The group was founded by Dale Longworth and Kevin O'Toole in Oldham, England in 1990. Other members have included Kelly Llorenna, Rachel McFarlane and Richard Lyte (Ricardo Da Force).
Longworth and O'Toole met at The Oldham College, both being aspiring sound engineers. They initially began producing instrumental dance music together, going through a variety of names before finally adopting N-Trance.
Their early demos, including a rave version of a children's television show, made little impression. Trying a more serious approach with their next song, 1991s "Back to the Bass", N-Trance caught the attention of Pete Waterman as Longworth worked on his TV show The Hitman and Her. Waterman signed the band to his 380 Records label (now known as Eastern Bloc Records).
However, problems with sample clearance prevented the single's release. The band continued to write and record, adding vocalist Kelly Llorenna to the fold for the recording of their next single, "Set You Free". However, N-Trance chose not to release the single with 380 Records, opting instead to buy themselves out of their contract with the label. The band signed with a new label, All Around the World, and released "Set You Free" in early 1993.
The new single and the group's theatrical live performances, which included dancers and flame-throwers, as well as new vocalist Kelly Llorenna and rapper T-1K, propelled N-Trance to prominence in the European dance scene. At first "Set You Free" reached a lowly chart position of 82 in the UK Singles Chart, however, it was re-released in April 1994 and became the group's first top 40 hit, reaching no. 39.
"Turn Up the Power", featuring Loveland vocalist Rachel McFarlane, followed in October of the same year and sold considerably more copies, reaching no. 23.
Following the sudden increase in the group's popularity, they were pressured into a second re-release of "Set You Free". This time the track peaked at no. 2 in the UK chart, and was to become the highest selling dance single of 1995 - selling over 600,000 copies in the UK alone, and also charting in continental Europe and in Australia. "Set You Free" has since gone on to be one of the most remixed songs ever, with over forty mixes available.
The group recorded their first full-length album, Electronic Pleasure, in November 1995, which featured seven of the group's ever-expanding roster of vocalists (including David Grant), and musicians such as Vinny Burns and Snake Davis. Similarly, N-Trance's musical range expanded, embracing rap, disco and other styles in its scope.
The group's next single, a surprising cover of the Bee Gees hit "Stayin' Alive", was not only a massive international hit, but also featured a vocalist who would help define N-Trance's sound in the future, Ricardo Da Force, formerly rapper with The KLF.
Upon its release in the UK it debuted at no. 2, and internationally it became one of the biggest UK exports of 1995, reaching no. 1 in Australia and being top 5 in a number of European charts.
[edit] Later years
The release of further commercially successful singles, like "Electronic Pleasure", afforded N-Trance the possibility of building their own recording studio, Deep Blue, in 1996. They spent the following year and a half recording their second full-length album, Happy Hour, which was eventually released in 1999.
Hit singles from the album included disco cover versions of Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" and Ottawan's "D.I.S.C.O.", and the hardcore techno clatter of "The Mind of the Machine", which featured the actor Steven Berkoff.
A best of album entitled Best Of N-Trance 1992-2002 was released in early 2001, backed by a trance remix of "Set You Free" which reached number 7 in October of that year.
In 2005, Longworth and O'Toole reached the Top 10, with the single "So Much Love to Give" released under the pseudonym the Freeloaders.
In October 2006 a new single was announced (with a sample) on the N-Trance website entitled "Nothing Lasts Forever".
----
MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/ntrance
Set you free
N-Trance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I hold you, baby
Feel your heartbeat close to me (oh yeah)
Wanna stay in your arms forever
Only love can set you free
When I wake each morning
As the storm beats down on me
Only love can set you free
Set you free
(Free, free, free)
Oh yeah
When we touch each other
In a state of ecstasy
Want this night to last forever
Only love can set you free
Set you free (free)
Set you free (free)
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Set you free (oh yeah, oh yeah)
(Set you free, oh yeah, oh yeah)
Set you free (oh yeah, oh yeah)
(Free, oh yeah, oh yeah)
Oh yeah
When I hold you, baby
Feel your heartbeat close to me (oh yeah)
Wanna stay in your arms forever
Only love can set you free
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Set you free (oh yeah, oh yeah)
(Set you free, oh yeah, oh yeah)
Set you free (oh yeah, oh yeah)
(Free, oh yeah, oh yeah)
The lyrics of N-Trance's song Set You Free express a strong desire for love and connection. The singer feels his lover's heartbeat close to him and wants to stay in her arms forever. He believes that only love can set one free, suggesting that love is a liberating force that can heal the pains of the past and bring about a sense of wholeness and completeness.
The lyrics also suggest a sense of urgency and intensity in the relationship, as if the singer is afraid to lose his lover and is willing to do anything to keep her. When the storm beats down on him each morning, he feels that only their love can bring him solace and release him from his troubles.
Overall, the lyrics evoke a sense of romantic passion and devotion, suggesting that true love can be a transformative experience that brings two people together and sets them free from the limitations of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh yeah
The vocalist is expressing excitement or agreement.
When I hold you, baby
In the singer's arms, they are holding someone dear.
Feel your heartbeat close to me (oh yeah)
The singer is experiencing a physical closeness with their partner and feels their heart beating in unison.
Wanna stay in your arms forever
The singer desires for their connection with their partner to last a lifetime.
Only love can set you free
The singer believes love is the key to personal liberation.
When I wake each morning
At the start of each day, the vocalist is grateful for their connection with their partner.
As the storm beats down on me
Despite external struggles or conflict, the singer perseveres because of their love.
And I know we belong together
The singer has a deep understanding that they and their partner are meant to be together.
Set you free
(Free, free, free)
The chorus repeats the idea that love is the key to personal freedom.
Oh yeah
When we touch each other
When the singer and their partner have a physical interaction, they experience heightened feelings of emotion.
In a state of ecstasy
The emotional and physical connection between the singer and their partner creates a feeling of intense excitement and bliss.
Want this night to last forever
The singer enjoys this moment so much that they never want it to end.
Set you free (free)
Set you free (free)
The chorus repeats the idea that love is the key to personal freedom.
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
The chorus repeats, emphasizing the importance of love.
Set you free (oh yeah, oh yeah)
(Set you free, oh yeah, oh yeah)
Set you free (oh yeah, oh yeah)
(Free, oh yeah, oh yeah)
The chorus repeats the idea that love is the key to personal freedom.
When I hold you, baby
The singer is expressing that their partner brings them comfort and joy.
Feel your heartbeat close to me (oh yeah)
The singer is expressing that they feel a deep emotional connection to their partner.
Wanna stay in your arms forever
The singer is expressing that they want to remain in this state forever with their partner.
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
Oh yeah, oh yeah
The chorus repeats, emphasizing the importance of love.
Set you free (oh yeah, oh yeah)
(Set you free, oh yeah, oh yeah)
Set you free (oh yeah, oh yeah)
(Free, oh yeah, oh yeah)
The chorus repeats the idea that love is the key to personal freedom.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Dale Longworth, Kenneth George Trumpet, Kevin O'Toole, Michael David Lewis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Amit Bloom
Oh, oh, yeah
When I hold you baby
Feel your heart beat close to me (oh, oh, yeah)
Wanna stay in your arms forever
Only love can set you free
When I wake each morning
And the storm beats down on me
And I know we belong together
Only love can set you free
Set you free
Set you free
Set you free
Set you free
Oh, oh, yeah
When we touch each other
In the state of ecstasy
Want this night to last forever
Only love can set you free
Set you free
Set you free
Set you free
Set you free
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
Set you free (oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah)
Set you free (oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah)
Set you free (oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah)
Set you free (oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah)
Oh, oh, yeah
When I hold you baby
Feel your heart beat close to me (oh, oh, yeah)
Wanna stay in your arms forever
Only love can set you free
When wake I each morning
And the storm beats down on me
And I know we belong together
Only love can set you free
Set you free
Set you free
Set you free
Set you free
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah (oh, oh, yeah)
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah (oh, oh, yeah, oh, oh, yeah)
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah (oh, oh, yeah)
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah (oh, oh, yeah)
Oh, oh, yeah
When we touch each other
In the state of ecstasy
Want this night to last forever
Only love can set you free
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
Oh, oh yeah, oh, oh yeah
Set you free (oh, oh, yeah, oh, oh, yeah)
Set you free (oh, oh, yeah, oh, oh, yeah)
Set you free (oh, oh, yeah, oh, oh, yeah)
Set you free (oh, oh, yeah, oh, oh, yeah)
sooooooo 90's
Dan
44 and still gives me goose bumps, reminds me of the days where I’d be double dropping 😃
S Milton Bromley
double? you lot were dropping 10 a night! 😂😂omg the pill faces!! 😂😂 I was a speed queen... do not disturb while dancing, I don't care if the music has stopped 😂😂 Goose bumps is right!!
Dan
@S Milton Bromley Lol defo, was great back in the day, speed was great but i found it would keep me up all night, never could sleep, you lay there counting your heart beats :) :).. That feeling though when your coming up never gets boring
S Milton Bromley
@Dan yes! what a high! tbh I don't and never did need speed to stay up all night dancing as I have adhd 😂 but the speed got rid of any insecurities/shyness and brought out the inner IDGAF lunatic in me 😂 also the buzzz was great, everything was EPIC! as a '75 born, I started out going 'clubbing' in some shithole in my town but could not/cannot handle alcohol, a tiny amount and I was pissed, throwing up, falling asleep on the pavement, embarrassing myself.. omg Going out was not fun... THEN Raves... Drugs... Happy days!
The weekend had landed.., 😎👍
XTDWize 07
You legend 🎉🤙🏼
Loftusroad
39
misterconyers
This tune can never get old, that's a fact
Lee 77
🎯👌
Thomas P P S
One of the greatest tracks of all time. Never will ever get old
sos2907
I'm not normally into dance music but i love this song.Takes me back when i had no worries.