Robyn's parents are actors, and she herself was involved in acting at the age of 9, with an extra role in Kronbruden at the Swedish theatre Dramaten. In 1991, at the age of 12, Robyn recorded the theme song named "Du kan alltid bli nummer ett" ("You can always be number one") for the Swedish television show Lilla Sportspegeln. In the same year she performed this song on television show Söndagsöppet. Robyn was rediscovered by Swedish pop singer Meja in the early 90s. Meja and her band Legacy of Sound visited Robyn's school and were involved with a musical workshop.
Following the completion of her middle school education, Robyn signed to Ricochet Records Sweden, a subsidiary of BMG. She collaborated with producers Max Martin and Denniz Pop. Writing duties were assisted by Ulf Lindstrom and Johan Ekhe, who also helped to produce the album, and they stayed on board with Robyn until 2003.
Robyn started her career in the pop music industry at the age of 16. She signed a record deal with RCA Records in 1994 to release her debut single "You've Got That Somethin'" in Sweden, followed by her breakthrough single "Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)". In October 1996 she released her debut album Robyn Is Here. Robyn's US breakthrough came in 1997, when the dance-pop singles "Show Me Love" and "Do You Know (What It Takes)" reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Her second album My Truth was released in May 1999 in Sweden, with subsequent releases elsewhere in Europe. The single "Electric" was a hit across Europe, and propelled My Truth to second position in Sweden. Despite her success in the US market with her debut album, My Truth did not receive an international release.
In 1999, Robyn contributed to Christian Falk's debut solo album Quel Bordel, appearing on the tracks "Remember" and "Celebration". In 2000, she appeared on the track "Intro/Fristil" on Petter's self-titled album. In 2001, Robyn contributed the song "Say You'll Walk the Distance" to the soundtrack for the film On the Line.
In November 2002, Robyn swapped labels at BMG (from RCA to Jive Records) and released her third album Don't Stop The Music in Sweden. She issued the singles "Keep This Fire Burning" and "Don't Stop The Music" in Scandinavia and mainland Europe. The lead single "Keep This Fire Burning" was covered by British soul singer Beverley Knight.
The decade-long relationship between Robyn and BMG ceased in 2004. When they reacted negatively to "Who's That Girl", which showcased a new electropop sound, Robyn decided to release music on her own. In early 2005, she announced she would be leaving Jive Records to start her own record label, Konichiwa Records. In May 2004, Robyn's Best was released in America. It is essentially a condensed version of her debut album, containing no material from her later releases. In 2006, following her departure from BMG, the compilation Det Bästa Med Robyn (The Best of Robyn) was released in Sweden.
Robyn released the single "Be Mine!" in March 2005, followed a month later by her fourth studio album Robyn. This album became her first number one album upon its release in Sweden. Collaborators of this album include names like Klas Åhlund from Teddybears, the Swedish duo The Knife and former Cheiron producer Alexander Kronlund. Sampling influences from electronic, rap and R&B music, Robyn received rave reviews, and gained the singer three Swedish Grammy Awards in 2006 for "Årets Album" (Best Album), "Årets Kompositör" (Best Writer, alongside Klas Åhlund) and "Årets Pop Kvinnlig" (Best Pop Female). Robyn released three more singles from the eponymous album: "Who's That Girl", "Handle Me" and "Crash and Burn Girl".
In 2006 she featured on the Basement Jaxx track "Hey You", taken from their album Crazy Itch Radio. The year also marked the release of Christian Falk's second album People Say, on which Robyn contributed the tracks "Dream On" and "C.C.C.". In December 2006, she released The Rakamonie EP in the UK.
In March 2007, Robyn released the single "Konichiwa Bitches" in the UK, followed by the revised edition of the album Robyn in April 2007. This version contains slightly altered versions of two of the original songs and two new tracks: "With Every Heartbeat" (a collaboration with Kleerup) and "Cobrastyle" (a cover of a 2006 single by Swedish rockers Teddybears). The second single from this revised album was "With Every Heartbeat", issued in late July 2007 and reaching number one on the UK singles chart. Follow-up singles "Handle Me", "Be Mine!", "Who's That Girl" and "Dream On" were top thirty hits. Also in 2007, Robyn contributed vocals to Fleshquartet's single "This One's For You", from their album Voices of Eden.
The Rakamonie EP was released in January 2008 in the US under Cherrytree Records, a subsidiary of Interscope, and the US edition of her self-titled album was released in April 2008. "With Every Heartbeat (with Kleerup)", "Handle Me" and "Cobrastyle" were top ten club hits, and the former received airplay at US pop and dance radio stations. She was also featured on "Sexual Eruption (Fyre Department remix)" by Snoop Dogg.
Robyn completed a short US tour to promote the album Robyn, and was the supporting act for Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour at select European dates in 2008. In January 2009, Robyn won a Swedish Grammis Award for Best Live Act 2008. In 2009 she featured on the single "The Girl and the Robot" from the album Junior by Norwegian electronic band Röyksopp.
