Matt Hales (born January 17, 1972), better known as Aqualung, is a British … Read Full Bio ↴Matt Hales (born January 17, 1972), better known as Aqualung, is a British singer/songwriter best known in the United Kingdom for his song "Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put a Spell on You)", which was featured on a television advertisement for the new Volkswagen Beetle during the summer of 2002 and went on to become a Top 10 hit in the UK singles chart later that year.

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".

You Turn Me Round
Aqualung Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The end, it was the end
And the sirens were pulling him down
And his heart was cold, so very cold
You'd believe it might never have beat

When the sun sets around me
My daydreams confound me
And the long night surrounds me

You turn me around
You turn me around

And you wish she was there too
Drowning and wanting it over
And her hope was all lost
All hope was lost
Given up and never again

But watch as the fingertips touch
And the life floods in
And they swim to the sun

And the long night surrounds me
You turn me around

I won't let you down
Won't let you down

I won't let you down
You turn me around

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Aqualung's song "You Turn Me Round" speak to the idea of hope and redemption in the face of despair. The song tells the story of two people who have reached the end of their rope, but find solace in each other and are able to turn their lives around. The first verse describes a man who is being pulled down by something (presumably the troubles in his life), and whose heart has become cold and lifeless. In the second verse, the lyrics shift to the perspective of a woman who has given up all hope and wants nothing more than to end her life. However, in the chorus, the lyrics suggest that when these two individuals come together, they are able to "swim to the sun" and find hope and happiness once again.

The imagery used in the song is both vivid and striking, painting a picture of two people who are struggling to keep their heads above water. However, the message of the song is ultimately one of hope and the power of human connection. Even in the darkest of times, there is always a chance for redemption and healing.

Line by Line Meaning

The end, it was the end
The situation was dire and coming to a close

And the sirens were pulling him down
He was being pulled towards destruction by things out of his control

And his heart was cold, so very cold
He was emotionally numb and detached

You'd believe it might never have beat
His heart seemed so still that it was hard to imagine it had ever been alive

When the sun sets around me
During times of darkness and uncertainty

My daydreams confound me
My thoughts and fantasies confuse and overwhelm me

And the long night surrounds me
During periods of extended difficulty and despair

You turn me around
You provide hope and direction in my life

And you wish she was there too
You feel a sense of longing for someone who is absent

Drowning and wanting it over
Feeling overwhelmed and desiring an end to the struggle

And her hope was all lost
She had lost all positivity and optimism