During the 70s, while still in his teens, Mitchell began playing with local bands in the city of Sarnia. After evolving through a few name changes with essentially the same band, Mitchell and a group titled "Zooom" headed off for Toronto, Ontario. The band eventually dissolved, with Mitchell travelling over to the Greek islands.
Upon his return to Canada, he formed the band Max Webster, which managed to finally break through commercially. Besides playing the group, Mitchell and wrote most of the band's songs with fellow Sarnia native and lyricist, Pye Dubois (Paul Woods). Max Webster toured extensively and built a string of hits. Mitchell's solo career began after his departure from Max Webster, with session work and a succession of solo albums.
In early 1985, the song "Go For Soda" from the Akimbo Alogo album became an international hit and perhaps remains his best known song outside of his native Canada.
In 2004, Mitchell entered the radio broadcasting industry, becoming afternoon drive time host on Toronto classic rock radio station Q107.
As of 2005, Mitchell, still does the afternoon drive time on Q107, and is working on a new double CD set for a Spring 2006 release.
In December of 2005, Mitchell had proposed to the Q107 listeners that they write a Christmas song together. The resulting song is entitled "A Christmas Smile". At the end of the song, Mitchell advises his fans not to drink and drive, but to "go for a soda" instead.
The Great Embrace
Kim Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
she gives off lots of body language
that's how she found me...
she likes to have her rendez-vous in the shadows
she likes to have innuendos in the silhouettes
that's how i fell...
she's got the touch
she's got the grip
she hit on me serious
she made me delirious
that's why i fell for the great embrace
that's why i fell for the great embrace
that's why i fell for the great embrace
she do things that do permanent damage
now i got cuts that i can't bandage
that's how she left me...
she left without a trace
i fell right to the wine and lace
that's how i fell
that's how i fell
she's got the touch
she's got the grip
she's got those dancing kind of lips
she made me delirious
she made me delirious
that's why i fell for the great embrace
The song "The Great Embrace" by Kim Mitchell is about falling deeply in love with someone who uses body language and visual clues to lure in their prey. Mitchell describes how his love interest prefers to stay in the shadows and leave innuendos in the silhouettes. He goes on to describe how she has a seductive touch, grip, and dancing lips that made him helpless against her. Mitchell admits to falling under her spell and gave in to the "great embrace."
However, the song takes a dark turn towards the end when Mitchell reveals that his lover left him without a trace and caused him permanent damage. He has cuts that he can't bandage, which may suggest that he was emotionally hurt from the breakup. Despite this, he still remembers the "great embrace" and how it made him feel delirious with love.
Overall, the lyrics of "The Great Embrace" portray the intense feelings of falling in love and the consequences of being hurt by someone you thought you could trust.
Line by Line Meaning
she gives off lots of visual clues
She communicates a lot with her body.
that's how she found me...
That's how she caught my attention.
she likes to have her rendez-vous in the shadows
She prefers to have secret meetings in dim lighting.
she likes to have innuendos in the silhouettes
She enjoys suggestive hints in the shadows.
that's how i fell...
That's how I started to have feelings for her.
she's got the touch
She's physically affectionate.
she's got the grip
She holds on tight during physical contact.
sh'es got those dancing kind of lips
Her lips move in a way that's suggestive and seductive.
she hit on me serious
She made a strong romantic advance on me.
she made me delirious
She made me feel crazy with desire.
that's why i fell for the great embrace
That's why I became enraptured with her physical affection.
she do things that do permanent damage
She does things that have lasting emotional effects.
now i got cuts that i can't bandage
She hurt me in a way that I can't repair.
that's how she left me...
That's how she ended things with me.
she left without a trace
She disappeared without a goodbye.
i fell right to the wine and lace
I turned to alcohol and sensual indulgences to cope with my heartbreak.
she made me delirious
She made me feel crazy with desire.
that's why i fell for the great embrace
That's why I became enraptured with her physical affection.
Contributed by Julian N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.