Grinspoon changed their sound to more mainstream rock by their 2002 album, New Detention, gaining fans and peaking at No. 2 on the ARIA Albums Charts; similarly 2007's Alibis & Other Lies also reached No. 2. Their 2004 album, Thrills, Kills & Sunday Pills, which peaked at No. 4, won the 2005 'Best Rock Album Award' at the ARIA Music Awards.
The band was signed to Universal Records in United States by late 1998, they were promoted by the songs "Champion", which featured in Gran Turismo 3; "Post Enebriated Anxiety", which was on the international version of Guide to Better Living; "Chemical Heart", via the internet; and a cover of the Prong song "Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck", from Grinspoon's Pushing Buttons EP, which was included on ECW: Extreme Music.
On 4 December 2013, they announced that they were going on an indefinite hiatus to pursue individual projects.
Chemical Heart
Grinspoon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Look for a ride and you need to get high my friend
Spend all your time just walkin around instead
Like black rose there's somebody to hold for them
For them
Let's
Go outside have nothin to hide for free
Can't seem to see the forest from the trees
Grass is always greener but how do ya know we'll see
We'll see
Can't get started chemical heart
Every time I get started you pull me apart
Can't get started chemical heart
Every time I get started you pull me apart
Forgotten
Maybe things are right on the other side undone
Better of wishin for the stars to kill the sun
Like black rose if nobody can hold no one
No one
Can't get started chemical heart
Every time I get started you pull me apart
Can't get started chemical heart
Every time I get started you pull me apart
Yeah
When
Look for a ride and you need to get high my friends
Spend all ya time just walkin around instead
Like stack road there's somebody to hold for them
For them
Can't get started chemical heart
Every time I get started you pull me apart
Can't get started chemical heart
Every time I get started you pull me apart
Yeah
Can't get started
Chemical heart
Everytime I get started
You pull me apart
Can't get started
Chemical heart
Everytime I get started
You pull me apart
The song Chemical Heart by Grinspoon speaks of the struggles of drug addiction and the inability to break free from it. The lyrics talk about the need for a high and finding someone to hold onto amidst the chaos caused by addiction. The lines "Like a black rose, there's somebody to hold for them" and "Like Stack Road, there's somebody to hold for them" suggest that even in the darkest of places, there is someone who can make things bearable.
However, the singer also explains the difficulty in overcoming this chemical addiction. The repeated line "Can't get started chemical heart, every time I get started you pull me apart" highlights the cycle of addiction where one is unable to break free and every time they try, they are pulled back into it. The lyrics "Grass is always greener but how do ya know we'll see" suggests that the grass may not always be greener on the other side, and one should be cautious and not take impulsive decisions.
Overall, the lyrics of Chemical Heart by Grinspoon convey the distressing nature of addiction, which plagues not only the addict but also those around them. With its raw and honest portrayal, the song leaves a powerful impact and tries to convey the message that addiction is not worth the price one has to pay.
Line by Line Meaning
When
Whenever
Look for a ride and you need to get high my friend
When you seek a way to experience euphoria, my friend
Spend all your time just walkin around instead
Investing all your time in aimless wandering, instead of making a purposeful journey
Like black rose there's somebody to hold for them
Those who possess a rare beauty too are yearning for love and support like everyone else
For them
For those individuals
Let's
Let us
Go outside have nothin to hide for free
Step into the open with no secrets, no charges and for no cost
Can't seem to see the forest from the trees
The bigger picture is not clear from being mired in the details
Grass is always greener but how do ya know we'll see
One might assume better opportunities exist elsewhere, yet it is uncertain if that holds true
We'll see
We shall find out
Can't get started chemical heart
Being unable to commence due to being under the influence of emotions
Every time I get started you pull me apart
Every effort to begin comes undone thanks to your actions
Forgotten
Intentionally disregarded or misplaced
Maybe things are right on the other side undone
If one were to finish off the unfinished, there might be fulfillment waiting upon completion
Better of wishin for the stars to kill the sun
Dreaming of the impossible is more sensible than seeking an answer that does not exist
Like black rose if nobody can hold no one
Without a person to depend, even the rare and extraordinary would be as mundane
No one
None
Yeah
Expression of agreement or affirmation
Can't get started
Cannot begin
Chemical heart
Emotions functioning like a drug
Everytime I get started
Each time an attempt is made to start
You pull me apart
The other person breaks the attempt to commence by ripping it apart
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: PAT DAVERN, PHIL JAMIESON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind