Khan graduated Brighton University, in music and visual arts, where her experimental multi-media / installation / animation / performance art's influences spanned tape loop / effects pioneer Steve Reich and installation / performance artist Susan Hiller. Afterwards, when working as a nursery school teacher, she began writing for her début. "Whenever I'm writing music it's a very visual place in my mind," she said, "It has a location full of characters and colours and landscapes, so those two things really complement each other, and they help the other one to blossom and support the other. They are like brother and sister." Bat for Lashes music has been likened to that of Björk (who herself attended Khan's early gigs), Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, Annie Lennox, Tori Amos and Fiona Apple.
"The Wizard" was primarily released on 7-inch from Khan's own She Bear label and subsequently Fur and Gold on Echo. In 2007, she was honoured with a ASCAP Vanguard Award and selected to open the prestigious ASCAP Presents… 2007, 14 Mar in Austin, TX, USA (an industry showcase, within SXSW 2007). Later, via a small Manimal Vinyl Fur and Gold pressing (May 2007), Bat for Lashes transferred to Parlophone. She appeared at Glastonbury 2007 (23 June).
In July 2007, Fur and Gold, Joe's Pub, NYC, on 1 May 2007 recordings and a Plaid remix, yielded EP What's A Girl To Do? (7 Jul 2007, EMI). Then on the 17th, the album's 2007 Mercury Prize nomination was announced - despite being a UK media favourite to win, it lost to Klaxons' Myths of the Near Future. 25 Jul 2007, at Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY was the fist gig of a three month North American tour, interrupted only by European festival appearances.
In 2008, Bat for Lashes was nominated for Brit Awards ('Best British Breakthrough Act' and 'Best British Female'), her distinctive What's a Girl to Do? video brought her to prominence and, starting with Malahide Castle, Dublin, IE, on 6 Jun 2008, she toured with Radiohead for a month, opening more than a dozen European shows. Perfect As Cats: A Tribute to the Cure (Oct 2008, Manimal Vinyl), included her cover of A Forest.
The lead single for her second album was "Daniel" and released in March. On 23 February, Khan revealed in an interview on radio station XFM that the cover for the single had been shot on Brighton beach, near her home. She also designed a limited edition cover for Fact Magazine which coincided with an interview she did for them. Bat for Lashes released her second album Two Suns in April 2009, which received comparisons to the work of Stevie Nicks, Dolores O'Riordan and Fleetwood Mac.
Bat for Lashes live backing during the Two Suns tours, as March 2009, included among others: Ben Christophers, Charlotte Hatherley and Sarah Jones (drums - of New Young Pony Club). She appeared on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. She performed an acoustic version of the single, "Daniel," and also covered "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon. Her first appearance on US broadcast television was 1 May 2009 on The Late Show with David Letterman, performing the song "Daniel". On May 15, 2009 she appeared on NPR (World Cafe) where she performed "Daniel", "Moon and Moon (piano only) and Prescilla".
On June 13, 2012 Bat for Lashes announced the title of her upcoming third studio album "The Haunted Man" to be released in October. The album was produced, as with Fur And Gold and Two Suns, by Faultline. While not performing as well in Europe as Two Suns, The Haunted Man was her highest charting album in the US to date, at #64. Singles "Laura", "All Your Gold", "A Wall", and "Lilies" followed.
A Forest
Bat for Lashes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
See into the trees
Find the girl
While you can
Come closer and see
See into the dark
Just follow your eyes
Just follow your eyes
I hear her voice
Calling my name
The sound is deep
In the dark
I hear her voice
And start to run
Into the trees
Into the trees
Into the trees
Suddenly I stop
But I know it's too late
I'm lost in a forest
All alone
The girl was never there
It's always the same
I'm running towards nothing
Again and again and again
In Bat for Lashes' song A Forest, the lyrics depict a sense of being lost and disoriented in a forest while searching for a girl. The opening line "come closer and see, see into the trees, find the girl while you can" is an invitation to engage actively with the natural world and with one's own sense of intuition. The line "see into the dark, just follow your eyes" suggests trusting one's instincts even in the midst of darkness and uncertainty.
As the song continues, the singer hears a voice calling their name, which they follow deep into the woods, running blindly until they find themselves lost. The final lines of the song "the girl was never there, it's always the same, I'm running towards nothing, again and again and again" suggest a feeling of being trapped in an endless cycle of searching for something that may not even exist.
The song evokes a feeling of being lost and disoriented, both in a literal sense in the forest and in a metaphorical sense in one's own life. The lyrics hint at the idea that sometimes we chase after things that are ultimately unattainable or even nonexistent, and in doing so, we can lose sight of ourselves and our own sense of direction.
Line by Line Meaning
Come closer and see
Approach and observe closely
See into the trees
Look within the forest
Find the girl
Discover the girl
While you can
Before it's too late
Come closer and see
Approach and observe closely
See into the dark
Perceive what's hidden in the darkness
Just follow your eyes
Trust your perception
Just follow your eyes
Trust your perception
I hear her voice
I hear her call
Calling my name
Summoning me by name
The sound is deep
The tone is low
In the dark
Amidst obscurity
I hear her voice
I hear her call
And start to run
Run away in fear
Into the trees
Towards the arboreal landscape
Into the trees
Towards the arboreal landscape
Suddenly I stop
Come to an abrupt halt
But I know it's too late
But it's already too late
I'm lost in a forest
I'm stranded in the woods
All alone
Without anyone else
The girl was never there
The girl was an illusion
It's always the same
The situation repeats itself
I'm running towards nothing
I'm sprinting to nowhere
Again and again and again
Repeating perpetually
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN T. WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@samiiroum
Come closer and see
See into the trees
Find the girl
While you can
Come closer and see
See into the dark
Just follow your eyes
Just follow your eyes
I hear her voice
Calling my name
The sound is deep
In the dark
I hear her voice
And start to run
Into the trees
Into the trees
Into the trees
Suddenly I stop
But I know it's too late
I'm lost in a forest
All alone
The girl was never there
It's always the same
I'm running towards nothing
Again and again and again and again...
@yamansadosamur1384
İlk çıktığından beri dinliyoruz 2023 halen devam
@isaacmr.trumpetmanbobonis
Anybody here for What/If and brought you to this song? Send me comments!
@pinigijon
Watts Zap Eurosport!
@Nevsremosia
So nice!
@JillySS
Me!
@wjl3299
Linda Perry mentioned Bat for Lashes as one of her favorite songwriters ... then i noticed she did this cover from The Cure and just had to have a listen
@FeltonLowry
My girlfriend was watching this show and i walked by shazaming this song lol
@Mesmericmenace
What if 😍 best tv show ❤️
@MephProduction
great atmospheric, dark cover. This massive cure fan approves
@rockstar2375
I love this version