In 2010 Robyn announced she planned to release three albums in the same year. To promote the first part, she released the songs "Fembot", "Dancehall Queen" (produced by Diplo) and "None of Dem" (featuring Röyksopp) to digital outlets as promotional singles on 13 April 2010. Klas Åhlund was the main producer of all Body Talk albums.
Robyn released Body Talk Pt. 1, on 14 June 2010 in the Nordic countries through EMI and on 15 June 2010 in the US through Interscope. This mini-album was preceded on 1 June 2010 by the lead single "Dancing On My Own". The song became Robyn's first number one hit in Sweden, and her fourth top ten hit in both the UK and the US, peaking at #8 on the UK Singles Chart and at #3 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. Later The Guardian and Slant Magazine rated "Dancing On My Own" as the best song of 2010, and Pitchfork Media ranked it 4th in their Top 100 Tracks of 2010. On 30 August 2010, Robyn performed at Polar Music Prize 2010 a cover of "Hyperballad", with Björk being in the audience.
On 6 September 2010, Body Talk Pt. 2 was released in the UK. It was preceded on 5 September 2010 by the single "Hang With Me", a dance version of an acoustic song from Body Talk Pt. 1. This album also contains a duet with Snoop Dogg on "You Should Know Better (feat. Snoop Dogg)". On 12 September 2010 Robyn performed a remixed version of "Dancing On My Own" with deadmau5 at MTV Video Music Awards 2010.
Robyn released on 22 November 2010 (US and Scandinavia) the third and final part of the Body Talk series, entitled Body Talk. The album includes five songs from each previous Body Talk parts, along with five new songs. The new tracks have been made available separately as Body Talk Pt. 3 in the United States and Germany. The album was promoted mainly by the release of the single "Indestructible" on 1 November 2010. Body Talk received extremely favorable reviews from most music critics and featured on many year-end lists.
On 1st April 2011, Robyn issued the single "Call Your Girlfriend".
Official site: http://www.robyn.com
Human Being
Robyn Lyrics
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And so are you
My heart can't stop beating
Don't know what to do
I'm a human being
I'm a human being
The streets are so cold
Stay in my arms
Dance with me
I'm a human being
(Move your body closer to mine)
(Move your-)
(Move your-)
(Move your body)
Don't be afraid
One step at a time
(Move your body)
I'm a human being
(Baby don't give up on me now)
I'm a human being
There's no resolution
No honey gold
There's no final union
There's no control, mmm
All these emotions are out of date
I know it's hard
No peace of mind, but don't shut me out
You know we're the same kind
A dying race
I'm a human being
(I'm a human being)
(I'm a human being)
I'm a human being
(Move your body)
(Move your-)
(Move your-)
Move your body
Move your body closer to mine
Yeah, yeah
Yeah
(I'm a human being)
Don't be afraid
One step at a time
Baby
Baby, don't give up on me now
I'm a human being
Baby, don't give up on me now
(Move your body, babe)
(Move your-)
It's alright
(Move your-)
(Move your-)
(Move your body)
Don't give up on me now
The song "Human Being" by Robyn reflects on the struggles and emotions of being human. The lyrics start by simply stating that both the singer and the listener are human beings with beating hearts that they cannot control. The singer then expresses a desire for companionship and emotion, wanting to dance and stay close in each other's arms.
The chorus repeats the phrase "I'm a human being" several times, emphasizing the humanity of everyone involved. The next verse is more introspective, acknowledging that there are no easy answers or solutions to life's problems. The emotions felt are described as outdated, but the singer implores the listener not to shut her out, reminding them that they are all part of the same dying race.
The chorus repeats twice more, with the addition of encouraging phrases like "don't be afraid" and "one step at a time." The song ends with the singer reaffirming her humanity and pleading with the listener not to give up on her.
Overall, "Human Being" is a powerful song that reminds us all of our shared humanity and the struggles we face as humans. It encourages empathy and understanding, while also acknowledging that there are no easy answers or solutions to life's problems.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a human being
I am a person, just like you
And so are you
You are also a person
My heart can't stop beating
I am feeling intense emotion
Don't know what to do
I am unsure how to handle my feelings
Where to go
I am lost and unsure of my direction
The streets are so cold
The world can be unforgiving and harsh
Stay in my arms
Find comfort and safety with me
Dance with me
Join me in this moment of joy and expression
Don't be afraid
Do not let fear hold you back
One step at a time
Take things one moment at a time
Move your body
Let yourself go and express your feelings through dance
No honey gold
There are no easy solutions or quick fixes
No final union
There is no perfect oneness or completion in life
No control, mmm
We cannot always control our destiny
All these emotions are out of date
Our feelings may not always align with reality
I know it's hard
Life can be difficult and challenging
No peace of mind, but don't shut me out
Despite the struggles, do not push me away
You know we're the same kind
We share common experiences despite our differences
A dying race
We are mortal and will not live forever
Baby, don't give up on me now
Stay with me and support me through the rough times
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Robin Miriam Carlsson, Joseph Patrick Mount
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind