Thursday 18 November 2010

Katie Waissel - Ray of Light

Long, long ago (well, four years), The X Factor finalist Katie Waissel had dark hair and a different surname. The moniker Katie Vogel was an homage to her grandfather, one of Katie's inspirations from an early age but who passed away when she was still very young. Perhaps it's fitting that her childhood inspiration provided the name under which she released 2006's Ray of Light, which was adopted by BullyingUK as its anthem for the year.

It's a strange thing, too, that four years later Katie is a perfect example of the undeserved hatred directed at people. Twitter (or, at least, fans of The X Factor who are on there) is genuinely divided into Waissel Warriors and Vogel Villifiers. It's real hatred, too - there have been death threats. To paraphrase one tweet, "We're not bullying you - we'll stop as soon as you quit the show." Anyway, that's a different matter...

How does it go?

*UPDATE: Quite a few of you have been searching for the full lyrics to Ray of Light, so we've added them below*

Ray of Light is actually pretty good, if it's true that Katie wrote it herself and sent it in to BullyingUK as a suggested anthem. The truth probably isn't quite as simple as that, but the song is still a good one. It's got a very mid-2000s guitar track which hasn't dated just yet, and Katie sounds... well, happy. It's optimistic and anthemic, rather than the emotionally charged and often confrontational performances she gives when fighting for her place on The X Factor. If it's a symbol of what a Katie Waissel album would be like, then it's a good one.

Can I sing along?

Well sure - it's a catchy tune and really quite uplifting. It's not hard to learn, either - here's a heads-up on the lyrics to the chorus to get you started:

Pick your head up and smile
'Cause everything'll be all right
Behind every dark cloud
There is a ray of light
Though it's hazy now you'll see
That the sun will one day shine on you and me

How can I hear it?

At the time of writing, you can get Ray of Light for free, legitimately, at the BullyingUK website, as well as finding out more about the story behind the song.

Of course, Katie's X Factor performances are also available on iTunes - thanks to all the sing-offs, there's quite a few of them. Click the button below to head to her artist page.

iTunes

Full Lyrics

La la la la
La la la la

La la la la
La la la la

Don't hide yourself behind your shadow
That's what I say when I'm in trouble, oh no
'Cause I cried and I cried and I cried and I cried
Like a little girl
It will be all right, all right, all right, 'cause I'm on top of the world
So, so, so, so

Pick your head up and smile
Everything'll be all right
Behind every dark cloud
There is a ray of light
Though it's hazy now, you'll see
That the sun will one day shine on you and me

La la la la
La la la la
La la la la

Been along that road so many times
Still I've come out feeling mighty fine
'Cause I tried and I tried and I tried and I tried
And succeeded too
You can do the same, the same, the same
If you wanted to
So, so, so, so

Pick your head up and smile
Everything'll be all right
Behind every dark cloud
There is a ray of light
Though it's hazy now, you'll see
That the sun will one day shine on you and me

Wipe that tear from your eye
Just wanna see you smile
No need to cry no more
This is what we're fighting for

Pick your head up and smile
Everything'll be all right
Behind every dark cloud
There is a ray of light
Though it's hazy now, you'll see
That the sun will one day shine
The sun will one day shine
That the sun will one day shine
On you and me

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