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).
Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again From Phantom of the Opera
Sarah Brightman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My one companion . . .
You were all
That mattered . . .
You were once
A friend and father -
Then my world
Was shattered . . .
Wishing you were
Somehow here again . . .
Wishing you were
Somehow near . . .
Sometimes it seemed
If I just dreamed,
Somehow you would
Be here . . .
Wishing I could
Hear your voice again . . .
Knowing that I
Never would . . .
Dreaming of you
Won't help me to do
All that you dreamed
I could . . .
Passing bells
And sculpted angels,
Cold and monumental,
Seem, for you,
The wrong companions -
You were warm and gentle . . .
Too many years
Fighting back tears . . .
Why can't the past
Just die . . .?
Wishing you were
Somehow here again . . .
Knowing we must
Say goodbye . . .
Try to forgive . . .
Teach me to live . . .
Give me the strength
To try . . .
No more memories,
No more silent tears . . .
No more gazing across
The wasted years . . .
Help me say
Goodbye.
The lyrics of Sarah Brightman's song "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" is a poignant reflection on the grief and loss that the singer, Christine, feels after the sudden death of her father figure and friend. The song begins by acknowledging the deep bond that the singer shared with her father figure and how his absence has created a void that cannot be filled. The lyrics capture a sense of longing for his presence and the possibility of his return somehow, even though it is not possible.
The song then goes on to talk about the passing of time and the inability to move on from the loss. The singer expresses her desire to hear his voice again, but knows that it is never going to happen. The lyrics describe a sense of hopelessness and regret, knowing that she can never achieve all that he wished for her. The song then talks about how the singer feels disconnected from the traditional symbols of mourning, and how the solemnity of the sculptures and grave markers is not fitting to the warm and gentle character of her beloved father figure.
Line by Line Meaning
You were once
My one companion . . .
You were the only person I had in my life who I could rely on and confide in.
You were all
That mattered . . .
You were everything to me, the most important thing in my life.
You were once
A friend and father -
Then my world
Was shattered . . .
You were both a friend and a father figure to me. But when you left or died, my world was completely devastated.
Wishing you were
Somehow here again . . .
I wish you were somehow here with me again, in my present life.
Wishing you were
Somehow near . . .
I wish you could be close to me, either physically or emotionally.
Sometimes it seemed
If I just dreamed,
Somehow you would
Be here . . .
Sometimes I felt that if I just dreamt about you, you would somehow come back to me.
Wishing I could
Hear your voice again . . .
I wish I could hear your voice one more time, as it would bring me comfort.
Knowing that I
Never would . . .
But I know I'll never be able to hear it again in my lifetime.
Dreaming of you
Won't help me to do
All that you dreamed
I could . . .
Dreaming about you won't help me achieve what you believed I could.
Passing bells
And sculpted angels,
Cold and monumental,
Seem, for you,
The wrong companions -
You were warm and gentle . . .
Funeral bells and sculptures of angels feel wrong for you, because you were full of warmth and kindness rather than being cold and monumental.
Too many years
Fighting back tears . . .
I've spent too many years holding back my tears, trying to stay strong while dealing with your loss.
Why can't the past
Just die . . .?
I sometimes wish the past could just disappear, so that I wouldn't have to deal with the pain anymore.
Knowing we must
Say goodbye . . .
I know that we have to say our final goodbye.
Try to forgive . . .
Teach me to live . . .
Give me the strength
To try . . .
Please help me find it in me to forgive you and live without you. Give me the strength to move on.
No more memories,
No more silent tears . . .
No more gazing across
The wasted years . . .
Help me say
Goodbye.
I need to let go of my memories and stop shedding silent tears. I can't keep looking back at the wasted years that we had. Help me say goodbye to you.
Writer(s): ANDREW LLOYD-WEBBER, CHARLES CLINTON WILSON HART, RICHARD HENRY ZACHARY STILGOE
Contributed by Logan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@KiwiCutie181
You can hear how much Andrew loved Sarah in the music he wrote for her. This musical is his ultimate gift to her. What other than love could have given us this incredible score?
@limxuxu09
There's a haunting effect on how Sarah sings this song...
@SuperJenny8675
my mom died a year ago today. phantom was one of the things we both dearly loved. i really am wishing she was somehow here again...
@xuntastico
I love Sierra's Christine, but Sarah's performance makes me cry every single time I hear it.
@iosef07
Sarah's voice is like angels singing that song besides that she is beautiful and is even more singing and uplifting
@PedsNursePatty
My dad just died...6 days ago. We got to see Phantom on Broadway in 1991. One of my FAVORITE musicals!
@bigtuna6948
The quality of the video has to do with the fact that this Play was created about 26 years ago! Filming and Editing and all have changed ALOT in those years. Also, I'm not saying that you have to love or even like Sarah Brightman BUT, you do need to give her some respect. She originated the role of Christine Daee and was part of the original cast and paved the way for other greats like Sierra Boggess or Samantha Hill or Gina Beck to shine.
@spock101010
A person who has someone to sing this for them after they are gone is truly a lucky person. Beautiful song, sung beautifully.
@jdaveyw
The original and best. Sarah IS Christine and always will be!
@GreciaVillar
But Sarah's voice is just beautiful! What do I care about the video