He has worked with many producers, musicians, and artists in his long career. These include Sandra Cretu, Frank Farian, Boney M, Goombay Dance Band, Peter Cornelius, Manfred "Tissy" Thiers and Mike Oldfield in his pre-Enigma days, and Jens Gad, Frank Peterson, David Fairstein, ATB, Jam & Spoon, Peter Ries, Ruth-Ann Boyle and Andru Donalds during the course of the project.
Cretu's first solo release was the single Wild River, in 1978. His first solo album was released in 1979 and was entitled Ausgewählte Goldstücke as a German release, and Moon, Light & Flowers as an English release. Cretu's second solo album, titled Legionäre, was released in 1983. This album had German lyrics and was sung by Michael. It was co-produced and supervised by Harald Steinhauer and mastered by Armand Volker. Cretu's third solo album was entitled Die Chinesische Mauer, and was released in 1985. The literal English translation of the title is "The Chinese Wall", or as it is better known, "The Great Wall of China". Like his previous album, this had German lyrics, was sung by Michael, and was co-produced by Armand Volker. This album was also released as a separate album with English lyrics and a different track listing under the name "The Invisible Man". Several of the tracks on "The Invisible Man" were edited slightly, and, therefore last for a different length than the German versions on Die Chinesische Mauer.
After Cretu's marriage to Sandra in 1988, he had an idea, following suggestions made by David Fairstein, for a musical "new age dance" project under the name, presented by Fairstein, of "Enigma". Cretu worked with Frank Peterson and David Fairstein to create their ground-breaking first single "Sadeness" which became a surprise hit. MCMXC a.D., the album, which was released in 1990, was hugely successful. It is thought to have sold about 30 million copies worldwide. One of the aims of Enigma was to present music that has never been heard before and is not being produced anywhere, which also forced Cretu to continually move in new musical directions and to stay ahead of imitators.
source : romanovbv@yahoo.com
Carte Blanche
Michael Cretu Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Free for the future, 'cause now I'm alone
Carte blanche, carte blanche
Maybe you hurt me, maybe I'm sad
Let me discover what we never had
Carte blanche, carte blanche
Ticket to ride on with the breeze
Carte blanche
Maybe I'm leaving and maybe I'll stay
Maybe tomorrow I'm light-years away
Carte blanche, carte blanche
I need adventure, I venture to guess:
Make me an offer, the answer is yes
Carte blanche, carte blanche
Ticket to ride on with the breeze
Carte blanche
If I'm a rich man, I'm gonna get poor
Nothing to lose, I don't care anymore
Carte blanche, carte blanche
Follow the rainbow,
Jump over the moon
Building a castle right here in my room
Carte blanche, carte blanche
Carte blanche, carte blanche
Ticket to ride on with the breeze
Carte blanche
The lyrics of Michael Cretu's "Carte Blanche" describe the idea of starting anew, leaving the past behind and embracing the future with open arms. The singer has closed the door on the life that he has known, freeing himself to explore new horizons. In this new beginning, he has been given the "carte blanche," a blank slate upon which he can create his future. He may have been hurt and sad, but this newfound sense of freedom allows him to discover what he never had before. He doesn't know whether he's leaving or staying, but he's open to whatever adventure awaits him. He's willing to take any offer because he has nothing to lose. The song suggests that with this "carte blanche," we have a ticket to ride on with the breeze, to follow the rainbow, and to build a castle in our room.
Overall, the lyrics of "Carte Blanche" convey the theme of liberation, freedom, and self-discovery. It tells us not to be afraid to start again when life gets tough, and it encourages us to take risks and explore the unknown. The song provides a sense of hope that no matter what struggles we face, we can find a way to create a new beginning with a blank slate.
Line by Line Meaning
Closing a door on the life I have known
I'm leaving behind the past and all its familiarity
Free for the future, 'cause now I'm alone
I'm unburdened from the past and able to explore new possibilities
Carte blanche, carte blanche
I have complete freedom and control over my future
Maybe you hurt me, maybe I'm sad
The past may have been painful, but I'm ready to move on
Let me discover what we never had
I'm excited to explore new experiences and relationships
Ticket to ride on with the breeze
I have the opportunity to go anywhere and do anything
Maybe I'm leaving and maybe I'll stay
I haven't made any firm decisions yet, but any choice is mine to make
Maybe tomorrow I'm light-years away
My future is full of infinite possibilities
I need adventure, I venture to guess:
I crave excitement and new experiences
Make me an offer, the answer is yes
I'm open to anything that life has to offer me
If I'm a rich man, I'm gonna get poor
Money doesn't matter to me anymore
Nothing to lose, I don't care anymore
I'm unafraid to take risks and try new things
Follow the rainbow, Jump over the moon, Building a castle right here in my room
I'm creating my own future and building my own dreams, without any constraints
Carte blanche, carte blanche
I have complete freedom to live life on my own terms
Ticket to ride on with the breeze
I'm free to explore the world and all its treasures
Contributed by Dominic G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.