Among her best known songs are "Private Emotion", a (duet with Ricky Martin) from his multi-Platinum album Ricky Martin (1999), and "All 'bout the Money", which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1998.
She gained much popularity in the West after her single "How Crazy are You?" was used as the main theme music for the Xbox video game Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball.
Meja was born Anna Pernilla Torndahl in Nynäshamn, Stockholm County. She had her stage debut at "Ystads City theatre" at the age of 7. She was brought up in a musical family, her grandfather, Per Lundkvist, was a composer of both classical and contemporary music and her mother, a recording artist as a child before choosing a path as a painter.
In 1986, at the age of 16, she moved to Mallorca, Spain, to study. She was introduced to American jazz trumpet player/singer Stephen Frankevich and started to take vocal lessons with singer Deborah Carter.
Meja went to Stockholm in 1990. She sang in different bands there before getting out on tour as a backup singer for the Swedish group Rob n Raz DLC in 1991. In 1992 Meja moved to Los Angeles to continue her studies at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. She graduated from the vocal program in late 1992 then returned to Sweden.
n 1993, Meja worked with the dance project Legacy of Sound. She co-wrote with Anders Bagge the first single, "Happy", from the album Holy Groove. The song reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club play, and it peaked at number 68 on the Top 100 during a 12-week stay on the chart. "Happy" was released in over 20 countries. Meja recorded one more album with Legacy of Sound in 1994, Tour de Force.
Meja teamed in 1995 with Swedish manager Lasse Karlsson, manager of Ace of Base, and writer/producer Douglas Carr to provide the vocals for the demo The Juvenile titled The Goldeneye.
The first solo album Meja, was released in 1996, with songs co-written by Billy Steinberg. In 1997 Meja had her first concert tour in Japan: The Flower Girl Jam Tour.
Meja released the album Seven Sisters in 1998. Later that year Columbia (Sony) launched the album in the U.S with the single "How Crazy Are You?"
Meja went to Miami in 1999 to record "Private Emotion", a duet with Ricky Martin for his debut album Ricky Martin. After shooting a video for the song, Meja stayed in Los Angeles to work on her next album Realitales (2000) with Steinberg. She also co-wrote two tracks for the album in London with Stephen Lipson. The artwork for this album was shot by Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund.
In 2003 Meja started to work with her former Sony Music boss, Richard Ogden. The album Mellow was released in 2004, with songs in Portuguese ("Água de Beber", "Dindi") and Spanish. She covered a Caetano Veloso song "O'Leaonzinho" that she named "Little Lion." The album was produced by Hamish Stuart. One song, "Simple Days-Walking the Distance", was used in the Japanese film Lakeside Murder Case.
In 2006 Meja went back to Los Angeles to collaborate again with Steinberg on a new album, also working with writers Jeff Barry, Billy Gibbons, Jed Leiber and Boz Boorer.
The first single "At the Rainbow's End" was released in June 2009, the second single "Regrets (I Have None)" in August, and the album Urban Gypsy was released on her own label Seven Sisters Network in October on a license deal with Sony Music. A remix of Mando Diao's "Dance with Somebody" was released early 2010.
The first release from the album Stroboscope Sky was the single "Blame it on the Shadows" (2013) produced by Ebbot Lundberg. Meja teamed with producer Nicolas Gunthardt and together with his sister Alessandra they wrote "Yellow Ribbon" which served as the theme song for the album. "Yellow Ribbon" was released as a single in collaboration with Amnesty International/Free the Angola 3 to help raise awareness of the case of Albert Woodfox. A remix EP was released with remixes by Deep Forest, Dj Swami, Gota Yashiki, DF Tram, NORD and more.
Lay me Down
Meja Lyrics
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The lyrics to Meja's song "Lay Me Down" expresses the frustration and weariness of life's burdens that one may experience. Meja sings about being weighed down by the pain and sorrow in the world and not being able to sleep due to mental exhaustion. However, the frustration she feels also fuels a deep desire for something more, someone special in her life.
Meja then goes on to describe finding love and how it has helped her through her struggles. She talks about how long it took for her to finally find love but when she did, she was scared of how deep her feelings went. The lyrics then shift to a more romantic tone, as she requests for her lover to lay her down like a river tonight and to rush into her like the sea. She asks to be laid down in the naked moonlight as she tries to quiet the currents that run inside of her.
Overall, the song is about the healing power of love and how it can ease the pain and frustration in one's life. It's a plea to be comforted and loved deeply by another person, as Meja acknowledges how tough life can be at times.
Line by Line Meaning
I get so weary sometimes
Sometimes I feel very tired
Of all the pain and the sorrow
I feel burdened by all the sadness and suffering in the world
There's too much on my mind
I have many things to think about
Where will the world be tomorrow
I am anxious about the future of the world
I can't sleep when I feel this tired
My exhaustion prevents me from sleeping
Funny how frustration breeds desire
My frustration makes me crave for something else
Lay me down like a river tonight
I want to be embraced by someone who loves me
Rush into me, rush into the sea
I want to feel the passion and energy of love
Lay me down in the naked moonlight
I want to be vulnerable and open with someone I trust
Quiet the currents that run inside of me
I want to be calm and peaceful inside
I held back for so long
I have been avoiding my feelings for a while
In you I finally found
I found love in you after a long time
Longer than anyone thought I could
I stayed strong and kept searching for love despite the odds
I didn't dare dream love could exist
I was afraid to hope for love because of past disappointments
Somebody weird, somebody good
You are different, but in a good and special way
I was scared to taste that deep a kiss
I was afraid to fall deeper in love with you
Lay me down like a river tonight
I want to surrender myself to love with you
Rush into me, rush into the sea
I want to be swept away by the intensity of our love
Quiet the currents that run inside of me
I want to be still and content with you
Lay me down in the naked moonlight
I want to be completely honest and unguarded with you
Lay me down, lay me down...
I want to feel your embrace and be close to you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: FILIPPINA LYDIA ARENA, THOMAS KELLY, BILLY STEINBERG, Douglas Ian Carr, Meja Anna Pernilla Kullersten
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind