blew away
Our words were lost in the wind, making it difficult for us to connect.
Could these walls come crumbling down?
Is it possible for our barriers to fall apart?
I want to feel my feet on the ground
I desire to feel rooted and grounded in reality.
And leave behind this prison we share
I want to escape the confinement that we've created between us.
Step into the open air
I want to venture out into the unknown and explore new possibilities.
How did we let it come to this?
How did we allow things to get so difficult between us?
What we've just tasted we somehow still miss
We yearn for what we've recently experienced, even though it may not have been perfect.
How will it feel when this day is done?
What will our emotions be like at the end of the day?
And can we keep what we've only begun?
Is it possible for us to continue building the love we've just started to create?
And now these walls come crumbling down
Finally, our barriers are falling apart.
and I can feel my feet on the ground
Now, I have a sense of stability and security.
Can we carry this love that we share?
Can we maintain this love between us?
Into the open air
And take our love to new heights, unburdened by the things that held us back.
Into the open air (into the open air)
Venturing out into the world with our hearts truly open and unencumbered by past struggles.
Into the open air
We continue to embrace the unknown, open to the possibilities that await us.
Lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company
Written by: ALEXANDER L MANDEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind