In November 2003, at the age of 19, Melua released her first album, Call off the Search, which reached the top of the United Kingdom album charts and sold 1.8 million copies in its first five months of release. Her second album, Piece by Piece, was released in September 2005 and to date has gone platinum four times. Melua released her third studio album Pictures in October 2007, which has been announced to be the last of her albums in collaboration with Mike Batt. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2008, Melua has a fortune of £18 million, making her the seventh richest British musician under thirty.
In the summer of 2003, aged just 18 and still studying at the Brit School of Performing Arts in leafy Surrey, no-one, least of all Katie, would have predicted what the next few years would hold for the teenager. Four years later, Katie has sold more than 7.5 million albums becoming, in 2006, the year’s best selling British female in the world along the way.
Georgian born Katie relocated from Tbilisi to Belfast at the age of 8 due to her father’s profession as a heart surgeon and 5 years later moved to South East London. After her GCSEs Katie joined the Brit School for Performing Arts where she undertook a BTEC and Music A-level and discovered different styles of music including Queen, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Irish folk music and Indian music. On hearing an Eva Cassidy song Katie was blown away and when she discovered that Eva was no longer alive wrote the song ‘Faraway Voice’ as a tribute to her. It was this song that attracted the attention of the composer and producer Mike Batt. Katie signed to Batt’s record label Dramatico but stayed at the Brit School to complete her studies – she graduated with distinction in July 2003.
During the summer of 2003 her debut single, ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’, attracted the attention of British station BBC Radio 2 and upon its release entered the charts at number 10. Released in November, Katie’s debut album ‘Call Off The Search’ hit the UK number 1 spot in January 2004 and has subsequently scored top 10 positions throughout Europe. The album has since been certified gold in Holland, Hong Kong and Switzerland, platinum in Denmark, New Zealand and Australia, 2 x platinum in Germany, Ireland, Norway and South Africa and received the IFPI Double Platinum Award for 2 million European Sales. In March 2005 ‘Call Off The Search’ hit the number 1 spot in Denmark, a year after its initial release and became a top five album in Japan. Katie was awarded Best International Newcomer at Germany’s ECHO Awards in April 2005. In Britain, Katie was the highest selling female artist in 2004 – ‘Call Off The Search’ has now sold 1.8 million copies and is 6 x platinum (in Britain alone) and worldwide sales exceed 3.5 million.
Katie joined the line up for the Band Aid 20 single to record a new version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’. As an ambassador for Save The Children this was particularly poignant for Katie. In March 2005 Katie was invited by Nelson Mandela to perform at his 46664 concert in aid of Mandela’s AIDS foundation. In addition to performing a full live set, Katie joined Queen on stage to perform a moving version of ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’. Katie flew from South Africa to Sri Lanka where she experienced the work that is being done by Save The Children, particularly with child soldiers.
In August 2005 Katie and her family swore allegiance to The Queen and became British Citizens following a ceremony in Surrey, England. Katie was asked to perform at the Royal Wedding of Prince Pieter-Christiaan in Holland and at the Norwegian Royal Gala Concert in the presence of the Crown Prince Of Norway. Continuing the royal theme, the American TV show ‘Good Morning America’ broadcast live from Buckingham Palace and Katie was invited by the show to perform ‘Nine Million Bicycles’ and ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’. Katie performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Norway.
In between her overseas travel Katie recorded her new album, ‘Piece By Piece’, which was released in Europe on September 26th 2005. The album comprises more self-penned songs including the title track as well as a cover of the 1987 Cure hit ‘Just Like Heaven’ that Katie recorded for a new DreamWorks film starring Reese Witherspoon. The first single, ‘Nine Million Bicycles’, preceded the album release and gave Katie her highest UK single chart entry at number 5. One week later and Katie entered the UK album charts at number 1 and Europe swiftly followed with the album reaching #1 in Norway, Denmark and Holland, #2 in Ireland, #2 in Iceland, #3 in South Africa, #4 in Poland and #2 in Germany giving an overall chart position of #2 on the Billboard European Top 100 Chart.
Katie was nominated for two Brit Awards in the “Best Female” and “Pop” categories, for the “Best International Female” at the Edison Awards in Holland and was awarded “Best International Female (Rock & Pop)” at the Echo Awards in Germany. Once again Katie was pronounced the highest selling female artist in Britain in 2005 selling more than 1 million albums.
It is fair to say that 2006 was yet another extraordinary year for 22 year old Katie. In addition to the awards nominations, Katie had a Dutch tulip named in her honour, toured America coast to coast, raced at 160mph round Grand Prix circuit Silverstone, flew a plane, launched Save The Children’s ‘Rewrite The Future’ campaign, made the headlines with a Guinness World Record for the deepest concert when she performed 303 meters beneath the North Sea in the leg of a gas rig and was awarded the World Music Award for Britain’s Biggest Selling Female. Whilst in 2004 and 2005, Katie was the greatest selling female artist in Britain, in 2006 Katie was the highest selling European female artist in the world selling more than 3 million copies of her second album ‘Piece By Piece’.
Awarded the Golden Camera Award for International Pop Artist at the start of 2007, Katie was presented with the Echo Award for International Female Artist in March 2007.
October 2007 saw the release of Katie’s third album ‘Pictures’ – a record which has delighted her legions of fans, confirmed Katie’s status as a unique and remarkable vocalist, and revealed the third chapter in what is destined to be a long musical career.
Katie’s fourth album, “The Katie Melua Collection”, is a musical summary of the 24 year old’s journey so far and is being released to coincide with Katie’s arena tour in October and November 2008.
www.katiemelua.com/
If You Were a Sailboat
Katie Melua Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If you were a piece of wood I'd nail you to the floor
If you were a sailboat I would sail you to the shore
If you were a river I would swim you
If you were a house I would live in you all my days
If you were a preacher I'd begin to change my ways
But the chances we create
Always seem to ring more true
You took a chance on loving me
I took a chance on loving you
If I was in jail I know you'd spring me
If I was a telephone you'd ring me all day long
If I was in pain I know you'd sing me soothing songs
Sometimes I believe in fate
But the chances we create
Always seem to ring more true
You took a chance on loving me
I took a chance on loving you
If I was hungry you would feed me
If I was in darkness you would lead me to the light
If I was a book I know you'd read me every night
If you were a cowboy I would trail you
If you were a piece of wood I'd nail you to the floor
If you were sailboat I would sail you to the shore
If you were sailboat I would sail you to the shore
If you were sailboat I would sail you to the shore
The song "If You Were A Sailboat" by Katie Melua is a love song that uses various metaphors to express the depth of the singer's feelings for her lover. The song talks about how the singer would do anything to be close to her lover, even if it meant becoming an inanimate object or taking on a role such as a cowboy or a preacher. The lyrics are about being someone's companion and doing anything for them, even during the worst of times, such as when the singer is in jail or experiencing pain.
The repetition of the line "sometimes I believe in fate, but the chances we create always seem to ring more true" is important as it reflects on the idea that while sometimes our lives are affected by fate, it is ultimately the choices we make that shape our destiny. The idea of taking chances is another recurring theme in the lyrics, as the singer reflects on how both she and her lover took a chance on loving each other.
The song's upbeat melody and use of multiple instruments add to its positive and uplifting message of love and commitment. The lyrics are poetic and filled with imagery that makes it easy for the listener to visualize the depth of the singer's feelings for her lover.
Line by Line Meaning
If you were a cowboy I would trail you
I will always be by your side, following you through thick and thin, just like a cowboy's horse trails behind him.
If you were a piece of wood I'd nail you to the floor
I love you so much that I would want you to stay with me forever, even if it means nailing you to a fixed spot like a wooden plank.
If you were a sailboat I would sail you to the shore
I will always guide and lead you through life's uncertainties, just like how a sailboat captain sails their boat to shore.
If you were a river I would swim you
I will dive deep into your soul and be one with everything that makes you, just like swimming in a river means merging with its currents, depths and surroundings.
If you were a house I would live in you all my days
You are my everything, and I would spend all my life just inhabiting you, just like how a person lives in a house for their entire lifetime.
If you were a preacher I'd begin to change my ways
Your beliefs and values would influence and shape me so much that I would willingly change the way I live my life, just like how a preacher's sermon can impact a person's behavior.
Sometimes I believe in fate
Occasionally, I think that everything happens for a reason and that destiny has a role to play in our lives.
But the chances we create always seem to ring more true
Despite fate's influence, the opportunities and choices we create for ourselves always seem more significant and genuine in our journey of love and companionship.
You took a chance on loving me
You willingly chose to love me, despite all my flaws, and took that leap of faith in our relationship.
I took a chance on loving you
I also made a conscious decision to love you, and with that choice, I was ready to face whatever obstacles it might bring.
If I was in jail I know you'd spring me
No matter how dire the situation, I know that you would come to my rescue and never leave me behind, just like how a person would bail their partner out of jail in times of trouble.
If I was a telephone you'd ring me all day long
You always want to be in touch with me and communicate with me as much as possible, just like how a person would pick up a phone and call continuously to speak with their loved one.
If I was in pain I know you'd sing me soothing songs
You will always be there to comfort me and soothe my pain, just like how a person sings lullabies to calm a crying baby.
If I was hungry you would feed me
You would always take care of my needs, no matter how big or small, just like how a person will feed their partner when they are hungry.
If I was in darkness you would lead me to the light
When I am lost, you will help me see the light, find my way and guide me through the obstacles, just like a lighthouse that directs ships towards safety.
If I was a book I know you'd read me every night
You will pay close attention and read between the lines to understand me better, just like how a person reads their favorite book every night.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Mike Batt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Learn English with KT
This is the most beautiful song I've heard. Great music and great lyrics.
Jacqueline Honcoop
I Feel and think the same 🌹🍀❤️❤️
joe johnson
@rwk1music This song really hits home for a lot of her fans. She is fabulous and beautiful as well.
rwk1music
Before I read your comment, I sent the video to a friend and told her "this is one of the most beautiful love songs I've ever heard". It brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it.
Life Goals
Wow, what a wonderful comment Thank you ❤️
Dennis Esplin
The best compliment you could pay Katie is to say she is throughly professional. A nice person I think. X.
Harry Oliver
I was teaching English in South Korea and taught a class of older Koreans this song. They fell in love with it and seemed so grateful that I introduced them to Katie Melua.
Joseph Cha
I love Katie Meula. From S.Korea
Zbigniew Cysarz
Mam na imię Zbigniew :) Katie Jestem Twoim fanem , dziękuję Ci , że śpiewasz :) jesteś dla mnie aniołem :)
Turi J
Her voice is so soothing. I could just lay down all day listening to her sing "nothing". This song is absolutely beautiful. I found it yesterday 16/10/21. I can't stop listening to it