Terence Trent D'Arby (born Terence Trent Howard, March 15, 1962 and now leg… Read Full Bio ↴Terence Trent D'Arby (born Terence Trent Howard, March 15, 1962 and now legally known as Sananda Maitreya) is an American singer-songwriter inspired by mixing funk, pop, rock, and soul who came to fame with his album 'Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby', released in July 1987. That album included the hit singles "Dance Little Sister", "Sign Your Name", and "Wishing Well". It has sold over 14 million copies.

The album also earned the artist a Grammy Award in March 1988 in the category of 'Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male'. In that same year, D'Arby earned three Soul Train Award nominations for 'Male Album of the Year' (from releasing 'Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby'), 'Male Single of the Year' (from releasing "Wishing Well"), and 'Best New Artist'. Receiving immense critical praise for a work that became RIAA certified as mutli-platinum, fans worried that he may have peaked too early, but they found D'Arby determined to continue down his own unique musical path.

D'Arby was born in Manhattan, New York, and he joined the army after leaving college, serving in Elvis Presley's old regiment in Germany. He was formally discharged by the army in 1983 after going absent without leave. While in Germany, he also worked with the group The Touch, releasing an album of material called 'Love On Time' in 1984. That album was later re-issued in 1989 as 'Early Works'.

D'Arby's follow-up studio album, 'Neither Fish Nor Flesh', came out in 1989. It sold over two million copies and earned praise from fans. Many critical reviews, however, were mixed and faulted D'Arby for what they saw as wandering about musically with a purpose, and the artist's acrimonious disputes with his record label grated on him. Note that the album is often alternatively known as 'Neither Fish Nor Flesh: A Soundtrack of Love, Faith, Hope & Destruction',

The expectations placed on D'Arby's shoulders from his early success caused him to undertake some needed soul searching. It took four more years and a move to Los Angeles, California until his next project, 1993's 'Symphony or Damn', was released. Also known as 'Symphony or Damn: Exploring the Tension Inside the Sweetness', the work proved somewhat of a commercial comeback and peaked at #4 on the U.K. album charts while receiving many supportive reviews.

D'Arby had moved into more and more of a musical vibe influenced by gritty rock, often inspired by blues. In 1995, D'Arby released 'Vibrator', which largely followed his previous work in its musical direction. Sadly, his commercial prospects were judged by many critics to be waning.

During the mid-90s, the relations between the artist and his label, Columbia Records, had became strained to the braking point, leading to the artist's departure in 1996. This was followed by four-years on Java Records, during which he recorded an album titled 'Terence Trent D'Arby's Solar Return'. Said work, however, was never released. In 2000, he bought the rights to his unreleased album and left the record company as well as Lippman Entertainment, which was his then-management-team.

In 1999, D'Arby was briefly hired by INXS to replace his friend, late vocalist Michael Hutchence, so the band could play at the opening of facilities for the Sydney Olympics.

In 2001 D'Arby changed his name to Sananda Francesco Maitreya. The same year, he settled in Munich, Germany, and started his own independent record label, Treehouse Pub. The year also marked his first album release in six years, Wildcard (the unreleased "Solar Return"). The album, first available for free through his website, was later released through a one-album distribution deal with Universal Music.

In 2002 Maitreya moved to Milan, Italy, and began working on his next project, Angels & Vampires - Volume I.
In July 2005 Maitreya started working on Angels & Vampires - Volume II, he released chapter after chapter online as soon he finished recording the songs. In April 2006 he released the finished album; again via his website.

Since 2006, Maitreya has released five more studio albums, alongside touring and the release of a few live albums and various live shows to his YouTube channel. In 2020, Maitreya was featured on The Avalanches' single Reflecting Light which would later be on their 'We Will Always Love You' album, later that same year.

Trivia:
D'Arby/Maitreya appeared in in the TV series "Shake, Rattle And Roll" where he played the part of Jackie Wilson. His music has also been included on several movie soundtracks, most notably 1991's Frankie and Johnny.

It Feels So Good To Love Someone Like You
Terence Trent D'Arby Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Desert sands
Heart's homeland
'Til you

Flesh and bones
Made of stone
'Til you

Seasons never changed
Reasons never came

So it feels so good to love
Someone like you

Birds in trees
Fantasies
'Til you

Fire's cry
The embers die
'Til you

Dying on the roam
Crying for a home

And so it feels so good to love
Someone like you

Overall Meaning

The song "It Feels So Good To Love Someone Like You" by Terence Trent D'Arby is a powerful expression of the transformative power of love. The lyrics are poetic and evoke images of a desolate, lifeless landscape being revived by the presence of the beloved. The opening lines, "Desert sands, Heart's homeland 'Til you" suggest a sense of displacement and loneliness that is immediately dispelled by the appearance of the object of affection. The singer's physical and emotional being is given substance and meaning by the love of the other person.

The following lines, "Flesh and bones, Made of stone 'Til you" continue the theme of transformation, as the hard, rigid exterior of the singer is softened and made flexible by the presence of their loved one. The imagery in the lyrics is rich and evocative, with lines such as "Birds in trees, Fantasies 'Til you" and "Fire's cry, The embers die 'Til you" painting a picture of a world infused with new life and vitality through the power of love.

The final stanza of the song, "Dying on the roam, Crying for a home / And so it feels so good to love / Someone like you" reinforces the idea that without the other person, the singer's life was meaningless and empty, but with them, they have found a true home and a reason to live. Overall, "It Feels So Good To Love Someone Like You" is a passionate and deeply emotional song that celebrates the transformative power of love.

Line by Line Meaning

Desert sands
Life was harsh and barren.

Heart's homeland
Without love, there was no place to call home.

'Til you
But since I met you, everything changed.

Flesh and bones
I was alive, but not really living.

Made of stone
I was hard and unfeeling.

'Til you
But since I met you, I've become more human.

Seasons never changed
Time passed, but nothing ever felt different or new.

Reasons never came
I had no explanation for why I felt so empty.

So it feels so good to love
Loving you has given me a reason to live.

Someone like you
You're special and unique, and I'm grateful for you.

Birds in trees
The world around me was full of beauty, but I couldn't appreciate it fully.