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.
Sleep Alone
Bat for Lashes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No sweetheart in the dark to call my own
You're my own, you're my own, I can sing it, I can grow
But the darkness is a stranger, in our lonely, lonely, lonely lone
Last night's parties and last night's horror show
Smiling and welling and kissing all I know
Give my soul, give my soul, sing it free across the sea
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
They say for every high-high
There must be a low, low, low, low, low
And every sun ascending a lonesome moon
Will grow, grow, grow, grow
Drive my heart, drive my heart
Into the fire of a burning heart's desire
The lonely spells that you'll be seeing
Do you hear me coming in my blue dream?
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely
Lonely, lonely, lonely
The lyrics to Bat for Lashes's song Sleep Alone are very poignant and seem to be about the struggles of love and loneliness. The singer begins by saying that they cannot stand to sleep alone and long for a sweetheart in the dark. They declare that their lover is their own and can sing about it and grow in their love, but when they are alone, the darkness becomes a stranger. It seems they have trouble being content with their own company and need the comfort of their partner to feel complete.
The second verse describes the aftermath of a party or social gathering where the singer has been surrounded by people but still feels lonely. They long for their partner and wish to give their soul and sing freely across the sea. However, the loneliness they conjure only seems to bring about their own personal hell. The chorus repeats the phrase "lonely, lonely, lonely," and the singer shares that they were told by their lover's mother that the dream of love is a two-hearted dream. It seems as though the singer is struggling to come to terms with the fact that, even in love, there will be moments of loneliness and struggles.
The bridge talks about the balance of life, with the highs and lows and the sun and moon. The singer longs for their heart to be driven into the fire of burning desire but is still haunted by the idea of lonely spells that they will be seeing. The chorus repeats once more, emphasizing the message that love may be a two-hearted dream, but it can still be filled with loneliness.
Line by Line Meaning
You know, my darling, I can't stand to sleep alone
My dearest, I cannot bear the thought of lying in bed alone.
No sweetheart in the dark to call my own
There is no loved one beside me to call my own in this darkness.
You're my own, you're my own, I can sing it, I can grow
You are mine, forever and always. Your presence in my life allows me to grow and sing with happiness.
But the darkness is a stranger, in our lonely, lonely, lonely lone
Despite our love for each other, the darkness of night can still feel lonely and unfamiliar.
Last night's parties and last night's horror show
The events of last night were quite the mix of joy and terror.
Smiling and welling and kissing all I know
I spent the night smiling and being content, kissing those I hold dear.
Give my soul, give my soul, sing it free across the sea
Let my soul sing freely, giving all of my love for you to feel it even across the vast sea.
Lonely spell to conjure you, but conjure hell is all I do
Despite my spells to combat loneliness and bring you closer, sometimes I only conjure more pain.
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
Loneliness is a common feeling, and his mother warned me that the dream of love requires two hearts.
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
Love cannot be attained by one person alone, it takes both hearts to make the dream a reality.
They say for every high-high
There is a saying that for every great moment,
There must be a low, low, low, low, low
There is a corresponding low moment that follows or has already passed.
And every sun ascending a lonesome moon
Each sunrise following the darkness of night brings with it a tinge of loneliness.
Will grow, grow, grow, grow
As time passes, these feelings of loneliness only grow.
Drive my heart, drive my heart
Let my heart be driven on the journey to finding love.
Into the fire of a burning heart's desire
Let my heart be set ablaze with passion for love.
The lonely spells that you'll be seeing
There will still be moments of lonesomeness that you will witness and experience.
Do you hear me coming in my blue dream?
Can you sense my presence even in my deepest dreams? That is how much I long for you.
Lonely, lonely, lonely
The same feeling of loneliness is echoed once again.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Natasha Khan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
First name allen
You know my darling, I can't stand to sleep alone
No sweetheart in the dark to call my own
You're my own, you're my own, I can sing it, I can groan
But the darkness is a stranger and I'm lonely, lonely, lonely, low
Last night's parties and last nights horrorshow
Smiling and whirling and kissing all I know
Give my soul, give my soul, sing it free across the sea
A lonely spell to conjure you, but conjure hell is all I do
Lonely, lonely, lonely, 'cause my mama told me
The dream of love is a two hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely, 'cause my mama told me
The dream of love is a two hearted dream
They say for every high high there must be a low, low, low, low, low
From every sun ascending a lonesome moon will grow, grow, grow, grow
Drive my heart, drive my heart, into the fire of a burning heart's desire
A lonely spell so you be seen, do you hear me coming in my blue dream?
