Lianne Charlotte Barnes a.k.a. Lianne La Havas (born August 23, 1989, in Lo… Read Full Bio ↴Lianne Charlotte Barnes a.k.a. Lianne La Havas (born August 23, 1989, in London, England) is an English folk, soul, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

La Havas was born in London, England to a Greek father and Jamaican mother. She was raised in Tooting and Streatham, spending the majority of her time with her grandparents, following her parents' separation as a child. La Havas' cites her parents' diverse musical tastes as having the biggest influence on her music. She began singing at seven. Her mother played Jill Scott and Mary j. Blige, while her father, an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, taught her the basics of guitar and piano. Lianne wrote her first song at the age of 11 but did not learn to play the guitar until she was 18 years old. At 18, Lianne began attending Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls in Croydon, where she studied art and planned to take her A-Levels in art foundation. However, she left college and decided to pursue a career in music full-time.

While attending sixth-form in Croydon, a friend of La Havas', (who attended the Brit School) introduced her to other musicians who assisted La Havas in the recording of her first demos. Through that same friend, La Havas was also introduced to British singer, Paloma Faith; she later sang backing vocals on tour for Faith. La Havas was co-writer and performer in 'The Paris Parade' alongside Christian Pinchbeck (who designed the artwork for Lost & Found) and also is now part of the duo Elephant (Memphis Industries). They had a short career but it began La Havas' career in commercial music. In 2010, Lianne signed to Warner Bros. Records, spending two years developing her songwriting skills before releasing music publicly.

La Havas made her television debut on October 21, 2011, broadcast of BBC Two's Later, with Jools Holland, a program that also featured Wisconsin folk band Bon Iver. Following her appearance on Later, with Jools Holland, it was announced on October 25, 2011 that La Havas would be the supporting act for Bon Iver's December 2011 North American tour.

La Havas released her debut EP, Lost & Found, on October 12, 2011 on the Labour of Love label and featured Willy Mason on the opening track, No Room For Doubt. That same month, La Havas released a live EP, titled Live in LA, which was made available for free download on her website. La Havas released her third EP titled Forget, on December 30, 2011 on the label Warner Brothers.

Her official debut single, Lost & Found was released in the UK on April 30, 2012. Her debut album, Is Your Love Big Enough?, was released on July 9, 2012 in the UK on Warner Brothers.

Ghost
Lianne La Havas Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Whenever I called you
I couldn't say
It was only yesterday
And yesterday's so far away
What's the ETA?

Don't tell me you need me
I am estranged

And I'm over-aged
The trouble it may be
There's still a part of me
That has to know
What you have to say

On and on we go
Always with the ghosts of us in tow
Stuck somewhere between a friend and foe
Round and round we go

Oh, round and round again
Looking for a life beyond the end
Lost somewhere between a foe and friend
Round and round again

I should have told you
Yes, I'm to blame
Oh, I took the blame
Turned it into this serenade
Oh, the mess I've made

And I should have warned you
What was in store
But I was so so sure
I wasn't haunted anymore
Not forevermore

On and on we go
Always with the ghosts of us in tow
Stuck somewhere between a friend and foe
Round and round we go

Oh, round and round again
Looking for a life beyond the end
Lost somewhere between a foe and friend
Round and round again

On and on we go
Always with the ghosts of us in tow

Stuck somewhere between a friend and foe
Round and round we go

Overall Meaning

The song "Ghost" by Lianne La Havas is a heartfelt ballad about the unresolved feelings that continue to linger long after a romantic relationship has ended. The opening lines express a desire to reconnect with an ex-lover, but at the same time acknowledging the time that has passed and the uncertainty of where they stand now. The line "What's the ETA?" suggests the anxiety of waiting for a response or a sign of interest from the other person. The second verse continues with a sense of resignation and self-doubt, as the singer expresses feeling estranged and over-aged. Despite this, there is still a part of her that wants to know what the other person has to say, highlighting the emotional complexity of moving on from someone you still care about.

The chorus of the song emphasizes the cycle of emotions that come with this kind of on-again-off-again relationship. The repeated refrain "On and on we go, always with the ghosts of us in tow" implies that the memories of the relationship continue to haunt both partners, keeping them in a state of limbo. The allusion to being stuck "somewhere between a friend and foe" also suggests the ambiguity of their current relationship status. The song ends on a bittersweet note, with the realization that mistakes were made and things could have been different. However, there is also a sense of acceptance, with the singer acknowledging that the ghost of the relationship will likely continue to follow them.

Line by Line Meaning

Whenever I called you
Every time I tried reaching out to you

I couldn't say
I found it hard to communicate

It was only yesterday
It feels like it happened just recently

And yesterday's so far away
Despite its recency, it feels like an eternity ago

What's the ETA?
When will I hear back from you?

Don't tell me you need me
Please don't say that you require my presence

I am estranged
We are complete strangers now

And I'm over-aged
I am too old for this

The trouble it may be
It could cause us problems

There's still a part of me
However, a small part of me

That has to know
Needs to find out