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.
black ? white
Sarah McLachlan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A distant cord
On the outside is forgotten
A constant need
To get along
And the animal awakens
And all I feel is black and white
The road is long
To the whole of my undoing
Put aside
I put away
I push it back to get through each day
And all I feel is black and white
And I'm wound up small and tight
And I don't know who I am
Everybody loves you when you're easy
Everybody hates when you're a bore
Everyone is waiting for your entrance so
Don't disappoint them
Unravel me
Untie this chord
The very center of our union
Is caving in
I can't endure
I am the archive of our failure
And all I feel is black and white
And I'm wound up small and tight
And I don't know who I am
Everybody loves you when you're easy
Everybody hates when you're a bore
Everyone is waiting for your entrance so
Don't disappoint them
Everybody loves you when you're easy so
Don't disappoint them
Don't disappoint them
In "Black and White," Sarah McLachlan addresses the feeling of being stuck between two extremes: black and white. She uses the metaphor of being wound up small and tight to symbolize the pressure to conform to societal expectations and the constant need to get along with others. The lyric "Everybody loves you when you're easy / Everybody hates when you're a bore" further suggests that people are expected to be entertaining and likable all the time. The constant need to perform and please others is exhausting, leading to a feeling of being unraveled or undone.
McLachlan also touches on the theme of personal identity. She sings, "And I don't know who I am," indicating a struggle to define oneself amidst societal pressure. The verse "The very center of our union / Is caving in / I can't endure / I am the archive of our failure" suggests a struggle within a relationship, and the singer serves as a repository of the failures within that partnership. The song ends on a plea to be untangled, to be freed from the pressure and the expectations weighing her down.
Overall, "Black and White" is an introspective and poignant look at the pressure to conform and the struggle to define oneself in a society that expects constant performance.
Line by Line Meaning
Unravel me
I feel trapped and need to be set free.
A distant cord
Something unseen is tying me down and preventing me from being myself.
On the outside is forgotten
My true self seems to have disappeared and my outer facade is all that remains.
A constant need
I have an incessant desire to please others and fit in with society.
To get along
I will do anything to avoid conflict and maintain social harmony.
And the animal awakens
Despite my efforts to suppress my true nature, it sometimes emerges and I feel overwhelmed.
And all I feel is black and white
I see the world in simplistic terms and struggle to find nuance or complexity.
The road is long
The journey to self-discovery and acceptance is daunting and difficult.
The memory slides
My past mistakes and regrets keep resurfacing despite my efforts to forget them.
To the whole of my undoing
My previous actions have led to my current state of emptiness and confusion.
Put aside
I try to ignore or suppress my emotional pain and turmoil.
I put away
I avoid dealing with or facing my problems and emotions.
I push it back to get through each day
I use distraction and avoidance to cope with my struggles and maintain a facade of normality.
And I'm wound up small and tight
My stress and anxiety have made me feel constricted and confined.
And I don't know who I am
I feel lost and unsure of my identity and purpose.
Everybody loves you when you're easy
People prefer when I conform to their expectations and make their lives easier.
Everybody hates when you're a bore
If I don't meet others' expectations or standards, they will reject and criticize me.
Everyone is waiting for your entrance so
Others are constantly expecting me to perform and entertain them.
Don't disappoint them
I feel immense pressure to live up to others' expectations and avoid letting them down.
The very center of our union
The foundation of our relationship is crumbling and disintegrating.
Is caving in
Our relationship is on the verge of collapse.
I can't endure
The pain and struggle of our failing relationship are too much to bear.
I am the archive of our failure
I internalize the blame for our relationship difficulties and see myself as responsible for the failure.
Everybody loves you when you're easy so
I feel compelled to be easy and agreeable to maintain relationships and avoid conflict.
Don't disappoint them
I feel immense pressure to please others and avoid letting them down.
Don't disappoint them
The pressure to conform and avoid disappointing others is all-consuming and overwhelming.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: SARAH MCLACHLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jaded Hart
on In The Arms Of The Angels
This will surely make you cry! Everyone can identify with this song! Hear it you won't regret it. And maybe you'll remember!