Prior to embarking on a solo career, Sandra was the lead singer of the all-female disco trio Arabesque, which had a massive following in Japan and the Soviet Union. Also, between 1990 and 2001, she provided vocals on album releases of the very successful musical project Enigma, which had top 10 hits in North America and the United Kingdom. A cult star with a devoted fan base, Sandra remains one of the most popular singers of the 1980s in Continental Europe. During the height of her popularity, she even managed to outsell Madonna in a number of countries around the world. With sales in excess of 33 million records worldwide, Sandra has established her position as the most successful German female vocalist.
Albums
The Long Play (1985)
Mirrors (1986)
Into a Secret Land (1988)
Paintings in Yellow (1990)
Close to Seven (1992)
Fading Shades (1995)
The Wheel of Time (2002)
The Art of Love (2007)
Back to Life (2009)
Stay in Touch (2012)
ONCE UPON A TIME
Sandra Lyrics
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As if I were still dreaming
As though I were in a fairytale
The whole history reads like a dream
Everything I believed in had that meaning
Which was just the feeling of a dream
I must reactivate my whole life
Where has all my freedom gone - where has all my feedom gone
I had to cross the line
My reality was the dream of my life
That day...
Once upon a time
I had to cross the line
My reality was the dream of my life
The daydream was real
Nothing to conceal
Once upon a time
I had to change my mind
To take off these rose-coloured glasses of mine
The dream was not true
Cause I was in love with you
I had to realize that now is the time for a different time
I have to reactivate my whole life
Even when my intimacy will be bleeding for the rest of my life
But I have to reactivate
My only love... my only love... my only love...
My only love... my only love
And to realize that I have...
Once upon a time
I had to cross the line
My reality was the dream of my life
The daydream was real
Nothing to conceal
Once upon a time
I had to change my mind
To take off these rose-coloured glasses of mine
The dream was not true
'cause I was in love with you...
The song "Once Upon A Time" by Sandra tells a story of waking up from a dream and realizing that what she believed to be true and real was just a figment of her imagination. The lyrics suggest that she is reflecting back on a past love and how it impacted her perception of reality. She acknowledges that she was in love with someone who was not right for her and she had been living in a dream world where everything seemed magical and perfect. She then comes to the realization that it is time to wake up and live in the real world, even though it may be painful and difficult.
The chorus is a repetition of "Once upon a time I had to cross the line, my reality was the dream of my life, the daydream was real, nothing to conceal." This suggests that she had to come to terms with the fact that the life she had been living was not healthy or sustainable. The line "to take off these rose-coloured glasses of mine, the dream was not true cause I was in love with you" reinforces the idea that she had been seeing things through a skewed perspective and that she had been blinded by her love for this person.
Overall, the song is about self-discovery and the realization that sometimes we need to let go of the things we hold onto so tightly, in order to move forward and grow. The lyrics are introspective and thoughtful, indicating that Sandra has come to terms with her past and is ready to face the future with a new outlook.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time I woke up with a feeling
One day, I woke up with a strong sensation
As if I were still dreaming
It felt like I was still in a dream state
As though I were in a fairytale
I felt like I was living in a fairytale
The whole history reads like a dream
My entire past seemed like a distant dream
Everything I believed in had that meaning
All of my convictions had a magical essence
Which was just the feeling of a dream
It was just the sensation of dreaming
I must reactivate my whole life
I need to restart my life
Where has all my freedom gone - where has all my freedom gone
I've lost my liberty, where did it go
"once upon a time"
This feeling I'm experiencing is reminiscent of a fairytale
I had to cross the line
I had to go beyond what's expected of me
My reality was the dream of my life
My life felt like a dream come true
That day...
That particular day
The daydream was real
The dream I had was real
Nothing to conceal
There was nothing to hide
I had to change my mind
I had to alter my way of thinking
To take off these rose-coloured glasses of mine
To stop seeing things through a romantic lens
The dream was not true
The illusion was not real
Cause I was in love with you
Because I was in love with you
I had to realize that now is the time for a different time
I had to understand that a change was necessary now
Even when my intimacy will be bleeding for the rest of my life
Even if it means painful emotional trauma for a while
But I have to reactivate
But I must renew myself
My only love... my only love... my only love...
You are my one and only love
And to realize that I have...
To come to the realization that I have...
Once upon a time
One day
I had to cross the line
I had to go beyond what's expected of me
My reality was the dream of my life
My life felt like a dream come true
The daydream was real
The dream I had was real
Nothing to conceal
There was nothing to hide
Once upon a time
One day
I had to change my mind
I had to alter my way of thinking
To take off these rose-coloured glasses of mine
To stop seeing things through a romantic lens
The dream was not true
The illusion was not real
'cause I was in love with you...
Because I was in love with you
Contributed by Riley R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.