But the Danish singer Thorbjørn Risager, praised for his rough and strong voice by an unanimous choir of critics from a growing number of countries – 15 the last time we counted them - is a soft-spoken gentleman off stage. He is the leader of his seven-piece band mainly for practical reasons – to bring any little issue into a group discussion can be quite time-consuming. He is also composing most of the band’s music, and during the performance he is the obvious center of attention, even if the band has a charming way of passing round the task of introducing the songs between them, so that each musician gets his word in.
And this is a real smooth organization, who has divided all practical tasks such as web master, CD sales on gigs etc beween themselves. Which makes life easier in the midst of their heavy touring schedule. Since the start, they have played in 15 countreis, and only from Feb – Aug 2010 they have concerts booked in 11 European countries.
But the 38-year-old Dane had other plans for his life. He studied to be a school teacher, and worked in this profession for some years, before he decided to let the music take over. He studied at the Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen, a quite unique education where many of the teachers are jazz- or rockmusicians, and where the emphasis is on Rhythmic music of all genres.
In 2003 he started his band, selected musicians he liked both musically and personally, and the fact that up until today only one of them left and was replaced, at an early stage of the band’s career, proves that the choice was excellent.
But of course Thorbjørn’s musical interest started long before this. He played the saxophone from the age of 12, then guitar – but the singing was more of a coincidence at first. He was exposed to the blues through a neighbour, a middle-aged gentleman who was friends with his parents, and who started playing blues records to the young Thorbjørn. That’s how his life-long love story with the blues started, with B B King as his biggest hero. Ray Charles is one of his other obvious influences, but today, with almost 40 recorded songs from his own pen, he has definitely defined his own sound and style.
His mixture of genres is something that is sometimes mentioned by critics, who are looking for something of more homogenity. But this is Thorbjørn’s deliberate choice. To hear a band that plays one shuffle after another, or only jump blues through an entire CD or concert, might please some critics but there’s definitely a risk that the audience will get bored.
And this is why Thorbjørn and his band have created their specific sound by other means, especially his characteristic raunchy voice and the band’s typical sound, with its horns, solo performances and rolling, almost big-band-like grooves. So he weaves threads of soul, gospel, rock, R&B and funk into his music, to create a variety and keep the audience interested, something that the band succeeds with on each single gig.
Burning Up
Thorbjørn Risager Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
HOW MANY TIMES
HAVE I ASKED MYSELF
WHERE IS THE LOVE
WHAT IS IT COMING TO
HOW MANY HEARTACHES
HOW MANY YEARS OF PAIN
SOMEBODY TELL ME
'CAUSE I'M BURNING UP
BURNING UP
YES I'M BURNING UP
BURNING UP
HOW LONG MUST I WAIT
HOW MANY MILES
TO THE PROMISED LAND
MY HEARTS ON FIRE
MY SOUL IS BURNING UP
JUST LET THE RAIN FALL
RIGHT OUT OF THE SKY
'CAUSE I'M BURNING UP
BURNING UP
YES I'M BURNING UP
BURNING UP
Thorbjørn Risager's song "Burning Up" is about an individual in search of love and happiness. The song is primarily about the frustration and pain experienced by someone who is looking for love, but finds none. The opening lines of the song, "How many times have I asked myself, where is the love, what is it coming to?" captures the essence of the song's theme. The singer reaches out for someone to help him understand love and its meaning.
The verses reveal the singer's struggle and how much they yearn for love. Risager emphasizes the pain and heartaches that the singer has experienced over the years. "How many heartaches, how many years of pain, I wanna know, somebody tell me," is a cry for help, and Risager's powerful voice captures the intensity of the song's emotional content. The chorus, "Cause I'm burning up, burning up, yes, I'm burning up, burning up" emphasizes the singer's desperation to find love and how important it is for him to have it.
In conclusion, "Burning up" is a song about the search for love and how important it is for each individual to find it. The song's theme is relatable to anyone who has experienced the pain of lovelessness, and Risager's powerful voice captures the emotion required to bring the song's message home.
Line by Line Meaning
HOW MANY TIMES
The singer questions how many times they have contemplated their current situation.
HAVE I ASKED MYSELF
The singer acknowledges that they have repeatedly asked themselves questions about their life.
WHERE IS THE LOVE
The singer questions the existence or presence of love in his life.
WHAT IS IT COMING TO
The artist wants to know the direction his life is heading towards.
HOW MANY HEARTACHES
The artist wonders how many times he has experienced heartaches in his life.
HOW MANY YEARS OF PAIN
The singer contemplates the amount of pain he has been experiencing for years.
I WANNA KNOW
The singer expresses a desire to obtain knowledge and understanding.
SOMEBODY TELL ME
The artist is asking for someone to share their insight and wisdom with him.
'CAUSE I'M BURNING UP
The artist uses the metaphor of 'burning up' to describe how overwhelmed they are feeling.
BURNING UP
The artist rephrases again how he feels- extremely overwhelmed.
YES I'M BURNING UP
The singer confirms again how intense his feelings are.
BURNING UP
The artist repeats once more, how overwhelming their situation is.
HOW LONG MUST I WAIT
The singer questions how much longer he will have to endure his current situation before things improve.
HOW MANY MILES
The singer metaphorically questions how long the journey to a better place will be.
TO THE PROMISED LAND
The singer uses the metaphor of the Promised Land to represent a better and happier life in the future.
MY HEARTS ON FIRE
The artist uses the metaphor of 'heart on fire' to describe how passionate their desire for change is.
MY SOUL IS BURNING UP
The artist is feeling deeply troubled and feels like his soul might give up.
JUST LET THE RAIN FALL
The singer is asking for guidance and relief of his emotional burden to come naturally to him, like the falling of the rain.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: EMIL OLIVER BALSGAARD, KASPER MICHAEL WAGNER, MARTIN SEIDELIN, PETER J SKJERNING, PETER WEIENDORP KEHL, SOREN BOJGAARD, THORBJORN RISAGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind