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.
Good Goodbye
Lianne La Havas Lyrics
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I've never seen you cry
Old friend, in our own sweet time
We'll say a good goodbye
All my life I know by now
All these memories, too much to lose
I don't need faith, I don't need truth
No one ever leaves you
You'd say this is all there is
And every time you'd blink
You'd miss another piece of this wondrous world
All I'd ask is why you'd leave so soon
Everybody seems to
I don't need faith I just want you
No one ever leaves you
Everybody raise a glass heres to a good goodbye
Everybody raise a glass heres to a good goodbye
Everybody raise a glass heres to a good goodbye
Oh, everybody raise a glass, oh
All these memories too much to lose
No one ever leaves you
I don't need faith I don't need truth
No one ever leaves you
I don't need faith I just want proof
The lyrics of Lianne La Havas's song "Good Goodbye" depict two people parting ways and saying farewell to one another. The first verse is from the perspective of the singer talking to an old man, wiping his eyes and acknowledging that she has never seen him cry before. The second verse speaks to the idea of time and how we will all eventually have to say goodbye in our own time. The chorus reflects on the idea of memories and how no one ever really leaves us because their memories stay with us. The bridge includes an exchange between the singer and the old man, where he expresses that he believes that "this is all there is" and that we should cherish every moment of this "wondrous world" because we never know when our time will come.
The song is about letting go of someone, but not necessarily forgetting them. The singer acknowledges that memories are too much to lose and that no one truly leaves us. She doesn't need faith or truth to believe that, but "just wants proof." The song implies that memories are enough to sustain us when we say goodbye to someone.
Overall, "Good Goodbye" is a song about accepting the impermanence of life and recognizing that even though we may have to part ways with people we love, they will always stay with us in our memories. It's a bittersweet goodbye that acknowledges the sadness of the situation but still encourages us to celebrate the time we had together.
Line by Line Meaning
Old man, let me wipe your eyes
Let me comfort you as you cry.
I've never seen you cry
You are strong, but even the strongest feel pain.
Old friend, in our own sweet time
We will take as much time as we need to say goodbye.
We'll say a good goodbye
We will end things on good terms and with respect for each other.
All my life I know by now
I have experienced enough to understand the importance of memories and goodbyes.
All these memories, too much to lose
I hold onto my memories dearly because they are a part of who I am.
No one ever leaves you
Those you love may leave this life, but their memory lives on within you forever.
I don't need faith, I don't need truth
I don't need to believe in anything to know that love is real and never truly dies.
You'd miss another piece of this wondrous world
Life is full of wonders both big and small, and we should try to appreciate them all.
All I'd ask is why you'd leave so soon
I wonder why life is so short and why we must say goodbye to those we love.
Everybody seems to
Everyone eventually faces loss and must say goodbye to someone they love.
I don't need faith I just want you
I don't need to believe in an afterlife, I just want to hold onto the memory of you.
Everybody raise a glass heres to a good goodbye
Let's celebrate the end of our time together with respect and dignity.
Oh, everybody raise a glass, oh
Let's take a moment to honor those we have lost and cherish the memories we have of them.
I don't need faith I just want proof
I don't need to believe in an afterlife, I just want evidence that our love lives on.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lianne Barnes, Matt Hales
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind