Twist In My Sobriety

Album: Ancient Heart (1988)
Charted: 22
Play Video
  • Lyrics currently unavailable Writer/s: Tanita Tikaram
    Publisher: BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.

Comments: 5

  • Yoram from IsraelFred, it is indeed an English Horn in this song, whereas to my ears, in "I Got you Babe" it must be either an oboe or a bassoon. An E. H. is actually an enlarged/elongated oboe, and thus playing at the lower (alt-ish) tones. I would suggest Randy Crawford's "one Day I'll Fly Away", preceding Tikaram's "Twist" by some 7 years, as another striking example of the enchanting, infinitely-beautiful, pensive, expressive sound of this instrument. Within the realm of Classical Music, one of the best known E.H. parts carries the lead tune in the Largo (2nd) Part of Dvorak's Symphony #9 ("From the New World").
  • Szandra from CremonaMartin, I believe there could be some influence there... this is exactly why I came to visit this site. First, I listened to Diana's live playing of Temptation, then as it reminded me of something, I checked Tanita's song, and now I am reading your comment, just to find out, we took the same path landing on this page. By the way, today it is 2020.02.02.
  • Martin from WageningenToday I heard the song Temptation by Diana Krall (Original by Tom Waits(1987)). There are remarkable parallels between those two songs. Is Tanita influenced by this song?
  • Jorge from Lima, PeruIt's actually an oboe, played by musician Malcolm Messiter.
  • Fred from Laurel, MdThis song got a lot of play here in the States, too -- don't know how it charted, but its haunting tone was extremely contagious. I find it irresistible.
    Perhaps the best use of an English horn in a popular song -- although the only other one that comes to mind is, "I Got You, Babe," by Sonny & Cher (1965).
    [Someone please correct me if either of these is actually an oboe -- they sound so similar -- but the E.H. is more mellow.]
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Alice Cooper

Alice CooperFact or Fiction

How well do you know this shock-rock harbinger who's been publicly executed hundreds of times?

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-Nighters

Waiting For The Break of Day: Three Classic Songs About All-NightersSong Writing

These Three famous songs actually describe how they were written - late into the evening.

Famous Singers' First Films

Famous Singers' First FilmsSong Writing

A look at the good (Diana Ross, Eminem), the bad (Madonna, Bob Dylan) and the peculiar (David Bowie, Michael Jackson) film debuts of superstar singers.

Def Leppard Quiz

Def Leppard QuizMusic Quiz

Can you name Def Leppard's only #1 hit in America? Get rocked with this adrenalized quiz.

Steve Morse of Deep Purple

Steve Morse of Deep PurpleSongwriter Interviews

Deep Purple's guitarist since 1994, Steve talks about writing songs with the band and how he puts his own spin on "Smoke On The Water."

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."