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
Mutual
Imogen Heap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if you were the truth, would you lie?
If you were a mouth, would you spit on me?
If you were a soul, would you get in my eye?
I know the answers yes already
And I'd do all of the same for you
For you, for you, for you, for you, for you
If I was your dog, I would shit on you
If I was your happy, I'd make you sad
If I was your everything, I'd make sure I meant nothing to you
If I was sane I'd make you go mad
Well you knew this all already
And you'd do all of the same for me
For me, for me, for me, for me, for me
Don't be a fool little helper
'cause I won't be stopping to save you
Do get in my way
This sawing chain has got your name
This sawing chain it bears your name
This sawing chain has got your name on it
This kind of thing happens all the time
It's just useless trying to make a fuss
It's the way it's gonna always be for you
For me, for you, for me, for everyone
Forever, forever, forever, forever, forever
The lyrics to Imogen Heap's "Mutual" explore the complexities of human relationships, focusing on the tension between two people who are connected in a mutually destructive way. In the first verse, Heap questions whether the other person in the relationship would harm her in different ways if they were different objects or entities, such as a bottle, truth, mouth, or soul. She concludes that the answer to her questions is yes, and that she would do the same back to that person.
In the second verse, Heap turns her attention to herself, imagining herself as a dog or a force of negativity in the other person's life. She also acknowledges that the other person probably feels the same way about her as she does about them. The chorus emphasizes the idea that the destructive cycle is mutual - the two people are trapped together in a pattern of hurtful behavior.
In the final section of the song, Heap warns the other person not to try to save her from their damaging relationship. She presents their connection as a "sawing chain" with the other person's name on it, suggesting that they are both equally responsible for their shared pain. The repetition of "forever" at the end of the song emphasizes the idea that their relationship may never change or improve.
Overall, "Mutual" is a poignant exploration of the ways in which human connection can be both beautiful and destructive. Through her lyrics, Heap highlights the power dynamics, personal flaws, and mutual responsibility that exist within intimate relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
If you were a bottle, would you break on me?
If I were to trust you, would you let me down?
And if you were the truth, would you lie?
If I believed in you, would you deceive me?
If you were a mouth, would you spit on me?
If I showed vulnerability, would you mock me?
If you were a soul, would you get in my eye?
If I let you in, would you hurt me emotionally?
I know the answers yes already
I am aware of your true nature
And I'd do all of the same for you
I would reciprocate my negative behavior towards you
If I was your dog, I would shit on you
If I had power over you, I would mistreat you
If I was your happy, I'd make you sad
If I were the source of your joy, I would purposely make you unhappy
If I was your everything, I'd make sure I meant nothing to you
If you relied on me completely, I would ensure that I held no significant value to you
If I was sane I'd make you go mad
If I were in my right mind, I would make you lose yours
Well you knew this all already
You already knew my true nature
And you'd do all of the same for me
You would reciprocate negative behavior towards me
Don't be a fool little helper
Do not foolishly believe you can help me escape this cycle
'cause I won't be stopping to save you
I am not going to help you get out of this cycle either
Do get in my way
Challenge me and try to stop me from hurting you
This sawing chain has got your name
The destructive cycle is personalized to you
This sawing chain it bears your name
The destructive cycle is marked by your involvement
This sawing chain has got your name on it
The destructive cycle is specifically targeted towards you
This kind of thing happens all the time
This type of abusive behavior is common
It's just useless trying to make a fuss
Resisting or speaking up against the abuse is futile
It's the way it's gonna always be for you
The cycle of abuse is never going to change for you
For me, for you, for me, for everyone
This pattern repeats itself in relationships in general
Forever, forever, forever, forever, forever
The cycle is never-ending and will continue indefinitely
Contributed by Landon R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.