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.
Talking to the Man in the Moon
Titiyo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watching the sun, painting the walls with yellow light
This night I had a dream, that kind of dream
That makes you wish, you had never woken up
And I, I don? t know why this dream
This dream came to me, but it was a dream
That makes you fly, just like a bird through the sky
A journey into the clouds, higher than high
Faster than fast, suddenly I saw something strange
And I, I don? t know why this dream
This dream came to me, guess what I saw
I was talking to the man in the moon
And he would help me find what? s missing
Travel with the man in the moon
Different places and smiling faces
He asked about the life, life on earth
What it was like to live with a wall behind the door
I didn? t know what to say, I guess he was right
We all have to fight, for making the earth a better place
And I, I don? t know why this dream
This dream came to me, and guess what I saw
I was talking to the man in the moon
And he would help me find what? s missing
Travel with the man in the moon
Different places and smiling faces
Talking to the man in the moon
He would help me find what? s missing
Travel with the man in the moon
Different places and smiling faces?
The lyrics of Titiyo's song "Talking to the Man in the Moon" reflect the singer's introspection on the nature of dreams and their role in providing hope and meaning in life. The opening lines describe the feeling of awakening to a new day after having a particularly powerful dream that felt real and transformative. The dream has caused the singer a sort of existential crisis, as they wish they had never woken up from its profound experience. The dream seems to have symbolized a vision of escape, a desire to transcend the human condition and its limitations. To this end, the singer imagines having wings in their dream, a symbol of freedom and flight. The dream takes them high above the clouds, where they encounter the man in the moon.
The encounter with the man in the moon is a mystical and fantastical event, yet also a metaphor for the human search for wholeness and purpose. The man in the moon becomes a guide and companion on the singer's journey to find what is missing in their life. He asks the singer about the human condition and the struggles of life on earth. In response, the singer affirms the need for people to fight for a better world and to overcome the obstacles that prevent them from reaching their potential. This interaction is a reminder that even in moments of disillusionment and despair, there is hope and meaning to be found if we are willing to seek it out.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning has arrived, open my eyes
I woke up to a new day
Watching the sun, painting the walls with yellow light
I saw the sun shining and illuminating everything with yellow light
This night I had a dream, that kind of dream
I had a dream that was very vivid and memorable
That makes you wish, you had never woken up
The dream was so good that I wish I could have stayed asleep forever
And I, I don? t know why this dream
I don't understand the reason for this dream
This dream came to me, but it was a dream
The dream was just that, a dream
My arms had turned to wings, that kind of wings
In the dream, my arms became wings
That makes you fly, just like a bird through the sky
The wings allowed me to fly like a bird in the sky
A journey into the clouds, higher than high
I flew up into the clouds, very high in the sky
Faster than fast, suddenly I saw something strange
Suddenly, while flying very fast, I saw something unusual
I was talking to the man in the moon
In the dream, I was having a conversation with the man in the moon
And he would help me find what? s missing
The man in the moon offered to help me find something that was missing in my life
Travel with the man in the moon
The man in the moon invited me to travel with him
Different places and smiling faces
We would visit different places and meet different people who were happy
He asked about the life, life on earth
The man in the moon asked me about life on earth
What it was like to live with a wall behind the door
He asked me what it was like to live in a world with obstacles and barriers
I didn? t know what to say, I guess he was right
I didn't have a good answer and realized that he was correct
We all have to fight, for making the earth a better place
We need to make an effort to improve our world
Writer(s): magnus frykberg
Contributed by Asher I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Deva7
I love this version and Titiyo is sure flexible these days, just WOW!!!
@viljavit
Love it!!!
@paolaoscarsson4710
I just Love this video 💞🌕🌕🥂
Sooo awesome❣️
@samppaankka2197
Titiyo, Da Yeene, Army of Lovers. Sweden gave us some nice music in the early 90s. Still listening to this stuff. 🎶💞
@AdrianNeptune
Great as ever
@sasukiarchives
How does she do this in heels I can’t even do it on my feet
@MMD2007MMD
I want what she’s drinking🤣❤️
@annalee8121
Mrs Moon Mate tea
@ashelolxhafan1857
omg good music
@berliy7291
My is flek sibel 👏👏👏👏👏❤️