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".
Glimmer
Aqualung Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I know that it was too too hard
And although it isn't much
I give you all I have
There's a mirror in the old place
A place where we would stand
And wonder at our sweet sweet selves
Thought the night has fallen
I close my eyes and imagine
A tiny glimmer flickering on the horizon
It takes time to get it right
Takes no time to get it wrong
I can't believe I didn't see
The ground was caving in, oh, can we just start again?
Thought the night has fallen
I close my eyes and imagine
A tiny glimmer flickering on the horizon
Everyday, everyday, living my life like it's over
Like it's over and deep underground
Little look, little smile, flick the switch and it's over
Like it's lost and can never be found
But maybe there's a tiny glow
That won't die and won't leave us alone
Star shining, the sun is rising, ooh, ooh
There's a tiny glimmer flickering on the horizon
Can you see it? Can you see it there?
Can you see it? Can you see it there's
A tiny glimmer flickering on the horizon
It takes time to get it right
The lyrics to Aqualung's song Glimmer present a message of hope amidst struggling with loss and the feeling that one's life is about to end. The song's first verse acknowledges the struggles the singer has encountered and acknowledges that it was too difficult to handle alone. The singer goes on to offer what little they have to give to someone else, indicating their inclination towards generosity and love even in difficult situations. The second verse reminisces about a time when the singer and another person stood together in front of a mirror, looking at themselves and feeling happy. The verse ends with the realization that their reality isn't what they had initially planned.
The chorus goes on to talk about the possible existence of a flicker of hope, a tiny glimmer in the horizon that can be all too easily missed. The singer acknowledges both the time it takes to get things right and the speed at which things can go wrong, which resonates with feelings of discouragement when trying to overcome a significant obstacle. The third verse goes on to express the feeling of the singer's life being over, describing it as "deep underground," but suggests that there is a possibility of a spark of hope that might not leave them alone. The song ends with repetition of the suggestion to look towards the horizon to see the one little glimmer of hope that can continue to shine even in the midst of overwhelming darkness.
Line by Line Meaning
I know that I was lost
I am aware that I was wandering aimlessly without direction
And I know that it was too too hard
I acknowledge that it was an extremely difficult period in my life
And although it isn't much
Even though it may not be significant or enough
I give you all I have
I am willing to offer you everything I possess
There's a mirror in the old place
There is a reflective surface located in the previous location
A place where we would stand
It was a location where we often positioned ourselves
And wonder at our sweet sweet selves
We would contemplate and admire our lovable personalities
Smiling hand in hand, this wasn't what we planned
We were happy holding hands, but this situation was not what we intended
Thought the night has fallen
Even if darkness has descended
I close my eyes and imagine
I shut my eyes and picture in my mind
A tiny glimmer flickering on the horizon
A small, shining light that is visible in the distance
It takes time to get it right
It requires persistence and patience to accomplish something correctly
Takes no time to get it wrong
Making errors or failing can occur swiftly and effortlessly
I can't believe I didn't see
I am surprised that I did not notice
The ground was caving in, oh, can we just start again?
I did not perceive that everything was falling apart, can we please begin anew?
Everyday, everyday, living my life like it's over
I conduct myself as if each day will be my last
Like it's over and deep underground
As if it is already finished and beyond recovery
Little look, little smile, flick the switch and it's over
A small gesture, such as a glance or smile, could bring an end to everything
Like it's lost and can never be found
As if it has vanished and cannot be retrieved
But maybe there's a tiny glow
Possibly there exists a faint radiance
That won't die and won't leave us alone
That will persist and remain with us
Star shining, the sun is rising, ooh, ooh
The stars are bright, and the sun is ascending
There's a tiny glimmer flickering on the horizon
There is a faint light flickering in the distance
Can you see it? Can you see it there?
Are you able to perceive it? Do you observe it there?
Can you see it? Can you see it there's
Are you able to see it? Do you observe there is
A tiny glimmer flickering on the horizon
A small, shining light that is visible in the distance
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: KIM OLIVER, MATTHEW HALES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind