… Read Full Bio ↴Will Wiesenfeld AKA Baths was born in 1989, in Los Angeles, California.
Wiesenfield is a classically trained musician, and began learning the piano at the age of four “to compete with his brother”. By twelve he had “completely abandoned it,” but continual musical experimenting lead him to record his first piece of music at age fourteen. Under a previous moniker, [Post-foetus], he wrote four albums and three EPs. He also ventured into a more ambient style with side-project Geotic, a project which Irish magazine State.ie called “gorgeous”.
After adopting the name Baths, he released debut album Cerulean on independent record label Anticon. He recorded the entire album in two months from his bedroom. The BBC’s Mike Diver claims Baths’ nearest musical sound-a-like is chillwave musician Toro Y Moi. Pitchfork noted Baths’ influences, acts such as Björk and Flying Lotus, were “obvious” in his work.
Drowned in Sound noted Baths’ use of “unorthodox” sounds layered in and around the electronics, in particular “clicking pens, vocal samples, rustling blankets and scissor snaps”. British newspaper The Guardian’s Paul Lester commented he was reminded of “J Dilla playing around with the Pavement and Prince catalogues” while listening to the album. While a lot of his music is instrumental, it can occasionally incorporate vocals, most of them falsetto.
Cerulean was listed by the AV Club as the 21st best album of 2010. It made Pitchfork’s Album of the Year: Honorable Mention list.
Sleepless
Baths Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Before you took it away, oh
It returned on its own
A calloused, fettered waste
Now it lays awake like vapor
don't fade from the swamp
Cool your loveless wallowing
Leave me be
Leave me be
As miserable and salty as the sea
Hey
C-c'mon back
G-Good God, I was good enough
Oh, where are you?
Hey
Come back!
God damn it, I was good enough
I'm good enough
But I can't do this anymore, oh
Oh, where are you?
The lyrics of "Sleepless" by Baths describe the pain and restlessness someone feels after a breakup. The singer reflects on his heart before meeting the person who left him, saying that it was easy and carefree. But now, it's become calloused and fettered, no longer able to let go of the hurt and pain caused by the breakup. He compares himself to vapor, unable to disappear from the swamp of his negative emotions.
The chorus is a cry for the person who left him to come back, but also highlights the singer's self-doubt. He questions whether he was good enough for his partner to stay, and even if he was, he's unsure if he can continue to endure the pain of the relationship. The final line of "Oh, where are you?" is a desperate plea for closure and understanding.
The lyrics are enhanced by the song's dreamy and atmospheric music, which creates an ethereal mood that reflects the singer's emotional state. Overall, "Sleepless" is a raw and honest portrayal of the aftermath of a breakup, with lyrics that speak to anyone who has felt lost and alone after a relationship has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
Funny what a weird and easy heart I had
My heart used to be carefree and happy, but now it's changed
Before you took it away, oh
You took away my carefree heart
It returned on its own
My heart has come back, but it's not the same
A calloused, fettered waste
My heart has become hardened, trapped, and useless
Now it lays awake like vapor
My heart is restless and unsettled, like steam rising up
don't fade from the swamp
Don't disappear into the murky depths of my sadness and despair
Cool your loveless wallowing
Stop indulging in your self-pity and misery
Begone
Leave me alone
Leave me be
Let me be by myself
As miserable and salty as the sea
I am as sad and bitter as the ocean
Hey
Hey
C-c'mon back
Come back to me
G-Good God, I was good enough
I was enough for you, and it's frustrating that you don't see that
Oh, where are you?
I miss you and wonder where you are now
God damn it, I was good enough
I'm still frustrated that you didn't appreciate me enough
I'm good enough
I know I'm enough and don't need your validation
But I can't do this anymore, oh
I can't keep living this way and feeling this sad
Oh, where are you?
I still miss you and wonder where you are
Writer(s): WIESENFELD WILLIAM BORIS
Contributed by Cooper R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.