Later, he told this episode to Knack as: "When I entered the Rock Rally, I even hardly knew what that was. I thought it was a presentation of big bands that already have at least one cd. I had little material then, a few hoempapa-tunes, but my brother said : "you've got at least one song that kicks ass, take that". I then recorded a tape and sent it in, without expectations. And then I ended up becoming second in the final, I went crazy. But well, since then I've been doing my homework and I realised what has happened to all the bands that have come second in the history of the rock rally: none of them has any stature now. So it doesn't hurt to put things into perspective."
As a promotion of his one-man band, he recorded a first single in the fall of 1996 (Like her vacation), and did a number of performances, alone in clubs and on a small tour with the The Sands & Sheffield Wednesday. Somewhere in the middle of all that, he grew tired of the idea of being looked upon as a rocking troubadour (the belgian Billy Bragg, was the most often heard comparison) and realized the solo-formula had some serious limitations. "It was never my intention of remaining a solo-artist forever. I only wanted to try out the songs on my own. I was finding myself, and I know that it was not a bad idea to continue on my own in the slipstream of the rock-rally publicity. Until I grew tired of the limitations. Unless you have a very well-known repertoire, it obviously is almost impossible to keep the audience interesed for more than 10 minutes."
In March of 1997, he found in Desmond van Weddingen on drums and in Wim Janssens on the bass two "compagnons de route", and together they started working on a first CD: Tom Helsen had become a band. The attention to the song-material had remained, but with the trio-formula the sound had of course changed completely, and almost all of the songs from the solo-period had been swept overboard. As it was said in in the bio in 1998: "Gone is the Billy Bragg of the Low Countries, instead here's a band that brings you crystal clear guitarpopsongs in the rich tradition of for example Buffalo Tom". Another commenter said "nice melodic songs with a tasteful accompaniment of guitar, bass and rums. If you want to stick a label onto it, Tom Helsen is the perfect crossbreed of The Counting Crows and Buffalo Tom". Or as gvn said in Humo : "The debut of Tom Helsen is not the world-class album that will put your senses into "astonishing"-mode, but it just contains 11 fragile songs (of which at least 7 will not lose their appeal by next month), which are played with an enthusiasm that makes you suspect they will be even better live. And then you hear Tom Helsen live - that voice! - and you are certain. It's that kind of an album. At least that's something". The songs "All you broken homers" & "Great American Sex Scandal" also were released a single, but didn't cause much upheaval.
Very calmly, the band (nowa quartet with Geert Peeters on bass) continued working on a second CD, that was released with much delays in the fall of 2000. In the meantime, the only sign of life had been the beautiful single "Tom is doing Great", and that also became the title of the full-CD. The reason for the delay was that a number of the songs had been totally re-arranged with the aid and cooperation of Joost Zweegers of Novastar. The single "When Marvin Calls" had all the quality that cooperation promised, and became the breaktrough for the band. Tom about this in Humo : "Joost has taught me that I was focusing on the wrong thing in songwriting: I was writing stories with a beginning and an end, but I neglected the struchtur of the songs ... I've been making music in a very naieve way from the start : I just did it, without thinking. The best is to combine these two ways as Joost does: to make music that is very sensitive and has the goal to touch people, but also: knowing how to do that and how to bring about those effects". The result was an album with 10 storng songs with a rather melancholic undertone, and with more evidence of a unique voice than on the first cd.
The ambition : "When the first album came out, I really had the urge to score, to have success and sell a lot of records so I would be able to live off my music and do 100% what I wanted to. Now I have a part-time job so I can make music in a much more relaxed manner. If I gain something from a gig or so, it's a nice extra. ... I only would really like to have a really huge budget for my next album, to make everything sound exactly as I want it to ... I've been on a melancholic trip for the past two years, but these last times I've really felt like starting to rock again".
