In 2019, she broke the Australian record for the most weeks at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart by any artist with 16 weeks. By mid-January 2020, "Dance Monkey" had spent its 24th and final week at number one, beating Bing Crosby's all-time Australian record for his version of "White Christmas", which spent 22 weeks at the top in 1943.
"Dance Monkey" was accredited 16× platinum by ARIA for shipments of over 1,120,000 units, by mid-2021. Tones was the most awarded artist at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, winning four of eight nominations. Tones and I released her debut extended play, The Kids Are Coming, on 30 August 2019, which peaked at number three in Australia, and top 10 in several countries. Her debut album, Welcome to the Madhouse, was released via Bad Batch on 16 July 2021. It debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album's lead single "Fly Away" peaked at number four in Australia and number 11 in the UK.
Toni Watson grew up in Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula to the south of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria. Conflicting reports state she was born either in 1993 or in 2000. The artist prefers not to disclose her birth details, "I never denied my age. I never lied about it. I just don't say anything now... Everything is wrong online."
She explained choosing a music career: "One day I was at the park with my family, all my cousins and stuff, in Frankston... We were all just singing a song and my aunty was like 'oh guys, she can actually hold a note.' I think that's the earliest memory of someone actually pointing me out as someone that has an ability to sing. I was probably like 7 years old." The singer-songwriter had learned to play keyboards and drum pads while at secondary school.She started busking in Melbourne, while working in fashion retail at the Universal Store.
In 2009, as Toni Watson, she created a YouTube page and posted a cappella cover versions of songs. She performed local gigs and festivals, including the Let Go festival. Tones was the vocalist for a duo in 2014, and remembered: "I started out singing in small pubs and bars in Mornington, I was singing along to a guitarist until I ended up branching out on my own." She explained her shift to a solo career: "I actually got made redundant from my retail job and with that money I bought an RC300 (loop station) and just started to try to figure it all out." She busked "up and down the east coast with her synthesizers and loop pedal, she has been building a loyal fanbase and captivating crowds with her genre-diverse style."
In September 2017, the singer-songwriter travelled to Byron Bay in the Australian state of New South Wales to try busking there. At an early performance, she met Jackson Walkden-Brown who became her manager about a month later. Her busking success led to a greater commitment to a music career. The artist spent 2018 living between Walkden-Brown's home in the Gold Coast hinterland and in her van in Byron Bay, writing music and busking full-time. Later that year she won the Battle of the Buskers at Buskers by the Creek.
Groove Is in the Heart
Tones And I Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
He kept a bar called the Horses and Tram
"My parents were Irish
They loved that dear land" the cockney
He smiled and he shook my old hand
"My heart is in Ireland it's
There I long to be
Though born here in this land
My heart is in Ireland
The land of the old folk is calling to me"
Near a coal mine in Wales, by a roadside café
A young girl came smiling and to me did say
"Well, my folks are from Ireland me dad
He hopes one day when he leaves the mines
Sure we'll go back to stay"
"My heart is in Ireland it's
There I long to be
Her hills and her valleys are calling to me
Though born here in this land
My heart is in Ireland
The land of the old folk is calling to me"
Then I went through the Midlands
Through each city and town
I found there were Irish in
Each place I roamed
And I drank and I sang in
A pub they call the Crown
With the Birmingham Irish
We sang songs of home
"My heart is in Ireland it's
There I long to be
Her hills and her valleys are calling to me
Though born here in this land
My heart is in Ireland
The land of the old folks is calling to me"
Then I went north to Scotland
To Glasgow on the Clyde
I met with some young lads
Said "Celtic's our side
All our folks are from Ireland
The island of the green a country we love
But a place we've not seen"
"My heart is in Ireland it's
There I long to be
Her hills and her valleys are calling to me
Though born here in this land
My heart is in Ireland
The land of the old folks is calling to me"
The lyrics to Tones And I's song "Groove Is in the Heart" tell a deeply nostalgic tale of longing for Ireland that is shared by individuals from different corners of the UK. The song follows a narrator who encounters people with strong ties to Ireland, showcasing their deep emotional connection to their ancestral homeland. The first verse describes a meeting with an old man in the East End of London who fondly reminisces about his Irish heritage. Despite being born in England, his heart yearns for the rolling hills and valleys of Ireland, a sentiment echoed by many others in the song.
The narrative then shifts to Wales, where a young girl working near a coal mine shares her family's aspiration to one day return to Ireland. This theme of generational longing and attachment to Irish roots continues as the singer travels through the Midlands, discovering Irish communities in every city and town visited. The scene at the Crown pub in Birmingham captures a moment of unity and shared cultural heritage as the Birmingham Irish come together to sing songs of their homeland.
The journey then takes the singer to Scotland, specifically Glasgow, where a group of young lads proudly declare their allegiance to Celtic Football Club and express their deep affinity for Ireland, despite never having set foot on its shores. Through these encounters, the song emphasizes the enduring connection to Ireland felt by those whose families have roots in the country, even if they themselves were born and raised elsewhere. The repeated refrain of "My heart is in Ireland" underscores the universal sentiment of homesickness and belonging that transcends borders and geographical distances.
In conclusion, "Groove Is in the Heart" by Tones And I beautifully captures the shared nostalgia and longing for Ireland that unites individuals across the UK. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a diverse range of characters who all share a common bond of heritage and a deep emotional attachment to the land of their ancestors. Through these encounters, the song highlights the enduring power of cultural identity and the timeless pull of homeland, weaving a poignant and heartfelt narrative of belonging and connection that resonates deeply with listeners.
Lyrics © BARDIS MUSIC, USA ATTN: PETER BARDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@RedBloom45
This is one of my all time favorites!!! I've lost all my family -- I've been SAD..... and this song comes on?? I am happy and dancing!! Love you Deee Lite!!! You and this song are beautiful! xxoo
@marquiessimmons4508
I believe this song would still be a hit if it came out today
@jeffreyp1565
U betcha!
@leehunter1246
Marquies Simmons I bet your right.
@zacharycrowe9513
y P
@zacharycrowe9513
+ Hunter ,
@rmacdlol
Or today.
@BiGGCaiN24
This takes me back to when I was a kid watching MTV in the early 90s
@shwndhh
I simply can not get enough of this song. Even after all these years. You spin me by Dead or alive same thing.
@enmaxus
This was the beginning of the whole 1970's fashion vibe that dominated the 1990's. Use to love dancing to this song back in my club days. Good memories.