Cape Town-born Louise Carver is a classically-trained pianist and vocalist.… Read Full Bio ↴Cape Town-born Louise Carver is a classically-trained pianist and vocalist. She has been writing songs on the piano since 11yrs old.

She was signed to Silver Tulip Music at the age of 15, and her first single, "It Don’t Matter", became a huge success on the domestic charts in 1996/97. She was just 17 at the time. The debut album "Mirrors and Windows" was released the following year, with another two singles lifted from it.

Louise then went to explore other avenues and lent her vocal, songwriting and production skills to the dance arena, with the "Looking Around" EP released in 2001 before the "Play the Game" and "I'd Say Yes" tracks produced in the UK filled dance floors in the years that followed.

First Single: ‘It Don’t Matter’ [released at the end of 1996.] Reached the number 1 position on the national Campus Charts and after 11 weeks on the 5FM Top 40, reached 3rd position.

EP: ‘Looking Around’ [released 2001]
Louise then went on to explore other avenues and lent her vocal chords, songs and production to the dance arena, doing live performances with some of the hottest underground DJ’s. ‘My Reality’ [first single off the EP], reached 10th position on the 5FM Top 40.

The R&B/Pop track, ‘Looking around’ was placed on high rotation on several other leading radio stations.

In 2002 Louise released her single 'Words don’t mean a thing', in which wrote, sang, arranged and co-produced the music. It was instantly picked up by all major radio stations [no. 11 on 5FM Top 40, high rotation on R&B stations] and has proved popular ever since.

Louise in the UK.
Louise wrote and sang the song ‘Play the Game’ with Kenny Hawkes [British Deep House producer and DJ.] The single hit the No.1 spot on the Belgium National Dance charts. With single sales doing so well, 2 remixes were released in 2003 – Phil Weeks remix &Stefan Goldmann remix. The artwork for ‘Play the Game’ has become a classic collectors item for vinyl fanatics. Their forthcoming collaboration, ‘String Me Along’, will be released later this year.
International interest from major labels came as a result of ‘Play the Game’, which lead to a deal with Sony/Illustrious UK. Louise wrote, sang and vocally produced the song ‘I'd Say Yes’ over the instrumental, Pornorama ‘Leliwa’. Licensed to South Africa, it reached the no.1 spot on the 5FM Top 40 charts.

Sponsorship Deals:
2002 – Guess sponsorship deal for 1 yr.
2004 – 2007 -Levi’s Strauss sponsorship deal.
2005 – ZOOM footwear sponsorship.
2005 – Woolworths Summer Campaign: above and below the line.
2006 – Woolworths Winter Campaign.
2006/2007- Gucci Sunglass Sponsorship.
2006/2007 – ghd hair products

Not Tonight
Louise Carver Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Alone in an empty room
Missing you next to me
Drowning myself under the sheets
Running out of air to breathe

Woke up
To your footsteps
Heard you sneaking down the hallway

Choked up
Watching you, watching me
As you make your getaway

It's written all over your face
There is no mistake
Nothing I can say
Will change the way you feel tonight

It's written all over your face
And I can't find a trace
Of the person that I fell in love with
At least not tonight

In bed with the memories
Holding them next to me
Fooling myself love's coming home
Dreaming that you'd never leave

Woke up
To this nightmare
Caught you sneaking down the hallway

Choked up
Watching you, watching me
As you make your getaway

It's written all over your face
There is no mistake
Nothing I can say
Will change the way you feel tonight

It's written all over your face
And I can't find a trace
Of the person that I fell in love with
At least not tonight

All I have is questions
There are no answers
All I have is questions
There are no answers
(Hoo hoo hoo hoo)
There are no answers
(Hoo hoo hoo hoo)
There are no answers

It's written all over your face
There is no mistake
Nothing I can say
Will change the way you feel tonight

It's written all over your face
And I can't find a trace
Of the person that I fell in love with
At least not tonight

(Ha ha ha ha ha ha)
(Tonight)

Overall Meaning

The song "Not Tonight" by Louise Carver is a ballad about heartbreak, longing, and the painful process of coming to terms with the end of a relationship. The opening lines set the scene for the rest of the song, as Carver sings about feeling alone and vulnerable in a room without her significant other. The stark contrast between the emptiness of the room and the memories of being with her lover emphasizes the pain of missing someone who is no longer there. The image of drowning under the sheets, as if trying to escape from the weight of her emotions, highlights the desperation of her situation.

As she wakes up and hears her lover's footsteps, she realizes that he is leaving her. Seeing him sneak down the hallway and watching him leave makes her feel choked up and helpless. Despite her attempts to hold onto their love, the reality of their separation is written all over his face, and she can't deny that he is leaving. The repetition of the phrase "it's written all over your face" emphasizes the sense of betrayal and heartbreak that Carver is feeling. The use of the past tense, as if their love is already over, reinforces the finality of the situation.

Despite her dreams and hopes that he will stay with her, the truth is that he is gone. Carver is left holding onto memories and fooling herself that he will come back. The use of the phrase "caught you sneaking down the hallway" suggests that her lover is not being honest with her, adding to her confusion and sense of loss. The repetition of the line "all I have is questions, there are no answers" highlights the uncertainty and complexity of her emotions, as she tries to make sense of what has happened.

Overall, "Not Tonight" is a powerful song that captures the pain and heartbreak of a relationship falling apart. Through Carver's evocative lyrics and emotional delivery, she communicates the sense of loss and confusion that comes with the end of a once-revered love.

Line by Line Meaning

Alone in an empty room
I'm by myself in a void

Missing you next to me
I'm longing for your presence

Drowning myself under the sheets
I'm suffocating myself under the covers

Running out of air to breathe
I can't breathe anymore

Woke up to your footsteps
I heard you walking around

Heard you sneaking down the hallway
I heard you stealthily moving towards the exit

Choked up watching you, watching me
I'm struggling to speak while observing you leave

As you make your getaway
As you escape from me

It's written all over your face
Your expression shows it all

There is no mistake
I'm certain of what's happening

Nothing I can say
There's nothing I can do or say