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.
Use Somebody
Bat for Lashes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you and all you know and how you speak
Countless lovers undercover of the street
You know that I could use somebody
You know that I could use somebody
Someone like you
Off in the night while you live it up, I'm off to sleep
Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat
I hope it's gonna make you notice
I hope it's gonna make you notice
Someone like me
Someone like me
Someone like me, somebody
Go and let it out
Someone like you, somebody
Someone like you, somebody
Someone like you, somebody
I've been roaming around, always looking down and all I see
In "Use Somebody" by Bat for Lashes, the singer expresses her feelings of loneliness and displacement, as she wanders aimlessly around a world filled with superficiality and pretense. She feels disconnected and unable to connect with those around her who seem to be wearing masks and hiding behind appearances. In contrast, she longs for someone real, authentic, and genuine, someone who can truly understand her. She believes that finding such a person would bring meaning and purpose to her life, and fill the void that she feels inside.
The lyrics "You know that I could use somebody" are repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the sense of longing and desperation that the singer feels. She imagines that someone like her, with all her flaws and imperfections, could find a place in the world, and a person who accepts her for who she is. The line "Countless lovers undercover of the street" suggests that there are others like her out there, searching for someone to connect with, but hiding in plain sight.
The song also touches on themes of creativity and inner turmoil, as the singer talks about "waging wars to shake the poet and the beat." She hopes that her struggles and hardships will be noticed and appreciated by someone who understands her, and that she will finally find the acceptance and validation that she seeks.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been roaming around, always looking down and all I see
I wander aimlessly, my eyes cast downwards, and everywhere I look, I see only the same painted faces, unreachable and false
Painted faces fill the places I can't reach
Every corner I turn, every place I find myself, is congested with people who are superficial and inauthentic, and they are beyond my grasp
You know that I could use somebody
I am lonely, and I desire a companion to fill the void in my heart, to take away my feeling of emptiness
Someone like you and all you know and how you speak
I long for someone who possesses your attributes and skills, someone who can express themselves eloquently and effectively like you
Countless lovers undercover of the street
The world is full of people seeking love and intimacy, but most of it remains hidden below the surface of daily life
Off in the night while you live it up, I'm off to sleep
While life goes on around me, I am content to retreat into slumber, away from the chaos and the noise
Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat
I struggle against feelings of despair and darkness, fighting to overcome negative emotions and find solace in art
I hope it's gonna make you notice
I pray that somehow, someway, you will become aware of my plight and come to my aid
Someone like me
I need a person like myself, someone who is sensitive and attuned to the subtleties of the world around them; a kindred spirit
Go and let it out
I implore you to be honest with yourself and others, to lay bare your thoughts and feelings, to be your true self
Someone like you, somebody
I long for a person with qualities and traits similar to yours, someone who understands my needs and desires, someone who can forge a connection with me on a deep emotional level
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing, Cloud9, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Anthony Caleb Followill, Ivan Nathan Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
-_-
after all these years this is still my favorite cover
Julian Rebolledo
A girl told me to listen this one... Then i saw her & thought 'gee i wanna marry her'
Ian James
love
danitheghost
wasnt there an actual vid of her singing? what happened
Jorge Henry Bautista Sanchez
Una artista perfecta para un cover perfecto,lleno de melancolía y sentimiento puro.Si Kings of Leon fueron los primeros en introducir la onda Indie en Estados Unidos,al otro lado de Europa,ya se sentaban las bases para darle vida a esta nueva corriente musical.Y que mejor con este unplugged interpretado por Natasha Khan y su banda Bat for Lashes.Si aquí en mi país hubieran talentos así,no nos estaríamos quejando a cada rato de tanto copion improvisado,que le encanta lucrar con obras ajenas,y las autoridades no hacen nada por detenerlos.Por que lamentablemente es el Perú,un país corrupto y lleno de impunidad.Sin más nada que decir,me voy.Saludos desde Lima.
56bluegold
She does this song, much better !
Dogfac3d
2021 ❤️
Hugh Rx
Ella♡
Stephen Miller
Still here in 2019
Daniel Bull Runner Lamb
Still here.