Born in Montclair, New Jersey, in 1969, Duncan Sheik grew up in South Carolina but spent many of his early years staying with his grandparents in New Jersey. Inspired to play the piano while there, he later switched to electric guitar and performed in bands throughout high school. A fan of musical theater from a young age, he also acted in school plays and attended the occasional Broadway show with his mother. While studying at Brown University, he played in a band with Lisa Loeb but began shopping his own demo tape soon after graduation. After moving to Los Angeles, he appeared with His Boy Elroy on a 1993 album for Epic, and spent several years writing songs before he signed a solo deal with Atlantic.
Atlantic released his debut album, the Rupert Hine-produced Duncan Sheik, in mid-1996, with the single "Barely Breathing" following later in the year. The song reached number 16 on the Hot 100, and after another single, "Reasons for Living," appeared on the soundtrack to the hit TV show ER in late 1996, the debut peaked at number 83 on the Billboard 200. Also produced with Hine, the follow-up, Humming, arrived on Atlantic in 1998 and reached number 163.
Nonesuch issued 2001's self-produced Phantom Moon, a more orchestral collaboration between Sheik and poet/playwright/lyricist Steven Sater, who provided its lyrics. It featured appearances by the London Session Orchestra and guitarist Bill Frisell. Though it failed to reach the Billboard 200, Sheik returned to the chart with his fourth album, 2002's Daylight, which reached number 110. It would be his final release with Atlantic. In 2002, Sheik also composed music for a New York Shakespeare Festival's production of Twelfth Night.
Continuing to split his focus between songwriting and composition, Sheik wrote the film score for the 2004 romantic drama A Home at the End of the World as well as music for the 2005 documentary Through the Fire. He offered up his fifth studio LP, While Limousine, on the Zoë label in 2006. Its insightful lyrics didn't shy away from sociopolitical territory. In the meantime, he had collaborated with Sater on a rock musical based on the 19th century German play Spring Awakening, a story concerned with teenaged sexuality. With a book and lyrics by Sater and music by Sheik, Spring Awakening opened off-Broadway in May 2006 before moving to Broadway's Eugene O'Neill Theatre in December of that year. The show ran for over two years and took home eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. The Decca-issued cast album won a Grammy for Sheik and Sater.
Sheik composed the scores for projects including the Mary Stuart Masterson-directed film The Cake Eaters (2007) and the animated TV movie Little Spirit: Christmas in New York (2008) before presenting his next pop album, 2009's Whisper House. Featuring several duets with Holly Brook (Skylar Grey), the RCA Victor release spent a week at the number 181 spot on the Billboard 200. He scored the movie dramas Dare (2009) and Harvest (2010), then returned in 2011 with the covers album Covers 80s, which included backing vocals by Rachael Yamagata and Brook. Covers 80s Remixed appeared in 2012.
Next up for Sheik was a musical adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' American Psycho featuring a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and music, lyrics, and orchestrations all by Sheik. It opened in London in 2013. He released another solo album, a song cycle titled Legerdemain (2015), and premiered the musical thriller Noir (2015) at Vassar College before American Psycho had its Broadway premiere in March 2016. The original London cast recording arrived on Concord Records the same month. Based on Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, another Sheik-Sater musical collaboration, Alice by Heart, opened off-Broadway in early 2019. The original cast recording was released by Ghostlight later in the year. 2019 also saw the off-Broadway opening of the musical The Secret Life of Bees, featuring music by Sheik and lyrics by Tony nominee Susan Birkenhead (Working, Jelly's Last Jam).
His first concert album, Live at the Cafe Carlyle, followed on Sneaky Studios/Missing Piece in late 2020. Compiled from a week of shows in October 2017, its set list spanned "Barely Breathing," songs from Spring Awakening, and previously unreleased covers of Radiohead and Tom Petty. An HBO documentary about the 15th anniversary concert of the hit musical, Spring Awakening: Those You've Known, premiered in May 2022 and was followed in June by Claptrap, Sheik's first solo studio album in seven years. It arrived on the New York-based Antifragile Music label.
Biography by Marcy Donelson
For You
Duncan Sheik Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For you I'm gonna try to right all my wrongs
For you I'm gonna break my bad habits
There's a golden ring, and I want you to have it
There's a golden ring, and I want you
For you I'm gonna sit and patiently wait
It's great if you're early, but it's fine if you're late
You're a beautiful girl, and want you to know it [Repeat: x3]
It's an infinite world, and I want you
Once again I am opened [Repeat: x4]
For you I'm waiting on the ticket line
I gotta get back, I don't want to waste time
But the people are tired, and the line is so long
So, all I can do is sing this song
The lyrics of Duncan Sheik's song For You express the singer's desire to be a better person for their loved one. The song kicks off with the open confession that the singer has been singing a somber tune, but for their lover, they want to sing a happier song. The subsequent stanzas see the singer pledge to right their wrongs, break bad habits, and wait patiently for their beloved. The chorus "there's a golden ring, and I want you to have it" is a symbol of the singer's willingness to commit to their lover.
The lyrics then shift to the singer standing in line, waiting for a ticket while singing this song because all that's left to do is be patient during the wait for their lover to arrive. The song's lyrics and melody leave no doubt about the singer's devotion and affection for their lover.
The song's message resonates with anyone in a committed relationship or a period of reflection. We often want to be better people for our significant others, with their love providing the impetus for change. Duncan Sheik's vocal performance is tender and open, constructing a soft and intimate atmosphere that complements and reinforces the song's lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
For you I want to sing a happier song
I want to make you happy by singing a joyful song
For you I'm gonna try to right all my wrongs
I am willing to correct my mistakes and improve myself, for your sake
For you I'm gonna break my bad habits
I am determined to change my negative behavior for you
There's a golden ring, and I want you to have it
I want to give you a valuable gift, a symbol of my commitment and love
There's a golden ring, and I want you
I want you to be mine and share a life together
For you I'm gonna sit and patiently wait
I am willing to wait patiently for you, it's worth it
It's great if you're early, but it's fine if you're late
Your timing doesn't matter much to me, as long as you're here
For you I feel love, and I just want to show it
I have strong feelings of love for you and I want to express them
You're a beautiful girl, and want you to know it [Repeat: x3]
You are an amazing person, and I want to assure you of that
It's an infinite world, and I want you
In this vast and complex world, I want you to be my one and only
Once again I am opened [Repeat: x4]
I am vulnerable and exposed, but it's worth it for you
For you I'm waiting on the ticket line
I am willing to make sacrifices, even if it means waiting in line for you
I gotta get back, I don't want to waste time
I have to return soon, as our time together is precious
But the people are tired, and the line is so long
The situation is difficult and frustrating, but I will endure it for you
So, all I can do is sing this song
In this moment, all I can do is express my love for you through this song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DUNCAN SHEIK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind