Jan Leyers had previous experience in the rock group Beri-Beri, while Paul had experience in the British-Belgian rock group Octopus and as a solo artist.
The group formed in 1986 after Jan and Paul met each other in Paul's hometown of Heist-op-den-Berg (Jan, for his part, is a native of Wilrijk). They debuted that year under the name the Soul Sisters with a single titled "You Get to Me." Later on, they also release the singles "Talk About It" and "Like a Mountain." They had a huge hit with "The Way To Your Heart", a Motown-sounding song which even made the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States while also achieving success in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. In 1988, the group changed its name to SoulSister and their first official album, "It Takes Two," was released, with Paul on the keyboards and Jan on the guitar, with various men on back-up. EMI signs the deal and publishes the album.
In 1990, the two gentlemen underwent another change in name, this time to Leyers, Michiels, and SoulSister. Later that same year, they release Heat, which includes hit singles "Through Before We Started," "Sweet Dreamer," and "Well Well Well." Some of the songs on the album allowed Jan Leyers, who was admittedly more into rock music than soul, show off his skills on the electric guitar.
The group started a triple run in 1992. That year, they released the album Simple Rule, which included a hit title track, as well as "Broken" and "Ain't That Simple." The following year, in 1993, the group released a live album, Live Savings. In the meantime, Jan is asked to co-write "That's As Close as I Get To...", a song that is sung by American country singer Aaron Tippin.
In 1994, the group begins its final chapter with the album "Swinging Like Big Dogs." Popular tracks off of this album are "Wild Love Affair," "If This is Love," "Tell Me What it Takes," and "I Need Some Time." By this time, the group has gone back to being known simply as SoulSister.
In 1995, SoulSister split. Two years later, EMI releases a "Very Best Of" compilation album. Meanwhile, both men go their separate ways. Paul Michiels goes solo and performs the same soulful, Motown-sounding music that made SoulSister a success, while Jan Leyers joins with Filip Cauwelier and Joost Van den Broek to play hard rock music as the band My Velma (named after a character in the Raymond Chandler novel Farewell, My Lovely).
Jan and Paul teamed up again in 2000 to record individual songs for the Jan Verheyen movie Team Spirit. Jan performed a track titled "Only Your Love Will Do" while Paul recorded a piece titled "Shine Your Light on Me."
In 2007 the news was announced Soulsister will reunite for a special concert in 2008. They will play the Sports Palace in Antwerp on March 1. Exactly 20 years after the release of their first album, and 12 years after their split.
Downtown
Soulsister Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On that crazy summernight
Your sweetest perfume filled the air
And your body moved to the sound
The beat kept spinnin' round and round
Wanderin' downtown
Lovin' till the mornin' light
And the breeze that played upon your dress
Felt even warmer than before
The look of love was in your eyes
A perfect dream for evermore
Since you went away nights are awfully sad and lonely downtown
Waitin' for the day when somebody comes around
To tell baby's back in town
Your main direction is right
I know your baby's waitin downtown
Headin' downtown
And everything belongs to us
A distant sunset paints the sky
Smoothly shakin' your body around
The beat still spinnin' round and round
The look of love is still in your eyes
The perfect dream for evermore
Since you went away nights are awfully sad and lonely downtown
Waitin' for the day when somebody comes around
To tell (your) baby's back in town…
With every beat of my heart
I hope once more you're headin' downtown
Me and my precious baby we're gonna have some fun
Downtown
Me and my precious angel we're gonna hold on tight now…
The song "Downtown" by Soulsister is a romantic ballad about the joys of being in love and spending time with your significant other in the city. The lyrics describe driving into town on a summer night with the scent of your partner's perfume filling the air. As you make your way through the city, the beat of the music makes your body sway as you move to the rhythm. The night is filled with love as you wander through the streets until morning light.
As the song progresses, we learn that the singer's loved one has gone away and left them feeling lonely and sad. They long for the day when they can be reunited and once again explore the city together. The lyrics express a deep and heartfelt desire to be with their partner again as they hope and dream of them heading back downtown.
Line by Line Meaning
Drivin' downtown
We were driving in the direction of the city center
On that crazy summernight
It was an eventful summer night
Your sweetest perfume filled the air
The air was filled with your delightful perfume
And your body moved to the sound
You danced to the rhythm of the music
The beat kept spinnin' round and round
The music kept going on and on
Wanderin' downtown
We strolled in the city center
Lovin' till the mornin' light
We were making love until dawn
And then we walked along the lane
Afterwards, we took a walk along the street
And the breeze that played upon your dress
The wind was blowing on your dress
Felt even warmer than before
It felt warmer than earlier
The look of love was in your eyes
I could see the love in your eyes
A perfect dream for evermore
It was a perfect moment that will always be remembered
Since you went away nights are awfully sad and lonely downtown
Since you left, nights in the city center are sad and lonely
Waitin' for the day when somebody comes around
I'm waiting for someone to tell me you're back
To tell baby's back in town
To tell me that you're back in town
Your main direction is right
You're going in the right direction
I know your baby's waitin downtown
I know that you're waiting for me in the city center
Headin' downtown
We're going towards the city center
And everything belongs to us
We feel like everything belongs to us
A distant sunset paints the sky
A beautiful sunset is painting the sky in the distance
Smoothly shakin' your body around
You're gracefully moving your body to the music
The beat still spinnin' round and round
The music is still playing on and on
The look of love is still in your eyes
I can still see the love in your eyes
The perfect dream for evermore
It's a perfect moment that will always be remembered
With every beat of my heart
Every time my heart beats
I hope once more you're headin' downtown
I hope that you'll come back to the city center once more
Me and my precious baby we're gonna have some fun
We're going to have a good time, my dear
Downtown
In the city center
Me and my precious angel we're gonna hold on tight now…
We're going to hold on tight to each other now
Contributed by Brayden F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@neta565
Love this track, perfect summer tune. Thanks 🙏 Jan&Polle❤
@nurkenurk
What a Great Duo they are !!!!!!