Herndon was recently announced a candidate for doctoral study in Electronic Music at Stanford University, and received her MFA in Electronic Music and Recording Media at Mills College under the guidance of John Bischoff, James Fei, Maggi Payne, and Fred Frith. While at Mills she won the Elizabeth Mills Crothers award for Best Composer in 2010 for her vocal generated piece ’195′.
Her musical work explores embodied experience in electronic media through experiments with the electronically processed voice, using extended vocal techniques, vocal processing and FM synthesis.
Herndon released CAR in 2010, a site specific cassette on ThirdSex in Chicago, and is currently working on her solo debut album and a book on embodiment in electronic music performance for the Swiss publisher Van Dieren. Other notable projects for 2012 involve collaborations with Jlin, Hieroglyphic Being, Rene Hell and the Iranian philosopher Reza Negarestani, as well as performances with the media group .
When not producing music, Herndon curates and manages exhibits and residencies at The Children’s Creativity Museum in San Francisco and teaches music technology at the University of the Pacific. She co-founded the +dialog speaker series at Gray Area Foundation of the Arts in San Francisco, which to date has hosted Kode9, Erik Davis, Max Matthews, Douglas Kahn and more.
Home
Holly Herndon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I feel like I'm home on my own
And it feels like you see me
I know that you've been (around)
Still (around)
I want you to show your face
You know that I've been (around)
I know that you will be (around)
Still (around)
I don't know which me to be
I know that you know me better than I know me
Still (around)
I know you like what I mean to you
If you've done something bad or something good
I don't know which me to be
On my own
I know that you've been (around)
Still (around)
You know that I've been (around)
Still (around)
I don't know which me to be
I know that you know me better than I know me
I can feel you in my room
Why was I assigned to you?
I know that you know me better than I know me
Still (around)
Still (around)
I know that you know me better than I know me
The lyrics of Holly Herndon's song "Home" seem to be an exploration of one's identity and the struggle to understand oneself. The opening line "Why was I assigned to you?" suggests a sense of confusion and uncertainty about one's place in the world and how they came to be with the person they are addressing. The next line "I feel like I'm home on my own" appears to be a reflection on feeling more comfortable when alone and not necessarily relying on others for a sense of belonging.
The chorus of the song is where the main message of the song is expressed. The lyrics "I don't know which me to be, I know that you know me better than I know me" reveals the singer's confusion about their own identity and the possibility that someone else knows them better than they do themselves. Throughout the song, there is a sense of longing for connection with the person being addressed, as seen in the lines "I want you to show your face" and "I can feel you in my room."
Overall, the lyrics of the song offer a meditation on the complexity of identity and the desire for connection with others even as we struggle to understand ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
Why was I assigned to you?
Questioning why this person was put in their life
I feel like I'm home on my own
Finding comfort in being alone
And it feels like you see me
Feeling understood by someone
I know that you've been (around)
Acknowledging this person's presence in their life
Still (around)
Reiterating the above statement
I want you to show your face
Desiring to see this person in person
You know that I've been (around)
Pointing out their own presence in this person's life
I know that you will be (around)
Believing this person will continue to be present in their life
I don't know which me to be
Feeling uncertain about their identity or how to act
I know that you know me better than I know me
Acknowledging how well this person knows them
I know you like what I mean to you
Feeling valued by this person
If you've done something bad or something good
Validating that this person's actions don't affect their relationship
I don't know which me to be
Repeating their internal struggle with identity
On my own
Emphasizing their independence
I can feel you in my room
Sensing this person's presence even when they're not physically there
Still (around)
Reiterating this person's continual presence
Still (around)
Repeating the above statement
I know that you know me better than I know me
Final repetition of how well this person knows them
Lyrics © SC PUBLISHING DBA SECRETLY CANADIAN PUB., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Holly Herndon, Holly Rebecca Herndon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
iccalbon
Holly Herndon is just some fantastically abhorrent and unprecedented early twenty-first century cyber sound witch; teaching her young SPAWN to appreciate and recreate and navigate all the pretty sound files that are fed into her fledgling digital offspring.
I have been listening to this song frequently for near seven years now. This video is just yummy contemporary pop art goodness for the new century. I personally cannot wait to see what Holly creates next. Her next album is just going to be awesome.
Garret Nuttle
I am going to keep this song/video on continuous loop until my appointed NSA monitor knows how deep my love runs
theneedledrop
my hero
Robert B
you appear in the most unexpected places!
Ghostmc
Robert B ikr Lmao
Jalen Marshall
Robert B
if you have any kind of vaguely defined tastes and are aware of artistic trends via some major music blog/mag site (eg. pitchfork), you'll bump into him lol
Genilson Gonzaga
Anthony, please, review PLATFORM when 4AD releases it. I beg of you!!!!!
Aang Mangum
theneedledrop, you're my hero <3
Nicolas Duquenne
As Always, everything is original and rarely listened before. I appreciate so much this way you build both music and video effects.
Brian Kisielewski
Her unique style comes through on all fronts.