Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is a British recording artist, actres… Read Full Bio ↴Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is a British recording artist, actress, songwriter and dancer, largely credited for being a pioneer of Classical Crossover. She sings songs in many languages including English, Spanish, French, Latin, German, Italian, Russian, Hindi, and Mandarin.

Brightman has received over 180 Gold and Platinum sales awards in over 40 different countries around the world and is the only artist to hold #1 spots on the Billboard Classical and Dance charts simultaneously, her other achievements feature her ranking by the Recording Industry Association of America as the best-selling female classical artist of the twenty-first century and a Guinness World Record for the success of “Time to Say Goodbye,” the best-selling single in German recording history.

She has established herself as the world's biggest selling soprano of all time, She has sold 78 million albums worldwide, including 40 million copies of the soundtrack of The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical), 26 million albums, over two million DVDs and 10 million copies of the single " Time to Say Goodbye "as a soloist.

She made her debut as a dancer in troupes such as Hot Gossip and later released a string of disco singles. She was a musical theatre performer and partner of theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom she originated roles including Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera.

After her divorce, Brightman became a crossover artist with former Enigma producer Frank Peterson. Her style, a blend of classical vocals and pop-inspired instrumentation and arrangement, earned her further success.

She is often cited as the woman who paved the way for other international success stories such as Il Divo, Andrea Bocelli and Josh Groban. She is said to be worth as much as £30m (about US$49m).

I've Been This Way Before
Sarah Brightman Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I've seen the light
And I've seen the flame
And I've been this way before
And I'm sure to be this way again

For I've been refused
And I've been regained
And I've seen your eyes before

And I'm sure to see your eyes again
Once again

For I've been released
And I've been regained
And I've sung my song before
And I'm sure to sing my song again
Once again

Some people got to laugh
Some people got to cry
And some people got to make it through
By never wondering why

Some people got to sing
Some people got to sigh
Some people never see the light
Until the day they die

But I've been released
And I've been regained
And I've been this way before
And I'm sure to be this way again
Once again

One more time again
Just one more time

Overall Meaning

In Sarah Brightman's song "I've Been This Way Before," the artist reflects on her experiences of ups and downs in life. She talks about seeing "the light" and "the flame," and how she's been through these experiences before and is sure to go through them again. This can be interpreted as the cyclical nature of life where one goes through a series of highs and lows repeatedly.

The lyrics, "For I've been refused and I've been regained, And I've seen your eyes before, And I'm sure to see your eyes again" speak to the idea that while things may seem new, they are not truly new. Brightman has faced rejection and acceptance, and has seen the eyes of someone familiar before, suggesting that there is a sense of familiarity in life.

The latter half of the song contemplates the idea of acceptance and resignation to the cyclical nature of life, where some people choose to cry, others to laugh, and some to simply accept and move on. Regardless of the choice, the artist makes it clear that she has gone through it before and will go through it again. In the final repetition of the chorus, she emphasizes the acceptance of these cycles and reiterates her understanding that she will "be this way again, once again."

Line by Line Meaning

I've seen the light
I've experienced moments of clarity and enlightenment

And I've seen the flame
I've been through times of passion and intensity

And I've been this way before
I've been in similar situations like this in the past

And I'm sure to be this way again
I'm bound to experience similar situations again in the future

For I've been refused
I've faced rejection and disapproval before

And I've been regained
I've experienced redemption and acceptance after being rejected

And I've seen your eyes before
I've encountered someone with similar eyes before

And I'm sure to see your eyes again
I'm likely to encounter someone with similar eyes again

And I've been released
I've been set free from something or someone

And I've sung my song before
I've expressed myself before in a similar way

And I'm sure to sing my song again
I'm bound to express myself in a similar way again