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.
Disappear
Buddahead Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or indifference I perceive.
I should have left you unopened.
There is too much there to read.
Do what you want, go where you like, I'll follow.
Do what you please and what you plead I'll do.
But you've built these walls around you now.
You don't want to feel the fear
That's all about you, all around you now;
But wherever you go I'll be there.
To sit alone here would kill you.
It's not the silence but the space.
You've picked the pieces so delicately
And put them all in their place.
You don't want to disappear
But you've built these walls around you now.
You don't want to feel the fear
That's all about you, all around you now;
But wherever you go I'll be there.
The lyrics of Buddahead's song Disappear are about an individual who is feeling a mixture of emotions, either comfort or indifference. The singer regrets opening the individual up as they realize there is too much to understand about the person. The lyrics state that the singer will follow the individual regardless of where they go and will do as they please. However, the individual has built walls around themself to avoid feeling scared or vulnerable. Despite this, the singer promises to stand by them wherever they go.
In essence, the song is about how we put up barriers around ourselves to protect us from emotional harm. We choose to hide from the world and numb our feelings, creating a barrier between ourselves and others. The lyrics suggest that even though we hide behind walls, there are people out there who care and will follow and be there for us no matter what.
Overall, the song proposes that it is important not to give up on people who have built metaphorical walls, but instead, to show them the care and love that they need to help break down those walls.
Line by Line Meaning
This could be comfort you're feeling
It's possible that you feel comfortable, but I can't tell for sure.
Or indifference I perceive.
From my perspective, it seems like you don't really care.
I should have left you unopened.
I regret opening up to you and getting to know you.
There is too much there to read.
There are too many layers to your personality to understand fully.
Do what you want, go where you like, I'll follow.
I'll be by your side no matter where you go or what you do.
Do what you please and what you plead I'll do.
I'll do whatever you want me to do for you.
You don't want to disappear
You don't want to fade away into obscurity or become forgotten.
But you've built these walls around you now.
You've isolated yourself and made it difficult for others to get close.
You don't want to feel the fear
You don't want to experience the terror or anxiety that's present.
That's all about you, all around you now;
It's all encompassing and surrounding you at this moment.
But wherever you go I'll be there.
I'll always be there to support and stand by you.
To sit alone here would kill you.
Being alone in this space would be unbearable for you.
It's not the silence but the space.
It's not the lack of sound, but the emptiness of the surroundings.
You've picked the pieces so delicately
You've chosen each element with great care and scrutiny.
And put them all in their place.
You've arranged everything in a particular order that makes sense to you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind