Norwich born and bred Julie already knew she had music running through her veins at a young age. Upon reaching her 14th birthday, young Julie began singing, writing songs and playing the piano, and rapidly taught herself the art of singing and songwriting. To get a better shot at making a living from music, Julie moved to London to follow her dream of being a part of the exciting circus named ‘the music industry’.
After meeting up with London producer James Holden, who already had gained substantial fame for his instantly-recognizable ethereal progressive house style, this dream soon became reality. As Holden & Thompson they produced the instant classic ‘Nothing’ in 2003, released on Fatboy Slim’s imprint Loaded/Skint; hard evidence proving the UK had given birth to yet another fantastic top liner. ‘Nothing’ found its way onto an impressive pile of compilations like Global Underground (mixed by Deep Dish), Politics of Dancing (mixed by Paul van Dyk), Gatecrasher Immortal (mixed by Matt Hardwick), Spundae (mixed by Ferry Corsten), A State of Trance and many more.
A year later, Julie had the opportunity to write for British act Freestylers, who enjoyed worldwide fame with their chart hit ’Push Up’. For their artist album ‘Raw As F**k’, Julie delivered the top line and sung on the album tracks ‘Losing You’ and ‘Too Far’, resulting in a year and a half of studio-absence to tour with Freestylers around Europe and South East Asia. This tour, which took Julie to the biggest festivals such as Glastonbury and V Festival, was only briefly interrupted for Julie to produce the follow up to ‘Nothing’ with James Holden. Their second Holden & Thompson single, ‘Come To Me’, hit the streets in 2005, again released on Loaded.
In 2006, Julie teamed up with Alan Bremner and wrote ‘Last Goodbye’ under the ‘Attic’ alias, released on Audio Therapy, a label run by Dave Seaman. All doors which normally remain firmly closed for the latter of all aspiring and ambitious vocalists, suddenly opened up for Julie and it seemed that the sky was the only limit she could encounter. That same year, the last fictional door opened when the vocal qualities of Julie were spotted by the reigning 1 DJ on the planet that year, the renowned Tiësto, who approached her to collaborate. The result: the track ‘Do You Feel Me’ which became one of the tracks to reach Tiësto’s highly successful album ‘Elements Of Life’, released in 2007.
As an unexpected bonus, Julie was asked to join the Elements Of Life world tour to perform her amazing vocal skills live for an audience of hundreds of thousands. Whilst on tour, Julie teamed up with Tiësto again to write and record ‘Somewhere Inside’, under the ‘Allure ft. Julie Thompson’ guise. This track made it to the final, very strict selection of tracks for Tiësto’s In Search Of Sunrise Volume 6 and received a full single release on Black Hole Recordings in February 2008. The official release included a remix by Scottish talent Andy Duguid, a producer who was about to become an important and significant factor in the future career of Julie Thompson.
Not aiming to be stigmatized purely as a trance vocalist, Julie expanded her territory and collaborated with UK house producers Freemasons in 2007 on ‘You’re Not Alone Now’ for Freemasons’ album ‘Shakedown’. Whereas Julie’s vocals can be very sensitive and more than often gives the effect of translucence, or clubby as heard in the Freemasons collaboration, Julie definitely can rock electro style as well. Her versatility is perfectly shown on Andy Duguid’s album ‘Believe’ as she delivers her vocals to three album tracks in different degrees: the emotive progressive track ‘Falling’, the tender ballad ‘White Sands’ and the eighties-influenced electro rocker “My Number” as her alter ego Donna - Julie’s middle name -, which will give the ‘older’ listener an immediate craving for the mid eighties.
Whilst on the Elements Of Life tour, a little seed was planted in Julie’s head by her current label Black Hole Recordings that perhaps it was time to concentrate on making a solo album. The better part of 2008 and the first months in 2009, Julie devoted herself to writing amazing songs which would display her qualities not only as a lyricist and a vocalist, but especially as a matured, fully developed artist standing on her own two feet. Writing and singing for the upper class of artists, and the performances for an immense audience which followed, gave Julie the necessary experience to take the next leap into this new adventure as a solo artist. The whole album will be co-produced by the man who already got labeled ‘Producer Of The Year 2008’ by Tiësto, Andy Duguid.
Julie Thompson’s quote about her soon to be released debut album ‘Feeling For Corners’: “I wanted to write an album that was lyrically honest and song based. Each track was written at a piano. I was really pleased that Black Hole Recordings wanted to release it and that Andy Duguid agreed to produce it. The whole album was written at a time when lots of changes were taking place in my life and the album depicts my deepest thoughts and feelings of that specific period.”
“I chose to call it ‘Feeling For Corners’ as it was a time of letting go and trusting in what will be will be. I believe all we can do is keep putting one foot in front of the other and feeling for the next corner which, when we turn, usually takes our life in a new surprising direction. So as well as the darker moments in the album, there are also many lighter, uplifting ones that hopefully people can relate to.”
Julie Thompson surrounded herself with the best possible team imaginable: one of the most talented producers the scene has ever seen, a worldly acclaimed record label and the back-up of one of the biggest DJ stars on the planet. When combined with Julie’s impeccable voice and writing expertise, the circus called ‘music industry’ is definitely in for a treat!
It Only Hurts
Julie Thompson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I had loved you for so long
Time tears at this heart of mine
Don't you see what you have done?
Every breath that you take almost adds to the pain
But this emptiness holds no shame
Gave you all that I could always more than I should
But it's not the first time
It won't be last time
I find you
Can't begin to understand
You have twisted all I am
Every breath that you take almost adds to the pain
But this emptiness holds no shame
Gave you all that I could always more than I should
Now this bitterness owns me
It's not the first time
It won't be the last time
I'll find you
It's not the first time
It won't be the last time
I'll find you
But it only hurts this much
Yes, it only hurts this much
It only hurts this much
It's not the first time
It won't be the last time
I'll find you
Every breath that you take almost adds to the pain
But this emptiness holds no shame
Gave you all that I could always more than I should
Now this bitterness owns me
But it only hurts this much
Yes, it only hurts this much
It only hurts this much
(It's not the first time)
I'll find you
The lyrics to Julie Thompson's song "It Only Hurts" appear to have been written to express the betrayal and hurt that the singer feels towards a close friend or lover who has deceived them. The opening line, "What have you become my friend?" suggests that the singer has lost their trust in the person they address, and the lyrics go on to describe the pain that this loss has caused. The repetition of the line "Every breath that you take almost adds to the pain" is particularly poignant, as it suggests that the singer cannot escape their hurt, even when they are physically distanced from the subject of their betrayal.
The lyrics also convey a sense of ownership and accountability, with lines such as "Gave you all that I could always more than I should" suggesting that the singer feels responsible for their own heartache. However, there is also a sense of powerlessness and resentment, with the line "Now this bitterness owns me" suggesting that the singer feels trapped and consumed by their hurt.
Overall, "It Only Hurts" appears to be a powerful and emotional song about the complexities of betrayal and loss. The lyrics are evocative and haunting, and the repetitive chorus emphasises the depth of the singer's pain.
Line by Line Meaning
What have you become my friend?
I am questioning your current state of being.
I had loved you for so long
My love for you had lasted an extended period of time.
Time tears at this heart of mine
The passage of time is causing me emotional pain.
Don't you see what you have done?
I am asking for you to acknowledge and take responsibility for the negative impact you have had on me.
Every breath that you take almost adds to the pain
Your mere existence brings me emotional discomfort.
But this emptiness holds no shame
Despite my emotional pain, I do not feel embarrassed or ashamed.
Gave you all that I could always more than I should
I gave you all of my love and effort, even to the point where it was not healthy for me.
Now this bitterness owns me
My negative emotions towards you have consumed me entirely.
But it's not the first time
This is not the first instance of this kind of emotional pain in my life.
It won't be last time
I will likely experience this kind of pain again in the future.
I find you
I am consistently drawn back to you, even though you have caused me pain.
Can't begin to understand
I am unable to comprehend the reasons for your negative actions towards me.
You have twisted all I am
Your negative impact on me has caused me to feel as though I have lost my identity.
But it only hurts this much
Despite the intensity of my emotional pain, it is limited and will not last forever.
Yes, it only hurts this much
My emotional pain is not as severe as it could be.
It's not the first time
This kind of emotional pain is not new to me.
It won't be the last time
I will likely experience this kind of pain again in the future.
I'll find you
I will likely be drawn back to you, even though you have caused me pain.
Contributed by Daniel D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
JACKSON
Julie & Jes the best vocal trance🔥🔥🔥
DJPashn
This production is amazing. And what a voice!
iLuvKats89
This is some bona fide trance moozik =] She has such a mellow and sultry voice :)
Ionela Datculescu
Julie Donna Thompson is very well-known for her collaboration with Tiësto (Presents Allure) - "Somewhere Inside" in 2008, followed by "These Shoulders" with Alan Nimmo & Andrew Bayer (Signalrunners) under Anjunabeats label. Her uplifting voice has surely conquered a place among the most unbelievable voices in trance.
hyunseok choe
her voice perfectly fits Trance ! I like her mesmerizng voice !!!
Internet Supervillain
Julie, u'r amazing!
randy maldonado
julie you give me the chills everytime ..i thank my girl for introducing me to your music " alison hash i love u baby
jose fernando martin
simplemente,brutal......
winx212
WOW !!! More than WOW !!! My Compliments !!!!
JACKSON
🔥🔥🔥👊🏻❤️