Her self-titled debut album, Mathilde Santing, came out in 1982 and she gas released well over fifteen studio albums since, most of them sung in English, although she sometimes performs and records in her mother tongue as well. Known for her whispery and vulnerable vocal style, Santing is a prominent gay role model in The Netherlands. She sang at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1998 Gay Games in Amsterdam.
Santing's biggest chart success came in 1999 with the lush ballad 'Wonderful Life', which hit #6 in the Dutch Top 40. The song was taken from the 1999 album To Others To One, which is her highest charting album in her native Netherlands to date, reaching #4 in the Dutch album charts.
Lonely at the Top
Mathilde Santing Lyrics
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Had my pick of any girl
So you'd think I'd be happy
But I'm not
Everybody knows my name
But it's just a crazy game
Oh, it's lonely at the top
Listen to the people paying just for me
Oh, all the applause and all the parades
And all the money that I made
Oh, it's lonely at the top
Listen, all you fools out there
Go on and love me
I don't care
It's lonely, oh, it's lonely
Ah einsam
It's lonely at the top
"Lonely at the Top" by Mathilde Santing is a melancholic song that depicts the loneliness that comes with fame and success. The opening lines, "I've been around the world, had my pick of any girl, so you'd think I'd be happy, but I'm not" suggests that despite all the glitz and glamour, the singer is not content with their current situation. They have traveled the world and can have any girl they want but are still unfulfilled. The next line, "everybody knows my name, but it's just a crazy game," indicates that the price of fame is that people know you, but don't necessarily understand who you are as a person.
The chorus, "oh, it's lonely at the top" is a recurring theme throughout the song, repeating the idea that success and fame can isolate you from others. The lines "listen to the band playing just for me, listen to the people paying just for me," highlight the singer's recognition of how they're treated differently because of their fame. The applause, parades, and money made are empty pursuits that don't fill the void. The song ends with the line "go on and love me, I don't care; it's lonely, oh, it's lonely," indicating the singer's resignation to their situation.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been around the world
I have traveled to many places.
Had my pick of any girl
I had the opportunity to date any girl I wanted.
So you'd think I'd be happy
Because of the above, you might assume that I am happy.
But I'm not
However, I'm not truly happy.
Everybody knows my name
People recognize me and know who I am.
But it's just a crazy game
However, all of the attention is really just a strange competition.
Oh, it's lonely at the top
Despite all that, I still feel isolated and alone.
Listen to the band playing just for me
I hear the music being performed because I'm the one being celebrated.
Listen to the people paying just for me
And I hear people cheering me on, funds being gifted solely to me.
Oh, all the applause and all the parades
The cheering, celebration, honking horns--it all feels fancy and grand.
And all the money that I made
And however much money I have earned makes things even better.
Oh, it's lonely at the top
But despite it all, I still feel lonely and unfulfilled.
Listen, all you fools out there
I'm saying this to those people who idealize me and celebrate me.
Go on and love me
You may still love me and cling to what I represent.
I don't care
But honestly, I don't care either way.
It's lonely, oh, it's lonely
Because despite the adulation, I cannot escape the sense of loneliness and inadequacy.
Ah einsam
Truly, it's lonely at the top.
It's lonely at the top
In the end, all of the fame and fortune have not made me happy and have not alleviated my loneliness.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RANDY NEWMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind