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
Leave Me to Love
Imogen Heap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Promises and deadlines make it hard to stay away.
All these strings are attaching to me,
And I cant find the scissors.
Yeah
All I tell them I back and I not.
I can remember where I was, I forgot.
Knitting it all, these holes that I need,
To crawl through a brick wall,
Is hard to say the least.
Wheres that thought, that thought uncomplicated things?
Wheres that peace of mind, that peace that made it easy?
Wheres that simple day, that simply made it nice to be in.
Where did it go? Where did it go? Where did it go?
Yeah.
I got you a murky light, tell me what can you see
A huge cloud of shit, hanging over me.
Can you blow it all somewhere else?
It making it hell to distinguish myself.
Tired of the tyrants who only think they all bee's knee's
Pissed with their patience, they constantly agree.
Yes sir, yes sir, three hundred bags full.
It easier to say yes than to say no to a fool.
Wheres that thought, that thought uncomplicated things?
Wheres that peace of mind, that peace that made it easy?
Wheres that simple day, that simply made it nice to be in.
Where did it go? Where did it go? Where did it go?
Yeah.
Cover me in cyanide
Cover me in ink
Cover me in formaldehyde
And leave me here to think.
Cover me in carpet
Cover me in tile.
Cover me and evict me and put me in a file.
Strip me bare bone, let me breathe.
Strip me to my skin.
Strip me so you can watch me clean off,
All these things I been.
Strip me naked of these walls
Strip me of my rules
Strip me boy and see how small I am without you.
Inseminate the good now
Inseminate the pure
Inseminate all the shit that I forgotten how to whore.
Inseminate the natural
Inseminate the dirt
Inseminate the in-factual
And leave me here to love.
Leave me here to love
Wheres that thought, that thought uncomplicated things?
Wheres that peace of mind, that peace that made it easy?
Wheres that simple day, that simply made it nice to be in.
Where did it go? Where did it go? Where did it go?
Yeah.
Leave me here to love
The lyrics to Imogen Heap's song Leave Me to Love start off with the idea of complications. The singer mentions how promises and deadlines make it hard to stay away, and how "all these strings are attaching" to them. They feel trapped and unable to escape from their responsibilities. The singer then goes on to describe how they are "knitting it all," referring to the way they are trying to hold everything together despite feeling overwhelmed. They need to find a way to crawl through the metaphorical brick wall that is blocking their progress. The singer laments the loss of simplicity and peace of mind that used to make things easier. They feel like they are drowning in a cloud of "shit" and just want to be left alone to think and love.
The second half of the song takes on a more aggressive tone. The singer talks about being covered in cyanide, ink, and formaldehyde. They want to be stripped bare and left alone to breathe. They are tired of feeling trapped and controlled by others. They want to be able to love freely and without constraints. The final lines, "leave me here to love," suggest that the singer wants to be allowed to experience love without having to deal with all the complications and baggage that come with it.
Overall, the lyrics to Leave Me to Love explore themes of complexity, responsibility, and the desire for simplicity and freedom. The singer feels weighed down by their obligations and longs for a simpler time when things were easier to manage. They also express frustration with the way others try to control them and impose their own agendas. Ultimately, the song is about the need for space and autonomy in order to experience true love and happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Complications, more so I can say
I am dealing with a lot of complex issues and it is difficult to cope.
Promises and deadlines make it hard to stay away.
I am stuck in commitments that are keeping me from leaving.
All these strings are attaching to me, And I cant find the scissors.
I feel like I am tied down to many responsibilities and I cannot break free from them.
All I tell them I back and I not.
I agree to things but often forget to uphold my promises.
I can remember where I was, I forgot.
I am struggling with memory loss and forgetful of past events.
Knitting it all, these holes that I need, To crawl through a brick wall, Is hard to say the least.
I am trying to patch up my life and overcome difficulties, but it is an arduous task.
Wheres that thought, that thought uncomplicated things?
I am searching for a clear and simple solution to my problems.
Wheres that peace of mind, that peace that made it easy?
I miss the calm and relaxation that I used to experience.
Wheres that simple day, that simply made it nice to be in.
I am yearning for a time when life was uncomplicated and stress-free.
I got you a murky light, tell me what can you see A huge cloud of shit, hanging over me.
I am entrusting you with the task of understanding what problems I am grappling with, that are overwhelming me.
Can you blow it all somewhere else? It making it hell to distinguish myself.
I need you to help me clear out all the chaos that is making it difficult for me to be myself.
Tired of the tyrants who only think they all bee's knee's
I am exhausted by people who are overconfident about their abilities and place in the world.
Pissed with their patience, they constantly agree.
I am frustrated by their complacency and unwillingness to dissent or challenge ideas.
Yes sir, yes sir, three hundred bags full.
They are always submissive and agreeable, even if it means acquiescing to absurd requests.
It easier to say yes than to say no to a fool.
They find it more convenient to avoid conflict than take a stand.
Cover me in cyanide, Cover me in ink, Cover me in formaldehyde And leave me here to think.
I feel suffocated by my present circumstances and want to be left alone to reflect on my situation.
Cover me in carpet, Cover me in tile. Cover me and evict me and put me in a file.
I am tired of feeling like I am just another statistic and want a change.
Strip me bare bone, let me breathe. Strip me to my skin. Strip me so you can watch me clean off, All these things I been.
I want to shed all the stress and responsibilities that have been weighing me down and start afresh.
Strip me naked of these walls Strip me of my rules Strip me boy and see how small I am without you.
I am ready to step out of my old life and explore the unknown without the limitations and expectations of my past.
Inseminate the good now Inseminate the pure Inseminate all the shit that I forgotten how to whore.
I want to rejuvenate the good and positive aspects of my life that have been neglected, and let go of the negative traits.
Inseminate the natural Inseminate the dirt Inseminate the in-factual And leave me here to love.
I want to embrace the raw and real aspects of life and discover the love that is present in all aspects of life.
Leave me here to love
I want to find love and happiness amidst all the complexities and challenges of life.
Contributed by Luke O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Claire
Lol, I had my volume on really loud and then this song started! I jumped a mile.
Bryan Nowak
Hehe, nice intro but the song is totally worth it.
ganondorfchampin
Dat intro.
TheLampKnowsAll
Does anyone know where i could buy this or download it? cause i can only find the live version and it's not that great...
Caleb Behrens
This is on the Shine Single CD. I really like it, but you can't get on iTunes
Sakura Crowns
dam the first part was like insane lol
Denny Bruno
@Ikiloshi AMEN!! How long did you fell?! hahaha :P
Ty Carson
@TacitTaylor Nope... I think maybe it's a b-side to something?