Early life and childhood: Srsen was born in Geelong, Australia on 25 February 1971. She told Rolling Stone magazine in 2003 that her father, a Croatian cabaret performer, named her after a Spanish song. Generally, Srsen prefers not to talk openly about her childhood and early life to the press, but has on occasion revealed minor details of her childhood, such as her parents' divorce when she was two years old. The track, "These Drugs Are Really Starting To Fuck Me Over" from Magic Dirt's 1998 album Young & Full Of The Devil is allegedly about her father. In her essay printed in Kathey Bail's 1996 book, DIY Feminism, Srsen revealed that "I come from an all-female family (my father left my mother, my sister and me when I was two years old - what an arsehole) and I listened to and idolised female pop stars from the 1980s, such as Kate Bush, Debbie Harry, Stevie Nicks and Chrissie Hynde."
She told Triple J's Richard Kingsmill in 2000 that she made her first guitar out of cardboard and wool, before her mother bought her her first acoustic guitar. "After persuading my Mum to buy me a guitar, I learnt a few chord progressions from a music book and then started writing and recording very strange songs, using two tapedecks and layering guitar parts and vocal harmonies." She told Kingsmill that she is of Croatian descent, although she had not, at that time, visited the country.
Srsen told Australian Guitar magazine (when she became the first female to grace the magazine's cover) in 2005 that she "was 18 or 19 when I bought my first my $90 acoustic (guitar) for whatever strange reason I bought it for, on a whim. Then I got an electric maybe six months later and started on that - what was that - in like 1989, 1990.'
She has stated in numerous interviews that, before Magic Dirt, she had planned to become a school teacher. She told the Herald Sun in 1996 that, "it wasn't my vision, it was my Mum's. She wanted me to have a job with a little respect. Something that's well paid."
Early in the '90s, she formed Deer Bubbles with then partner Dean Turner. The band didn't last long and by 1992, the pair, along with guitarist Daniel Herring, started a new band, briefly known as The Jim Jims. With the addition of drummer Adam Robertson, they became known as Magic Dirt.
Solo work: In 2006, Srsen released her first material as a solo performer. She performed on two cover versions for the Mick Harvey-produced soundtrack of the Australian film Suburban Mayhem: "Double Dare" (originally by Hoyt Axton) and "Sex Beat" (The Gun Club). Along with Harvey, Dean Turner and Rowland S. Howard play on the tracks. A promotional video was made for the single "Double Dare", featuring Srsen and Suburban Mayhem star Emily Barclay.
The solo work, however, was a one-off and Srsen soon resumed work with Magic Dirt.
On 26 November 2010 Adalita released the 'Hot Air' EP with plans to release her debut solo record early in 2011.
Throughout December Adalita will tour as support for Blondie and Pretenders double headlining tour.
Collaborations: In addition to various collaborations within Magic Dirt, Srsen has appeared as a guest vocalist on a number of tracks by other Australian bands. The first, in 1992, was on the Velvet (Down) Underground tribute album, where she added vocals to The Clowns Smiling Backwards' cover of "The Black Angel's Death Song".
In 2002, she contributed vocals to Bodyjar's "Too Drunk To Drive" single, and appeared in the song's promotional video.
In 2003, she appeared on The Calculators' track, "Cellophane", on The Secret Life Of Us 3 soundtrack CD. Also in 2003, she was one of many guest vocalists during You Am I's Triple J Live At The Wireless session, singing the band's "Jewels And Bullets" and "Damage".
During 2003, Srsen attended the 'Mushroom Music Writers Bloc', a songwriting workshop for Australian artists. Together, she and Ben Nash of 78 Saab penned the track, "Too Much Is Not Enough". The track was featured as a b-side to Magic Dirt's "Plastic Loveless Letter" single, and was credited as being performed by 'Adalita & Ben Nash', to clearly separate it from the Magic Dirt tracks.
Srsen also appeared on stage with Beasts Of Bourbon during the 2006 Big Day Out tour. Also in 2006 she appeared in the Australian short film, The Desert by Gelndyn Ivin.
In 2007 she collaborated with Katalyst on the track "Bladewalker" on his album What's Happening, and joined him on a national tour in November.
On 24 January 2009 Srsen appeared on an episode of RocKwiz performing a duet, covering The Saints' "Messin' with the Kid", with Gareth Liddard (The Drones). She also appeared on the 2009 RockWiz Christmas special, which was broadcast on 19 December 2009, performing a cover of The Pretenders' "2,000 Miles".
Perfection
Adalita Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With your mad dark eyes
Something has caught me
Between here and the outside
Oh a fantasy
Makes its own light
I sink into it
Oh you're closed for the season
All snowed in
But I need power and reason
Some recognition for keeping my feet on the ground
Raise your hopes, up high
High horses
I'm made of birds
So you don't have no choices
Ah you're heaven sent, (oh you're heavy)
I know not how
Ah you're heaven sent (oh you're heavy)
It's too heavy for me now
Oh how you got me
With your hardest test
I can't deal, I can't deal
Oh with your perfection yet
I can't deal, I can't deal
Oh with your perfection yet...
In Adalita's song "Perfection," the singer is describing their intense attraction to someone with "mad dark eyes." They feel as though they are caught between the interior world of their own thoughts and the exterior world of reality. They are particularly drawn to the fantasy world that this person represents, and they sink into it repeatedly at night. However, despite the attraction, the singer acknowledges that this person is "closed for the season" and unavailable. They crave some kind of recognition for keeping their feet on the ground, but they are also made of birds, suggesting a sense of flightiness or a desire for escape. In the chorus, the singer acknowledges that this person is "heaven sent," but their perfection is too heavy a burden for them to bear.
Interpreting these lyrics is challenging because they are somewhat abstract and open-ended. The core message seems to be that the singer is drawn to someone who represents an attractive fantasy world but is ultimately unattainable. The repeated refrain of "I can't deal, I can't deal, with your perfection yet" suggests a sense of being overwhelmed by the impossibility of the situation. This theme of being caught between two worlds is reinforced by lines like "something has caught me between here and the outside" and "I sink into it [the fantasy] night after night after night."
Overall, "Perfection" is a moody, introspective song that conveys a sense of longing and unfulfilled desire. It captures the feeling of being drawn to someone who is ultimately out of reach, and the frustration and confusion that can result from that situation. It's a song that invites the listener to reflect on their own experiences of unattainable longing and the complex emotions that can arise from these situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh how you stop me
The subject is captivated by someone who catches their attention and prevents them from moving forward.
With your mad dark eyes
The person's eyes hold a certain intensity that the subject must acknowledge and cannot ignore.
Something has caught me
The subject feels trapped or taken by something that has influenced them in a significant way.
Between here and the outside
The subject feels caught between their inner world and their outer reality.
Oh a fantasy
The subject has a vivid imagination that they retreat into to take solace from reality.
Makes its own light
The subject's fantasy world has its own power and energy that the subject finds comfort in.
I sink into it
The subject finds comfort in their fantasy world and is drawn into it often.
Night after night after night
The subject repeatedly retreats into their fantasy world as an escape from reality.
Oh you're closed for the season
The person the subject is drawn to is currently not available or unresponsive.
All snowed in
The person is figuratively unavailable or unresponsive, as if covered in a blanket of snow.
But I need power and reason
The subject needs a concrete reason or motivation to keep them grounded in reality.
Some recognition for keeping my feet on the ground
The subject needs validation or acknowledgement for their efforts to maintain a grip on reality.
Raise your hopes, up high
The subject urges the person they're drawn to to have high expectations or reach for lofty goals.
High horses
The subject describes themselves as being free and independent like a bird, and therefore not under the control of others.
I'm made of birds
The subject feels light and free like a bird, unencumbered by others' expectations or desires.
So you don't have no choices
The subject feels they are not limited by external factors, and can make their own decisions without influence from others.
Ah you're heaven sent, (oh you're heavy)
The person the subject is drawn to is seen as a godsend, but their influence weighs heavily on the subject's mind.
I know not how
The subject is unsure of how the person has such a strong impact on them.
It's too heavy for me now
The influence of the person is currently too heavy for the subject to handle, and they feel overwhelmed.
Oh how you got me
The person has tested the subject in some way, and left a lasting impact or attachment on them.
With your hardest test
The person has challenged the subject in a significant way, emotionally or mentally, leaving a deep impact on them.
I can't deal, I can't deal
The subject is overwhelmed by their feelings and can't handle the emotional strain of their attachment to the person.
Oh with your perfection yet
The subject acknowledges the person's perfection, which intensifies their attachment and feelings of inadequacy.
Contributed by Peyton A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@scooby5845
Love it 👍
@Zeetana1
Such a beautiful song and video. I love winter and snow.
@gabriellestannus9937
Ah music without tricks! Lovely :)
@MrsHappyMusic8
How does this only have 3,030 views?! But I kind of like that. It's like we're exclusive listeners in our own snow land and no one else knows. Perfect.
@theroshiba
sublime titre , un album chef d oeuvre ,such a wonder adalita!!
@tordollhouse2473
It just speaks to voices only angels understand.
@manager2655
Yes it does mate
@jnajda
best song to chill to, love the clip! you rock Adalita!
@mickthevan
Love this song.
@onthebeatntrack
Adalita AND snow. Two of life's natural beauties.