Sign Your Name – Terence Trent D’Arby | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#4) & R&B (#2); 1988

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

For the first seven years of his life gospel was the only music Terrence Trent D’Arby was permitted to hear or sing, yet, he knew, just knew, that something else awaited him. That epiphany arrived in the form of a friend’s new 45 rpm record; I Want You Back by the Jackson 5. Years later Terence ended

up in the Army and in Germany where he began singing with a band called Touch. When his gig with Touch interfered too much with his one in the Army, the latter handed Terence his walking papers. After a few years, Terence landed in England and crashed the UK Top 10 in 1987 with If You Let Me Stay.

The follow-up, Wishing Well, became an international smash. Three months later Sign Your Name further cemented Terence’s reputation as the new sensation in music. Unfortunately, after Sign Your Name, D’Arby’s American career quickly lost momentum although he continued to chart in the UK until 1995.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

• Martyn Ware
• Terence Trent D’Arby
• Howard Gray

Lyrics Written by:

• Terence Trent D’Arby