You Take My Breath Away

Song Meaning

Sarah Brightman's "You Take My Breath Away" isn't your typical love song; it's a mystical experience, a journey into the transcendent. The song, featuring vocals by Asha Bhosle, opens with a Hindi phrase that translates to "What is a heart? Take my life," immediately signaling a willingness to surrender to something greater. Brightman's lyrics then transport us to a landscape both spiritual and sensual, referencing holy men from Sanchi and martyrs' cries amidst fields of red. These images, combined with the mention of a "strange brew," suggest a deliberate alteration of consciousness, a quest for enlightenment or perhaps ecstatic union. The "Diwali moon" adds a layer of cultural richness, evoking the festival of lights and its themes of spiritual victory and illumination. The repeated refrain, "You take my breath away," then transcends simple romantic infatuation. The power dynamic at play in "You Take My Breath Away" is not one of simple romance, but more of willing submission to a higher power, which may be interpreted as the divine, a powerful love, or even a drug-induced state. The lyrics "The deeper I go, the higher I fly with you" underscore this paradoxical feeling of losing oneself in order to ascend. The breathlessness becomes a metaphor for awe, wonder, and the feeling of being completely overwhelmed by something immense and transformative. It's a loss of control that is simultaneously frightening and exhilarating. The inclusion of Asha Bhosle's vocals and instrumentation adds a layer of depth and complexity to the song's meaning. The blending of Eastern and Western musical traditions mirrors the song's thematic exploration of spiritual and emotional extremes. The instrumental break, filled with evocative vocalizations and rhythmic patterns, further enhances the sense of altered consciousness and mystical experience. The addition of Chris Thompson in later choruses, echoing and harmonizing, brings a grounded, human element back into the song, providing a counterpoint to the ethereal quality of Brightman and Bhosle. Ultimately, "You Take My Breath Away" is a song about surrendering to the overwhelming power of love, spirituality, or altered states of consciousness, and finding transcendence in that surrender.