Bertie first stepped onto the scene with ‘Headway’ (2004), her folk-inspired debut album. The single ‘Favourite Jeans’ became Bertie’s radio breakthrough and saw her dubbed “Australia’s underground queen”. On her second album, ‘Black’ (2006) Bertie returned armed with an electric guitar delivering a sexier, gritty rock sound. Bertie continued to develop her sound on ‘Secrets and Lies’ (2009) blending electronic influences with her signature vocal style and brutally honest lyrics in a modern exploration of pop music with the assistance of Sydney based UK producer Lee Groves (Goldfrapp, Gwen Stefani) and Francois Tetaz (Gotye, Architecture in Helsinki.)
The album Secrets and Lies was released on May 8, 2009 on Forum 5 Recordings and was presented as a Triple J Feature album. The album’s first single 'heart' was released in March 2009 and added to high rotation on Triple J and across the board on commercial radio network Nova. Altogether 'heart' was the 4th most added song on Australian radio in its premiere week of release. In April 2009 ‘heart’ was also one of the Australia’s most downloaded iTunes Singles of the Week of all-time. The album’s second offering ‘Thump’ was met with instant rotation on MTV Video Hits, Rage and Channel V who nominated Bertie for [V] Oz Artist of 2009. Hot off the heels of a 15-date sold out Australian tour Bertie released her intoxicating third single ‘Byrds of Prey’ and embarked on Parklife 2009, and extensive summer festival dates including Falls Festival, Sunset Sounds and Southbound.
In November Bertie entered a new international chapter in her young career, travelling to the UK for a promo tour sparking radio play on BBC 1, BBC 2 and XFM ahead of the UK release of Secrets and Lies. Upon her return Bertie was awarded the ultimate in Australian music industry accolades: an AIR Award for BREATHROUGH INDEPENDENT ARTIST OF 2009 and an ARIA Award for BEST INDEPENDENT RELEASE 2009.
In February 2010 Bertie returns to the UK for a string of showcase dates in London including a headline performance at Club NME. March 2010 sees Bertie returned to Australian soil for national dates as the main support act for La Roux’s Australian tour and the release of her new single Peek-A-Boo a cover of Siouxsie and The Banshees 1988 classic.
Heart
Bertie Blackman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Point to the truth
Coz we are stricken uh-huhh
And up here, with our asses in the air
I'm gonna fly to the other side
And find out what's news
This road feels rough
Crunching and gritting all that we hold true
And if you get your hands
And hold them just so
You might feel different and out of control
(Chorus)
And I know there's something sick
With what I've been sold
I've been tricked, poisoned, mislead
In what I've been told
Yeah, ye-ye-yeahhh
So cut the crap
Coz I've cut my soul
With knives and anything that I can hold
But you can buy me cheap
If you want another round
You'll find me swimming in your head
Before you can count
One, two, three
And I know there's something sick
With what I've been sold
I've been tricked, poisoned, mislead
In what I've been told
Oh baby you don't listen much
To what I know, I know, I know, I know, I
And our hearts are lit with darkness
Falling down, down, down, down, down, down, down
And it's the cheapness of the world
That's been getting me down
With everyone screwing each other
And anything they've found
Every face I see, weeps with a colour I can't describe
Weeping tears and dreams that are just swept aside
Who are to scared to speak up
Breathe the air, the evil, the change
The memories that are oh so strange to us
It's all become clear, with this song in my ears
This song in my ears
And I know there's something sick
With what I've been sold
I've been tricked, poisoned, mislead
In what I've been told
Oh baby you don't listen much
To what I know, I know, I know, I know
And our hearts are lit with darkness
Falling down, down, down, down, down, down, down
The lyrics of Bertie Blackman's "Heart in 2" deal with themes of disillusionment, betrayal, and confusion. The first verse asks the listener to pay attention to the truth that is hidden behind the façade of everyday life. The line "Coz we are stricken" suggests that the singer and those around her are afflicted by some kind of sickness or disease, perhaps a metaphor for the corruption and decay of society. The second line, "And up here, with our asses in the air," is difficult to interpret, but it may refer to a state of vulnerability or surrender. The singer then declares her intention to "fly to the other side" and "find out what's news," suggesting a desire to escape her current situation and discover something new and true.
The second verse continues the theme of disillusionment, describing the world as "rough" and "crunching and gritting all that we hold true." The line "And if you get your hands/And hold them just so/You might feel different and out of control" suggests that there is an unsettling truth just beneath the surface of things that can only be discovered through a certain kind of perception or experience. The chorus repeats the phrase "I've been tricked, poisoned, mislead/In what I've been told" as a statement of the singer's inability to trust the messages she has been given. The third verse expands on this theme, describing the world as "cheap" and full of people who are "screwing each other/And anything they've found." The image of faces weeping with an indescribable color is haunting, and suggests a sense of hopelessness or despair. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer has found some kind of clarity or insight through listening to the song itself, which has revealed the sickening truth behind her previous beliefs.
Overall, "Heart in 2" is a bleak and somewhat cryptic meditation on the failings of the world and the difficulty of finding truth in a world filled with lies and illusions.
Line by Line Meaning
So listen up
Pay attention to what I have to say
Point to the truth
Identify the truth and focus on it
Coz we are stricken uh-huhh
We are deeply affected by something
And up here, with our asses in the air
In this situation, we are vulnerable and exposed
I'm gonna fly to the other side
I'm going to explore the unknown
And find out what's news
And discover what's going on
This road feels rough
This journey is difficult
Under my shoes
Right beneath me
Crunching and gritting all that we hold true
Challenging everything we believe to be true
And if you get your hands
If you take a closer look
And hold them just so
And examine them in a certain way
You might feel different and out of control
You might have a different perspective and feel uncertain
And I know there's something sick
I am aware that something is wrong
With what I've been sold
With the ideas and beliefs that I have been taught
I've been tricked, poisoned, mislead
I have been deceived, harmed and misguided
In what I've been told
By what I have been taught
So cut the crap
Stop with the meaningless talk
Coz I've cut my soul
Because I have caused harm to myself
With knives and anything that I can hold
With anything sharp that I could find
But you can buy me cheap
But I am available at a low cost
If you want another round
If you want more of me
You'll find me swimming in your head
You'll find me occupying your thoughts
Before you can count
Before you have a chance to react
One, two, three
Before you know it
Oh baby you don't listen much
You don't pay much attention
To what I know, I know, I know, I know
To what I am aware of
And our hearts are lit with darkness
We are filled with sadness and despair
Falling down, down, down, down, down, down, down
Descending into an abyss of despair
And it's the cheapness of the world
The world's lack of value and morality
That's been getting me down
That has been bringing me negative emotions
With everyone screwing each other
With everyone taking advantage of others
And anything they've found
And anything that could benefit them
Every face I see, weeps with a colour I can't describe
People's expressions reveal a sadness I cannot articulate
Weeping tears and dreams that are just swept aside
Crying over the loss of dreams that have been disregarded
Who are to scared to speak up
Who are too afraid to voice their opinions
Breathe the air, the evil, the change
Facing the negative aspects and changes of the world
The memories that are oh so strange to us
The memories that we cannot understand
It's all become clear, with this song in my ears
It all makes sense now, with this music playing in my mind
Contributed by Carter O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Monsta2283
Thanks to JJJ radio, in bringing this awsome song to my ears.
Naeema J
this beat is crazy ...until the chorus kicks in
elo wheeze
All of the things in this music vid show all of the sounds in the song-I really like that about it!!! xD
Adrian Magni
Hey, Cockatoo Island! Fun place to visit in the daytime, but after dark it's like wall-to-wall zombies.