Heap grew up playing music from an early age, and by her eleventh birthday she was writing her own songs. From the age of 15, she studied at the BRIT School Of Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon, South London, recording three tracks for the school's annual CD between 1994 and 1995, "Aliens" being the title track of the latter.
After being introduced to Nik Kershaw by his manager Mickey Modern, Heap and Kershaw recorded four demos that Mickey Modern took to Rondor Music. Consequently, a few months later Heap signed her first record contract at 18 to independent record label Almo Sounds. During 1996, Heap began working with an experimental pop band called Acacia, which featured her future collaborator Guy Sigsworth and was fronted by the singer Alexander Nilere. While never a full member of the band, Heap was a guest vocalist (as a counterpart to Nilere) and contributed to various Acacia single and album tracks in 1997. One Acacia song, "Maddening Shroud", would later be covered by Frou Frou.
Heap enjoyed a prestigious live début, performing four songs (backed by friends Acacia) between sets by The Who and Eric Clapton at the 1996 Prince's Trust Concert in Hyde Park, London. Her début album, I Megaphone (an anagram of "Imogen Heap") was internationally released in 1998 on independent record label Almo Sounds and garnered critical acclaim. However, as production of the album neared completion, it was announced that the record label had been sold and would be shut down. I-Megaphone featured collaborations with Guy Sigsworth and Dave Stewart. In Japan, the regional distributor, Zora, re-released the album in 2002, featuring "Blanket," her collaboration with Urban Species which was released as a single in the United Kingdom, and a Frou Frou remix of one of her B-sides, a video to which was released exclusively to Japanese media. Following the disbanding of her UK and USA record label, I Megaphone was scarce in circulation, having not been re-printed until November 2006. An independent Brazillian record label has rights to the record, and has issued limited copies, some of which are available on eBay. It has also been released through the iTunes Music Store under the Almo label.
At the same time as the Japanese re-release, Heap was working on new tracks with producer Guy Sigsworth, who had collaborated on "Getting Scared" from I-Megaphone. Together, they formed an electro-pop group Frou Frou, releasing an album called "Details" and singles, "Breathe In", "It's Good To Be In Love" and "Must Be Dreaming." The album was a full collaboration between the two artists. Frou Frou were approached to cover "Holding Out for a Hero", originally performed by Bonnie Tyler, for the soundtrack to the highly successful movie Shrek 2. An album track, "Let Go", was featured in the movie Garden State in 2004.
In December 2003, Heap announced on her web site that she was going to write and produce her second solo album, using her site as an online blog to update fans on progress, even seeking them to be her A&R team for the lyrics to "Daylight Robbery". Heap set herself a deadline of one year to make the album (she booked the album mastering for December 2004), and re-mortgaged her flat to fund production costs, including the use of studio time and instruments (which she purchased as a birthday present to herself). Having been burned by previous challenges with record labels (Heap had been spurned twice by record companies, when Almo Sounds was sold and when Frou Frou's label staff focused on promoting other acts), Heap decided to form her own record label on which to release the new record. At the end of 2004, Heap premiered two album tracks online, enabling fans to pay for a digital download, entitled "Just For Now" (which was up for a limited time as a Christmas gift), and "Goodnight And Go", which had been featured on the second season of hit US TV drama The O.C.
In April 2005, The O.C. season two finale featured another track, the sparse vocodered-vocal track, "Hide And Seek". The track was released immediately to digital download services such as iTunes where it became an instant fixture in the chart. The track was released as a digital download on the 5th July 2005 in the UK and peaked at #8 on the iTunes download chart.
The album, entitled "Speak For Yourself" was then released in the UK on July 18th 2005 on her own record label, Megaphonic Records. The album was also released on iTunes UK, where it entered the top 10, selling strongly. "Hide And Seek" also received radio attention from the popular UK radio station BBC Radio One, with DJ Scott Mills featuring it as his "Record of the Week", and provoking strong reactions ("love it or hate it") from other DJs at the station. Due to popular demand, the track was commercially released on a special limited edition (1500 copies were printed) 7" vinyl in the UK in September. Speak For Yourself was licensed to Sony BMG imprint RCA Victor in August 2005, enabling the record to be released in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It was released in those territories in November, and Heap appeared on the Hotel Cafe Tour promoting the record. Imogen also performed "Goodnight And Go" on The Late Show with David Letterman on January 11, 2006. Heap is slated to continue touring in 2006 in the US and UK to support the record.
As well as TV soundtracks (Frou Frou and Heap's solo records have been featured in shows as varied as The O.C. to CSI, among others), Heap has also contributed solo tracks to movie soundtracks. Her cover of the song "Spooky" (made famous by the band Classics IV, and previously covered by Dusty Springfield) for the soundtrack to the Reese Witherspoon movie Just Like Heaven. Heap also wrote a special track entitled "Can't Take It In" for the soundtrack to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. She has also appeared on the second soundtrack for the HBO television series "Six Feet Under", entitled "Six Feet Under Vol. 2: Everything Ends" with a 50-second track that closed the Season 4 episode "I'm A Lonely Little Petunia (In An Onion Patch)". Three versions were recorded and are available from Heap's official web site.
In addition to producing her own records, she has also produced a track for Nik Kershaw and has collaborated with artists as diverse as Joshua Radin, Jeff Beck, Temposhark, LHB, Way Out West, Jon Bon Jovi, Mich Gerber, Sean Lennon, Urban Species, Blue October, Jon Hopkins and Acacia.
Heap's 2009 album 'Ellipse' features Canvas, Aha! and Half Life.
Sites: Twitter
www.imogenheap.com
Aliens
Imogen Heap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the sky was so very blue
Something caught my eye
Shot across the sky, as a gleaming white contraption
Clearly very new
These funny looking creatures
Lulling in my backyard
They waved to me
Form down below
With their funny heads
Holding their hats
So come on stay, stay with me
Please don't go away
Come on and talk to me, please feel free
Do you speak english?
'Cause i want to talk to you
Where do you come from?
I bet it's wonderful where you live
You gotta space ship
I bet there's funny machines everywhere
I bet you got flying cars
But ours can only go fast
We can't do the thing that you can do
It's just not fair
I wonder, do you have a time machine
That takes you anywhere you wanna be, and everything you wanna see
People might think i'm mindless
Unless i've got some kind of proof
Of you being here with me
So come on stay, stay with me
Please don't go away
Come on and talk to me, please feel free
Do you speak english?
'Cause i want to talk to you
Where do you come from?
Did it take you long form where you came from
And they wouldn't like me, as you could see
Have a head like a cone
With the color like a stone
I was on my own
Will anyone one believe me
I'm gonna tell you something now
You gotta keep it to yourself
It's a secret only you and i know
Remember that night i told you of ?? In my garden
One of them flew up to say hello
He took my by his hand
Up on my lips
And he freed his words on to me
He said you are now one of a kind in our minds
All of our powers to me
So come on stay, stay with me
Please don't go away
Come on and talk to me, please feel free
Do you speak english?
'Cause i want to talk to you
Where do you come from?
The song “Aliens” by Imogen Heap tells a story of a person who witnessed a UFO landing in their backyard, and the subsequent interaction with the extraterrestrial beings. The lyrics evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity about the possibility of life beyond Earth. The singer is intrigued by the aliens and tries to communicate with them, despite the language barrier. They express envy over the advanced technology the aliens possess and speculate on the nature of their home planet.
The song highlights the common human desire to connect with other beings, even if they come from different worlds. It also touches on the idea of feeling isolated or misunderstood when sharing an experience that is not easily verifiable or accepted by society. The singer acknowledges that others might not believe them, but that doesn’t diminish the significance of their encounter.
Overall, “Aliens” is a whimsical and introspective exploration of humanity’s relationship with the unknown and the mysterious.
Line by Line Meaning
It was late a night, a very star one
The singer saw something in the sky on a beautiful, clear night.
And the sky was so very blue
The sky was very blue and clear.
Something caught my eye
The singer saw something unusual in the sky that caught their attention.
Shot across the sky, as a gleaming white contraption
The object the artist saw was a shiny white craft that moved quickly across the sky.
Clearly very new
The object the artist saw appeared to be brand new or unlike anything they had seen before.
These funny looking creatures
The singer saw strange creatures in their backyard accompanying the object they saw in the sky.
Lulling in my backyard
The creatures were relaxing or lounging in the singer's backyard.
Who were here from out of a hatch
The creatures arrived from a hatch or opening in the object the artist saw in the sky.
They waved to me
The creatures acknowledged the artist's presence and greeted them.
Form down below
The creatures were standing or coming from a lower area in relation to the artist.
With their funny heads
The creatures had strange or unusual looking heads.
Holding their hats
The creatures were holding their hats, possibly to prevent them from falling off or waving them in greeting.
So come on stay, stay with me
The singer invites the creatures to stay and spend time with them.
Please don't go away
The singer doesn't want the creatures to leave.
Come on and talk to me, please feel free
The singer wants to communicate with the creatures and encourages them to speak freely.
Do you speak english?
The artist wonders if the creatures can speak English, the language the artist knows.
'Cause i want to talk to you
The artist expresses their interest in talking to the creatures.
Where do you come from?
The singer is curious about the creatures' place of origin.
I bet it's wonderful where you live
The singer assumes that the creatures' place of residence is amazing, based on the technology they demonstrated.
You gotta space ship
The artist references the craft the creatures arrived in as a spaceship.
I bet there's funny machines everywhere
The artist assumes that the creatures' world is filled with unfamiliar and interesting machinery.
I bet you got flying cars
The artist assumes that the creatures have vehicles that can fly, something that isn't common in the artist's world.
But ours can only go fast
The singer notes that their current vehicles can only travel quickly.
We can't do the thing that you can do
The artist acknowledges that the creatures possess abilities that humans do not.
It's just not fair
The singer expresses a sense of injustice, as humans seem to be technologically inferior to the creatures.
I wonder, do you have a time machine
The singer is curious if the creatures have a device that allows them to travel through time.
That takes you anywhere you wanna be, and everything you wanna see
The singer imagines that the time machine would allow the creatures to visit any place and time they desire and see whatever they want.
People might think i'm mindless
The artist acknowledges that other people may think they are foolish or crazy for believing in the existence of the creatures.
Unless i've got some kind of proof
The artist believes they need evidence or proof to convince others of the creatures' existence.
Of you being here with me
The singer considers the creatures' visit as proof of their existence.
Did it take you long form where you came from
The singer is curious about the distance between the creatures' place of origin and Earth.
And they wouldn't like me, as you could see
The artist assumes that others would dislike them for associating with the creatures, based on their strange appearance and the unauthorized entry onto Earth.
Have a head like a cone
The artist describes the creatures' head shape as resembling a cone.
With the color like a stone
The artist describes the creatures' head color as similar to that of a stone.
I was on my own
The singer was initially alone with the creatures, without anyone else present.
Will anyone one believe me
The artist wonders if anyone will believe their story about the creatures.
I'm gonna tell you something now
The singer is about to share a secret with the creatures.
You gotta keep it to yourself
The singer asks the creatures to keep the secret between them.
It's a secret only you and i know
The singer and the creatures are the only ones who know the secret the singer is about to share.
Remember that night i told you of ?? In my garden
The artist is reminding the creatures of the night they first encountered each other in the artist's garden.
One of them flew up to say hello
One of the creatures greeted the artist by flying up to them.
He took my by his hand
One of the creatures took the singer's hand.
Up on my lips
The singer describes how the creature spoke to them by placing its hand near their mouth.
And he freed his words on to me
The creature communicated something to the artist.
He said you are now one of a kind in our minds
The creature made the artist feel special and important to their community.
All of our powers to me
The creature shared some of its power or knowledge with the artist.
So come on stay, stay with me
The singer invites the creatures to stay and continue their relationship.
Please don't go away
The artist pleads with the creatures to not leave.
Come on and talk to me, please feel free
The singer encourages the creatures to continue to communicate openly.
Do you speak english?
The singer asks the creatures if English is a language they know how to speak.
'Cause i want to talk to you
The singer expresses their desire to talk to the creatures.
Where do you come from?
The artist inquires about the creatures' place of origin.
Contributed by Mila W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Quentin H
The most 90s Heapsong I've ever heard.
code
this song just needs some pop punk riffs and it will be perfect
wyobies
Love this song :)