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 Remember
Sarah Brightman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Swirling mist upon a vast glassy lake
There were candles all around, and on the lake there was a boat
And in the boat there was a man
Who was that shape in the shadows?
Whose is the face in the mask?
You little prying Pandora
You little demon
Is this what you wanted to see?
Curse you, you little lying Delilah!
You little viper
Now you cannot ever be free!
Damn you, curse you
Stranger than you dreamt it
Can you even dare to look, or bear to think of me
This loathsome gargoyle
Who burns in hell, but secretly yearns for heaven
Secretly, secretly
But Christine
Fear can turn to love
You'll learn to see, to find the man behind the monster
This repulsive carcass
Who seems a beast but secretly dreams of beauty
Secretly, secretly
Oh, Christine
Come, we must return, those two fools who run my theatre will be missing you
In Sarah Brightman's hauntingly beautiful song, "I Remember," the lyrics take us on a journey through memories of nature and urban landscapes that evoke deep feelings of nostalgia and longing. The first stanza is a simple meditation on the sky, with the singer remembering its rich, deep blue color. She questions her memory, uncertain whether it was really that blue or if it only seemed that way. This foreshadows the theme of the song, as memories can be colored by time and distance, becoming both more faint and yet more vivid in their emotional power.
The second stanza takes us to memories of snow, describing it as "soft as feathers" yet "sharp as thumbtacks." Here the snow is experienced as both beautiful and painful, a reminder of how the past can hold contradictory emotions at once. She goes on to describe ice on the streets, which is "cold as silver, white as sheets." The third line of this stanza is particularly memorable, with the rain depicted as "like strings." It's a beautifully evocative image that brings to mind both the musicality of raindrops and the way they can transform an urban landscape.
The final stanza brings us to memories of parks, bridges, and zoos, with scenes of children playing and muddy shoes. She describes all these elements with a poet's eye for detail, capturing a sense of both beauty and chaos. The final line of the song brings us back to the theme of memory, as the singer admits that her memories are fading with time. She longs for the past, with its bluest ink and vivid skies, and suggests that she would even "gladly die for a day of sky." This final line is a powerful reminder of how memory can shape our deepest desires and shape our sense of meaning in life.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember sky
I have vivid memories of the blue sky
It was blue as ink
The sky was as blue as ink
Or at least I think
Though I am not entirely sure
I remember snow
I recollect the memories of snow
Soft as feathers
The snow was soft like feathers
Sharp as thumb tacks
It could also be sharp as thumb tacks
Coming down like lint
Snowflakes were falling down like lint
And it made you squint
The snow reflection made the eyes squint
When the wind would blow.
Especially when the wind blew.
And ice like vinyl
I also have memories of the icy sidewalks
On the streets
It was usually on the streets
Cold as silver
The ice was as cold as silver
White as sheets
It was white like the sheets
Rain like strings
I remember the rain falling like strings
And changing things
It always brought about changes too
Like leaves.
Just like the leaves
I remember leaves
I can quickly recollect the memories of leaves
Green as spearmint
The leaves were green like spearmint leaves
Crisp as paper.
The leaves were also crisp, like paper
I remember trees
Trees are also vivid memories
Bare as coat racks
Sometimes they were bare like coat racks
Spread like broken umbrellas.
Or they could spread like broken umbrellas
And parks and bridges,
I have fond memories of parks and bridges
Ponds and zoos,
I also remember ponds and zoos
Ruddy faces,
I can vividly recall ruddy faces
Muddy shoes,
As well as muddy shoes
Light and noise and
There was always light and noise
Bees and boys
Not to forget bees and boys
And days.
Everything happened during the days
I remember days,
I can bring to mind the memories of days
Or at least I try.
Though I'm struggling at times
But as years go by
As time goes by
They're sort of haze,
The memories become hazy
And the bluest ink
The ink that was blue earlier
Isn't really sky
Doesn't seem like the actual sky anymore
And at times I think
Sometimes I wonder
I would gladly die
I would be willing to die
For a day of sky.
Just for one more day with the blue sky
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Charles Hart, Richard Stilgoe
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind