At the age of sixteen, Esthero moved from small town Harriston, Ontario on her own to Toronto, where she began singing at open-mic nights, a journey that in 1997 led to a meeting with the president of EMI Publishing Canada, whom she charmed so well during their first meeting that without hearing her sing a single note he was moved to set up and finance recording sessions with Doc, a guitarist and studio engineer. Their debut album, Breath from Another, was released to critical acclaim in 1998 and is widely seen as one of the more accessible albums of the trip-hop genre.
Though she remained active following the moderate success of the debut album, featuring on tracks by such artists as Nelly Furtado and The Black Eyed Peas, it would take over 7 years for a proper follow-up to be released (due to a confluence of factors that included a lengthy creative process, the closure of the WORK record label and marketing delays) in the form of 2005's Wikked Lil Grrrls, an album that crossed genre boundaries with its heavy debt to jazz and hip-hop. The album was preceded in 2004 by a pair of EPs, The O.G. Bitch Remixes (with the title song reaching Number 1 on the Billboard Dance Chart) and We R In Need of a Musical Revolution, which served as a preview of the full length album.
After the release of Wikked Lil Grrrls, Esthero devoted an increasing amount of time to songwriting and production, with her work featuring on albums by Brandy and Kanye West (most prominently on West's single Love Lockdown).
2012 saw the release of Esthero's third full-length album, Everything is Expensive (Universal Music Canada), preceded by the release of Never Gonna Let You Go as the lead single and video. The album was partially funded through a campaign on PledgeMusic in which backers could choose from exclusives such as artwork by the singer. Everything is Expensive debuted on Billboard's Heatseeker chart at #13.
Official Websites
www.esthero.net
Melancholy Melody
Esthero Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just want to lay here in my room and let myself cry
I apologize if I've disappointed you
I got lost in my darkness and the light hurts my eyes
I know you're counting on me to feed all of our families
But I just need to be on my own for a little while
'Cause I can't stop singing these melancholy melodies
So until then I'll hide
I feel tired all the time, yeah, this weight is exhausting
I cannot please everyone, least of all me
I have no more to give you, it's all ready been stolen
Tell me, what's left for me, a melancholy melody
I know you're counting on me to feed all of our families
But I just need to be on my own for a little while
'Cause I can't stop singing these melancholy melodies
So until then I'll hide, I'll hide
Well you think I'm scared to write
That I've got nothing left inside and I'm losing all my fire
But it still burns bright, just not on your command
You think I'm scared to write
That I've got nothing left inside and I'm losing all my fire
That I'm losing all my fire, am I losing all my fire?
Still burns bright, brighter yeah
Leave me alone, just wanna lay here alone in my room and let myself cry
I know you're counting on me to feed all of our families
But I just need to be on my own for a little while
So stop calling my phone, please don't come around my home
I just wanna be alone
I know you're counting on me to feed all of our families
But I just can't stop singing these melancholy melodies, yeah
I just wanna be, I just wanna be alone
The opening lines of Esthero's song "Melancholy Melody" reveal a sense of weariness and exhaustion from the singer's point of view. They want to be alone and allow themselves the space to release their emotions and cry. The singer seems apologetic for disappointing the others and getting lost in their darkness. They express their need to be on their own for a while, and although others are counting on them, they cannot stop singing these melancholy melodies. The song is an expression of the singer's struggle with not fitting into society's expectations and meeting others' demands at the cost of their own well-being. The line "I have no more to give you; it's all already been stolen" is a representation of the singer's feelings of being drained of their creativity and having no more to offer.
The song talks about the singer's struggle with writer's block, which has made them feel like they've lost their fire. Despite what others may think, they still have the desire to write and create. The message of the song is not to push someone to perform or to meet others' expectations, but to allow them the space to express their emotions as they need to. The song reflects on the human condition, where people often push themselves to the limit to please others or meet certain expectations, even if it comes at great personal cost. In the end, "Melancholy Melody" is a plea for understanding and an expression of the need for a break and self-care.
Line by Line Meaning
Leave me alone
Please give me some space and privacy
I just want to lay here in my room and let myself cry
I need to release my emotions and have some time to process them
I apologize if I've disappointed you
I feel guilty for not meeting your expectations
I got lost in my darkness and the light hurts my eyes
I am struggling with my mental health and feel overwhelmed by external stimuli
I know you're counting on me to feed all of our families
I have important responsibilities and obligations to fulfill
But I just need to be on my own for a little while
I need to take some time for myself to recharge and recover
'Cause I can't stop singing these melancholy melodies
I am constantly stuck in a sad or depressed state and it is affecting me deeply
So until then I'll hide
I will withdraw from social interactions and seek solitude
I feel tired all the time, yeah, this weight is exhausting
I am physically and emotionally drained from carrying the burdens of others
I cannot please everyone, least of all me
I realize that it is impossible to make everyone happy, including myself
I have no more to give you, it's all ready been stolen
I have depleted my resources and energy, and they have been taken advantage of
Tell me, what's left for me, a melancholy melody
I am struggling to find a sense of purpose or hope, and my sadness is consuming me
Well you think I'm scared to write
You believe that I am afraid to express myself through my art
That I've got nothing left inside and I'm losing all my fire
You assume that I am empty and uninspired, and that my passion is fading
But it still burns bright, just not on your command
Despite my struggles, my creativity and passion still exist, but I cannot force it to come out
So stop calling my phone, please don't come around my home
I need space and boundaries, and I am asking you to respect them
I just wanna be alone
I need solitude to heal and recover from my emotional pain and stress
I just can't stop singing these melancholy melodies, yeah
My sadness and pain are deeply ingrained, and I cannot escape them
I just wanna be, I just wanna be alone
I need space and time alone to heal and recover before returning to my responsibilities
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: James Jason Poyser, Jenny Bea Christina Englishman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind