Prior to his success as Aqualung, Hales was known as the lead singer of mid-1990s, London-based Britpop band Ruth. Ruth had a string of moderately successful hit singles, including "I Don't Know," "Valentine's Day," and "Fear of Flying," and one album, "Harrison," before changing their name in 2001 to The 45's. As The 45s, the band released two more singles and one posthumous album to little attention before splitting so Hales could focus on his new endeavor as Aqualung. Almost immediately after the band's split, "Strange and Beautiful" began climbing the British charts and gaining massive amounts of attention--a dramatic turnabout from the previous year. In 2005, Aqualung would even achieve elusive success in the United States, where they are best known for the song "Brighter Than Sunshine", which had considerable airplay and was used in the film A Lot Like Love and various television spots. He's also known to some for his song, "Easier to Lie", which was featured on the hit television show, Scrubs. His music also went on to feature in another hit television show the OC. His song, "Strange and Beautiful" was also featured on the hit show CSI. Later, the song "Something To Believe In" was also featured at the ending of an episode of CSI: Miami. It was also featured in the movie "Wicker Park". "The Lake" was also featured on the wildly popular television show Grey's Anatomy. Aqualung has also had songs featured on One Tree Hill in various seasons. In 2009, his song "Easier to Lie" was again featured on a television show, this time Lie To Me.
It has been written that Hales took the name "Aqualung" from a Jethro Tull album of the same name. However, he himself says he was not aware of this album, and that it was descriptive of the underwater feeling he felt listening to his debut album.
His debut single, "Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put a spell on You)", was released in the UK on the B-Unique label on September 16, 2002, and reached number 7 in the UK Top 40 and was used in the film Wicker Park.
The song "Something To Believe In" from the album "Memory Man" was used during the ending of the former ABC show Eli Stone premiered on Jan 31, 2008.
The song "Good Times Gonna Come" has recently been used on the show Skins on the British channel E4.
On April 20th, 2010 Aqualung released his 6th studio album Magnetic North (2010). The first single released is a song called "Fingertip".
Everything Changed
Aqualung Lyrics
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Touching everybody there
You came into my life so small
Altering everything changed
I looked into my crystal ball
The future wasn't clear at all
And yesterday was hard enough
Magic settled on the floor
And there she lived forever more
Turning minutes into hours and days
Stumbling tumbling on
Nothing can be the same as it was
I know
I know
The lyrics of Aqualung's song "Everything Changed" portray the transformative power of love that can shift the entire world. The opening line "Magic drifted through the air" indicates the feeling of the presence of unexplainable and inexplicable emotion that touched everyone around. The lines "You came into my life so small, Altering everything changed" highlights the impact of the entry of a small person, who brings significant changes to oneself and the world.
When the singer looks into his crystal ball, the future doesn't seem clear, and yesterday's experiences were hard enough indicating the struggles of life. The line "On the top of this precipice" metaphorically refers to a point of no return, implying that the singer is at a point where things can only go either better or worse. The magic that settles on the floor and lives there forever further highlights the lasting effect of love. The line "Turning minutes into hours and days, Stumbling tumbling on" depicts the effect of falling in love, which can cause time to fly by and distort one's sense of reality.
The line, "Nothing can be the same as it was, I know. I know," acts as a realization that one's life is changed forever, and there is no going back. The song illustrates how the impact of love can alter one's life beyond measure.
Line by Line Meaning
Magic drifted through the air
An unexplainable feeling of enchantment filled the room
Touching everybody there
Everyone present felt the influence of this mystical atmosphere
You came into my life so small
When I met you, you seemed insignificant and unimportant
Altering everything changed
However, after our encounter, my life was transformed forever
I looked into my crystal ball
I tried to predict what the future held
The future wasn't clear at all
But my vision of what was to come was hazy and uncertain
And yesterday was hard enough
At that moment, I was still grappling with the difficulties of the past
On the top of this precipice
I found myself standing on the edge of a steep cliff, unsure of what lay ahead
Magic settled on the floor
The magical aura that had filled the space dissipated and dissipated
And there she lived forever more
But a part of that enchantment remained in the room and lingered there indefinitely
Turning minutes into hours and days
Time seemed to pass more slowly, stretching out, feeling longer than it actually was
Stumbling tumbling on
I continued on my journey, with no clear direction or certainty
Nothing can be the same as it was
Since that experience, my life has been irrevocably changed
I know
I am acutely aware of how much this single event has altered the course of my existence
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MATTHEW NICHOLAS HALES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind