Upon recording a few songs at a local studio, she decided to send the demos to three record companies, with no special expectations. Soon Sony Sweden gave her a phone call and offered her a record deal. At this stage, she had never played in front of an audience. Sophie started to record her self-titled debut album in 1995. The album was produced and arranged by Lars Halapi, a long time collaborator who has subsequently worked on all her material.
She was awarded a Grammy at the Swedish Grammy awards as Best Newcomer in 1995, she was also nominated for Best Female Pop Singer. Her album managed Gold status both in Sweden and Japan. After promoting her debut in the US, she finally started to work on her new album in the Autumn of 1997. This second effort entitled Precious Burden came the following year. Since the turbulence of the first album release, Zelmani has started saying no to interviews and only embarks on tour for short periods of time.
The third, fourth and fifth albums, Time to Kill (1999), Sing and Dance (2002) and Love Affair (2003) quickly followed. Ten years after her debut she released a best-of album titled A Decade Of Dreams which also included two new tracks.
Further albums released after this 'best of' are: Memory Loves You (2007), The Ocean and Me (2008), I'm The Rain, (2010), Soul (2011).
Zelmani has also contributed music to the TV series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Dawson's Creek". Her cover of Bob Dylan's "Most Of The Time" appears on the soundtrack to "Masked and Anonymous", and also on the album Cohen - The Scandinavian Report.
Her song "Stand By" appeared in the film "Independence Day" (1996). Her song "Always You" appeared in the film "My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997).
Happier Man
Sophie Zelmani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And we have never seen a storm
Though you really made things quiet
I think I will stay calm
'Cause I can't move the slightest finger
Let alone raise my hand
I am sure we lived like lovers
And I can't tell what I have chosen
If now choices of this kind can be made
I was happy for a long time
But that's not what I feel today
It has never been this dreamlike
And we have never seen a ghost
Though you are bringing me a nightmare
It's not what frightens me the most
You make me go through my visions
And what it was that we achieved
You make me ransack love for its goodness
If love ever leads to harmony
If love ever leads to harmony
In Sophie Zelmani's song "Happier Man," the lyrics paint a picture of a relationship that's been uprooted and left in disarray. The opening lines suggest an eerie calm before a storm, which may represent the consequential emotional hurdles the couple is facing after being together for a while. The singer acknowledges that the relationship was once happy and loving, but something has now changed. The line "but you dreamt of becoming a happier man" highlights the underlying issues with their relationship, with the other partner seeking something more than what they have.
The singer expresses feeling powerless to change the relationship dynamic, "I can't move the slightest finger, let alone raise my hand." Despite this, they acknowledge the difficulty of accepting the change as they hold onto the memory of their happy past, "I was happy for a long time, but that's not what I feel today." The following stanza continues to use vivid imagery to describe the emotional struggle the singer faces, with "ghosts" and "nightmares" further emphasizing the turmoil the relationship is causing. The singer is forced to confront the highs and lows of love but wonders if true harmony can ever be achieved.
Overall, "Happier Man" is a poignant but beautiful expression of the complexities of relationships and the emotional tribulations that come with trying to make them work.
Line by Line Meaning
It has never been this quiet
The environment is unusually silent compared to the past.
And we have never seen a storm
There has never been a situation of turmoil or conflict between us in the past.
Though you really made things quiet
Although you are the reason for the current silence between us.
I think I will stay calm
Despite the quietness of the situation, I choose to remain composed.
'Cause I can't move the slightest finger
I am in such an emotionally weakened state that I am unable to take action.
Let alone raise my hand
I am too weak to even make a simple gesture.
I am sure we lived like lovers
Our relationship was once filled with love and passion.
But you dreamt of becoming a happier man
Despite our love for each other, you desired something more fulfilling that I couldn't provide.
And I can't tell what I have chosen
I am uncertain if I made the right decisions concerning our relationship.
If now choices of this kind can be made
It's unclear if there's anything that can be done to rectify the current state of our relationship.
I was happy for a long time
In the past, our relationship brought me immense happiness.
But that's not what I feel today
However, at present, I am feeling emotionally drained and devoid of joy.
It has never been this dreamlike
The current situation feels surreal compared to the past.
And we have never seen a ghost
We've never experienced anything quite as haunting or disturbing as the current situation.
Though you are bringing me a nightmare
Despite the lack of evident danger, your actions are causing me emotional turmoil.
It's not what frightens me the most
Although the situation is unsettling, there are other aspects of it that are even more concerning.
You make me go through my visions
You force me to confront the hopes and dreams I had concerning our relationship.
And what it was that we achieved
We had accomplished a lot when we were in love, and we had bright futures together.
You make me ransack love for its goodness
You are making me reconsider the importance of love and all the good that it brings to our lives.
If love ever leads to harmony
If our love could bring unity and a sense of calm to the situation.
If love ever leads to harmony
If our love could bring unity and a sense of calm to the situation.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HALAPI, ZELMANI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind