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.
Symphony Of Life
Tina Arena Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I begin to realise
That our path through times unbroken
Do you know what its like
When a mirror never lies
And the truth remains unspoken
And we dance into the fire
Do you feel me now
Burning like a flame
If you touch me
I may disappear
Floating through your eyes
How do we resist
The gravity of love
In the symphony of life
There's a place I've never been
Where there's angels gathering
And we talk about the future
When the simple things in life
Can do more to satisfy
With their wisdom be my teacher
You can have all that you desire
But it may not take you higher
Do you feel me now
Burning like a flame
If you touch me
I may disappear
Floating through your eyes
How do we resist
The gravity of love
In the symphony of life
Whoa
Symphony of life
Do you feel me now
Burning like a flame
If you touch me
I may disappear
Floating through your eyes
How do we resist
The gravity of love
In my symphony of life
The lyrics of Tina Arena's song "Symphony of Life" explore the complexities of human emotions and relationships, as well as themes of spiritualism and self-discovery. The song begins with the image of "stars shining in your eyes", which serves as a metaphor for the awakening of awareness and realization. The singer begins to understand that the journey through life and the relationships we build along the way are what give our lives meaning and direction, even if the truth is sometimes hard to express.
The lyrics use vivid and poetic language to describe the feeling of being swept up in the momentum of life, with lines like "And we dance into the fire, As our spirits take us higher". The use of fire as a metaphor suggests that passion, drive, and determination are necessary in order to succeed in the journey of life. The song also explores the idea of love as a force that is difficult to resist, asking "how do we resist the gravity of love in the symphony of life?".
Overall, "Symphony of Life" is a song that encourages listeners to embrace the journey of life, to follow their passions and to be open to new experiences, while reminding them of the importance of love, connection, and self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
Stars are shining in your eyes
I see the brightness of hope and love in your eyes.
And I begin to realise
I start to comprehend and appreciate the beauty of life with you.
That our path through times unbroken
The journey of our lives together is unbroken by time and obstacles.
Do you know what its like
Have you ever experienced the feeling of...
When a mirror never lies
When a reflection in a mirror is always truthful.
And the truth remains unspoken
But the truth remains unexpressed and hidden.
And we dance into the fire
Together, we embrace challenges and risks in life.
As our spirits take us higher
And our souls soar to new heights.
Do you feel me now
Can you sense my emotions at this moment?
Burning like a flame
Burning with passion and intensity.
If you touch me
Will I disappear like an illusion?
I may disappear
I might vanish into thin air.
Floating through your eyes
Drifting and moving through the depths of your gaze.
How do we resist
How can we defy and overcome...
The gravity of love
The powerful force of love that pulls us together.
In the symphony of life
In the interconnected and harmonious composition of existence.
There's a place I've never been
There's a destination that I have yet to encounter.
Where there's angels gathering
Where benevolent beings congregate.
And we talk about the future
And we discuss what is to come and aspire for more.
When the simple things in life
When the fundamental joys in existence...
Can do more to satisfy
Can bring more contentment and fulfilment.
With their wisdom be my teacher
May their sagacity instruct and educate me.
You can have all that you desire
You may possess everything that you crave.
But it may not take you higher
But it may not elevate you to greater heights of happiness and success.
In my symphony of life
In my personal orchestra of existence.
Whoa
An expression of awe, wonder, and enthusiasm.
Symphony of life
A metaphor for the interconnected and harmonious nature of existence.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PETER VETTESE, FILIPPINA LYDIA ARENA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chrisofmelbourne87
I love Tina. Timeless...strong...sensitive....passionate. She is truly Australia's star!
@mestar9
❤❤❤ i love this song! My favourite
@umagupta886
Tina is awesome. A real SHINING STAR. God Bless you Tina.
@khaishall3951
Simple things expecially little things
@PaterEcstaticus888
I still love this song, 20 years later.
@anicarnic3939
I’ll forever Be in Love with this song! 👁️💜
@claytonpascoe480
This really is a beautiful song. Truly wonderful.
@lesernsdoerfer7524
What a beautiful song and singer
@travisdurand5374
Tina Arena remains one of my very favorite artists...such a beautiful voice, filled with emotion and passion...
@markbennett259
Like this song very much indeed! Should have been a worldwide hit, and probably was.