Heap grew up playing music from an early age, and by her eleventh birthday she was writing her own songs. From the age of 15, she studied at the BRIT School Of Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon, South London, recording three tracks for the school's annual CD between 1994 and 1995, "Aliens" being the title track of the latter.
After being introduced to Nik Kershaw by his manager Mickey Modern, Heap and Kershaw recorded four demos that Mickey Modern took to Rondor Music. Consequently, a few months later Heap signed her first record contract at 18 to independent record label Almo Sounds. During 1996, Heap began working with an experimental pop band called Acacia, which featured her future collaborator Guy Sigsworth and was fronted by the singer Alexander Nilere. While never a full member of the band, Heap was a guest vocalist (as a counterpart to Nilere) and contributed to various Acacia single and album tracks in 1997. One Acacia song, "Maddening Shroud", would later be covered by Frou Frou.
Heap enjoyed a prestigious live début, performing four songs (backed by friends Acacia) between sets by The Who and Eric Clapton at the 1996 Prince's Trust Concert in Hyde Park, London. Her début album, I Megaphone (an anagram of "Imogen Heap") was internationally released in 1998 on independent record label Almo Sounds and garnered critical acclaim. However, as production of the album neared completion, it was announced that the record label had been sold and would be shut down. I-Megaphone featured collaborations with Guy Sigsworth and Dave Stewart. In Japan, the regional distributor, Zora, re-released the album in 2002, featuring "Blanket," her collaboration with Urban Species which was released as a single in the United Kingdom, and a Frou Frou remix of one of her B-sides, a video to which was released exclusively to Japanese media. Following the disbanding of her UK and USA record label, I Megaphone was scarce in circulation, having not been re-printed until November 2006. An independent Brazillian record label has rights to the record, and has issued limited copies, some of which are available on eBay. It has also been released through the iTunes Music Store under the Almo label.
At the same time as the Japanese re-release, Heap was working on new tracks with producer Guy Sigsworth, who had collaborated on "Getting Scared" from I-Megaphone. Together, they formed an electro-pop group Frou Frou, releasing an album called "Details" and singles, "Breathe In", "It's Good To Be In Love" and "Must Be Dreaming." The album was a full collaboration between the two artists. Frou Frou were approached to cover "Holding Out for a Hero", originally performed by Bonnie Tyler, for the soundtrack to the highly successful movie Shrek 2. An album track, "Let Go", was featured in the movie Garden State in 2004.
In December 2003, Heap announced on her web site that she was going to write and produce her second solo album, using her site as an online blog to update fans on progress, even seeking them to be her A&R team for the lyrics to "Daylight Robbery". Heap set herself a deadline of one year to make the album (she booked the album mastering for December 2004), and re-mortgaged her flat to fund production costs, including the use of studio time and instruments (which she purchased as a birthday present to herself). Having been burned by previous challenges with record labels (Heap had been spurned twice by record companies, when Almo Sounds was sold and when Frou Frou's label staff focused on promoting other acts), Heap decided to form her own record label on which to release the new record. At the end of 2004, Heap premiered two album tracks online, enabling fans to pay for a digital download, entitled "Just For Now" (which was up for a limited time as a Christmas gift), and "Goodnight And Go", which had been featured on the second season of hit US TV drama The O.C.
In April 2005, The O.C. season two finale featured another track, the sparse vocodered-vocal track, "Hide And Seek". The track was released immediately to digital download services such as iTunes where it became an instant fixture in the chart. The track was released as a digital download on the 5th July 2005 in the UK and peaked at #8 on the iTunes download chart.
The album, entitled "Speak For Yourself" was then released in the UK on July 18th 2005 on her own record label, Megaphonic Records. The album was also released on iTunes UK, where it entered the top 10, selling strongly. "Hide And Seek" also received radio attention from the popular UK radio station BBC Radio One, with DJ Scott Mills featuring it as his "Record of the Week", and provoking strong reactions ("love it or hate it") from other DJs at the station. Due to popular demand, the track was commercially released on a special limited edition (1500 copies were printed) 7" vinyl in the UK in September. Speak For Yourself was licensed to Sony BMG imprint RCA Victor in August 2005, enabling the record to be released in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It was released in those territories in November, and Heap appeared on the Hotel Cafe Tour promoting the record. Imogen also performed "Goodnight And Go" on The Late Show with David Letterman on January 11, 2006. Heap is slated to continue touring in 2006 in the US and UK to support the record.
As well as TV soundtracks (Frou Frou and Heap's solo records have been featured in shows as varied as The O.C. to CSI, among others), Heap has also contributed solo tracks to movie soundtracks. Her cover of the song "Spooky" (made famous by the band Classics IV, and previously covered by Dusty Springfield) for the soundtrack to the Reese Witherspoon movie Just Like Heaven. Heap also wrote a special track entitled "Can't Take It In" for the soundtrack to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She has also appeared on the second soundtrack for the HBO television series "Six Feet Under", entitled "Six Feet Under Vol. 2: Everything Ends" with a 50-second track that closed the Season 4 episode "I'm A Lonely Little Petunia (In An Onion Patch)". Three versions were recorded and are available from Heap's official web site.
In addition to producing her own records, she has also produced a track for Nik Kershaw and has collaborated with artists as diverse as Joshua Radin, Jeff Beck, Temposhark, LHB, Way Out West, Jon Bon Jovi, Mich Gerber, Sean Lennon, Urban Species, Blue October, Jon Hopkins and Acacia.
Heap's 2009 album 'Ellipse' features Canvas, Aha! and Half Life.
Sites: Twitter
www.imogenheap.com
Hide And Seek
Imogen Heap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What the hell is going on?
The dust has only just begun to form
Crop circles in the carpet
Sinking, feeling
Spin me around again
And rub my eyes
This can't be happening
When busy streets
A mess with people
Would stop to hold their heads heavy
Hide and seek
Trains and sewing machines
All those years
They were here first
Oily marks appear on walls
Where pleasure moments hung before
The takeover
The sweeping insensitivity of this
Still life
Hide and seek
Trains and sewing machines
(You won't catch me around here)
Blood and tears
They were here first
Mm, what'd you say?
Mm, that you only meant well
Well of course you did
Mm, what'd you say?
Mm, that it's all for the best
Of course it is
Mm, what'd you say?
Mm, that it's just what we need
You decided this
Mm, what'd you say?
Mm, what did she say?
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cutouts
Speak no feeling, no, I don't believe you
You don't care a bit, you don't care a bit
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cutouts
Speak no feeling, no, I don't believe you
You don't care a bit, you don't care a bit
(You don't care a bit)
Oh, no, you don't care a bit
Oh, no, you don't care a bit
Uh-uh, you don't care a bit
You don't care a bit
You don't care a bit
Hide and Seek, a song by Imogen Heap, is a haunting yet captivating track that explores themes of confusion, chaos, and the loss of control. The opening lines of the song set the tone for the rest of the piece; "Where are we? What the hell is going on? The dust has only just begun to form." Heap seems to be describing a state of shock or disorientation, as if she is trying to make sense of her surroundings. The image of crop circles in the carpet is particularly intriguing, as if the very fabric of reality is being distorted in some way.
As the song progresses, the themes become more focused. The lines "Trains and sewing machines, all those years they were here first" seem to suggest a sense of inevitability or even doom, as if the world is hurtling forward towards some unknown fate that cannot be avoided. The idea of "blood and tears" being here first adds to this sense of foreboding, as if the history of the world is marred by violence and tragedy.
The final lines of the song, with their repeated "Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth" and "You don't care a bit," are particularly chilling. In this context, it seems as if Heap is describing someone who is trying to maintain control through deception, but ultimately failing. The repeated "Mm, what'd you say?" lines that bookend the track could be seen as a kind of commentary on how people use language to manipulate and deceive each other. Overall, the song is a masterpiece of atmospheric songwriting, full of thought-provoking imagery and emotion.
Line by Line Meaning
Where are we?
The singer is unsure of their current location or situation.
What the hell is going on?
The singer is frustrated and confused by their surroundings.
The dust has only just begun to form
A metaphor for the beginning stages of a new situation or circumstance.
Crop circles in the carpet
A metaphor for the strange and unexplainable things happening around the artist.
Sinking, feeling
The artist is overwhelmed and retreating inward.
Spin me around again
The singer desires a break from reality.
And rub my eyes
The singer is in disbelief of what is happening.
This can't be happening
The artist is struggling to accept their reality.
When busy streets, a mess with people, would stop to hold their heads heavy
A commentary on the hectic and overwhelming nature of modern life, with people feeling overburdened and exhausted.
Hide and seek
A metaphor for the game of life, where answers are often elusive and events seem to happen randomly.
Trains and sewing machines
A commentary on the cyclical and monotonous nature of life, with people moving from one routine to another.
All those years, they were here first
A reminder that human experience is not unique and that previous generations have faced similar problems and emotions.
Oily marks appear on walls where pleasure moments hung before
A metaphor for the way that negative events can leave lasting marks on people's lives.
The takeover
The idea that negative events or emotions can take over a person's life and become all-consuming.
The sweeping insensitivity of this
A commentary on the way that people can become immune to negative events and emotions over time.
Still life
A metaphor for feeling stuck or stagnant in a difficult situation.
(You won't catch me around here)
A statement of defiance against an unpleasant or difficult situation.
Blood and tears, they were here first
A reminder that human suffering is not new and that previous generations have faced similar problems and emotions.
Mm, what'd you say?
A sarcastic response to someone who is trying to justify or rationalize a situation.
Mm, that you only meant well
A commentary on the way that even well-intentioned people can cause harm or make mistakes.
Mm, what'd you say?
Repeated to emphasize the artist's skepticism or disbelief.
Mm, that it's all for the best
A commentary on the way that people can try to spin negative events to seem positive or beneficial.
Mm, what'd you say?
Repeated to emphasize the singer's skepticism or disbelief.
Mm, that it's just what we need
A critique of people who try to justify negative events as necessary or beneficial.
You decided this
A reminder that people have agency in their lives and can make choices that have both positive and negative consequences.
Mm, what'd you say?
Repeated to emphasize the singer's skepticism or disbelief.
Mm, what did she say?
A shift in focus towards another person's perspective on the same situation.
Ransom notes keep falling out your mouth
A metaphor for someone who is speaking insincerely or deceitfully.
Mid-sweet talk, newspaper word cutouts
A commentary on the way that people can use language to deceive or manipulate others.
Speak no feeling, no, I don't believe you
A critique of people who try to hide their true emotions or intentions.
You don't care a bit, you don't care a bit
An accusation that someone is apathetic towards the singer's problems or concerns.
Oh, no, you don't care a bit
Reiterated to emphasize the artist's frustration and disappointment.
Uh-uh, you don't care a bit
Reiterated to emphasize the artist's frustration and disappointment.
You don't care a bit
An accusation that someone is apathetic towards the artist's problems or concerns.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IMOGEN JENNIFER HEAP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind