Her first single, "Torn", reached number 2 in the UK charts and became the most played song on the radio in 1998. "Torn" is originally written by Anne Preven, Scott Cutler and Phil Thornalley. In 1995, "Torn" was recorded by Preven's and Cutler's band Ednaswap, although the band would record several more versions prior and following Imbruglia's hit recording. The first released version of "Torn", though, was a 1993 version by Danish singer Lis Sørensen, entitled "Braendt". Norwegian singer Trine Rein had a hit with an English language version of "Torn" in her home country, a year prior to Imbruglia's million selling single. Co-writer Phil Thornalley was involved in all of these versions and eventually offered the song to Natalie Imbruglia, whose album he produced. Imbruglia initially declined recording the song, stating she didn't want to do a cover. Ironically, "Torn" did not only become her biggest hit, it also became her signature song.
Following "Torn", Natalie's debut album "Left of the Middle", released on November 1997, became a million seller. Further singles ("Big Mistake", "Wishing I Was There", and "Smoke"), again proved to be hits in terms of radio and video airplay, but had a less than stellar chart run compared to "Torn".
In a 1999 cooperation with singer Tom Jones, she appeared on his duet album "Reload", on which the pair teamed up for a cover of INXS' ""Never Tear Us Apart".
Imbruglia's sophomore album, "White Lilies Island", was released in November 2001, although it met with significantly less success than its precursor. It did spawn the UK hit singles "That Day", "Wrong Impression" and "Beauty On The Fire".
She returned to acting in 2002 with a supporting role in British spy spoof Johnny English, playing alongside Rowan Atkinson. Natalie married her long-time boyfriend Daniel Johns, lead singer of Silverchair, on 31 December 2003.
In April 2005, Imbruglia released her third studio album "Counting Down The Days" in UK, which in its first week of sales hit number one on the album charts. The first single from this album "Shiver" became her longest running single on the UK charts since her debut "Torn" and also topped the UK Airplay charts for several weeks. The second single, the title track "Counting Down The Days", was released on 25 July 2005 and although it did not have as much success in the singles chart as "Shiver" it reignited interest in its parent album.
After "Counting Down the Days", Natalie switched labels and released in a greatest hits "Glorious: The Singles 97-07", which included five new tracks and was promoted by the single "Glorious".
Natalie's fourth studio album "Come to Life" was released on October 2009 in Europe, preceded by the music video of "Wild About It". The first official single issued on 28 September 2009, was "Want", a song written by Natalie Imbruglia, Daniel Johns (credited Kat Kourtney), Gary Clark and Chris Martin. The next single "Scars" was sent to radio in the UK on 22 March 2010; however, due to any support from radio networks, the single release was cancelled.
Appearances on other albums:
"Troubled by the Way We Came Together" on Go! O.S.T. (1999)
"Never Tear Us Apart" with Tom Jones on Reload (1999)
"Identify" on Stigmata O.S.T (1999)
"Cold Air" on Y Tu Mama Tambien (And Your Mother Too) O.S.T. (2001)
"Wrong Impression" (Radio Remix) on Mr. Deed O.S.T. (2002)
"Pineapple Head" on She Will Have Her Way (2005)
"All The Magic" on Winx Club O.S.T. (2007)
Torn
Natalie Imbruglia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was warm, he came around like he was dignified
He showed me what it was to cry
Well, you couldn't be that man I adored
You don't seem to know, or seem to care what your heart is for
But I don't know him anymore
There's nothin' where he used to lie
The conversation has run dry
That's what's goin' on
Nothing's fine, I'm torn
I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
You're a little late
I'm already torn
So I guess the fortune teller's right
Should've seen just what was there and not some holy light
But you crawled beneath my veins and now
I don't care, I had no luck
I don't miss it all that much
There's just so many things
That I can touch, I'm torn
I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
You're a little late
I'm already torn
Torn
There's nothing where he used to lie
My inspiration has run dry
And that's what's goin' on
Nothing's right, I'm torn
I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I'm ashamed
Bound and broken on the floor
You're a little late
I'm already torn
Torn
Oh
Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" is a song that depicts a sense of loss and heartbreak. The opening lines introduce the singer's perception of a man being "brought to life", as he exudes an air of warmth and dignity. This man is later revealed to be the singer's ex-partner, who had shown her what it meant to cry. Despite her admiration of this man, the singer's perception of him changes as he appears to be indifferent to matters of the heart. As a result, the singer no longer recognizes the man she once adored.
The chorus of the song expresses the turmoil and emotional pain that the singer is experiencing. The line, "Nothing's fine, I'm torn" emphasizes the fact that the singer's life is now in shambles. She has lost her faith and is left feeling cold and ashamed, lying naked on the floor. The phrase "Illusion never changed into something real" suggests that the singer's relationship with this man was never truly authentic, and therefore not sustainable. The line "The perfect sky is torn" serves as a metaphor for how the singer's world has been turned upside down by the end of her relationship. In the final verse, the singer acknowledges that she should have seen through the facade of her ex-partner and that her relationship was an illusion all along.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought I saw a man brought to life
I once thought that the man I loved had come back to life
He was warm, he came around like he was dignified
He acted dignified and warm like he used to be
He showed me what it was to cry
He taught me how it feels to cry
Well, you couldn't be that man I adored
It turns out that you aren't the man I admired and loved
You don't seem to know or care what your heart is for
You don't seem to know the purpose or value of your own heart
But I don't know him anymore
I have lost the man I once knew
There's nothin' where he used to lie
The man I loved is gone and left a void
The conversation has run dry
We have nothing left to say to each other
That's what's goin' on
This is the current state of our relationship
Nothing's fine, I'm torn
I am broken and nothing is going well for me
I'm all out of faith
I have lost all faith in myself and in our relationship
This is how I feel
These are my true feelings
I'm cold and I am shamed
I feel numb and humiliated
Lying naked on the floor
I feel exposed and vulnerable
Illusion never changed
Our relationship was based on false pretenses from the beginning
Into something real
I hoped our relationship would become genuine
I'm wide awake and I can see
I am fully aware of the reality of our relationship
The perfect sky is torn
My ideal life has been ruined
You're a little late
You have realized too late the damage you have caused
I'm already torn
I am already broken and beyond repair
So I guess the fortune teller's right
It seems that the fortune teller was correct in their predictions
Should've seen just what was there and not some holy light
I should have recognized the truth instead of believing in a false image
But you crawled beneath my veins and now
You have become a part of me, even though it hurts
I don't care, I had no luck
I couldn't care less, I had no good fortune
I don't miss it all that much
I don't really miss what we had
There's just so many things that I can touch, I'm torn
There are many things I can have now, but I'm still broken
My inspiration has run dry
I've lost my motivation
Nothing's right, I'm torn
Nothing is going well and I'm still broken
I'm cold and I am shamed
I feel numb and humiliated
Bound and broken on the floor
I feel trapped and unable to move forward
You're a little late
You have come too late to fix things
I'm already torn
I am already broken and beyond repair
Torn
I am shattered
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, Phil Thornalley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind