Isaak's music can be described as a blend of country, blues, rock'n'roll, pop and surf rock.
He signed a contract to Warner Brothers Records in 1984 for his first album "Silvertone". Isaak's contract was renewed in 1988 when Warner moved him to their Reprise Records label.
His best-known song is "Wicked Game". Though released on the 1989 album "Heart Shaped World", an instrumental version of the song was later featured in the David Lynch film 'Wild at Heart' (and also years later in the 2000 film The Family Man). An Atlanta radio station DJ began playing the full version and it quickly became a nation-wide top ten hit. The music video for the song was directed by Herb Ritts and was a big MTV and VH1 hit; shot in black and white, it starred Isaak and model Helena Christensen rolling on the beach, embracing and whispering in each others' ears.
In 1999, Isaak's "Baby Did A Bad, Bad Thing" was featured in Stanley Kubrick's final film 'Eyes Wide Shut', starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.
In 2001, Chris Isaak starred in his own television show, 'The Chris Isaak Show'. It aired from March 2001 to March 2004 in the United States on the cable television network Showtime. This adult comedy show featured Chris Isaak and his band playing themselves with the episode plots based on fictional accounts of the backstage world of Chris Isaak - the rock star next door.
In 2004, his track "Life Will Go On" was featured on the 'Chasing Liberty' soundtrack, which starred Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode.
He hosted a talk show on the Biography cable channel in the United States in 2009 that offered a unique twist - each guest was a musical artist, and both Chris and the artist performed various songs throughout each show. Eight episodes aired in early 2009, featuring guests Trisha Yearwood, Stevie Nicks, Glen Campbell, Michael Buble, Chicago, The Smashing Pumpkins, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), and Jewel.
Isaak has also appeared in numerous films, mostly playing minor cameo roles, though he starred with Keanu Reeves and Bridget Fonda in the 1993 Bernardo Bertolucci-directed 'Little Buddha', and also played a major role in David Lynch's 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me' (1992). Other motion pictures include 'Married to the Mob' (1988), 'The Silence of the Lambs' (1991), 'That Thing You Do!' (1996), and 'A Dirty Shame' (2004). He also guest-starred on the Super Bowl Sunday (1996) edition of the television sitcom Friends and on the HBO miniseries, From the Earth to the Moon (HBO).
Chris is also an amateur boxer, avid surfer and a former Golden Gloves champion.
The Lonely Ones
Chris Isaak Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And know that someone lies awake not sleeping.
If you drive fast at night, and hear the wind at night.
And know that sometimes you can hear them weeping, the lonely ones.
The lonely ones.
And though you'd like to stop, you know it's wrong to stop.
The nights' to dark for you to ever reach them, the lonely ones.
The lonely ones.
As you drive on we drive faster,
you try to leave the night behind you but wait
You hear them still
You always will.
The lonely ones.
Out on the edge of town, you start to turn around.
But in your mirror you see the one who is crying, the lonely ones.
The lonely ones, the lone-ly ones!
The lyrics of the song The Lonely Ones by Chris Isaak describe a person driving alone at night, passing by a town where someone is lying awake and weeping, and this person knows that they should not stop to reach out to this lonely individual. The lyrics further emphasize the idea of loneliness, as the person driving faster and trying to escape the night, realizing that they can still hear the weeping of the lonely ones. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "the lonely ones," emphasizing the idea that there are those who are isolated and lonely in the world.
The song's lyrics create a somber and melancholic atmosphere, capturing the sense of longing and loneliness. It speaks to the human condition and the struggles of feeling isolated and disconnected, even in a world where people are constantly in contact with one another. The song reveals the reality that people suffer silently, and sometimes the distance between people is so vast that their cries for help can go unheard.
Line by Line Meaning
If you drive late at night, and pass the town at night.
While driving in the middle of the night, passing through an isolated town.
And know that someone lies awake not sleeping.
Realizing that someone is awake and probably struggling with loneliness.
If you drive fast at night, and hear the wind at night.
While speeding through the silent darkness, hearing the sound of the wind.
And know that sometimes you can hear them weeping, the lonely ones.
Being aware that you can hear the cries of the lonely people who are invisible and unheard.
The lonely ones.
Referring to those who are lonely and suffering from social isolation.
And though you'd like to stop, you know it's wrong to stop.
Feeling the urge to stop and help but knowing that it's not safe or practical.
The nights' too dark for you to ever reach them, the lonely ones.
Admitting that the situation is beyond someone's control and that they cannot help those who are lonely and invisible.
As you drive on we drive faster,
Continuing to drive further away to keep pace with the motion of the darkness.
you try to leave the night behind you but wait
Attempting to escape the silence and fear of the night, but waiting for something to happen.
You hear them still
Continuing to hear the sounds of the lonely people in the darkness.
You always will.
Knowing that the cries of the lonely will always be present in the back of one's mind.
Out on the edge of town, you start to turn around.
Being at the edge of a town and contemplating turning back.
But in your mirror you see the one who is crying, the lonely ones.
Looking back in the mirror and seeing the face of someone who is visibly crying and lonely.
The lonely ones, the lone-ly ones!
Repeating the phrase to emphasize the pain and isolation felt by those who are lonely.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHRIS ISAAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind