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.
Never Forgive The Angels
Bat for Lashes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You will be riding to me
Metal death, cliffs exploding
Sirens mourn to me
Nightmares come and they don't go
For my love is gone
And I will never forgive the angels for that
On a road, forever
You will be riding to me
Devil hearts explode
Beside me
Nightmares come and they won't go
For my love is gone
And I will never forgive the angels for that
And I will never forgive the angels for that
The lyrics to Bat for Lashes's song "Never Forgive The Angels" evoke a sense of longing and loss. The song's repetitive structure echoes the endlessness of the road, a metaphor that often appears in literature as a symbol of life's journey. The road serves as a bridge between the singer and her lost love, a sorrow that she cannot shake. The use of vivid imagery, such as "Metal death, cliffs exploding" and "sirens mourn to me," creates a sense of haunting, as if the memory of her love still lingers in the place where they parted ways. The song's title suggests a deep resentment towards the divine, blaming the angels for taking away the singer's love.
The song's haunting qualities could also be applied metaphorically to the experience of grief. The refrain, "nightmares come and they won't go," speaks to the cyclical nature of grief, a feeling that can resurface even when we think we've come to terms with our loss. The use of the word "never" suggests a finality, a permanent scar that cannot be healed. It's a painful reminder that sometimes in life, we cannot find closure.
Line by Line Meaning
On a road, forever
The journey ahead is never-ending.
You will be riding to me
I await your arrival, symbolizing hope for a future.
Metal death, cliffs exploding
The world is harsh and dangerous, constantly threatening our existence.
Sirens mourn to me
The sounds of turmoil and loss are constant reminders of the fragility of life.
Nightmares come and they don't go
Painful memories continue to haunt, always present and never fading.
For my love is gone
The singer has suffered a great loss and is experiencing intense grief.
And I will never forgive the angels for that
The loss of the singer's love is perceived as a betrayal by a higher power, causing resentment.
Devil hearts explode
Evil forces lurk within the world, causing destruction.
Beside me
The artist is surrounded by pain and suffering.
And I will never forgive the angels for that
The artist's sense of betrayal and disillusionment with a higher power lingers, leaving them unable to forgive.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: NATASHA KHAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind