Melissa Auf der Maur (born March 17, 1972) is a Canadian rock musician from… Read Full Bio ↴Melissa Auf der Maur (born March 17, 1972) is a Canadian rock musician from Montréal, Canada, best known as the former bassist of alternative rock bands Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins.

Auf der Maur became friends with Billy Corgan after apologizing for a friend who threw a beer bottle at him during one of The Smashing Pumpkins' Canadian shows. Her band, Tinker, opened for The Smashing Pumpkins in Montréal in 1993. In 1994, when Hole was in need of a new bassist following the death of Kristen Pfaff, Corgan recommended Auf der Maur to Courtney Love. Auf der Maur originally turned down the job but reconsidered on advice from her father. She joined Hole two weeks before the band's appearance at the Reading Festival, and recorded the band's third album Celebrity Skin. She left on October 20, 1999 after the band's tours in promotion of the album.

In 1999, she joined The Smashing Pumpkins after the departure of D'arcy Wretzky, and remained with the band until they disbanded in 2000. After this, she collaborated with a number of artists. In 2001, she sang on Rufus Wainwright's album, Poses. In 2002, she sang with Nicola Sirkis on the French band Indochine's song "Le Grand Secret."

In 2004, she released her debut album, Auf der Maur. The singles "Followed the Waves", "Real A Lie" and "Taste You" garnered significant airplay on modern rock radio. Six years later, she released her long-awaited follow-up, Out of Our Minds, in 2010, which featured a more obscure approach to songwriting and featured an appearance from Glenn Danzig.

Head Unbound
Auf der Maur Lyrics

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Fall around the fire,
And I, fall around the fire
A higher me for you,
Hire me for you

Fall around town, down
For the rest of the world to drown
For you'll come down

To the rest of your falling down,
On your head

Falling down
With your head unbound
I'm falling down
Down to your ground

Fall around town, down
For the rest of the world to drown
For you'll come down
To the rest of your falling down,
On your head

And I said you could hurt me
No more,
With your heart on the floor
I said you could hurt me no more
To the rest of the world it's sure

That you will hurt me no more
To the rest of the world,
You're surely hurting more

I'm falling down
Downtown to your ground

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Auf Der Maur's song Head Unbound hint at falling down and drowning in the chaos of the world. The singer seems to offer herself as a higher version for someone else, possibly a lover, to hire. She then emphasizes falling down to the ground, possibly implying that the relationship has taken a negative turn, and they both have to face the consequences of their actions. The line "I said you could hurt me no more" indicates some sort of past hurt, and the possible hesitation in accepting it.

The chorus of "Falling down with your head unbound, I'm falling down" shows the repercussions of their pain that can be blamed on the other person. They are being brought down with their "head unbound," maybe signifying taking risks or acting impulsively without thinking of the impact it could have. The song indicates that their struggles are reflected in the outside world as "the rest of the world" is also drowned. The lyricist seems to want to attain peace and stability and is no longer willing to put up with the hurtful behavior of someone they love.

Line by Line Meaning

Fall around the fire,
Gather around the fire with me,

And I, fall around the fire
I'll be there with you, falling around the fire,

A higher me for you,
I will elevate myself to be with you,

Hire me for you
You can hire me to always be there for you,

Fall around town, down
Let's wander around town together,

For the rest of the world to drown
Let the rest of the world fade away while we get lost,

For you'll come down
You'll join me in this escape,

To the rest of your falling down,
You'll let go of everything else and fall down too,

On your head
It's all on you now,

Falling down
We're both falling in our own ways,

With your head unbound
No limitations, free to do what you want,