Band members :
- Tom Helsen (vocals, guitar, piano)
- Wim Janssens (vocals, guitar, keyboard)
- Geert Peeters (bass)
- Desmond van Weddingen (drums)
Sun In Her Eyes
Tom Helsen Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Atudutu yeah you and
Let it go stop
I don't know stop
Is it right to
Let you be the other girl and
It's in your mind stop
And I won't stop
I never take it all for granted, oh
The sun in her eyes will do
Atudutu yeah you
The sun in her eyes will
Atudutu yeah you and
The sun in her eyes will do
Atudutu yeah you and
The sun in her eyes will
Let it go stop
I should've known stop
Gotta warn you
It will not change the morning after
It ain't no crime stop
So take your time stop
Like I told you
Never take it all for granted, oh
The sun in her eyes will do
Atudutu yeah you
The sun in her eyes will
Atudutu yeah you and
The sun in her eyes will do
Atudutu yeah you and
The sun in her eyes will
You, you, I found myself because of you
I never saw it coming and,
Sad but true
You, you, and I found myself because of you
I never saw it coming and,
I know it's true
Atudutu yeah you
Atudutu yeah you and
Atudutu yeah you
Atudutu yeah you and
Atudutu yeah you
The sun in her eyes will do
Atudutu yeah you and
The sun in her eyes will
Atudutu yeah you and
The sun in her eyes will do
The sun in her eyes will do
The lyrics of Tom Helsen's song "Sun In Her Eyes" seem to revolve around the idea of a relationship that is not entirely grounded in reality. The singer speaks to a person they seem to care about, but who is likely not their primary partner ("let you be the other girl"). They encourage this person to let go of their doubts and enjoy the moment, but also warn them that there may be consequences the morning after. The repetition of "Atudutu yeah you" throughout the song could be seen as a sort of mantra, encouraging both the singer and the other person to give themselves over to the experience.
The chorus of the song, with the repeated refrain "The sun in her eyes will do," could be interpreted in a few different ways. On one hand, it could refer simply to the idea that the physical sensation of the sun in the other person's eyes is enough to make the singer want to stay in the moment with them. On another level, it could be seen as a metaphor for the transience of the moment - the way the sun will eventually set and the experience will be over. This idea is echoed in the last lines of the song, where the singer acknowledges that they "never saw it coming" but that they have found something meaningful in the experience.
Overall, the lyrics of "Sun In Her Eyes" play with the idea of living in the moment, even if that moment may not be entirely healthy or sustainable. There's a sense of urgency and excitement throughout the song, but also a recognition that the experience may not last forever.
Line by Line Meaning
Atudutu yeah you
An expression of excitement or joy directed at someone
Atudutu yeah you and
A continuation of the same expression of excitement or joy directed at someone
Let it go stop
Letting go and stopping the actions that may cause harm or problems
I don't know stop
Confusion about what to do, but still making an effort to stop
Is it right to
A question about ethical behavior, specifically related to relationships
Let you be the other girl and
A thought and decision to allow someone to be in a relationship with another person
It's in your mind stop
Recognizing that the issue may be in one's own mind and trying to let it go
We're doing fine stop
Reassurance that things are going well despite some possible doubts or concerns
And I won't stop
Determination to continue on this path and not give up
I never take it all for granted, oh
Appreciation for what is happening and not taking anything for granted
The sun in her eyes will do
The sun shining in someone's eyes can have an effect on them
You, you, I found myself because of you
Recognition of how someone has helped the artist find themselves
I never saw it coming and,
The realization that the impact of someone's presence wasn't expected
Sad but true
A simple acknowledgment of difficult circumstances
The sun in her eyes will
Again recognizing how the sun can impact someone
Atudutu yeah you
Repeating the expression of excitement or joy directed at someone
Atudutu yeah you and
Continuing the same expression of excitement or joy directed at someone
I should've known stop
Regret for not seeing something that should have been obvious
Gotta warn you
Believing that someone needs to be warned or made aware of something
It will not change the morning after
Actions now won't undo the consequences that come the next day
It ain't no crime stop
Trying to alleviate fears or concerns about actions taken
So take your time stop
Urging patience and not rushing into anything
Like I told you
Recalling previous advice given
I know it's true
Belief in what has been said or experienced
Atudutu yeah you
Again expressing joy or excitement towards someone
The sun in her eyes will do
Reiteration of the idea that the sun can impact someone
The sun in her eyes will
Repeating the idea about the effect of the sun on someone
The sun in her eyes will do
Repeating again how the sun can have an impact on someone
Contributed by Julian S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@user-vo5qq2wp8j
Незаслуженно забытая песня
@Tharrel
I remember in 2007, I was totally in love with her. I watched this video hundreds of times...
@TheHamadio
I love it ❤️❤️
@TheRowaboat
this video is really nicely put together...
@fhgghdreyu1945
She is amazing. Preety eyes
@paralelmind
I keep coming back for this music.. and video.
@joannaorlikowska7816
Me too. So many years.
@paralelmind
@Joanna Orlikowska same. it has some special vibes
@uhuhuhuhuhuh91
I still love this girl.