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
Half Life
Imogen Heap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's why I try to keep at bay
Be a hundred percent when I'm with you and then
A perfect hearts length away
The stickler is you've played not one beat wrong
You never promised me anything
Even sat me down, warned me just how they fall
And I knew the odds were I'd never win
And here I am
It's a half life
With you as my courtier man
A daft life
Myself worth mentioning a text back tempo
It's been two days late minutes to slow
There may well be others but I still like to pretend
That I'm the one you really want to grow old with
Ive got scheduled stick, to guard a world keeps sweet
Its so much to everyone all the time
Will you ever slow down will I ever come first
The universe contracts decide
It's a half life
With you as my quarter back
A tough life
It's a half life
With you as my courtier man
A tough life
You know you'll never be lonely
No you'll always be loved
And maybe you'll never need more than that
Of the sad place that love, is whats to become of us
Does it even register on your conscience
Long for one last showdown, from a box in a crowd
Air compressed tight to explode
I'm clenching my ticket to the only way out
To disappear in a puff of smoke
It's a half life
With you as my courtier man
Its a tough life.
In the opening lines of Imogen Heap’s song “Half Life,” the singer acknowledges a self-destructive tendency that she has when it comes to relationships. She recognizes that she has the capacity to become too attached and too invested too quickly, and she always ends up getting hurt. To protect herself, she tries to keep a healthy distance from her romantic interests. The song’s title is based on the concept of a half-life, which is the time it takes for half of the atoms in a radioactive substance to decay. In other words, it’s a measure of how unstable something is, and how quickly it’s likely to change or break down. This concept is a metaphor for the singer's state of mind and emotional resilience.
The second verse of the song continues to explore the singer's internal struggle. She refers to herself as a "daft life" and mentions feeling like she's not good enough for her partner. She then goes on to question whether her partner will ever prioritize her needs, and whether she will ever truly come first. She feels like she's constantly juggling multiple commitments and people, and doesn't know how to slow down. The lyrics suggest that the relationship is not a healthy one: the singer says that the man in question is a "quarterback" and a "courtier", which could be interpreted as someone who's using her for their own gain.
Despite everything, the singer still loves the man, and wishes for a closer relationship with him. The chorus repeats the phrase, "It's a half life, with you as my courtier man / A tough life." This seems to sum up the contradictions within the singer's view of the relationship: it's half-alive, half-dead, and her partner is simultaneously her protector and her tormentor.
Line by Line Meaning
I knew that I'd get like this again
I am aware of my tendency to fall in love easily and get attached, despite knowing the potential pain that may come with it.
That's why I try to keep at bay
I try to hold myself back and not let myself get too close to someone too quickly.
Be a hundred percent when I'm with you and then
When I am in your company, I try to be fully present and give you my all.
A perfect hearts length away
However, I still keep myself emotionally distant to avoid getting hurt.
The stickler is you've played not one beat wrong
You have done nothing wrong, and have been a great partner so far.
You never promised me anything
You have not made any commitments or given me any false expectations.
Even sat me down, warned me just how they fall
You have even cautioned me about the risks of falling in love and getting attached.
And I knew the odds were I'd never win
Despite knowing the risks, I still chose to take the chance and get close to you.
And here I am
And now, here I am, feeling conflicted and vulnerable.
It's a half life
My life feels incomplete and uncertain without you by my side.
With you as my courtier man
You are the one I am devoted to and consider my partner.
A daft life
Despite my uncertainties, I cannot help but seek you out and continue this relationship.
Myself worth mentioning a text back tempo
I measure my self-worth by how quickly you respond to my messages.
It's been two days late minutes to slow
Even a slight delay in your response makes me feel insecure and neglected.
There may well be others but I still like to pretend
I am aware that there may be other potential partners around, but I still choose to believe that I am the only one for you.
That I'm the one you really want to grow old with
I hope to be the one you choose to spend the rest of your life with.
Ive got scheduled stick, to guard a world keeps sweet
I have responsibilities and commitments that take up my time, which I use to maintain order and harmony in my life.
Its so much to everyone all the time
It can be overwhelming to juggle all these responsibilities while also being in a relationship.
Will you ever slow down will I ever come first
I wonder if you will ever prioritize me and our relationship over everything else in your life.
The universe contracts decide
Ultimately, fate will determine whether we can make this relationship work or not.
With you as my quarter back
You are the one who leads and guides me in this relationship.
A tough life
Despite the difficulties and uncertainties of this relationship, I still cannot let go of you.
You know you'll never be lonely
I will always be there for you, and you will never have to feel alone.
No you'll always be loved
I will always love you and cherish our relationship, no matter what happens.
And maybe you'll never need more than that
Perhaps our love is enough for you and you do not require any more commitment or future plans.
Of the sad place that love, is whats to become of us
I fear that the uncertainty and complexities of love may eventually pull us apart and leave us in a sad place.
Does it even register on your conscience
Do you even think about the impact your actions have on me and our relationship?
Long for one last showdown, from a box in a crowd
I hope for a chance to confront you and express my feelings, even if it means doing it in public.
Air compressed tight to explode
The tension and pressure I feel regarding our relationship is building up and needs to be released.
I'm clenching my ticket to the only way out
I hold onto the idea that leaving this relationship is the only escape from my emotional turmoil.
To disappear in a puff of smoke
I want to end this relationship abruptly and without any explanation, as if vanishing into thin air.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IMOGEN JENNIFER JANE HEAP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind