It was Neneh Cherry who first pointed Titiyo in the direction of performing, encouraging her to sing and prompting her, too, to seek out musical directions that Swedish pop had rarely visited in the past. By 1987, Titiyo was fronting her own band, performing rare groove covers on the Stockholm circuit before signing to the local Telegram label in 1989. She also sang background vocals for a range of Swedish artists, including Army of Lovers and Jakob Hellman.
The title of Sweden's Queen of Soul might not seem one of modern music's most coveted crowns but, in Sweden itself, there is little doubt that Titiyo not only merits all the acclaim lavished by her homeland, but that international acclaim has already demolished borders across much of Europe too.
Titiyo scored her first hit that June, when Talking to the Man in the Moon climbed to number six on the Swedish chart. After the Rain reached number 13 in November and the following summer brought Titiyo's self-titled debut album. It reached number three and also brought her to the attention of American audiences, via a well-received Arista release. An imminent breakthrough, however, was placed on hold when Titiyo withdrew for two years to raise her newborn first child; it was September 1993 before she resurfaced, with a cover of Aretha Franklin's Never Let Me Go a number 25 Swedish hit.
This Is Titiyo, her second album, followed in 1993. Featuring guest appearances from both of her parents (Titiyo's mother is an accomplished pianist), the album spun off further hits Back and Forth and Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming and, even before Titiyo made her London début at the Astoria in February 1994, garage remixes of several tracks were established club favourites.
Over the next two years, Titiyo's activities were largely confined to guest work. She appeared with the Blacknuss All Stars (It Should Have Been You) and Stakka Bo & the Flesh Quartet ("We Vie"), and duetted with sibling Eagle-Eye Cherry on a track from the Best Laid Plans movie soundtrack, "Worried Eyes." Her own next album, Extended, finally arrived in late 1997, a self-produced/composed epic highlighted by the hit single Josefin Dean.
As usual, another lengthy silence followed the album's release, a four-year gap that was finally broken in 2001 by Come Along. Recorded with the songwriting team of Peter Svensson (the Cardigans) and Jocke Berg (Kent), and produced by Tore Johansson, Come Along received a U.S. release (through Lava) in August 2002.
After a lengthy hiatus, Warner Music released a greatest hits album named Best of Titiyo in 2004, which included a few new songs. One of these songs, Loving Out of Nothing , charted within the top-20 in Sweden in early 2005.
In spring 2008, Titiyo was asked to contribute vocals to Kleerup's single Longing for Lullabies (Feat. Titiyo). Released in April 2008 in Scandinavia, the single has since reached the top 20 in Denmark and top 10 in Sweden.
Titiyo released her fifth album, Hidden, on the Swedish independent label Sheriff late 2008. The album mainly feature self-penned material but also results of collaborations with the likes of Kleerup, Moto Boy, and Goran Kajfes of Oddjob. So far videos for Stumble to Fall and Awakening have been released.
1989
Titiyo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From 1989
Faded colors and worn out texture
From 1989
Well, I've been young and I've been stupid
But it's left behind
I regret the things that I did
We can't go on like this
Don't go on yourself like this
We can't go on like it's
1989
Let's go back, I'll be your angel
I'll make a deal with time
But I don't know if that would change you
Or give you peace of mind
1989,1989,1989,1989
1989,1989,1989,1989
We can't go on, we've gotta move on
We've gotta move on now
We can't go on, we've gotta move on
We've gotta move on now
The lyrics of Titiyo's "1989" song are reflective and share a certain vulnerability. It seems like the song is talking about the regret of the past and how it may haunt a person in the present. The first verse already sets the tone for the song's reflective nature, with the singer expressing her fear towards a picture from 1989 that depicts an old memory. The faded colors and worn-out texture of the picture may indicate how long ago this memory is, but the picture is still stuck in the singer's mind. The second verse highlights the singer's acknowledgment of her past actions, and how she regrets some of them. However, this regret doesn't seem to trouble her, as she expresses her current feeling of being "fine."
The chorus is a simple but effective breakdown of the song's meaning. The singer repeats the year 1989 as a kind of symbolic representation of her past. The line "We can't go on like this" implies that the singer is tired of dwelling on the past and doesn't want to continue living in it. The plea "let's go back" serves as an angelic offer, where the singer wants to help the addressee to move on from the past. The last line of the chorus "we've got to move on now," indicates the urgency of the situation and confirms that the singer wants to change the situation.
Overall, "1989" is a song about the desire for change after realizing the unhappiness brought about by past actions. It's a song about the need to let go of the past, move forward and live in the present.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I'm afraid of that picture
The singer is fearful of the past, represented in a physical picture from 1989.
From 1989
The year in which the picture was taken.
Faded colors and worn out texture
The picture shows signs of age and deterioration.
Well, I've been young and I've been stupid
The artist acknowledges mistakes made in the past due to youth and naivety.
But it's left behind
The artist has moved on from their past mistakes.
I regret the things that I did
The singer wishes they had acted differently in the past.
And I feel fine
Despite these regrets, the singer is content with their current state of being.
We can't go on like this
The current state is unsustainable and must change.
Don't go on yourself like this
The artist urges against continuing down a destructive path.
We can't go on like it's
The artist cannot continue living in the past.
1989
A reference to the past, specifically the year in which the picture was taken.
Let's go back, I'll be your angel
The artist offers to provide comfort and assistance as they revisit the past.
I'll make a deal with time
The singer hopes to negotiate with time to change the past.
But I don't know if that would change you
The singer is uncertain if revisiting the past would have a positive impact.
Or give you peace of mind
The singer wonders if revisiting the past would bring closure and ease.
1989,1989,1989,1989
Repetition of the year further emphasizes the fixation on the past.
We can't go on, we've gotta move on
Continuing to dwell on the past is harmful and it is time to move forward.
We've gotta move on now
It is urgent and imperative to begin the journey towards progress.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Iricom US Ltd
Written by: JOAKIM BERG, PETER SVENSSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind