Her first album was Santa Claus Lane (2002), a collection of Christmas songs which included duets with Lil Romeo, Christina Milian, and her sister Haylie Duff. Accompanied by the Disney Channel-only single “Tell Me a Story”, it peaked well outside the top 100 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart, but eventually received a gold certification. The album’s title track was included on the soundtrack to The Santa Clause 2, and another song, “What Christmas Should Be” was used in Cheaper by the Dozen. Duff sang several tracks for the soundtrack to The Lizzie McGuire Movie, including “Why Not”, which became a modest top twenty hit in Australia.
Duff’s second studio album, Metamorphosis (2003), included contributions by songwriter-producers such as The Matrix and reached number one on the U.S. and Canadian charts. It became one of the biggest selling albums of the year in the U.S. and has since gone to sell over 3.7 million copies. The lead single, “So Yesterday”, was a top ten hit in several countries and its music video received heavy airplay on MTV, while “Come Clean” became Duff’s first top forty U.S. hit and reached the top twenty elsewhere. The third single, “Little Voice”, was not released in the U.S. and was a minor hit in Canada and Australia. In late 2003 Duff embarked on her first concert tour, the Metamorphosis Club Tour and later the Most Wanted tour. All shows on her tour were sold out, a feat neither Britney Spears nor Christina Aguilera achieved that year. She won the award for Best New Artist at the 2004 World Music Awards and Best Female Artist at the Kids Choice Awards of 2004.
Duff’s third album, Most Wanted (2005), comprised her favorite tracks from her previous two albums, remixes, and new songs inspired by pop-rock musicians such as The Killers and Muse. Duff stated that it was not a greatest hits album, but that her label told her it was time to release a new album. She had more creative control over Most Wanted compared to her previous releases, co-writing and co-producing all of the new material with Joel Madden and his brother Benji, both of the band Good Charlotte. The lead single, “Wake Up”, became Duff’s highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100 and her highest peaking single in the U.S., and its video received heavy rotation on MTV. The video for the second single, “Beat of My Heart”, was also popular, but the single itself did not chart in the U.S. The album itself debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and became her third number-one debut in Canada. By March 2006, it had sold 1.3 million copies in the U.S. An Italy-only compilation, 4Ever, was released in 2006.
Duff’s fourth album, Dignity, was released on April 4 2007. It reached the top five in the U.S. and Canada, the top twenty in Australia and the top forty in the UK. Duff co-wrote all but two of the material for the album with Kara DioGuardi, and she also worked with producer-songwriter Rhett Lawrence in Toronto, Canada. It shows her more mature side. The Dignity tour began in mid-2007.
Although Hollywood Records was planning to release up to five singles from Dignity, only three were actually released: “Play with Fire”, presiding the album release, became a minor club hit but failed to chart in the U.S.; the second single, “With Love”, was more successful, becoming Duff’s biggest U.S. Hot 100 hit and topping the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. The music video for “With Love” was used as a commercial for Duff’s first fragrance, With Love… Hilary Duff, which was launched in September 2006; “Wrapped With Love” a new fragrance was released latter in 2008. The music video for “Stranger” was released on July 6. Critics applauded Duff for the music and video, pointing: “this is how a modern pop anthem should sound”. The video has Duff dressing up as a snake charmer in a sexy Balinese-inspired costume. The video received heavy airplay on MTV and Muchmusic and was very active in charts.
On September, 2008, It was officially announced that Hilary would be leaving her record label Hollywood Records after six years of service due to lack of promotion Dignity had been having since its release and lack of creative freedom since the very first album.
In November 2008, Duff’s second greatest hits album (and last album with Hollywood Records), Best of Hilary Duff, was released with two new songs: “Holiday,” and the album’s first single “Reach Out,” which samples Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus.” The song became Duff’s third #1 dance hit despite the lack of airplay.
Between labels, Duff took a hiatus for recording new music. During this time, she began appearing in independent films such as War, Inc. (2008), According to Greta (2009), and Bloodworth (2010). She later released the novel Elixir (2010), which became a New York Times best seller. The book was followed by the sequels Devoted (2011) and True (2013).
