She is known for the emotional sound of her ballads. Some of her most popular songs include "Angel", "Building a Mystery", "Adia", "Possession", "Fallen", "I Will Remember You", and "World on Fire". Her best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four Juno Awards.
Her first album Touch was released in September 28, 1988, recorded in 1987-1988, Vancouver, Canada. The album received both critical and commercial success and included the hit song Vox. During this period she co-operated with Tom Ferris and Dean Russel of Moev, who discovered her as a singer. She contributed backing vocals their 1990 album Head Down and embarked on her first national concert tour as an opening act for The Grapes Of Wrath, another Tom Ferris's band.
Her second album Solace (1991) was a real breakthrough in Canada, spawning the hit singles The Path of Thorns (Terms) and Into the Fire and being certified double platinum for sales of 200,000 copies in Canada.
In 1994 her third album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy quietly became Sarah's international breakthrough, scaling the charts in a number of countries. In the United States, the album was a steady seller that stayed in the middle ranges of the pop charts for almost two years.
Sarah's fourth album Surfacing, released in 1997, brought her international success, selling over 11 million copies worldwide. Still in the spotlight from the album, Sarah launched the highly popular Lilith Fair tour, which helped launch the careers of several well-known female artists.
Her next record Afterglow came out in 2003; it contained the singles Fallen, Stupid, and World On Fire. It was her first album of new material in six years. Sarah took a few years furlough to start a family with her husband and drummer, Ashwin Sood.
Her Holiday album Wintersong came out in October 2006. The album consists of eleven new recordings of well known Christmas songs as well as seasonal favorites interpreted by Sarah. The title track Wintersong is an original work of Sarah.
McLachlan's first studio album of original material in seven years, Laws of Illusion, was released on June 15, 2010. It features 10 new songs in addition to the previously released tracks "U Want Me 2" and "Don't Give Up on Us. The first single Loving You Is Easy was released on April 23, 2010. It was followed by Forgiveness, released on June 30, 2010.
Captive
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time for another day
Well I walk alone collecting my thoughts
That have gone astray
All of the memories, all of the dreams
Still remains entwined
All that we've had, and all that we've known
I only wanted someone to believe in oh, but your words they're seldom found
'Cause when it comes to the problems that were meant to be shared
You were not around
Oh but you'll plead with me now
You always stay
You give it one breath then
You're taking it all away
What is this love that holds me Captive in your eyes
Well I wish I had the strength to leave it all behind
What's done is done, and you do not give a damn
Just another heartfelt blow by your careless hands
I never thought in my life I could feel so much pain
Trusting in your kind
I never thought I could feel so alone
A faith in love so blind
But after all is said and done
The song remains the same
You please yourself and nobody else
Will you ever change?
Oh, but you'll plead with me now
You always stay
You give it one breath then
You're taking it all away
What is this love that holds me Captive in your eyes
Well I wish I had the strength to leave it all behind
What's done is done, and you do not give a damn
Just another heartfelt blow by your careless hands
The lyrics of Sarah McLachlan's "Captive" describe a woman in a tumultuous and toxic relationship. The beginning of the song sets the scene for a lonely night, as the streets are "dark and empty." The singer is lost in her own thoughts, reminiscing about memories and dreams that have become intertwined with her relationship. However, her partner is not there to share in her musings, as he is absent when it comes to sharing and solving problems. Despite this, the partner always returns to the singer and attempts to plead with her after causing her pain.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the overpowering nature of the love that the singer feels. She is "held captive" by it, despite wanting to break free. The second verse further emphasizes the pain that her partner has caused her and her subsequent feelings of isolation. The song concludes on a somber note as the singer reflects on the fact that her partner doesn't seem willing to change his ways.
Overall, the lyrics of "Captive" paint a picture of a relationship that is emotionally draining and causing pain to the singer. Despite this, she remains "captive" to the love she feels, longing for strength to leave it all behind.
Line by Line Meaning
The streets are dark and empty now
In darkness, loneliness and silence, with a retrospect on past, I lament over my shattered hopes
Time for another day
Beginning of another day filled with despair and hopelessness
Well I walk alone collecting my thoughts
Walking alone helps in contemplation, reflection and introspection
That have gone astray
Thoughts that have wandered aimlessly and lost meaning
All of the memories, all of the dreams
Recollection of memories and dreams that were once cherished
Still remains entwined
The memories and dreams are still intertwined and inseparable from the present
All that we've had, and all that we've known
All that we had and known once have lost their significance
Are little by your mind
Have ceased to matter to the one who mattered the most
I only wanted someone to believe in oh, but your words they're seldom found
All I ever wanted was someone to believe in, but their words of assurance are rare
'Cause when it comes to the problems that were meant to be shared
When it comes to sharing problems that were meant to be shared between us
You were not around
You were never there when I needed you the most
Oh but you'll plead with me now
Now you're pleading with me, but it's too little too late
You always stay
You always say you'll be there, but you never stay for long
You give it one breath then
You make a promise and break it
You're taking it all away
Leaving me with nothing but despair
What is this love that holds me Captive in your eyes
I'm held captive by a love that's controlling and suffocating
Well I wish I had the strength to leave it all behind
I wish I had the strength to break free from this suffocating love
What's done is done, and you do not give a damn
You don't care about the consequences of your actions
Just another heartfelt blow by your careless hands
Another blow to my heart caused by your careless actions
I never thought in my life I could feel so much pain
I never thought I could feel so much pain and anguish
Trusting in your kind
Trusting in your love and kindness
I never thought I could feel so alone
I never thought that trusting in your love and kindness would only leave me feeling alone
A faith in love so blind
Trusting in love blindly
But after all is said and done
Even after all that has happened
The song remains the same
The situation remains unchanged despite everything that has happened
You please yourself and nobody else
You only care about your own satisfaction and not anyone else's
Will you ever change?
Will you ever change your self-centered ways?
Contributed by Juliana A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jeffreysawatzky
It was played on tour and aired on CBC though never actually 'released'. This is the demo version with Sarah and I, playing bass. There is a full band version (the Touch tour members) recorded at the CBC in Montreal while on tour with The Grapes of Wrath. 1989. And no, Sarah was not totally to blame.
@RileyIsntDead
I absolutely love this one.
@jeffreysawatzky
I've added a new Sarah vid...check it out.
@jimfisher8990
LoVe IT
@antsofnoise
Jeff- Thanks for the info on some of these Sarah demos. Very interesting to hear the background and also the label politics on the making of the music.
@remhenshaw4313
Thank you so much for posting! !!!!!
@theacrylicpaints976
My friend, JS, co-wrote this but... no money, no residuals no royalties. I used to love her...
@berenicemaristela9755
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@CRAMLover351
This song is a friggin masterpiece, why doesn't she release it????
@jeffreysawatzky
I've added a new Sarah vid...check it out.