Lonely, lonely, lonely, 'cause my mama told me
The dream of love is a two hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely,
The dream of love is a two hearted dream
tropicwave1
Sleep Alone
Bat for Lashes
Album: Two Suns
You know, my darling, I can't stand to sleep alone
No sweetheart in the dark to call my own
You're my own, you're my own, I can sing it, I can grow
But the darkness is a stranger
In our lonely, lonely, lonely lone
Last night's parties and last night's heart has shown
Smiling and welling and kissing all I know
Give my soul, give my soul, sing it free across the sea
Lonely spell to conjure you, but conjure hell is all I do
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
They say for every heart high
There must be a low, low, low, low, low
And every sun ascending a lonesome moon
Will grow, grow, grow, grow
Drive my heart, drive my heart
Into the fire of a burning heart's desire
The only spells you'll be seeing
Do you hear me coming in my blue dream?
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely
Lonely, lonely, lonely
Written by: NATASHA KHAN
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
℗ 2009 The Echo Label Ltd under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Vector 78
My first time hearing this band was them opening for Depeche Mode. Her voice was so striking I couldn't stop listening. Absolutely gorgeous! Natasha Khan, you're a badass.
Gabrielle v.d. L
First time i heard this song was at a Coldplay concert. Bat for Lashes preformed this song there and i was hypnotized by the beat and the voice.
SimandNik Bell
Gabrielle v.d. L was that in South America ?
First name allen
You know my darling, I can't stand to sleep alone
No sweetheart in the dark to call my own
You're my own, you're my own, I can sing it, I can groan
But the darkness is a stranger and I'm lonely, lonely, lonely, low
Last night's parties and last nights horrorshow
Smiling and whirling and kissing all I know
Give my soul, give my soul, sing it free across the sea
A lonely spell to conjure you, but conjure hell is all I do
Lonely, lonely, lonely, 'cause my mama told me
The dream of love is a two hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely, 'cause my mama told me
The dream of love is a two hearted dream
They say for every high high there must be a low, low, low, low, low
From every sun ascending a lonesome moon will grow, grow, grow, grow
Drive my heart, drive my heart, into the fire of a burning heart's desire
A lonely spell so you be seen, do you hear me coming in my blue dream?
Lonely, lonely, lonely, 'cause my mama told me
The dream of love is a two hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely,
The dream of love is a two hearted dream
Atmosphere Of Sound
Hard to believe it's been out over 10 years, and 9 years, from when I was listening to this song on my birthday, driving home to my family party, and as the song played during the very moment I was in a bad car wreck that i strangely had a premonition of happening before it occurred. After being disoriented, I was able to climb out where the window used to be, with the car tipped in a ravine, crawling up to the side of the road, waiting for medical personel to arrive; only to realize that the song was still playing. Haunting bittersweet memory.
Yvonne Lee
🥺 What a eerily appropriate song to be playing to in that situation! Glad you’re ok 👌🏻
Sarah L
I miss late aughts indie. I was in college and would make so many playlists on Indie Shuffle and SoundCloud. This one featured prominently. ♥️
Chessemill Perez
This song relates to so many people. I think we all have been there, at one point in our life. A prefect mixture of beautifully crafted song, and poetry.
tropicwave1
Sleep Alone
Bat for Lashes
Album: Two Suns
You know, my darling, I can't stand to sleep alone
No sweetheart in the dark to call my own
You're my own, you're my own, I can sing it, I can grow
But the darkness is a stranger
In our lonely, lonely, lonely lone
Last night's parties and last night's heart has shown
Smiling and welling and kissing all I know
Give my soul, give my soul, sing it free across the sea
Lonely spell to conjure you, but conjure hell is all I do
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
They say for every heart high
There must be a low, low, low, low, low
And every sun ascending a lonesome moon
Will grow, grow, grow, grow
Drive my heart, drive my heart
Into the fire of a burning heart's desire
The only spells you'll be seeing
Do you hear me coming in my blue dream?
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely, his mother told me
The dream of love is a two-hearted dream
Lonely, lonely, lonely
Lonely, lonely, lonely
Written by: NATASHA KHAN
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
℗ 2009 The Echo Label Ltd under exclusive licence to Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Hurley
Just bought the album. Amazing, cool that people are still making music of such quality.