"Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" is a popular song written by Roger Gr… Read Full Bio ↴"Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" is a popular song written by Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook.
Originally recorded by Gene Pitney in 1967 the song reached #5 on the UK singles chart but failed to chart in the USA. The song was subsequently covered by a number of other acts including Cilla Black, Terry Reid and Nick Cave on his 1986 album of cover's Kicking Against the Pricks.

It achieved its greatest success in 1989 when it was covered by Marc Almond. Originally recorded by Almond alone for his 1988 album The Stars We Are, the single version reunited it with its original singer Gene Pitney, their version became a number one single in the UK for four weeks in January 1989. Sales were boosted particularly by the two vocalists' appearance on the Terry Wogan TV show as it was climbing the charts. Pitney's US record company declined to issue the record in America on the grounds that buyers would mistake it for a vocal duet by two gay men, Almond being leather-clad as usual, and Pitney dressed in a white tuxedo.

Something's Gotten Hold Of My H
Marc Almond & Gene Pitney Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Something's gotten hold of my heart
Keeping my soul and my senses apart
Something's gotten into my life
Cutting its way through my dreams like a knife
Turning me up, turning me down
Making me smile and making me frown

In a world that was small

I once lived in a time that was peace
With no trouble at all
But then you came my way
And a feeling unknown shook my heart
Made me want you to stay
All of my nights and all of my days

Yeah I gotta tell you now
Something's gotten hold of my hand
Dragging my soul to a beautiful land
Yeah something has invaded my nights
Painting my sleep with a colour so bright
Changing the grey, changing the blue
Scarlet for me and scarlet for you

I've got to know if this is the real thing
I've got to know what's making my heart sing, woah yeah

You smile and I'm lost for a lifetime
Each minutespent with you is the right time
Every hour, yeah, every day, yeah

You touch me and my mind goes astray
And baby yeah

Overall Meaning

, something's gotten hold of my heart, indeed! These lyrics speak of a powerful and all-consuming love that has taken hold of the singer's life. The opening two lines, "Something's gotten hold of my heart, keeping my soul and my senses apart" suggest that this love has completely overtaken the singer's heart and mind, making it difficult for them to focus on anything else. The imagery of a knife cutting through their dreams emphasizes the painful and jarring nature of this love.

The lyrics go on to describe how this love has changed the singer's life, painting their nights with a bright color and invading their dreams. The use of color imagery, with "changing the grey, changing the blue, scarlet for me and scarlet for you" evokes a vivid and passionate relationship. The chorus then expresses the singer's uncertainty, hinting that they're not sure if this love is the real thing.

In the latter part of the song, the lyrics turn more optimistic, with the singer reveling in every moment they spend with their beloved. The line "You touch me and my mind goes astray" suggests that this love drives the singer wild with desire. The final line of the song, "Something's gotten hold of my heart," acts as a refrain, driving home the power of this love on the singer's life.

Line by Line Meaning

Something's gotten hold of my heart
I feel overwhelmed and consumed by a powerful emotion that has taken hold of my heart.

Keeping my soul and my senses apart
This emotion has disconnected my soul from my senses, making me feel lost and disoriented.

Something's gotten into my life
This emotion has entered my life unexpectedly and without warning.

Cutting its way through my dreams like a knife
The intensity of this emotion is so strong that it's affecting my dreams and even causing me distress.

Turning me up, turning me down
This emotion is causing my moods to fluctuate constantly, from happiness to sadness and back again.

Making me smile and making me frown
Despite the emotional turbulence, this feeling is still strong enough to evoke both joy and sorrow in me.

In a world that was small
My world used to be simple and easy before this powerful feeling entered it.

I once lived in a time that was peace
I used to live a peaceful life without any troubles or worries.

With no trouble at all
Everything was going smoothly without any problems or issues.

But then you came my way
My life changed completely when I met you.

And a feeling unknown shook my heart
Your presence brought about a feeling that I didn't understand and it affected me deeply.

Made me want you to stay
I felt a strong desire for you to remain in my life and never leave.

All of my nights and all of my days
I think of you constantly, every moment of every day.

Yeah I gotta tell you now
I need to express how I feel so that you understand the depth of my emotions.

Something's gotten hold of my hand
This emotion has taken over not only my heart but my entire being, including my physical body and actions.

Dragging my soul to a beautiful land
This feeling has taken me to a place of unparalleled beauty and happiness, even if it's just in my mind.

Yeah something has invaded my nights
This emotion pervades even my dreams and subconscious thoughts, leaving no part of me untouched.

Painting my sleep with a colour so bright
Even my dreams are filled with the intense colors and feelings that this emotion evokes.

Changing the grey, changing the blue
This emotion has transformed the dull, lifeless colors of my world into vibrant and exciting hues.

Scarlet for me and scarlet for you
The red of passion is now the color of our world, a reflection of the intense feelings we share.

I've got to know if this is the real thing
I need to know if this emotion is true and lasting, or simply a passing infatuation.

I've got to know what's making my heart sing, woah yeah
I am desperate to understand the cause of this overwhelming emotion and why it affects me so deeply.

You smile and I'm lost for a lifetime
Your smile has such a powerful effect on me that I feel as if I could lose myself in it forever.

Each minute spent with you is the right time
Every moment we spend together feels like the perfect moment, as if time stands still for us.

Every hour, yeah, every day, yeah
My thoughts are consumed by you every hour of every day, all the time.

You touch me and my mind goes astray
A simple touch from you is enough to make me lose all focus and become completely consumed by the intensity of my feelings.

And baby yeah
This emotion is all-encompassing and consuming, and I can't help but express it with every fiber of my being.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROGER FREDERICK COOK, ROGER JOHN REGINALD GREENAWAY

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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