The Lighthouse Family split up in early 2003 due to "a heavy promotional schedule and the incredible international success of 'Whatever Gets You Through The Day'." This led to both men pursuing individual projects. Tunde has embarked on a solo career, and has already released an album called Tunde in late 2004, while Tucker joined a rock band, The Orange Lights. According to their management, the band has not split up despite being inactive: "there is always the possibility of another Lighthouse Family album one day."
Both Baiyewu and Tucker were working in bars when they first met; together, they recorded demos of a number of songs Tucker had written during the late 1980s. Among these, a demo of "Ocean Drive" attracted the attention of Polydor Records A&R director Colin Barlow, who, in 1993, signed the band to a six-month development deal.
The band were funded for the recording of additional demos, and teamed with songwriters Martin Brammer (formerly of Kane Gang), Tim Kellett (formerly of Simply Red), and Tim Laws (co-writer of "Dreams" by Gabrielle). Eventually, the band was signed to record an album proper; finished in August 1994, Ocean Drive also included songs written by Shaun Ward (also of Simply Red), Junior Giscombe, and Alan Glass, and was produced by Mike Peden.
The band was managed throughout its career by Keith Armstrong and Phil Mitchell, co-founders of Newcastle-based Kitchenware Records; the label had gone on hiatus during the 1990s in order to handle the management of Lighthouse Family and other musicians.
In the wake of an economic recession in the UK, British record labels were, at the time, primarily signing artists with the goal of short-term profit. In contrast, Barlow, in The Times, expected that the band could last for "ten years or more". At the time of the launch of the first album, Polydor's investments in the band totaled ₤250,000. Peden's hiring was described as a "big spend", and music videos were filmed overseas in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
The lead single, "Lifted", received airplay on BBC Radio One as well as a number of BBC Local Radio stations, and The Chart Show aired its music video. Still, this did not translate to considerable single or album sales within 1995; it wasn't until "Lifted" was re-released in 1996 that it reached the top five on the UK Singles Chart, and Ocean Drive, which had been deleted, rebounded and was certified six-times platinum by the end of 1997. Its follow-up, "Postcards from Heaven", achieved similar sales status in 1998.
In 2010, The Lighthouse Family reformed. The band accounced tour details for 2011, as well as a new album coming up.
[wikipedia]
Free/One
Lighthouse Family Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wish I could break all the chains holding me
I wish I could say all the things that I should say
Say 'em loud, say 'em clear
For the whole wide world to hear
I wish I could share
All the love that's in my heart
And I wish you could know how it feels to be me
Then you'd see and agree that every man should be free
I wish I could be like a bird in the sky
How sweet it would be if I found I could fly
Well, I'd soar to the sun and look down at the sea
And I'd sing 'cause I know how it feels to be free
I wish I knew how it would feel to be free
I wish I could break all the chains holding me
And I wish I could say all the things that I wanna say
Say 'em loud, say 'em clear
For the whole wide world to hear
Say 'em loud, say 'em clear
For the whole wide world to hear
Say 'em loud, say 'em clear
For the whole wide world to hear
One love, one blood
One life you've got to do what you should
One life with each other
Sisters, brothers
One love but we're not the same
We got to carry each other
Carry each other
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I wish I knew how it would feel to be free
I wish I knew how it would feel to be free
The Lighthouse Family's song "Wish" is a powerful anthem that conveys a sense of longing to be free from the chains that hold a person down. The song begins with the singer wishing to know how it would feel to be free and how they could break all the chains that are holding them back. The lyrics are expressive and capture the sense of wanting to be free from whatever is stopping them from being themselves.
The second verse of the song expresses the yearning to share the love that is within oneself, and to break down the barriers that keep people apart. The desire for freedom is repeated, and the lyrics speak of how the world would be and should be if everyone were free. The singer wishes that others could know how it feels to be them, see the reasons why they want to be free and agree that every person deserves to be free.
In the final verse, the singer continues to express their longing for freedom by using the metaphor of a bird soaring in the sky. They long to be free like a bird, and it's felt in the soaring notes of the melody. The lyrics then lead to a chorus of "One love, one blood, one life," resonating with the idea that we're all brothers and sisters, and we're not different from each other, we're the same. We should carry each other through life.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I knew how it would feel to be free
I yearn to understand what it feels like to live without constraints and limitations.
I wish I could break all the chains holding me
I yearn to break free from all the constraints and limitations holding me back from achieving my potential.
I wish I could say all the things that I should say
I yearn to speak up and convey my thoughts and opinions without any hesitation or fear of judgement.
Say 'em loud, say 'em clear
For the whole wide world to hear
I aspire to express myself openly and confidently, letting the world know what I stand for.
I wish I could share
All the love that's in my heart
I long to share the love and affection that I feel inside of me with those around me.
Remove all the bars that keep us apart
I dream of a world where there are no divisions or barriers between people, and everyone is treated equally.
And I wish you could know how it feels to be me
Then you'd see and agree that every man should be free
I wish that people could understand and empathize with my struggles, and recognize that freedom is a fundamental right that everyone deserves.
I wish I could be like a bird in the sky
How sweet it would be if I found I could fly
I imagine what it would be like to be weightless and unbounded like a bird, free to explore the world without any limitations.
Well, I'd soar to the sun and look down at the sea
And I'd sing 'cause I know how it feels to be free
If I could be free like a bird, I would revel in the experience and celebrate it by singing joyously.
One love, one blood
One life you've got to do what you should
One life with each other
Sisters, brothers
We are all connected as human beings and should treat each other with love, care and respect.
One love but we're not the same
We got to carry each other
Carry each other
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
While we may come from different backgrounds and have different experiences, we must support and lift each other up as we go through life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Dick Dallas, William Eugene Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind