Duncan Sheik
Establishing himself in the mid-'90s as a singer/songwriter with a knack fo… Read Full Bio ↴Establishing himself in the mid-'90s as a singer/songwriter with a knack for literate adult pop songs with hazy surfaces and a touch of alt-rock grit, Duncan Sheik had a Top 20 hit with the song "Barely Breathing" from his 1996 eponymous debut. He had three more albums land on the Billboard 200 by the end of the next decade, including his fourth full-length, 2002's Daylight. Featuring intricate production and multiple overdubs, it was co-produced with frequent Madonna collaborator Patrick Leonard. After scoring his first feature-length film, 2004's A Home at the End of the World, Sheik's career turned toward Broadway with the success of 2006's Spring Awakening, a hit rock musical. It won him the Tony for Best Original Score as well as a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album, both with lyricist Steven Sater. Sheik continued to juggle adult-alternative albums, film scores, and musical theater in the years to follow, issuing his eighth solo album, the ranging, over-hour-long Legerdemain, in 2015 and moving his musical American Psycho to Broadway in 2016. For that show, Sheik served as composer, lyricist, and orchestrator. Following off-Broadway excursions including 2019's The Secret Life of Bees, he issued the studio album Claptrap in 2022. It sought out a more positive state of mind.
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1969, Duncan Sheik grew up in South Carolina but spent many of his early years staying with his grandparents in New Jersey. Inspired to play the piano while there, he later switched to electric guitar and performed in bands throughout high school. A fan of musical theater from a young age, he also acted in school plays and attended the occasional Broadway show with his mother. While studying at Brown University, he played in a band with Lisa Loeb but began shopping his own demo tape soon after graduation. After moving to Los Angeles, he appeared with His Boy Elroy on a 1993 album for Epic, and spent several years writing songs before he signed a solo deal with Atlantic.
Atlantic released his debut album, the Rupert Hine-produced Duncan Sheik, in mid-1996, with the single "Barely Breathing" following later in the year. The song reached number 16 on the Hot 100, and after another single, "Reasons for Living," appeared on the soundtrack to the hit TV show ER in late 1996, the debut peaked at number 83 on the Billboard 200. Also produced with Hine, the follow-up, Humming, arrived on Atlantic in 1998 and reached number 163.
Nonesuch issued 2001's self-produced Phantom Moon, a more orchestral collaboration between Sheik and poet/playwright/lyricist Steven Sater, who provided its lyrics. It featured appearances by the London Session Orchestra and guitarist Bill Frisell. Though it failed to reach the Billboard 200, Sheik returned to the chart with his fourth album, 2002's Daylight, which reached number 110. It would be his final release with Atlantic. In 2002, Sheik also composed music for a New York Shakespeare Festival's production of Twelfth Night.
Continuing to split his focus between songwriting and composition, Sheik wrote the film score for the 2004 romantic drama A Home at the End of the World as well as music for the 2005 documentary Through the Fire. He offered up his fifth studio LP, While Limousine, on the Zoë label in 2006. Its insightful lyrics didn't shy away from sociopolitical territory. In the meantime, he had collaborated with Sater on a rock musical based on the 19th century German play Spring Awakening, a story concerned with teenaged sexuality. With a book and lyrics by Sater and music by Sheik, Spring Awakening opened off-Broadway in May 2006 before moving to Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre in December of that year. The show ran for over two years and took home eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. The Decca-issued cast album won a Grammy for Sheik and Sater.
Sheik composed the scores for projects including the Mary Stuart Masterson-directed film The Cake Eaters (2007) and the animated TV movie Little Spirit: Christmas in New York (2008) before presenting his next pop album, 2009's Whisper House. Featuring several duets with Holly Brook (Skylar Grey), the RCA Victor release spent a week at the number 181 spot on the Billboard 200. He scored the movie dramas Dare (2009) and Harvest (2010), then returned in 2011 with the covers album Covers 80s, which included backing vocals by Rachael Yamagata and Brook. Covers 80s Remixed appeared in 2012.
Next up for Sheik was a musical adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho featuring a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and music, lyrics, and orchestrations all by Sheik. It opened in London in 2013. He released another solo album, a song cycle titled Legerdemain (2015), and premiered the musical thriller Noir (2015) at Vassar College before American Psycho had its Broadway premiere in March 2016. The original London cast recording arrived on Concord Records the same month. Based on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, another Sheik-Sater musical collaboration, Alice by Heart, opened off-Broadway in early 2019. The original cast recording was released by Ghostlight later in the year. 2019 also saw the off-Broadway opening of the musical The Secret Life of Bees, featuring music by Sheik and lyrics by Tony nominee Susan Birkenhead (Working, Jelly's Last Jam).
His first concert album, Live at the Cafe Carlyle, followed on Sneaky Studios/Missing Piece in late 2020. Compiled from a week of shows in October 2017, its set list spanned "Barely Breathing," songs from Spring Awakening, and previously unreleased covers of Radiohead and Tom Petty. An HBO documentary about the 15th anniversary concert of the hit musical, Spring Awakening: Those You've Known, premiered in May 2022 and was followed in June by Claptrap, Sheik's first solo studio album in seven years. It arrived on the New York-based Antifragile Music label.
Biography by Marcy Donelson
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1969, Duncan Sheik grew up in South Carolina but spent many of his early years staying with his grandparents in New Jersey. Inspired to play the piano while there, he later switched to electric guitar and performed in bands throughout high school. A fan of musical theater from a young age, he also acted in school plays and attended the occasional Broadway show with his mother. While studying at Brown University, he played in a band with Lisa Loeb but began shopping his own demo tape soon after graduation. After moving to Los Angeles, he appeared with His Boy Elroy on a 1993 album for Epic, and spent several years writing songs before he signed a solo deal with Atlantic.
Atlantic released his debut album, the Rupert Hine-produced Duncan Sheik, in mid-1996, with the single "Barely Breathing" following later in the year. The song reached number 16 on the Hot 100, and after another single, "Reasons for Living," appeared on the soundtrack to the hit TV show ER in late 1996, the debut peaked at number 83 on the Billboard 200. Also produced with Hine, the follow-up, Humming, arrived on Atlantic in 1998 and reached number 163.
Nonesuch issued 2001's self-produced Phantom Moon, a more orchestral collaboration between Sheik and poet/playwright/lyricist Steven Sater, who provided its lyrics. It featured appearances by the London Session Orchestra and guitarist Bill Frisell. Though it failed to reach the Billboard 200, Sheik returned to the chart with his fourth album, 2002's Daylight, which reached number 110. It would be his final release with Atlantic. In 2002, Sheik also composed music for a New York Shakespeare Festival's production of Twelfth Night.
Continuing to split his focus between songwriting and composition, Sheik wrote the film score for the 2004 romantic drama A Home at the End of the World as well as music for the 2005 documentary Through the Fire. He offered up his fifth studio LP, While Limousine, on the Zoë label in 2006. Its insightful lyrics didn't shy away from sociopolitical territory. In the meantime, he had collaborated with Sater on a rock musical based on the 19th century German play Spring Awakening, a story concerned with teenaged sexuality. With a book and lyrics by Sater and music by Sheik, Spring Awakening opened off-Broadway in May 2006 before moving to Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre in December of that year. The show ran for over two years and took home eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. The Decca-issued cast album won a Grammy for Sheik and Sater.
Sheik composed the scores for projects including the Mary Stuart Masterson-directed film The Cake Eaters (2007) and the animated TV movie Little Spirit: Christmas in New York (2008) before presenting his next pop album, 2009's Whisper House. Featuring several duets with Holly Brook (Skylar Grey), the RCA Victor release spent a week at the number 181 spot on the Billboard 200. He scored the movie dramas Dare (2009) and Harvest (2010), then returned in 2011 with the covers album Covers 80s, which included backing vocals by Rachael Yamagata and Brook. Covers 80s Remixed appeared in 2012.
Next up for Sheik was a musical adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho featuring a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and music, lyrics, and orchestrations all by Sheik. It opened in London in 2013. He released another solo album, a song cycle titled Legerdemain (2015), and premiered the musical thriller Noir (2015) at Vassar College before American Psycho had its Broadway premiere in March 2016. The original London cast recording arrived on Concord Records the same month. Based on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, another Sheik-Sater musical collaboration, Alice by Heart, opened off-Broadway in early 2019. The original cast recording was released by Ghostlight later in the year. 2019 also saw the off-Broadway opening of the musical The Secret Life of Bees, featuring music by Sheik and lyrics by Tony nominee Susan Birkenhead (Working, Jelly's Last Jam).
His first concert album, Live at the Cafe Carlyle, followed on Sneaky Studios/Missing Piece in late 2020. Compiled from a week of shows in October 2017, its set list spanned "Barely Breathing," songs from Spring Awakening, and previously unreleased covers of Radiohead and Tom Petty. An HBO documentary about the 15th anniversary concert of the hit musical, Spring Awakening: Those You've Known, premiered in May 2022 and was followed in June by Claptrap, Sheik's first solo studio album in seven years. It arrived on the New York-based Antifragile Music label.
Biography by Marcy Donelson
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Duncan Sheik Lyrics
02 The Dawn's Request If I crack up Lose my head Try to hide beneath my…
04. ON HER MIND She's wearing the tee-shirt Of a band I really like Maybe …
05. Such Reveries You and I in the room with the balcony You lie…
08 a body goes down Once in a while A man comes along Even his failures were…
09 I Don't Believe In You Life is like a sinking ship And you are at the…
A Body Goes Down Once in a while A man comes along Even his failures were…
A Mirror in the Heart There is a swan-white curtain Somewhere within the sky It'…
Alibi Did you come down to give me Or take me away I…
All That's Known Hit the town, still dressing down Looking for some action …
And Now We Sing And now we'll sing of drowning things No wondering what mig…
And Then There Were None Frau Gabor Dear Herr Stiefel...Moritz, I've spent…
Barely Breathing I know what you're doing, I see it all too…
Barely_Breathing I know what you're doing I see it all too clear I…
Better to Be Dead I present to you a story Set upon a northern shore The…
Beyond the Sea Somewhere beyond the sea Somewhere waiting for me My lover…
Bite Your Tongue Such an annoying conversation I'm sorry but I'm tired of try…
Bite_your_Tounge Such an annoying conversation I'm sorry but I'm tired of tr…
Cards Holly shit Magnificent Impressive So thick, yet so light The…
Chimera Born Scorpio boy Chased by storms Always safe Rush out of b…
Days Go By I know it's not fashionable To be this hopeful, well laugh…
Don Here and there Haunting my closets and drawers My evermore…
Don't Do Sadness / Blue Wind Awful sweet to be a little butterfly Just swinging over thi…
Don't You Want Me You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar When…
Earthbound Starlight What are you looking at, what do you see? Is it…
Embraceable You Embrace me, my sweet embraceable you! Embrace me, you irrep…
End Of Outside Should I say I'm sorry, for what I'm going to…
Everyone Everywhere Faded longing Tired of wanting Can't explain the fear that…
Fake Plastic Trees Green plastic watering can In the fake plastic earth She b…
Fantastic Toys and Corduroys One day maybe When I grow up A son you will have…
Far Away If, again, you wander If, too soon again, you wander Far awa…
For You For you I want to sing a happier song For you…
Foreshadowing Maybe I'll just whisper Neither humble neither proud Listen…
Frightened Soul Frightened soul Quiet soul Let the night be with you when …
Genius Clearly I'm a genius If she only knew it But somewhere in…
Gentlemen Take Polaroids Oh I've just come From the land of the sun From a…
Good Morning! I awake to find the devil Sitting near my bed We have…
Half Life I'm awake in the afternoon I fell asleep in the living…
Half Life Live Acoustic I'm awake in the afternoon I fell asleep in the living…
Half-Life I'm awake in the afternoon I fell asleep in the living…
Hey Casanova Hey Casanova You don't look too good But I know times are…
Hold Me Now Well, I have a picture Pinned to my wall An image of…
Home Don't get me wrong, I'm feeling O.K. But when I'm without…
House Full Of Riches Had a house full of riches Threw it all away I'm not…
How It Feels Wind so restless, yearning breathless Sons and daughters som…
Hymn All the storms and oceans All the sheltering sky All this ea…
I Believe Life is like a sinking ship And you are at the…
I Don't Believe in Ghosts Here and there Haunting my closets and drawers My evermore …
I Don't Believe in You Life is like a sinking ship And you are at the…
I Dont Believe In Ghosts Here and there Haunting my closets and drawers My evermore …
I Wouldn't Mind I wouldn't mind If every day Was like the day I had just…
In Between Hold the light up to me Get underneath my skin…
In the Absence of Sun For all the good you say it does It feels no…
In the Absence of the Sun For all the good you say it does It feels no…
It's Better To Be Dead I present to you a story Set upon a northern shore The…
Killing Time 2.0 This can't go on forever, there's something wrong Feels like…
Kyoto Song Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things…
Land I leave town Take a ride Maybe see the country-side All g…
Life's What You Make It Now there's a girl about town I'd like to know I'd…
Little Hands Some sweet perversion On the telephone line I've been wait…
Lo and Behold Simeon, he was a man Held his heart out in his…
Longing Town Oh so cold Evening grey consumed in dark No more day to…
Lost On The Moon Here the world is desert gray Never do I see the…
Love Vigilantes Come with me Into the trees We'll lay on the grass And le…
Magazines You see them everywhere You know those magazines Yeah, I've …
Mama Who Bore Me Mamma who bore me Mamma who gave me No way to handle…
Mama Who Bore Me (reprise) WENDLA Mamma who bore me Mamma who gave me No way to handle…
Memento I'm threading through the evening It's later than I thought …
Mouth on Fire And there, the bones do sleep And there the soul is…
Mr. Chess So good to meet you, Mr. Chess I've always heard that…
My Junk In the midst of this nothing, this miss of a…
Nichiren He beat the drum and lit the fires He sent the…
Nothing Fades Turning the wheel to emptiness There when you breathe Your f…
Nothing Special You play guitar for perfect strangers You write some words …
November The past we seek Some certainly The seasons we remember The …
Now or Never Could I change the way you feel Could I make you…
On A High I'm on a high, I'm on a high There's nothing more…
On A High Gabriel And Dresden Love Form Humboldt Vocal Remix I'm on a high, I'm on a high There's nothing more…
On Her Mind She's wearing the tee-shirt Of a band I really like Maybe …
Out of Order I hear what you're sayin', I may seem out of…
Play Your Part Here are your lines, Now stick to the page Like the wise…
Reasons For Living Everyone's looking, everyone hides Everyone's telling everyo…
Requiescat And there was gone, and there was evermore And there was…
Rubbed Out She justified it then She may well justify forever She…
Sad Stephen's Song And there were mermaids, weren't there Sweet silver mermaids…
Serena So what, life's tough You should get over yourself Like…
She Runs Away You may not see the end of it But luckily she…
Shine Inside Are you aware when you just stare For hours into the…
Shine Inside / Chimera Are you aware when you just stare For hours into the…
Shopping So you wrote me a letter which I thought was…
Shout I have a picture pinned to my wall An image of…
So Alive I don't know what color your eyes are, baby But your…
So Gone How many times on this marry-go-round Over and over again Up…
Something Happening Here So we can talk and talk and talk about it How…
Something Somewhere Still, you're near Still, you call The fears and sighs, I he…
Star-field on Red Lines Playground Home-land A countryside to save Blue skies Air-s…
Start Again Peace has lost its meaning Now we've hit the ceiling All is…
Stay The rain falls hard on a humdrum town this town has…
Stripped I love you whether or not you love me I love…
Such Reveries You and I in the room with the balcony You lie…
Take A Bow Lieutenant Brando, brave commando We hardly know you, you're…
That Says It All Hit the town, still dressing down Looking for some action Mr…
The Bitch of Living MORITZ God, I dreamed there was an angel who could hear…
The Dark I Know Well Martha There is a part I can't tell About the dark…
The Dawn's Request If I crack up Lose my head Try to hide beneath my…
The End of Outside Should I say I'm sorry, for what I'm going to…
The End of The Outside Should I say I'm sorry For what I'm going to say I…
The Ghost In You A man in my shoes runs a liar All the papers…
The Guilty Ones WENDLA Something's started crazy - Sweet and unknown Someth…
The Mirror-Blue Night Flip on a switch and everything's fine No more lips, no…
The Song Of Purple Summer ILSE And all shall fade The flowers of spring The world a…
The Tale of Solomon Snell Listen if you will, I have a tale to tell. Of…
The Wilderness The word is told, now The word is said The word is…
The Wilderness (Prelude) The world is told, now The word is said The word is…
The Winds That Blow All the shadows blue In the winter moon Stars within the dar…
The Word Of Your Body WENDLA Just too unreal, all this Watching the words fall f…
There Once Was A Pirate There once was a pirate Who put out to sea His mates…
There's No Telling I′m not gonna sugarcoat it I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, no B…
This Is How My Heart Heard This is how my heart heard That little thing in tears…
This Is Not An Exit Maybe this schism is just a symptom Of late capitalism A sav…
Time and Good Fortune Drifter, what about her conversation? Drifter, how about an …
Touch Me No longer will I do all the things That I used…
True Faith Well, that was some performance you gave at the Albert's…
Varying Degrees of Con Artistry Promised cures for every man Snake oil and circuses You ca…
View From The Other Side You thought it was a good thing Were you fooled…
View From The Otherside You thought it was a good thing Were you fooled…
We're Here To Tell You Indeed there's such a thing as ghosts More to cause you…
What Is Love A nightmare of you Of death in the pool Wakes me up…
White Limousine I guess they think it's what we want A smooth and…
William It Was Really Nothing Baby, Life's what you make it Can't escape it Baby, Yesterd…
Wishful Thinking Listen to the waves, Everything communicates Will it ever be…
You've Really Gone and Done It Now You've really gone and done it now, You've hit the lowest…