Matthew Herbert is an electronic music producer known for breaking the boun… Read Full Bio ↴Matthew Herbert is an electronic music producer known for breaking the boundaries and conventions of the genre. Since 1996 he has released music on a variety of record labels under many aliases including Doctor Rockit, Wishmountain, Radioboy, Mr. Vertigo, Transformer, under his own name and with his Big Band. He has played at the Montreux and North Sea Jazz Festivals, Paris' Pompidou Centre, Tokyo's Blue Note, Sonar and Glastonbury, and supported Bjork at the Hollywood Bowl. Along with over ten albums of self-written, produced and performed music, he has produced albums by Róisín Murphy, Dani Siciliano and Barbara Panther, worked with Björk and remixed Moloko, R.E.M., Perry Farrell, Serge Gainsbourg, Yoko Ono, John Cale, The Avalanches and Cornelius. He also runs his own label, Accidental Records.

Herbert began creating music with found objects whilst at Exeter University (UK) in the 1990s, where he studied Drama. From bottles, books, and pepper pots he progressed to recording places and experiences, effectively using the sampler as an instrument on many of his Doctor Rockit and Herbert releases. This style evolved into the overtly political when he began sampling objects from McDonald's and The Gap as a protest against corporate globalism on the The Mechanics Of Destruction album. The CD was distributed free at concerts and available as a free download and has never been available in stores.

His 2003 Big Band album, Goodbye Swingtime combined the political commentary of Radioboy with the song structure of his Herbert albums. Recorded with sixteen musicians from the British jazz world, including saxophonists Dave O'Higgins and Nigel Hitchcock and bassist Dave Green, the band is complemented on stage by long-term vocal partner Dani Siciliano and occasionally Arto Lindsay and Warp recording artist, Jamie Lidell. Recently he has provided music for a number of films, including Dogme director Kristian Levring's The Intended along with original music for TV. Herbert's newest album Plat du Jour addresses world famine.

You're Unknown to Me
Herbert Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You're unknown to me
Your smile your touch
You're a mystery to me
I don't know much
You're not far away
From witnessing day
You're unknown to me

You're unknown to me
Your size those eyes
You're a secret to me
Each look with surprise
I don't know your name
Or words that you say
You're unknown to me

I know that you know that
Things will never be the same
And I know that
You wouldn't have it
Any other way

You're unknown to me
Your voice, each tone
I know where to find
Your love, your home
I don't know your face

Or small embrace but
You're welcome here with me

Overall Meaning

The Herbert song, "You're Unknown to Me" highlights the curious nature of human relationships. The persona is captivated by the enigmatic persona he's in love with because he's still discovering things about them. There is a sense of mystery, yet something about the unknown is alluring to the persona. The opening lyrics, "You're unknown to me, your smile, your touch, you're a mystery to me, I don't know much" express how the persona has a limited understanding of the person in question, but it's enough to keep him intrigued.

The chorus, "I know that you know that things will never be the same, and I know that you wouldn't have it any other way" reveals a level of comfort in the unknown. The persona recognizes that the relationship's evolution will require change but accepts it because the exciting factor is still present. The final lines, "You're unknown to me, your voice, each tone, I know where to find, your love, your home, I don't know your face or small embrace, but you're welcome here with me" depict how the persona has a deeper connection than the surface level in his relationship with the unknown persona.

Overall, the song conveys that love doesn't necessarily require complete information or understanding of a person, and sometimes it's the uncertainty that creates the magnetic attraction between two individuals.

Line by Line Meaning

You're unknown to me
I do not possess knowledge about you.

Your smile your touch
I am unfamiliar with the way you smile or touch.

You're a mystery to me
You are an enigma and I cannot comprehend you.

I don't know much
There is little that I am acquainted with about you.

You're not far away
You are close by and accessible.

From witnessing day
From experiencing the daylight.

Your size those eyes
I am not aware of your build nor the appearance of your eyes.

You're a secret to me
You are a riddle, and I am not privy to your innermost thoughts and feelings.

Each look with surprise
Every time I gaze upon you, I am struck with a sense of amazement.

I don't know your name
I am not acquainted with your given name.

Or words that you say
I am not familiar with your manner of speech.