She released her début album Somebody Outside in 2004. The Swedish Grammy jury awarded her as Best Newcomer of the year, and was nominated for Best Female Artist, Best Lyricist and Best Songwriter of 2005. She also won the P3 Gold award for Best Newcomer 2004.
For her second album, Separation Road released on September 27, 2006, she was awarded Best Female Artist and Best Lyricist of the Swedish Grammy jury, again she was nominated for Best Songwriter and Best Album. She received the award for Best Female Artist at the Swedish National Radio's P3 Gold Awards the same year.
Her début US album, Halfway to Fivepoints, was released on April 22, 2008.
"To Be Gone", "My Secret", "Girl Laying Down", "Today is A Good Day", and "Shoreline" (a Broder Daniel cover) remain her most popular songs.
Her song, "Quiet Night" was used in the second series of the Swedish version of Wallander starring Krister Henriksson.
''Words of Love'' featured in gameplay Silent hill:Downpour.
On December 18, 2009, her song "No, I Don't Remember" was featured on an episode of Dollhouse entitled "The Attic." This song was featured in July 2010 on a new DLC episode, for the Xbox 360 videogame Alan Wake, entitled "The Signal".
Her latest album, Leaving on a Mayday, was released on August 11, 2009. The album won Album of the Year at the 2009 Swedish Grammy Awards along with the award for Best Female Artist.
All Shadows
Anna Ternheim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A fine veil over your eyes
Even the ocean, holding the tide
Your hopes while you're slaving for time
This is the one who knows no regret
Who knows who you are
You've never met
Where ever you are
Owner of land he never walked on
All shadows, even the sun
All shadows, even the sun
All shadows, even the sun
Without a doubt he knows how to count your tears
There is the one ceiling the lies
A fine veil over your eyes
Wake up one day and you'll realize how
Hard you've been running most of your life
All shadows, even the sun
All shadows, even the sun
All shadows, even the sun
Without a doubt he knows how to count your tears
He waves at the old with his back to the wall
Waves at the young, the lost, the bored
Giving the sad eye while in his mind
You're not adding straws to the pile
Maybe he'll give you a few more years
Placing the time glass on your stairs
From that day your life's caving in
You'll blame yourself, no one ever blames him
All shadows, all shadows
All shadows, even the sun
Without a doubt he knows how to count your tears
The lyrics of Anna Ternheim's song, "All Shadows," appear to explore the theme of the inevitability of life's challenges, the oppressive impact of time, and the remorse that can arise when we finally acknowledge our avoidance of the inevitable. The "one ceiling that lies" might be interpreted as a metaphor for the illusions that we create for ourselves, and which cloud our perception of reality, be it our own limitations or the fleeting nature of life. The "ocean holding the tide" highlights how the passage of time is constant and ever-present, with our hopes and dreams often held hostage to its ceaseless march. The anonymous "one who knows no regret" appears to be fate, with whom we are all destined to cross paths eventually, perhaps when we least expect it. This being knows everything about us, but we are oblivious to them, until fate decides to make its presence known.
The refrain of the song, "All shadows, even the sun," could be interpreted as a reminder that shadows are cast even in the brightest of moments, and that everything in life is transient, including joy and happiness. The verse "He waves at the old with his back to the wall, waves at the young, the lost, the bored," suggests that fate, or the anonymous figure, is omnipresent and impartial, touching even those who have yet to face life's harsher realities. The final verse that "maybe he'll give you a few more years, placing the time glass on your stairs," implies that fate, while unknowable and often maddening, may still offer us leniency or moments of respite, provided that we make the most of the time that we have left. Ultimately, the song could be interpreted as a warning to make the most of the time we have and not to take it for granted, for one day we may come face to face with that which we have been trying to avoid.
Line by Line Meaning
There is the one ceiling the lies
There is an invisible barrier that deceives you
A fine veil over your eyes
It's a subtle yet effective deception
Even the ocean, holding the tide
Even forces of nature are not exempt from deception
Your hopes while you're slaving for time
Your aspirations being crushed while you are struggling to survive
This is the one who knows no regret
A remorseless character
Who knows who you are
Someone who knows about you but you don't know them
You've never met
You have no idea about their existence
But one day he'll find you
He will finally reveal himself to you
Where ever you are
He can track you down no matter where you go
Owner of land he never walked on
Someone who has power beyond his territorial reach
All shadows, even the sun
The deceptions exist everywhere, even in the brightest things
Without a doubt he knows how to count your tears
He's aware of how much he's caused you to suffer
Wake up one day and you'll realize how
You will eventually become aware of the deception
Hard you've been running most of your life
You have been trying hard to break free from the lies
He waves at the old with his back to the wall
He pretends to be friendly with the vulnerable but he's actually cornered
Waves at the young, the lost, the bored
He preys on the weak and the desperate
Giving the sad eye while in his mind
He puts on a sympathetic expression while being unsympathetic inside
You're not adding straws to the pile
You're not doing anything to disrupt his plans
Maybe he'll give you a few more years
He can control your fate
Placing the time glass on your stairs
He holds your fate in his hands
From that day your life's caving in
It marks the beginning of your downfall
You'll blame yourself, no one ever blames him
He escapes accountability for his actions
All shadows, all shadows
The deceptive forces are all-encompassing
All shadows, even the sun
The deceptions exist everywhere, even in the brightest things
Without a doubt he knows how to count your tears
He's aware of how much he's caused you to suffer
Contributed by Mason H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Hely Mehta
SEriously BRILLIANT!!! AWESUM!!!!....with each song im falling in luv wid anna all over again
Joakim Hagberg
Star in the Dark.