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
Can't Take It In {As Used in the Film the Chronicles of Narnia: ...}
Imogen Heap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm wide awake
Every hair on my body
Has got a thing for this place
Oh, empty my heart
I've got to make room for this feeling
It's so much bigger than me
I can't take it in
Weightless in love, unraveling
For all that's to come
And all that's ever been
We're back to the board
With every shade under the sun
Let's make it a good one
It couldn't be anymore beautiful
It couldn't be anymore beautiful
I can't take it in
La oh
I can't take it in
La oh
I can't take it in
Whoa
It couldn't be anymore beautiful
It couldn't be anymore beautiful
I can't take it in
More that I wonder
More than I ever needed
Whoa
More that I wonder
Oh
The song "Can't Take It In" by Imogen Heap is a beautiful depiction of the feeling of overwhelming amazement and awe that one feels when they witness something truly beautiful. The opening lines "Can't close my eyes, I'm wide awake, every hair on my body has got a thing for this place" set the scene for the singer's heightened state of awareness and alertness. The feeling is so powerful, in fact, that the singer confesses to needing to empty their heart to make room for this new experience. The experience is so incredible that it is "so much bigger than me" and "couldn't be anymore beautiful", which explains why the singer "can't take it in". They are almost in disbelief and unable to process the magnitude of the moment they're experiencing.
As the song progresses, we get a glimpse into the singer's mindset as they're "weightless in love, unraveling for all that's to come and all that's ever been". This is a moment of surrender, where the singer is fully immersed and present in the beauty of the experience. They're able to let go of the past and future and focus solely on the present moment. The singer acknowledges that it's time to start anew "back to the board with every shade under the sun, let's make it a good one" and encourages the listener to make the most of their experiences, as beautiful as they may be.
Line by Line Meaning
Can't close my eyes
I am so captivated by what I am experiencing that I cannot bear to miss even a moment of it by closing my eyes.
I'm wide awake
My senses are heightened and fully alert to the wonders around me.
Every hair on my body
Every part of my being is sensitive and responsive to the beauty I am encountering.
Has got a thing for this place
I am completely enamored and enraptured by this location and everything it has to offer.
Oh, empty my heart
I must remove any distractions or negative thoughts from my heart and make room for the overwhelming emotions I am experiencing.
I've got to make room for this feeling
I must prioritize and fully embrace the incredible sensation that is enveloping me in order to fully appreciate it.
It's so much bigger than me
The beauty and wonder of this moment is beyond my comprehension and far more immense than anything I have ever experienced before.
Weightless in love, unraveling
I am overwhelmed with the intensity of my feelings and the erotic passion that is blossoming within me.
For all that's to come
I am keenly aware that there are infinite possibilities and opportunities awaiting me, and I am eagerly anticipating what is yet to come.
And all that's ever been
I recognize the long and intricate history that has led to where I am now, and I am deeply grateful for every experience that has culminated in this perfect moment.
We're back to the board
I am ready and eager to start anew, to embrace each opportunity as it arises, and to make the most of every moment.
With every shade under the sun
I am surrounded by endless variety and color, and I am grateful for the beauty that surrounds me in all its forms.
Let's make it a good one
I am committed to making the most of every situation and creating opportunities for joy, growth, and fulfillment wherever I go.
More that I wonder
The more I experience, the more questions and curiosities arise within me, and the more eager I become to explore the world around me.
More than I ever needed
I am grateful for the abundance of beauty and opportunity that surrounds me, and I recognize that I have all that I need to live a happy and fulfilling life.
La oh
An expression of wonder and awe at the beauty surrounding me.
Whoa
An expression of surprise and joy at the unexpectedness of the beauty I am encountering.
Lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company
Written by: IMOGEN JENNIFER JANE HEAP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Samuel Dillon
@Edna Mode I hear you. There's a highest "heaven" that is where God almighty has always been with "the gods". It is lofty so to speak.
She is awesome. The heaven God adapted for new creations like Lucifer and gabriel and all the angels is lower than the highest plain of "splendor". It is where gabriel currently frequents... abaddon or Lucifer was thrown out of that "second level" called "heaven" for sin. All the angels that didn't sin are there while Lucifer and the sinning angels are in a lower part of God's current kingdom.
The God's are not God almighty. They are God's that inhabit eternity with God... always. They haven't sinned of course and are Male and female because it's family oriented with God almighty chooses to be virginic. And that is the father... of all God related stuff... the son... which is lord... and the holy spirit... which is the source of holiness.
They can have a girlfriend but they told me they remain single. They said many "gods" that inhabit "the loft" will remain virgins and guarantee me they always will.
Other world stuff is very difficult. Time doesn't relate... nothing does. It's completely separated in every way. That's the power of God.
But anyways... she's still very cool. I still look to her daily for a lot.
Hallelujah and thanks
Tani Slater
This soundtrack touches a part of my soul that nothing else can, whenever I listen to it I'm literally on the verge of tears
Berry Pop
a perfect way to describe it. it is just so touching, beautiful and gentle, it reaches some place in your heart, your gut that you just embrace
Lau_
this is the only song that can immediately teleport me to being 5 years old again ♥️ so nostalgic
Nocturnal Xenon
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you, sir."
"Try me."
Kayla Wikaryasz
😭😭😭 dead
Chiara Zan
goosebumps 🙌✨🙏
Clare
Throws ball to Peter
[ Korrai ]
This song couldn't be anymore beautiful
Samuel Dillon
@Edna Mode I hear you. There's a highest "heaven" that is where God almighty has always been with "the gods". It is lofty so to speak.
She is awesome. The heaven God adapted for new creations like Lucifer and gabriel and all the angels is lower than the highest plain of "splendor". It is where gabriel currently frequents... abaddon or Lucifer was thrown out of that "second level" called "heaven" for sin. All the angels that didn't sin are there while Lucifer and the sinning angels are in a lower part of God's current kingdom.
The God's are not God almighty. They are God's that inhabit eternity with God... always. They haven't sinned of course and are Male and female because it's family oriented with God almighty chooses to be virginic. And that is the father... of all God related stuff... the son... which is lord... and the holy spirit... which is the source of holiness.
They can have a girlfriend but they told me they remain single. They said many "gods" that inhabit "the loft" will remain virgins and guarantee me they always will.
Other world stuff is very difficult. Time doesn't relate... nothing does. It's completely separated in every way. That's the power of God.
But anyways... she's still very cool. I still look to her daily for a lot.
Hallelujah and thanks
Edna Mode
@Samuel Dillon Perhaps you may be talking of an angel