She returned to music in 2014, signing with RCA Records. Through RCA, she released two new singles, "Chasing the Sun" and "All About You", originally planned to be the lead single from her new album. Citing a change in the musical direction of the album, she released another new single "Sparks" on April 6, 2015, which debuted and peaked at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her fourth top ten hit on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Her fifth studio album Breathe In. Breathe Out. was released on June 12, 2015. It debuted at number 5 on the Billboard 200, becoming her fifth top five album. Duff also has worked with numerous charities and organizations throughout her career, and currently stars in the comedy-drama series Younger as Kelsey Peters. She has sold an estimated 15 million records since her debut in 2002.
Outside of You
Hilary Duff Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm so sick of it
I've got something to say to you
So shut up and listen
I don't want you to look past me
I want you to know who I am
I hate it when you ignore me
You just don't understand
You're just as useless as me
I can make you better
If you would just let me in
[Chorus]
I'm outside of you
And I can't get through
No more looking for beauty that's dying inside me
Can't you see?
I'm outside of you
And I'm so confused
You keep missing the small things
The safety that love brings
Can't you see?
I'm outside of you
You're only plan to survive
It needs love and light to grow
I could be something beautiful
I guess you'll never know
See, the funny thing is
You're just as lonely as me
We could be so much better
If you would just let me in
[Chorus]
And as you walk by me
I'm silently screaming to set me free
I look in the mirror
And I see your future
You look good with me
And as you walk by me
I'm silently screaming to set me free
I look in the mirror
And I see your future
You look good with me
Oh!
[Chorus]
That I'm outside of you
I'm outside of you
The lyrics of Hilary Duff's song Outside of You express the frustration and longing of someone who feels ignored by the person they are interested in. The singer is tired of the other person not paying attention to them and has something important to say. They want to be seen for who they are and not just looked past. The singer hates being ignored and wants to make the other person understand how they feel. The singer believes that they can make the other person better if they just let them in.
The chorus of the song repeats that the singer is outside of the other person and can't get through. They are searching for beauty within themselves and wish the other person could see it too. The singer is confused and feels like the other person is missing out on the small things that love brings. The safety of love could be so much better if the other person would just let the singer in.
The song ends with the singer silently screaming for the other person to set them free. They believe that they could have a beautiful future together if the other person would just give them a chance. The lyrics of Outside of You show a relatable experience of unrequited love and the struggle of wanting someone but not being noticed.
Line by Line Meaning
I can't get your attention
I'm having trouble getting your attention
And I'm so sick of it
I'm tired of this situation
I've got something to say to you
I have a message for you
So shut up and listen
Please listen to me
I don't want you to look past me
I don't want you to ignore me
I want you to know who I am
I want you to understand me
I hate it when you ignore me
I don't like being ignored
You just don't understand
You don't comprehend
See the funny thing is
Ironically
You're just as useless as me
We're both unproductive
I can make you better
I can help you improve
If you would just let me in
If you allowed me to help you
I'm outside of you
I'm not included in your life
And I can't get through
I can't break into your world
No more looking for beauty that's dying inside me
I don't want to keep searching for beauty that has left me
Can't you see?
Don't you understand?
And I'm so confused
I'm perplexed
You keep missing the small things
You're neglecting the details
The safety that love brings
The security that affection generates
You're only plan to survive
Your survival strategy
It needs love and light to grow
You need love and light to thrive
I could be something beautiful
I could be a source of beauty
I guess you'll never know
Perhaps you'll never find out
You're just as lonely as me
You're as isolated as I am
We could be so much better
We could improve drastically
And as you walk by me
As you pass by me
I'm silently screaming to set me free
I'm silently pleading to be liberated
I look in the mirror
I see myself in the mirror
And I see your future
I see your future with me
You look good with me
We look good together
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALECIA MOORE, CHANTAL KREVIAZUK, MICHAEL MAIDA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind