Her career began at the age of seven when she was selected as a regular performer for the music television program Young Talent Time. As a child Arena attracted attention for the power of her voice, which was considered remarkable for such a young child.
She was born to Italian parents and has a sister, Nancy (born 1961). Often billed as "Tiny Tina Arena", she was seen on weekly television singing and dancing the current pop hits. The show's policy was to promote talented children, and at the age of sixteen team members would leave, ostensibly to follow an adult career. As one of the show's youngest performers, Arena's nine year stint was also one of the show's longest. "Strong As Steel" Like most of the children who left the show, Arena carried with her a stigma that made it difficult to be taken seriously as an adult vocalist, and for a short time she contemplated ending her career, and found employment with an insurance company. She was invited to support Lionel Richie on his Australian tour, but despite this success and the profile it gave her, record companies were unwilling to offer her a recording contract. Arena persevered, playing nightclubs in Melbourne and in several stage musicals, before finally being offered a contract.
Her album Strong as Steel, released in 1990, contained one major hit single, the uptempo dance track, "I Need Your Body", whose accompanying video demonstrated Arena as a sexy and confident adult. The contrast between her adult image and that of the seven year old child she had been when she first became famous attracted considerable publicity in Australia, but some elements of the media insisted that she was little more than a novelty act. Despite the success of the further singles, The Machine's Breaking Down and the Diane Warren title track, the album failed to establish her as a major act, and she relocated to the United States.
After signing a contract with Sony Music, Arena released the album Don't Ask in 1994. It became one of the highest selling albums of the year in Australia and provided her with her first substantial hit single "Chains". The song also reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom and Top 40 in the United States. Arena's career was said to be a priority of record executive Tommy Mottola who envisioned her achieving the level of success of Céline Dion or Mariah Carey, but the album failed to sell well in the US, and Mottola moved on to other projects. Other hits followed in Australia and Europe, including "Heaven Help My Heart", "Wasn't It Good" and "Sorrento Moon". The album won Arena five ARIA Awards for "Album of the Year", "Song of the Year" ("Chains"), "Pop Release of the Year" ("Chains") and "Best Female Vocalist", as well as a special award for "Highest Selling Female Artist in Australian History".
After more than twenty years she was finally accepted as a credible performer by both the record buying public and the Australian music industry.
Her next album In Deep (1997), produced by Foreigner's Mick Jones contained a cover version of their hit "I Want To Know What Love Is" (with backing vocals by the song's original vocalist Lou Gramm) and another major hit single "Burn". In Deep was the highest selling Australian album of the year. During this time she recorded the theme song for the film The Mask of Zorro, a duet with Marc Anthony titled "I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You". This song was highly successful in Europe, and Arena embraced European culture, recording several songs in French and relocating temporarily to France. During this period her greatest successes were these French recordings and they were major hits in France. A repackaged version of the In Deep album including the new French versions, and a cover version of the Edith Piaf song "Les Trois Cloches" was a major hit throughout Europe and reached number 3 in France.
Her 2001 album Just Me was a moderate success and included such hit singles as "Soul Mate #9", "Dare You To Be Happy" and "Symphony of Life". In 1998, Arena was invited to perform the role of Esmerelda in the West End production of Notre Dame de Paris in London. In 2000, she performed to the largest audience of her career at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Later that year she received an outstanding achievement ARIA Award for her career achievement, with the award also specifically recognising her success in France.
In 2003 she was recruited by Dance DJ Ray Roc to sing on his single "Never (Past Tense)". The song was one of the year's longest running hits on the Hot Dance Club Songs charet where it reached number one.
Arena completed her contract with Sony Music in the Fall of 2004, releasing a Greatest Hits album and a Greatest Hits DVD marking the end of her association with them. She was also released her Greatest Hits Live which features 90 minutes of LIVE concert footage recorded during her 2004 Greatest Hits tour in Australia.
After resigning a record deal with Columbia France, Arena recorded a new entirely French album, called Un Autre Univers (Another Universe). The album was co-written by Arena and an assortment of French and English writers and producers. The first single "Aimer jusqu'a l'impossible" (Love Till The Impossible) received airplay across French radio and debuted on the French national charts at #3. On November 17th 2005, Arena and partner Vincent Mancini became parents, with the birth of a son, Gabriel Joseph, in Paris.Arena's sixth studio album titled Songs of Love & Loss was recorded independently and self-financed as she no longer had a recording contract in Australia. The album was eventually released on 1 December 2007 after a new deal was struck with EMI Australia. The record was primarily made up of torch songs originally recorded by women in the 1960s and 70s such as Dusty Springfield and Diana Ross and the arrangements featured a full string orchestra conducted by Simon Hale. A promotional tour of Australia in early November included appearances on Dancing with the Stars and Sunrise. Five concert dates backed by a 35 piece orchestra were held in December–January: three at the Sydney Opera House and two at Melbourne's Hamer Hall. The album peaked at #3 on the ARIA Top Albums chart and was nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Selling Album.
While Arena was still promoting Songs of Love & Loss in Australia, her first French single in two years, "Entends-tu le monde?", was made available to French radio. The video was shot in and around Sydney during the promotional tour of her home country and went on heavy rotation on French music television channels upon its release. The song was the first single from her sophomore French album 7 vies which was released on 28 January 2008 and debuted at #12 on the official French charts, her highest debut ever in the country. The single "Entends-tu le monde?" was physically released on 11 February 2008 and debuted at #10 on the French charts, becoming her sixth top ten single there.
August 2008 saw Arena performing with Andrea Bocelli during his Australian tour. The two performed well received duets of "The Prayer", "Canto della Terra" and a cover of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love". Prior to the tour she had been in the UK recording her eighth studio album Songs of Love & Loss 2, which was released on 15 November 2008.[4] For this album, her vocals were recorded live with the London Studio Orchestra, again conducted by Hale.[5]
Arena & Alison Jiear at Sydney Mardi Gras 2009.Alongside fellow Australian singer and songwriter Darren Hayes, Arena appeared as a guest judge during the London auditions of Australian Idol's sixth season. The episode featuring Arena and Hayes aired on 27 August 2008. She again appeared as a guest judge on 16 November while she was in Australia to promote Songs of Love & Loss 2.
Arena has been awarded a Knighthood of the Order of National Merit, the second highest civil honour in France, by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in February 2009 for her contributions to French culture.
In March 2009, Arena toured Australia in support of her album Songs of Love & Loss 2 and also appeared as a surprise guest performer at the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras party singing a medley of "Aimer jusqu'à l'impossible" and "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" at 3 am accompanied by Alison Jiear on the latter.
2009 also saw the release of Arena's first French greatest hits album, The Best & le meilleur, and The Peel Me Sessions, an album of original material recorded in 2003 but rejected by her label at the time Sony.
A live CD and DVD was released in Australia in January 2010, The Onstage Collection, where the album peaked at #22 on the ARIA Charts.
Arena announced that she will release her seventh English studio album in 2011.
Call Me
Tina Arena Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby
Colour me your car
Colour me your colour
Darling, I know
Who you are
Come up off
Your colour chart
Comin' from
Call me
(Call me)
On the line
Call me, call me
Any, anytime
Call me (call me)
My love
You can call me
Any day or night
Call me
Cover me
With kisses, baby
Cover me with love
Roll me
In designer sheets
I'll never
Get enough
Emotions come
I don't know why
Cover up
Love's alibi
Call me (call me)
On the line
Call me, call me any
Anytime
Call me (call me)
Oh, my love
When you're ready
We can share
The wine
Call me
Ooo-oo-oo-oo-oo
He speaks
The languages
Of love
Ooo-oo-oo-oo-oo
Amore
Chiamami, chiamami
Ooo-oo-oo-oo-oo
Appelle-moi
Mon cherie
Appelle-moi
Anytime, anyplace
Anywhere, any way
Anytime, anyplace
Anywhere, any day-ay
Call me (call me)
My love
Call me, call me
Any, anytime
Call me (call me)
For a ride
Call me, call me
For some overtime
Call me (call me)
My love
Call me, call me
In a sweet design
Call me (call me)
Call me
For your lover's
Lover's alibi
Call me (call me)
On the line
Call me, call me
Any, anytime
Call me (call me)
Oh, call me
Oo-hoo-hah
Call me (call me)
My love
Call me, call me
Any, anytime
The song Call Me, written by Giorgio Moroder, Debbie Harry, and Chris Stein, is about the mutual feelings of passion and raw desire between two people in a new relationship. The lyric "Colour me your colour" suggests that the newly-in-love singer wants to be identified and painted in the same passion as her lover. The chorus is a repeated plea for her lover to "Call me" day or night, "anytime, anyplace, anywhere, any day-ay." With lines like "Cover me with kisses, baby, cover me with love," the singer is expressing her need for physical affection.
The bridge of the song presents a spoken word section, where the singer describes her attraction to her lover's ability to speak the languages of love. It is a moment in the song where passionate desire is language, and with the ability to speak the languages of love, the singer is almost blindly drawn to her lover.
Overall, Call Me is a playful portrayal of new love, with its urgent desire for physical love, continuous need for communication, and entranced blind attraction.
Line by Line Meaning
Colour me your colour
Let me be a part of your world by painting me with your colors and making me yours.
Baby
Affectionate term of endearment.
Colour me your car
Make me an element of your journey and let me be a part of your travels.
Colour me your colour
Again, let me be a part of your world by painting me with your colors and making me yours.
Darling, I know
Who you are
I understand and have a deep connection with you, and know your true self.
Come up off
Your colour chart
Reveal your true colors and show me who you really are.
I know where you're
Comin' from
I understand your background and the things that make you who you are.
Call me
(Call me)
Reach out to me and connect with me.
On the line
Contact me through the phone.
Call me, call me
Any, anytime
Contact me at any point in time, and I'll be there for you.
Call me (call me)
My love
Address me with love and affection.
You can call me
Any day or night
Don't hesitate to call me, even if it's in the middle of the night.
Cover me
With kisses, baby
Shower me with your love and affection.
Cover me with love
Surround me with your caring and affectionate feelings.
Roll me
In designer sheets
Provide me with a luxurious environment and treat me special.
I'll never
Get enough
I will always be eager and willing for more of your love.
Emotions come
I don't know why
I experience various feelings that I don't entirely understand.
Cover up
Love's alibi
Hiding my true feelings behind a story, or pretending to be less keen than I am.
Oh, my love
When you're ready
When you're ready to open your heart to me, I'll be there for you.
We can share
The wine
We can enjoy a romantic evening together, and share a bottle of wine.
Ooo-oo-oo-oo-oo
He speaks
The languages
Of love
He understands how to speak the universal language of love that transcends all boundaries.
Amore
Chiamami, chiamami
Love, call me, call me.
Appelle-moi
Mon cherie
Call me, my darling.
Appelle-moi
Anytime, anyplace
Call me anytime, and I'll be there for you, no matter where.
Anywhere, any way
Anytime, anyplace
I'm always available, and you can reach me in any way and at any location.
Call me (call me)
For a ride
Contact me if you need a ride, and I'll come to get you.
Call me, call me
For some overtime
Call me if you need help or support, and I'll be there to provide it for you.
Call me (call me)
In a sweet design
Get in touch with me to accomplish something sweet or special.
Call me
For your lover's
Lover's alibi
Contact me as an alibi to explain your lover's absence or to give you an excuse to be away.
Oo-hoo-hah
Call me (call me)
Expressive sound followed by a request to contact.
My love
Call me, call me
Endearing term followed by a request to contact.
Anytime
At any time.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Spirit Music Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: LAWRENCE KRSONE PARKER, EDWARD THEODORE RILEY, RANDY MULLER, CLIFTON NATHANIEL CHASE, EDWARD G. FLETCHER, MELVIN GLOVER, SYLVIA ROBINSON, CHAUNCEY ANDRE HANNIBAL, MARKELL DEMONT RILEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind