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.
I'm Gone
Tina Arena Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My spirit will take me somewhere
I'm gone
I'll be leaving before I get there
I need to see
I can be free inside of me
I'm gone
I know that a heart can be kind if broken
I need to breathe
I need to always believe
Every time a tear is falling down like rain
Everything that burns inside me still remains
Yeah and it's true, my colour is blue
But I know what I've got to do
I'll carry on until the right one comes along
I'm gone
Inside
I'm a million different rainbows
I won't hide
'Cause my light will shine through the shadows
I'm gonna breathe
I'm gonna always be me
Every time a tear is falling down like rain
Everything that burns inside me still remains
Yeah and it's true, my colour is blue
But I know what I've got to do
I'll carry on until the right one comes along
I'm gone
I wake up in the middle of the night
Cold sweat 'cause I lie here thinking of you
I hope to god I can see the light
No matter what, I'm gonna get it right
Every time a tear is falling down like rain
Everything that burns inside me still remains
Yeah and it's true, my colour is blue
But I know what I've got to do
I'll carry on until the right one comes
I'm gone
Oh yeah, baby I'm gone
Yeah and it's true, my colour is blue
But I tell what I've got to do
I'll carry on, until the right one comes along
I'm gone
Baby I'm gone
I'm gone
The lyrics to Tina Arena's song "I'm Gone" speak about a person leaving behind their current situation in search of something that will make them feel free and alive. The song touches on the idea of being brokenhearted, but still finding the strength to move on and look for something better. The person in the song recognizes that they may feel sadness and pain, represented by the color blue, but they know that they must continue on until they find what they're looking for.
The lyrics also speak about the struggle of not fitting in and feeling like a million different rainbows inside. The person in the song won't hide who they are and will let their light shine through the shadows. They're on a journey to find themselves and their true purpose in life. The song is ultimately about finding the strength to move forward, despite the obstacles that may come their way.
Overall, the lyrics of "I'm Gone" are empowering and inspirational, encouraging the listener to keep going no matter what challenges they may face.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gone
I am leaving because I need to find myself.
My spirit will take me somewhere
I believe my inner being will guide me to where I am meant to go.
I'll be leaving before I get there
I am aware that I will never fully reach my destination, but the journey is what matters.
I need to see
I must understand and acknowledge my true self to find happiness.
I can be free inside of me
I will find freedom and acceptance by being true to myself and embracing my inner rainbow.
I know that a heart can be kind if broken
I understand that even though my heart has been broken, it still has the capacity to love and be kind.
Although it's a door that is always open
My heart continues to be open to love despite past pain and hurt.
I need to breathe
I must take a step back and give myself space to breathe and rediscover my true identity.
I need to always believe
I must never give up hope and continue to believe that I will find love and happiness one day.
Every time a tear is falling down like rain
I am still emotional and hurting, but I am using my pain as strength to keep moving forward.
Everything that burns inside me still remains
Even though I am hurting, my passion and desire remain strong within me.
Yeah and it's true, my colour is blue
My sadness and melancholy is prominent, but it does not define me as a person.
But I know what I've got to do
I have a plan and a goal in mind to find myself and true love.
I'll carry on until the right one comes along
I will keep going and remain hopeful until I find the one meant for me.
Inside, I'm a million different rainbows
I am a complex and unique individual with a spectrum of emotions and experiences.
I won't hide
I will not conceal my true self and will embrace it proudly.
'Cause my light will shine through the shadows
My inner light will radiate through the darkness, bringing positivity to my life.
I'm gonna breathe
I will continue to take deep breaths and live in the present moment.
I'm gonna always be me
I will remain true to my authentic self and not change for anyone else.
I wake up in the middle of the night
I struggle with my thoughts and emotions, making it difficult for me to sleep peacefully.
Cold sweat 'cause I lie here thinking of you
I am anxious and restless, constantly worrying about someone who is not meant to be in my life.
I hope to god I can see the light
I pray that I will one day find clarity and relief from my emotional distress.
No matter what, I'm gonna get it right
I am determined to find my true self and happiness, no matter how difficult it may be.
Oh yeah, baby I'm gone
I have officially left behind the things that do not serve me and am moving forward with clarity and motivation.
Baby I'm gone
I have left behind my sadness and hurt and am ready to embrace my true self and happiness.
I'm gone
I have moved on from my past and am ready for my new journey in life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: FILIPPINA LYDIA ARENA, MARK HUDSON, VICTORIA SHAW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind