Blasko was first heard in the mid-1990s fronting Sydney band, Acquiesce, after an initial tour of France with founding members Dave Hemmings, Paul Camilleri, and her sister Kate Halcrow. With material written by Blasko and Camilleri, they recorded a single and an EP with producer Hugh Wilson, receiving some local attention.
In 2002, Sarah decided to go solo. Material for the Prelusive EP - a result of initial explorative collaborations with Wilson but fully realised with Nick Schneider and Steve Francis - was originally recorded as demos. However, after becoming disillusioned with the indecisiveness and lack of solid commitment from the labels she met with, Blasko decided to release and promote the material independently. With the financial assistance of then-manager Craig New, she also produced a music video for the leading track, "Your Way".
The track was picked up by local community stations such as 2SER, as well as the national youth broadcaster, Triple J – who also gave light rotation to two other EP tracks, "Will You Ever Know" & "Be Tonight". "Your Way" was also featured on the test loop of fledgling Sydney community radio station 2FBi, when the station began to broadcast full-time.
After this initial success, Sarah was approached by and eventually signed to Brisbane-based label, Dew Process, who repackaged and re-released the EP. There are minor variations to the packaging of the major label release, which make the independent release slightly more valuable to collectors.
In late 2004, Blasko released her debut album, The Overture & the Underscore, recorded in Hollywood at the studio of engineer Wally Gagel. She co-produced the album with Gagel and fellow songwriter, Robert F Cranny.
The album was met with critical acclaim and received gold accreditation in Australia, despite limited commercial radio play. In 2005 Blasko was rewarded for her work with four ARIA nominations. Of particular note was her nomination for Album of the Year.
Sarah spent most of April 2006 recording her second album in Auckland, New Zealand at Roundhead Studio, the studio of Crowded House frontman Neil Finn.
Sarah produced the album with Robert F Cranny , and "Flame Trees" collaborator and Midnight Oil guitarist and keyboard player, Jim Moginie . The recording session was engineered by Paul McKercher, who has worked with numerous Australian bands including Glide, The Cruel Sea , You Am I and more recently Augie March.
The final addition to this all-Australian team was New York-based producer/engineer, Victor Van Vugt, who mixed the record. Van Vugt has worked on a number of Beth Orton records and has a long association with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds , mixing a number of their albums as well as some Mick Harvey solo work and production efforts such as PJ Harvey’s Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea.
The album was nominated for the 2006 J Award, and debuted at number 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It led to her first ARIA win for Best Pop Release at the 2007 ARIA awards and a nomination for Sarah for Best Female Artist.
After some posts detailing on her blog that Sarah would be soon releasing new material on a third album, on July 10, 2009 she released 'As Day Follows Night'. Produced by Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn & John and recorded in Stockholm, Sweden, the album was performed with a band of local Swedish musicians with comparatively little electronic production in contrast to her previous works. The end result was an album retaining Sarah's signature style of pop and trip hop, while adding some jazz influences to the mix. This release, along with her extensive touring across Australia resulted in her receiving the ARIA award for Best Female Artist and being nominated in two other categories.
Diverging from previous efforts, Sarah made a conscious effort on her third album to make her songs more intimate, closing the distance between herself and the listener. In an interview to The Brag magazine by Mike Gee, she states 'Generally the songs are more open and I didn't want to obscure them too much... I wanted the songs to be straight to the point. I wanted them to be like classic old pop songs in that they had that structure.'
In 2011, Sarah collaborated with two other artists, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby, to form a group named Seeker Lover Keeper. They released a namesake album in June of that year and promoted the record by touring churches around Australia.
October 2012 saw the return of Sarah's solo work in which she released her fourth independent record, 'I Awake'. In an effort to explore her family's heritage, she recorded the songs with the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. However, she was aware that recording such an album was risky. Sarah stated in an interview that she did not want the album to be 'watered down' or 'unnecessary'.
She is currently promoting the record by touring Australian cities in which she invited their respective orchestras to provide backing music. Most recently, she performed live in the Sydney Opera House where the concert was streamed live via Youtube. Soon, Sarah will embark on a European tour to promote her album overseas.
No Turning Back
Sarah Blasko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Willing or not
Born in the spark of an eye
A city on fire
Is out of control
I put it down to the match
Struck out once again
Against my will
My own right mind
Knocked down in the sand
But there's no turning back
There's no turning back
Stop those tears in their tracks
'Cause there's no turning back
So come in your will
To sit on your hands
Did you only want me to love?
To sit for a while
A talk and a drink
I followed much to well
I carried on, I broke the ice
It melted once or twice
I put my heart right on the line
Now it's time my love, it's time
For there's no turning back
There's no turning back
So stop those tears in their tracks
'Cause there's no turning back
And when I'm in your arms
I'll try to relax
Don't want to lie awake all night
Wondering where we are at
All this tossing and turning
Won't clear this blues away
When I am longing
Just to hear you say
There's no turning back
There's no turning back
Stop those tears in their tracks
'Cause there's no turning back
There's no turning back
So put your heart in my hands
'Cause there's no turning back
Oh there's no turning back [2x]
I said there's no turning back
The first stanza of Sarah Blasko's song "No Turning Back" suggests a sense of resignation and helplessness in the face of an unstoppable force. The singer feels that they were somehow involved in the event that led to the destruction of a city (symbolizing a relationship, perhaps), but whether they were willing or not is unclear. The line "born in the spark of an eye" evokes a sense of suddenness and chaos, implying that the singer had no control over what happened. The match in their hand may have been the catalyst for the fire, but it's not clear whether the singer meant to start it or not.
The second and third stanzas speak to the aftermath of this event. The singer has been knocked down in the sand, suggesting a sense of defeat or failure. Despite this setback, however, they insist that there is no turning back. They may have made mistakes or been knocked down, but they are resolved to keep going. The last stanza, addressed to a lover, suggests that this relationship may be the cause of the singer's turmoil. They long to hear their lover say that there's no turning back, that they are committed to moving forward together.
Overall, "No Turning Back" captures the complex emotions that arise when we find ourselves caught up in difficult situations, whether they be the aftermath of a natural disaster or the complexities of a relationship. The song encourages us to keep moving forward, even when things feel overwhelming or hopeless.
Line by Line Meaning
I was involved
I took part in something
Willing or not
Whether I wanted to or not
Born in the spark of an eye
It happened suddenly
A city on fire
It was chaotic
Is out of control
It can't be managed
I put it down to the match
I attribute it to the cause of it
In my hand, on my heart
I have the power
Struck out once again
Failed once again
Against my will
Without my consent or choice
My own right mind
In my sane mind
Knocked down in the sand
Defeated and fallen down
But there's no turning back
Can't change what's happened
Stop those tears in their tracks
Don't cry over spilt milk
'Cause there's no turning back
Accept what has happened
So come in your will
Come by your own accord
To sit on your hands
Do nothing
Did you only want me to love?
Did you only want me for my love?
To sit for a while
Spend some time together
A talk and a drink
Conversation and drinks
I followed much too well
I went along too easily
I carried on, I broke the ice
I pursued and made progress
It melted once or twice
It had mixed results
I put my heart right on the line
I risked my emotions
Now it's time my love, it's time
It's time to take action
And when I'm in your arms
When we're together
I'll try to relax
I'll try to calm down
Don't want to lie awake all night
Don't want to worry and stay up all night
Wondering where we are at
Uncertain about where we stand
All this tossing and turning
All this restless worrying
Won't clear this blues away
Won't make me feel better
When I am longing
When I yearn
Just to hear you say
To hear your reassuring words
So put your heart in my hands
Trust me with your emotions
Oh there's no turning back
Can't change what's happened
Contributed by Elizabeth P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Corgi
Took my half an hour to find this song, so much nostalgia though... I remember listening to this sing ten years ago, the good old days.
Matthew Price
Ooh can't wait for the album. Two great songs so far. Blasko and bjorn was always going to be a winning combination. Really love the animation in the clip, dug the artist's an horse artwork too.
Dramius13
Sarah Has The Most amazing Voice, Melodic and distinct, to all those talking of accents music has no nationality music is everyone and everything.
My Name Is Erin
She's of a Bulgarian heritage, but she's Australian, no doubt about that! She doesn't sound American. That's just her natural, beautiful, pure voice <3
Tracy Cupitt
I love everything about this, just gorgeous:D
ozan şahin
mükemmel ötesi insanı alıp duygu seline boğuyor. sesinin tınısıda çoook güzel her gün defalarca dinliyorum ,,,,I love you Sarah Blasko :))
Kas And Ride
I love her voice its beautiful
velour99
Stunning video, beautiful song. Love it.
Myron Lysenko
I love your songs and your words. You know how to create an atmosphere. You work hard at your creativity and it shows. Your tone and resonances is just right. How do you do it? Thank you.
yvetteclaire
I love this song, it's such a deeep clip and the song is quirky and brilliant. Sarah Blasko is pretty freaking amazing! And after listening to this, I don't think or want there to be any turning back! :)