By any reckoning, Iranian native Kia has an extraordinary story to tell; he calls Ashes “music to lament to,” and he is only half-joking. As a small boy, he fled Tehran for London with his father, after witnessing up close the internecine violence of the Islamic Revolution. In the U.K., he was reintroduced to the mother he’d virtually never known, since she’d left Iran years before him, and he found himself placed in the strange, regimented environment of a British military school. As he grew up, the feelings that Kia was unable to articulate in words alone found expression in songs. He was so intuitively skilled at this creative channeling that he attracted the interest of a major London music publisher. As Kia built a repertoire, he decided to go to the United States in pursuit of his first record deal.
After making the rounds in New York City and Los Angeles, he signed a deal with Interscope Records. So far so good, but it wasn’t long before he discovered that the industry was more interested in molding him to suit the tastes of the moment than in exploring what he might really have to offer in his own right. One can understand why: Kia has an impressive, elastic vocal range, able to perform hushed ballads as eloquently as anthemic rockers.
As the powers that be tried to figure out how they wanted to present their find, Kia decided he would prefer to do it his own way. So he jettisoned the cadre of producers, mixers and constantly gear-shifting executives who surrounded him. He chose a tougher, more D.I.Y. approach to his fledgling career, touring relentlessly as a solo artist, opening for better-known acts. After meeting and working with bassist Toby Evers and Guitarist Simon Gibson, the trio began touring at an unrelenting pace, playing over 400 shows in less than two years. “It was on the road, in the crammed space of the tour van, that our new sound was formed and Buddahead was reinvented as a band”, says Gibson.
Their 2004 debut, Crossing The Invisible Line, showcased a prodigious talent with the vocal prowess of Thom Yorke and a band so skilled at arranging that it recalled vintage U2 or contemporary Coldplay. But these artful tracks barely hinted at the roiling emotions lying beneath their sleek surface and the truly dramatic stories Kia had yet to tell. Ashes changes all that. Surrounded by the darker musical influences of Gibson and Evers, Ashes are Kia’s stories as he wants to – has to – be heard. “Urgent but less desperate, Ashes is the amalgamation of a band that is growing up.”
Ashes has its origins in some of the darker moments of a few far-flung lives, yet these real-life scenarios connect in many tangible ways to our collective cultural and political history, and that makes them all the more powerful. In his lyrics, Kia doesn’t offer answers to the dilemmas he presents, yet in the very act of creating these songs, articulating these emotions, Kia makes Ashes an uplifting experience. His catharsis becomes our own. Gazing into the ashes of torched relationships, Kia discovers a spark of hope for us all.
Broken
Buddahead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Forgetting time and how to spend my days.
It's the shape of things you left behind.
You disturbed my mind and now I'm less inclined
To find away out.
I find it's a waste of time.
I'm spinning around a big mistake,
I'm broken
You have made me broken.
Lately I've been feeling no regrets.
Forgetting how you got so in my head.
Everything that I thought was real has faded and I feel
There is no way to heal.
There is no way out.
I find it's a waste of time.
I'm spinning around a big mistake,
I'm pointing the blame at your name
I'm broken
You have made me broken.
Wake up time and your not mine.
Everything you leave behind, every pillow talk, was fake.
My mistake.
I gotta keep my back straight.
Wake up time and I'm not fine.
Everything you left behind,
All the pillow talk was fake.
My mistake.
I gotta keep my back straight.
I'm spinning around a big mistake,
I'm pointing the blame at your name
I'm broken
You have made me broken.
Tell me, "Am I broken?"
The song "Broken" by Buddahead speaks about a person who has been greatly affected by a failed relationship. The first verse explains how the singer has been staring out to space and forgetting how to spend his days. This depicts a person who is lost and cannot find meaning in the things he used to enjoy. He realizes that the things his past lover left behind are contributing to his current state of mind, and he's not inclined to find a way out, as he deems it a waste of time.
The second verse reveals his realization that he often feels no regrets about the past. He's forgotten how his lover managed to get into his head so deeply. He realizes that everything he thought was real is slowly fading away, and concludes that there's no way to heal or move on. The chorus emphasizes his brokenness and how his ex-lover is responsible for it. He's pointing his fingers at her and is struggling to keep his emotions in check.
The bridge is an acceptance of the reality that the relationship is over. He recognizes that the person he had loved is gone, and the conversations and moments they shared behind closed doors were all fake. The singer acknowledges that he made a mistake, but he needs to keep his back straight and move forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Lately I've been staring out to space,
Recently, my mind has been wandering aimlessly with no real purpose.
Forgetting time and how to spend my days.
I've lost track of time and I'm not sure how to use my days productively anymore.
It's the shape of things you left behind.
The remnants of your influence on me have shaped the person I am now.
You disturbed my mind and now I'm less inclined
You managed to disrupt my peace of mind and now I'm less motivated to try to get myself out of this state.
To find a way out.
I don't even know how to begin the process of getting back to my normal self.
I find it's a waste of time.
It seems like it's pointless to try to fix things at this point.
I'm spinning around a big mistake,
I keep going around in circles about the mistake of letting you into my life.
I'm pointing the blame at your name
I'm placing all the guilt and responsibility of my current state on you.
I'm broken
I'm emotionally damaged and struggling to cope with the situation.
You have made me broken.
You are the reason why I'm in this state and struggling to come out of it.
Lately I've been feeling no regrets.
I don't have any remorse about ending our relationship and moving on.
Forgetting how you got so in my head.
I can't seem to recall how or why you had such a strong hold over me.
Everything that I thought was real has faded and I feel
All the things that I believed about our relationship are no longer true and I'm left feeling empty.
There is no way to heal.
I feel like there's no way to get past this and move on from the pain you've caused.
Wake up time and your not mine.
I wake up every morning and have to remind myself that you're no longer in my life.
Everything you leave behind, every pillow talk, was fake.
All the memories and conversations we shared were based on lies and deceit.
My mistake.
It was a mistake to trust you and let you into my life.
I gotta keep my back straight.
I need to stay strong and not let you get the best of me.
Wake up time and I'm not fine.
Every time I wake up, I'm reminded that I'm not okay and still struggling to move on.
You have made me broken.
You are the one responsible for breaking me down emotionally and causing this pain.
Tell me, "Am I broken?"
I'm questioning whether or not I can even be fixed or if I'm permanently damaged.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: THOM SCHUYLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Chris W
Love this track!