T'Pau formed in 1986. The members originated from the towns of Shrewsbury and Wellington in central England and took their name from a Vulcan high priestess in the classic Star Trek episode Amok Time. Their debut single and first hit was the 1987 release Heart and Soul. Initially a flop in the UK, it first became a hit in the U.S. Billboard charts, reaching #4, a feat it repeated in the UK Singles Chart some months later. The same year, the band had their biggest hit with the ballad, China in Your Hand, which spent five weeks at Number One in the UK chart, and also claimed the top slot in several European countries, although oddly the song made little impact on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.
They had a number of smaller hits which made it to at least the UK Top 40, including the singles Valentine, Sex Talk (a new recording of early flop single Intimate Strangers), I Will Be With You, and Secret Garden. Their 1987 album Bridge Of Spies (the album was called T'Pau in the U.S.) was a best seller and won several British record industry awards.
Nevertheless, the band failed to maintain their success and split in 1991. But Decker reformed the band with a new line-up in 1998, and T'Pau have in recent years attempted a comeback.
In May 2005, Carol Decker reached the final round of the ITV show Hit Me Baby One More Time, singing the T'Pau hit China in Your Hand.
See also: Official site
Heart and Soul
T'Pau Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The shadow of a lover goes dancing by
Looking for a little bit of love to grow, so
Give me love, give me heart and soul
You never let me cross to the other side now
I'm tied to the hope that you will somehow
Hard on the heels of something more
But I lost your love, heart and soul
I feel so low and your head is high
Everything you do convinces me more
Please, give me love, give me heart and soul
Looking to the day when I saw your face
I wasn't in the running, I wasn't in the race
You move in a way that I've known before
Now I want your love, heart and soul
Leaving you ain't easy now
Loving you's the harder part
You never want me for myself
I've needed you right from the very start
Oh won't you even try to
Give a little bit of heart and soul
Give a little bit of love to grow
Give a little bit of heart and soul
Don't you make me beg for more
Give a sign, I need to know
A little bit of heart and soul
Walking on the water, walking on the air
That was the heart of the love we shared
Do you keep secret left untold
Can't give love, heart or soul
I used to have a lover with a Midas touch
I turned to gold but he turned to dust
Left me for another, I turned to stone
Now I want your love, heart and soul
Living in a fantasy
There's never any room to breathe
Hoping every waking hour
You gonna turn around and say that we can start
Oh won't you even try to
Give a little bit of heart and soul
Give a little bit of love to grow
Give a little bit of heart and soul
Don't you make me beg for more
Give a sign, I need to know
A little bit of heart and soul
Somehow, I lost my way
Looking to see something in your eyes
But love will never compromise
Now this is the politics of life, yeah
Give a little bit of heart and soul
Give a little bit of love to grow
Give a little bit of heart and soul
Don't you make me beg for more
Give a sign, I need to know
A little bit, little bit
Give a little bit of heart and soul
Give a little bit of love to grow
Give a little bit of heart and soul
Don't you make me beg for more
Give a sign, I need to know
A little bit of heart now want your soul?
The song "Heart and Soul" by T'Pau is a plea for love and connection from a person who feels lost without it. The opening lines create a vivid image of someone catching a lover's shadow dancing in the moonlight, and the lyrics that follow express a need for love, heart, and soul. The singer feels as though they are tied to a hope that their love interest will give them the love they need, but they fear that they have lost it already. The lines "Leaving you ain't easy now / Loving you's the harder part" paint a picture of someone deeply in love, but struggling to make a connection, and the repeated plea to "give a little bit of heart and soul" emphasizes the need for emotional investment.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of longing and searching for something deeper. The singer is hoping for a sign or a connection, but they feel as though they are grasping at straws. The lines "Somehow, I lost my way / Looking to see something in your eyes / But love will never compromise / Now this is the politics of life, yeah" speak to frustration and disillusionment with the way things have turned out. Overall, "Heart and Soul" is a poignant plea for love and connection, with lyrics that speak to the pain of wanting something deeply and feeling as though it is just out of reach.
Line by Line Meaning
Something in the moonlight catches my eye
I notice something in the moonlight that draws my attention.
The shadow of a lover goes dancing by
I see the shadow of someone I once loved.
Looking for a little bit of love to grow, so
I am searching for a chance to rekindle the love we once had.
Give me love, give me heart and soul
I want you to give me the fullness of your love and soul.
You never let me cross to the other side now
You always keep me at a distance and won't let me get close.
I'm tied to the hope that you will somehow
I am holding onto the hope that we can find a way to make things work.
Hard on the heels of something more
I am on the lookout for something bigger and better.
But I lost your love, heart and soul
I lost your love and the depth of your soul.
The tear in my heart as you walk on by
I feel a tear in my heart as you pass me by.
I feel so low and your head is high
I am feeling down while you seem to be high and unbothered.
Everything you do convinces me more
Every single thing you do reinforces my belief in us.
Please, give me love, give me heart and soul
I am pleading with you to give me all of your love and soul.
Looking to the day when I saw your face
I am remembering the day I first saw your face.
I wasn't in the running, I wasn't in the race
At first, I wasn't pursuing you, and I wasn't even a contender.
You move in a way that I've known before
Your movements are familiar to me.
Now I want your love, heart and soul
Now, more than ever, I want your complete love and soul.
Leaving you ain't easy now
It's not easy to imagine leaving you.
Loving you's the harder part
The hardest thing is trying to love you, knowing you don't feel the same way.
You never want me for myself
You never show interest in me as an individual.
I've needed you right from the very start
Right from the beginning, I have been dependent on you.
Oh won't you even try to
Will you even make an effort to
Don't you make me beg for more
I don't want to have to beg for your love and soul.
Give a little bit of heart and soul
Please show me some of your love and soul.
Give a sign, I need to know
I need some indication from you to know if there's a chance for us.
Walking on the water, walking on the air
We once had a love that made me feel like I was walking on water and air.
That was the heart of the love we shared
That was the essence of the love we once had.
Do you keep secret left untold
Is there something you're keeping a secret from me?
Can't give love, heart or soul
You are unable to give all of yourself to me in love and soul.
I used to have a lover with a Midas touch
I once had a lover who could turn anything he touched to gold.
I turned to gold but he turned to dust
I became everything he wanted, but he crumbled and faded away.
Left me for another, I turned to stone
He left me for someone else, and I became cold and unfeeling.
Living in a fantasy
I am living in a world that doesn't really exist.
There's never any room to breathe
I feel suffocated and trapped.
Hoping every waking hour
I spend every moment hoping for a change.
You gonna turn around and say that we can start
I'm hoping that you will finally give us a chance to be together.
Somehow, I lost my way
At some point, I lost direction and went astray.
Looking to see something in your eyes
I am searching for some sign of love and hope in your eyes.
But love will never compromise
Love won't change or compromise to suit us.
Now this is the politics of life, yeah
This is the reality of life, and we have to face it.
A little bit, little bit
Just a small amount
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Carole Decker, Ronn Rogers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind