Heather Nova is the Bermudian Songwriter who grew up on a boat in the Caribbean and went on to sell over 2 million albums in her 15 year career to date. She has released seven albums and has opened for artists like Van Morrison and Neil Young as well as performed with artists like Sarah McLachlan. She has also had hit records with co-writes featuring artists like ATB (Renegade), and Eskobar (Someone New).Her brother is the Reggae singer Mishka.
By the end of the 1980s, after leaving RISD, Heather moved briefly to New York City (where she unsuccessfully tried to interest some major labels in a demo including Columbia , who rejected her, only to sign her five years later ), before moving to London, England. She has British citizenship due to her Bermudan origin. In 1990, she released her first recording, an EP called 'Heather Frith' — she had not yet changed her name by then. The name change came a year or so later after several gigs in the Netherlands, where, after finding out that the Dutch have trouble pronouncing "Frith," she chose a name that would be easily pronounceable in every European language, "Nova," her Canadian mother's maiden name.
The new name debuted in 1993 with her second EP 'Spirit in You' and her first full album, 'Glow Stars'. The success of the album led her to record and release her first live album, 'Blow', the same year, which she supported by a tour of Europe. A year later in 1994 she released what many consider to be her finest work to date, the emotional yet jagged album 'Oyster', for which she toured for almost two years. Another live album, 'Live from the Milky Way', was released in 1995, and after its release she toured for nearly three years straight, twice joining Sarah McLachlan and others on the North American Lilith Fair, which is a music festival with only female performers. Heather is also a frequent performer at European music festivals such as Roskilde.
In 1998, the long-awaited follow up to 'Oyster' was released. After the release of 'Siren', Heather took a break while various television show and film soundtracks licensed some of her songs and her record company (Sony Records/The WORK Group) released various singles from the album, which received only moderate play on America's MTV2, Europe's MTV and Canada's MuchMusic and on mainstream radio, although she was popular on college radio. Also during this time, she recorded a version of the often covered Billie Holiday song, 'Gloomy Sunday', for the German WWII drama Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod. In 2000, she released yet another live album, called 'Wonderlust'.
Over the years, Heather has written and recorded over a hundred songs, so that her albums are selected from work that has often already been performed live, rather than being conceived during rushed songwriting sessions. Half the songs on 'Siren' had been written during the 'Oyster' sessions and were frequently played live prior to being committed to a studio session, and most of the songs for 2001's 'South' were written between 1999 and 2000 while she was on hiatus from touring. With the release of 'South', she returned to the international spotlight with an appearance on the soundtrack of the John Cusack movie "Serendipity", a couple of music videos, and a collaboration with Swedish band Eskobar, for a song called "Someone New", also released as a video, which proved so popular that it was played primarily on America's MTV, not just MTV2 (which is normally reserved for less-popular songs). 'Storm', Heather's fifth studio album, was released in late 2003 on Big Cat Records, as was 'Redbird', released in 2005.
In 2002, she self-published 'the sorrowjoy', a 72-page book of her poetry and drawings. An album of the same name was released in March 2006, which featured Nova reading the poems from her book set to ambient music. The album has only been available for purchase at concerts beginning with the Intimate Evening tour, from the fan-run websites, HeatherNova.Net and HeatherNova.De, and from the official website, www.heathernova.com.
The album Storm was released in 2003. It was a more refined album, using Mercury Rev as Heather's backing band. The album was Top 5 in Germany and Top 10 across Europe. It was an album of dark ballads, marking a step away from the polished sound of South. It was also Heather's first release on her own record label, Saltwater Records. Despite being pregnant, she toured hard with a new line up and band, before returning home to Bermuda. (A live DVD was made of these concerts (live at the Union Chapel)
Throwing Fire At The Sun
Heather Nova Lyrics
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And what it is to be alone and have nothing
I don't know why you want to leave this space between
Is it easier to be alone and have nothing?
Oh, you and me and everyone
Oh, throwing fire at the sun
I know that I was stupid, I was wrong
Oh, you and me and everyone
Oh, throwing fire at the sun
If I listen there's something deeper that speaks
If we reach out maybe we could make a little peace
Oh, you and me and everyone
Oh, throwing fire at the sun
Remember stealing oranges and how they bled
And you're the one who showed me how to touch myself
Oh, you and me and everyone
Oh, throwing fire at the sun
Blood is a river, ties you to me
Blood is a river, ties everyone
Blood is a river, ties you to me
Blood is a river, ties everyone
Oh, ties everyone
Oh, ties everyone
In Heather Nova's song Throwing Fire At The Sun, she reflects on feeling alone and having nothing. She thinks about Venus sinking into the sea as a metaphor for feeling lost and abandoned. The lyrics suggest that there is a space between her and her loved one, and she wonders if it is better for them to be alone and have nothing. The chorus, "Oh, you and me and everyone, throwing fire at the sun," could be interpreted as a statement on the futility of human relationships and the struggle to connect with others.
However, there is a glimmer of hope in the second verse when Nova talks about listening to something deeper and reaching out to make peace. She acknowledges her mistakes and puts down her weapons, admitting her foolishness. The bridge about stealing oranges and touching herself suggests that there are moments of joy and intimacy even in the darkest times. The final repetition of "Blood is a river, ties everyone" reminds us that we are all connected by our primal essence and that our relationships can be our saving grace.
Overall, Throwing Fire At The Sun is a powerful and introspective song that speaks to the struggle of human connection and the hope that we can always find a way to make peace.
Line by Line Meaning
I think of Venus sinking down into the sea
I contemplate the image of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, sinking into the ocean, representing the idea of falling or losing love and how it feels to be alone without any possessions or connections.
And what it is to be alone and have nothing
What it feels like to be without love and possessions that give meaning and identity to our lives.
I don't know why you want to leave this space between
I don't understand why you want to have distance and separation between us, leaving us feeling alone and without connection.
Is it easier to be alone and have nothing?
Questioning if being alone with no possessions is easier than having to deal with the complexity and vulnerability of connections and relationships with others.
Oh, you and me and everyone
This is a repeated line throughout the song that implies the connections between everyone and how we all have similar experiences and emotions.
Oh, throwing fire at the sun
This line suggests the idea of throwing challenges or anger at something as powerful and unchanging as the sun, representing the feeling of hopelessness and futility in trying to change something that seems impossible to change.
I put my hands up, lay my weapons down
Metaphorically surrendering and letting go of the things that keep us from connecting with others, such as fighting or holding grudges.
I know that I was stupid, I was wrong
Acknowledging personal responsibility and recognizing past mistakes, which can help open up the possibility for healing and reconciliation.
If I listen there's something deeper that speaks
By being open and listening, there is often a deeper wisdom or understanding that can be found which can lead to greater connection and empathy for others.
If we reach out maybe we could make a little peace
By making an effort to connect and reach out to others, we can create a sense of peace and understanding between us.
Remember stealing oranges and how they bled
Recalling a past shared experience of stealing oranges is an example of a memory that connects people and creates a sense of shared history, despite any other differences or difficulties.
And you're the one who showed me how to touch myself
A metaphorical line that could refer to someone showing another person how to be comfortable in their own skin and connect with their own emotions and experiences, which is also a crucial step in connecting on a deeper level with other people.
Blood is a river, ties you to me
The metaphor of blood being a river symbolizes the way in which we are all connected, both physically and emotionally, and how we are all intertwined with each other, whether we like it or not.
Blood is a river, ties everyone
Reinforcing the idea that we are all connected and tied to each other in some form, whether through shared experiences, family, or even the simple fact of being human together.
Oh, ties everyone
An affirming conclusion that restates the idea that we are all connected to each other in some way, and that there is hope for greater connection and understanding if we are willing to reach out and listen.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
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