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.
All Your Gold
Bat for Lashes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Never feel the rush of angels, when we stay up late alone
Never whisper you a great love story, only scream and cry or more
But you're a good man, but you're a good man
I keep telling myself to just let go
Oh, let go of the one who took all your gold
I get home and there's a love note waiting
And the words, the promises you're making
Only echo all these lies
And for every sweet nothing you whisper
Why is goodbye my reply?
Cause you're a good man, cause you're a good man
I keep telling myself to just let go
There was someone that I knew before, a heart from the past
But I can not forget, and let him take all my gold, and hurt me so bad
But now for you, I have not been loved of all my go-gold
Stare my heart blank, am I ever gonna let him go? Get my gold back
And today I was a dead girl walking, city light birds, room for tears
Heard you say my name and get to talking of the love and all the fears
And you saw all the pain I was holding, and yet still you'd hold me near
Cause you're a good man, cause you're a good man
I keep telling myself to just let go
There was someone that I knew before
A heart from the past, that I can not forget
I let him take all my gold, and hurt me so bad
But now for you, I have nothing left
Cause there was someone that I knew before
A heart from the past, that I can not forget
I let him take all my gold, and hurt me so bad
But now for you, I have nothing left
All my gold
The lyrics of "All Your Gold" by Bat for Lashes are filled with a sense of melancholy and loss. The singer of the song is torn between her past and present relationships. She is struggling to let go of a former lover who has hurt her deeply, while at the same time trying to open up to a new man who she believes is good for her. The lines "Never see the big, church staple, when I call you on the phone/Never feel the rush of angels, when we stay up late alone" suggest a lack of spiritual connection in her current relationship. She longs for something more profound, but all she can find with this current partner is a sense of emptiness.
The repetition of the phrase "cause you're a good man" highlights the singer's internal struggle as she tries to convince herself to let go of her past and embrace the present. The line "There was someone that I knew before, a heart from the past/But I can not forget, and let him take all my gold, and hurt me so bad" refers to the theme of lost love and heartbreak that runs throughout the song. The singer feels that she has given too much of herself to the wrong person and that she is left with nothing to offer the man who is currently in her life.
The chorus of "All Your Gold" is a powerful message about the importance of letting go of the past and embracing the present. The singer recognizes that her former lover has taken something valuable from her, but she also knows that holding onto that loss will only cause her pain. By acknowledging that she has "nothing left," she is able to move forward and begin again.
Line by Line Meaning
Never see the big, church staple, when I call you on the phone
I never get the feeling of comfort or safety when I talk to you
Never feel the rush of angels, when we stay up late alone
The moments we spend together are never magical or special
Never whisper you a great love story, only scream and cry or more
Our conversations are always filled with negative emotions and conflict, not love
But you're a good man, but you're a good man
I keep telling myself to just let go
Oh, let go of the one who took all your gold
Despite our issues, I know you are a good person, but I need to move on from someone who hurt me so much
I get home and there's a love note waiting
But only he is here tonight
And the words, the promises you're making
Only echo all these lies
I received a note from you, but you're not here with me, and the things you say are empty and untrue
And for every sweet nothing you whisper
Why is goodbye my reply?
Cause you're a good man, cause you're a good man
I keep telling myself to just let go
Even though you say sweet things, I can't stay with you because I need to move on from the pain you caused me
There was someone that I knew before, a heart from the past
But I can not forget, and let him take all my gold, and hurt me so bad
But now for you, I have not been loved of all my go-gold
I was hurt in the past by someone who took advantage of me, but I won't let that happen with you, I haven't given you all my love yet
Stare my heart blank, am I ever gonna let him go? Get my gold back
And today I was a dead girl walking, city light birds, room for tears
Heard you say my name and get to talking of the love and all the fears
And you saw all the pain I was holding, and yet still you'd hold me near
I'm struggling to move on from the past, but when you speak to me, I feel understood and comforted, even with all my emotional pain
Cause there was someone that I knew before
A heart from the past, that I can not forget
I let him take all my gold, and hurt me so bad
But now for you, I have nothing left
Cause there was someone that I knew before
A heart from the past, that I can not forget
I let him take all my gold, and hurt me so bad
But now for you, I have nothing left
All my gold
I gave everything to someone in the past and they hurt me, leaving me with nothing to give to you now
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NATASHA KHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind