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
Little Hands
Duncan Sheik Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the telephone line
I've been waiting for such a very long time
For her to be free
The evening was nice
But there were too many people
And all my thoughts so depraved and evil
Oh lord what would she say
(she says)
I'm afraid it's not to be
You're a sweet guy but you ain't for me
I live my life in a different way
You know those things you're thinking
Are a big mistake
We stayed out late 'til morning came
I said "I'll take you home
If its all the same"
Her indifference fills the room
Some weak seduction on the morning after
How it slays me every time I touch her
But she just wants to sleep
(she says:) How long 'til you understand
The last thing that I need is another man
Didn't you promise to give it a rest
Right now I need a lover
Like a hole, like a hole in the head
Oh well, can't blame a guy for tryin'
And I'm smiling even though I'm dying
To know the love she says will never be
One last conversation in the crowded bar
And even thought the music is louder by far
I hear every word she says
(she says)
Don't take it bad don't worry about it
You're a friend of mine and there's no way around it
Sometimes you there early sometimes you get there late
But even if you had a chance you never knew the game
Little hands, open smile
I'm glad we got to talk for a while
I feel O.K. yeah I'm feeling better
I'll let it go but I'll never say never
It's O.K. yeah, it's O.K.
The song "Little Hands," by Duncan Sheik, is a bittersweet exploration of unrequited love. The singer describes his longing for a woman who he knows is not interested in him, but who he can't help but desire. The song takes place over a series of encounters, culminating in a final conversation in which the woman gently lets him down. Throughout the song, the singer wrestles with his desire for her, his awareness of his own perversion and weakness, and his attempts to connect with her on a deeper level.
The opening lines of the song establish the overarching theme of longing and unfulfilled desire: "Some sweet perversion on the telephone line / I've been waiting for such a very long time / For her to be free." The singer is waiting for the woman to become available, but she ultimately rejects him, saying "I'm afraid it's not to be / You're a sweet guy but you ain't for me / I live my life in a different way / You know those things you're thinking / Are a big mistake." Despite this, the singer continues to pursue her, offering to spend the night with her, despite her apparent disinterest. In the end, they part ways amicably, but the singer is left with the sadness and frustration of unrequited love.
Overall, "Little Hands" is a complex and emotionally resonant song about the ups and downs of love and desire. It is a powerful exploration of themes such as longing, vulnerability, and the difficult choices we make in the pursuit of love.
Line by Line Meaning
Some sweet perversion
He's been having naughty phone conversations with someone.
On the telephone line
The conversations took place over the phone.
I've been waiting for such a very long time
He's been anticipating this phone call for a while.
For her to be free
He's been waiting for her to become available to talk.
The evening was nice
He spent a pleasant evening with her.
But there were too many people
The evening would have been better if there had been fewer people around.
And all my thoughts so depraved and evil
He had impure thoughts about her all evening.
Oh lord what would she say
He's worried about her reaction to his impure thoughts.
I'm afraid it's not to be
She's telling him that they won't be romantically involved.
You're a sweet guy but you ain't for me
She thinks he's a nice person but not the right match for her.
I live my life in a different way
She has a different lifestyle than he does.
You know those things you're thinking
She's aware of his impure thoughts about her.
Are a big mistake
She thinks acting on those thoughts would be a bad idea.
We stayed out late 'til morning came
They spent the night together.
I said "I'll take you home if it's all the same"
He offered to give her a ride home.
Her indifference fills the room
She's not interested in him romantically.
Some weak seduction on the morning after
He's trying to seduce her, but his attempt is weak.
How it slays me every time I touch her
He's emotionally affected by her touch.
But she just wants to sleep
She's not interested in being intimate with him.
How long 'til you understand
She's frustrated that he's not getting the message.
The last thing that I need is another man
She's not interested in having a romantic relationship with him.
Didn't you promise to give it a rest
She's reminding him that he said he would stop pursuing her.
Right now I need a lover
She's looking for a romantic partner.
Like a hole, like a hole in the head
She's saying that she doesn't need someone like him in her life.
Oh well, can't blame a guy for tryin'
He's acknowledging that he made an effort to pursue her.
And I'm smiling even though I'm dying
He's hiding his disappointment and pain with a smile.
To know the love she says will never be
He's upset that she doesn't feel the same way about him.
One last conversation in the crowded bar
They have a final conversation before parting ways.
And even thought the music is louder by far
Despite the loud environment, he can still hear her.
I hear every word she says
He's really paying attention to what she's saying.
Don't take it bad don't worry about it
She's trying to let him down easy and not hurt his feelings.
You're a friend of mine and there's no way around it
She values their friendship.
Sometimes you there early sometimes you get there late
He's sometimes more attentive to her than other times.
But even if you had a chance you never knew the game
Even if he had the opportunity, he wouldn't know how to win her over.
Little hands, open smile
She has small hands and a warm smile.
I'm glad we got to talk for a while
He's happy that they were able to spend some time together.
I feel O.K. yeah I'm feeling better
Despite the rejection, he's doing okay and starting to feel better.
I'll let it go but I'll never say never
He's letting go of his pursuit of her, but he won't say that he won't ever try again.
It's O.K. yeah, it's O.K.
He's accepting that things didn't work out and it's okay.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DUNCAN SHEIK, FRAN BANISH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind