Before her days in Ash, Hatherley was playing in the obscure punk rock band, Nightnurse, from the age of 16. They received moderate success, and Ash frontman Tim Wheeler was present at one of their gigs. She was later recruited as the fourth and final member. Her first album with the group was 1998s Nu Clear Sounds where she provided lead guitar for all tracks and also wrote the song WildSurf which appears on the album.
Apart from this, Hatherley mainly contributed to Ash with soulful guitar and some backing vocals, co-writing the odd song with Wheeler. The title track from Hatherley's first solo album, Grey Will Fade had previously been featured as a B-side to one of Ash's singles. The rest of the band had liked the song, yet felt it wasn't consistent with Ash's sound, and supported Hatherley when she decided to record her own album. This debut album, relased in 2004, has more than proved her songwriting ability. The three singles, Bastardo, Kim Wilde and Summer all received high praise from critics, as well as the album itself.
The videos to the tracks Bastardo and Summer were directed by her ex-boyfriend, Edgar Wright, who is best known as the director of the film "Shaun Of The Dead", which incidentally featured two tracks from Ash's fourth album proper Meltdown, the title track and Orpheus.
On January 20th 2006, she announced her departure from Ash, to pursue her solo career further.
Her first material since her departure from Ash came in the form of the Behave EP which featured tracks from her second album and was released on December 18 2006 on two formats - 7" vinyl and digital download. The EP featured the title track Behave as well as other tracks from her second album including Cousteau and Mr Ed.
Her second album, The Deep Blue, was released in March 2007 on her own label Little Sister Records which was founded by Charlotte together with her manager Ann-Marie Shields. Between this and the release of her 2009 third solo effort, New Worlds, she played with Bat for Lashes as a touring guitarist, and has played bass with Client since December 2007.
White
Charlotte Hatherley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is cold and bright
The surfaces are clear
Hard
Tight
And very very white
A silver stripe
A very modern man
White
White
Swim into the abyss and the infinite
You're the only decoration that I need
In whiteness we can lead our modern life
Oh I love it when you take me in the white
My hair
Is red and glows
Against the walls
Your eyes
Are blue bright
And shine into the light
The world is broke
There's only you and I
In white
White
White
Swim into the abyss and the infinite
You're the only decoration that I need
In whiteness we can lead our modern life
Oh I love it when you take me in the white
My hair
Is red and glows
Against the walls
Your eyes
Are blue and bright
And shine into the light
The world is broke
There's only you and I
In white
White
White
Swim into the abyss and the infinite
You're the only decoration that I need
In whiteness we can lead our modern life
Oh I love it when you take me in the white
The lyrics to Charlotte Hatherley's song "White" describe a modern, sterile environment - perhaps an office or laboratory - filled with white surfaces and automated machinery. The singer seems to be enamored with this environment, using words like "tight" and "very very white" to describe it. In the second verse, the focus shifts to the singer and her partner, who both stand out against the white backdrop - her red hair against the walls, and his blue eyes shining in the light. The two seem to find solace in this environment, with the singer stating that "there's only you and I / In white white white."
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Swim into the abyss and the infinite / You're the only decoration that I need / In whiteness we can lead our modern life / Oh I love it when you take me in the white." To me, this seems to suggest that the singer and her partner are diving into this sterile environment together, perhaps as a way of escaping the chaos and messiness of everyday life. The "white" represents this desire for purity and simplicity, and the two characters find comfort in each other amid this emptiness.
Overall, "White" is an interesting exploration of the ways in which people seek out order and structure in a world that can often feel chaotic and overwhelming. The sterile, white environment serves as a sort of sanctuary for the characters in the song, and their love for each other allows them to thrive within it.
Line by Line Meaning
His room
The physical space where the singer is located
Is cold and bright
The space is uninviting yet illuminated
The surfaces are clear
The space is sterile and lacks personality
Hard
The space has a severe feel to it
Tight
The space is small or cramped
And very very white
The space is predominantly the color white
A silver stripe
A decorative element of the room
A very modern man
A person of contemporary style
In white
Emphasis on the color white
White
Repetition of the color white
White
Repetition of the color white
Swim into the abyss and the infinite
Metaphor for losing oneself in the whiteness of the space
You're the only decoration that I need
The singer prefers the presence of their companion over decorative objects
In whiteness we can lead our modern life
The space represents a contemporary lifestyle
Oh I love it when you take me in the white
The singer enjoys being in the space with their companion
My hair
Physical attribute of the artist
Is red and glows
The color of the artist's hair is vibrant
Against the walls
The location of the singer's hair
Your eyes
Physical attribute of the singer's companion
Are blue and bright
The color of the companion's eyes is vivid
And shine into the light
The eyes draw attention and reflect the brightness of the space
The world is broke
The world outside of the white space is flawed or imperfect
There's only you and I
The singer and their companion are the only ones present in the space
In white
The location of the artist and their companion
White
Repetition of the color white
White
Repetition of the color white
Swim into the abyss and the infinite
Metaphor for losing oneself in the whiteness of the space
You're the only decoration that I need
The artist prefers the presence of their companion over decorative objects
In whiteness we can lead our modern life
The space represents a contemporary lifestyle
Oh I love it when you take me in the white
The singer enjoys being in the space with their companion
My hair
Physical attribute of the singer
Is red and glows
The color of the artist's hair is vibrant
Against the walls
The location of the artist's hair
Your eyes
Physical attribute of the artist's companion
Are blue and bright
The color of the companion's eyes is vivid
And shine into the light
The eyes draw attention and reflect the brightness of the space
The world is broke
The world outside of the white space is flawed or imperfect
There's only you and I
The singer and their companion are the only ones present in the space
In white
The location of the singer and their companion
White
Repetition of the color white
White
Repetition of the color white
Swim into the abyss and the infinite
Metaphor for losing oneself in the whiteness of the space
You're the only decoration that I need
The singer prefers the presence of their companion over decorative objects
In whiteness we can lead our modern life
The space represents a contemporary lifestyle
Oh I love it when you take me in the white
The artist enjoys being in the space with their companion
Contributed by Bentley B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
kosong
Ringkasan
Lirik
Dengarkan
Orang lain juga menelusuri
Lirik
His room
Is cold and bright
The surfaces are clear
Hard
Tight
And very very white
A silver stripe
A very modern man
In white
White
White
Swim into the abyss and the infinite
You're the only decoration that I need
In whiteness we can lead our modern life
Oh I love it when you take me in the white
My hair
Is red and glows
Against the walls
Your eyes
Are blue bright
And shine into the light
The world is broke
There's only you and I
In white
White
White
Swim into the abyss and the infinite
You're the only decoration that I need
In whiteness we can lead our modern life
Oh I love it when you take me in the white
My hair
Is red and glows
Against the walls
Your eyes
Are blue and bright
And shine into the light
The world is broke
There's only you and I
In white
White
White
Swim into the abyss and the infinite
You're the only decoration that I need
In whiteness we can lead our modern life
Oh I love it when you take me in the white
Gary Diamond
I think this was a great record that didn't get the love and attention it deserved when it first came out. I have a 45 vinyl 7" single in white and it just floats out at you. Charlotte always was very good at doing angelic gorgeous harmonies, that's part of what made Ash so great while she was in the band.
andy james
The work that must have gone into this video, learning the lyrics backwards, moving in such a way that it looks natural when reversed. wow.
Hayden Ash
Or is it a green screen?
Debbie Reigate
What’s beautiful voice! I never realised!
J-Man
I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! You have AMAZING TALENT, CHARLOTTE!!!! :)
englemint
Unique, fresh, melodically wonderful. Good for her. This is a nice slice of heaven compared to the usual crap out there.
jamsee1
Love the great blend of so many flowing colours. Charlotte is a great picture of art work here and think the song is class. The video is really cool and creative.
John Dickson
Great, I really like this song and a heck of a lot of other of Charlotte's stuff!
Luis Fernando Silva
Amazing voice.
Dusty Grimm
Every song is a goddam LORD gem. I'm highly anticipating her upcoming release.