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
You Know Where To Find Me
Imogen Heap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you're on your way out
All bustle and busy
Enough is enough
Because life's sweet assemblages
Equate to driftwood away
Be still with me
For no particular reason
To stop traffic behavior
Or to get something off your chest
'Cause we go a long way back
Back to nothing at all
Hm, be still with me
Oh oh oh
Won't you be
Be still with me
You know where to find me
If you think it's all over
I can sense it a mile off
It's no friendly hello
You could be screaming drunk
Well I've got my bad days too
I'm gonna be here for you
Be still with me
In a public place, private thoughts
A reminder of a precious loss
You can be a source of constant reassurance
Let the breeze block sadness drop
Oh oh oh
Won't you be
Be still with me
Woah woah woah
Woah woah woah
(Be still) Heart, lung, soul
Arteries and all
A shoulder at the ready, vital organs on call
(Be still) Heart, lung, soul
Arteries and all
A shoulder at the ready
Don't mistake my charity
For what it is
Deem me into believing necessary
Don't mistake my open arms
For what it is
They can turn on you
So show me the money
Show me the money
Blue and green,
Fresh eyes on me
I'm young again
All things to mend with
Bite-size life boats
I'll fix your smashed up head
Be still with me
If you want
To be alone (Be still)
If you'd rather die then tell
You'll know where I'll be (Be still)
Where to find me
For high talk
To cut it off or bring it on
A proposal
If you're broken, I'll be here,
I'll be here
A secret
For a breather
If there's nothing you can do
"You Know Where to Find Me" by Imogen Heap is a song that addresses the theme of being there for a friend who is struggling in life. The song opens with the line "You know where to find me, When you're on your way out, all bustle and busy enough is enough," which is referring to the singer's availability to support her friend through thick and thin. Life's 'sweet assemblages,' according to Heap, can sometimes be compared to 'driftwood away,' and the only way to cope with it is to be 'still with me,' that is, in the presence of a friend.
The song continues with Heap's assertion that her friend knows where to find her, 'for no particular reason,' whether to 'stop traffic behavior' or simply to 'get something off your chest.' Heap reminds her friend of the history they share, 'back to nothing at all,' and urges her to be still when in her presence. The chorus 'Won't you be Be still with me,' reinforces people's emotional dependence on one another and the need for reassurance when life's circumstance becomes unbearable.
The second verse addresses the singer's intuition, which can sense when something is off with her friend even before they vocalize the problem. Heap also acknowledges that everyone experiences 'bad days' and that she is always there for her friend. The use of 'public place, private thoughts' shows how someone can be surrounded by others but experience loneliness nonetheless. Finally, the line 'Let the breeze block sadness drop' connotes the power of nature and how it can be therapeutic to a troubled soul.
Overall, "You Know Where to Find Me" is a song that reinforces the importance of friendship in people's lives, even when the going gets tough.
Line by Line Meaning
You know where to find me
I am always available to provide company and support.
When you're on your way out
When you are leaving or in a tough situation.
All bustle and busy
A busy and hectic lifestyle.
Enough is enough
A realization that too much is too much.
Because life's sweet assemblages
The moments that make life worthwhile.
Equate to driftwood away
Those happy moments can quickly pass us by.
Be still with me
Be calm and peaceful in my presence.
For no particular reason
I am here to offer support without expectation or a set reason.
To stop traffic behavior
To offer guidance and a different perspective.
Or to get something off your chest
To confide in me and share burdens.
'Cause we go a long way back
We have a history of support and care for each other.
Back to nothing at all
Nothing in particular brought us together.
Hm, be still with me
Remain calm in my company.
If you think it's all over
When you feel lost and at rock bottom.
I can sense it a mile off
I can recognize when someone needs support intuitively.
It's no friendly hello
I understand that sometimes support requires a deeper level of care than just a casual greeting.
You could be screaming drunk
You may be in a difficult or emotional state.
Well I've got my bad days too
I understand what it’s like to struggle and have my own problems.
I'm gonna be here for you
I will not run away or abandon you during your tough times.
In a public place, private thoughts
It’s okay to confide in me your most personal feelings even in a public setting.
A reminder of a precious loss
A trigger for sadness or grief.
You can be a source of constant reassurance
You can rely on me to provide ongoing support and comfort.
Let the breeze block sadness drop
Allow yourself to release any negative feelings and let them blow away.
(Be still) Heart, lung, soul
Every inch of me is available to support you.
Arteries and all
Every part of me is open and receptive to you.
A shoulder at the ready, vital organs on call
My body and mind are always ready to support you.
Don't mistake my charity
Don’t confuse my generosity with weakness.
For what it is
Understand that my kindness comes from a place of empathy and willingness to help.
Deem me into believing necessary
Tricking me into believing you need help when you really don’t.
Don't mistake my open arms
Don’t misinterpret my willingness to help as an act of weakness.
They can turn on you
Sometimes I am not able to provide 100% support, so don’t rely on me too much.
So show me the money
Prove to me you’re serious about getting better and that I can count on you.
Blue and green,
A greater sense of clarity.
Fresh eyes on me
Seeing a new perspective.
I'm young again
Feeling free and full of energy.
All things to mend with
A renewed sense of hope that things can get better.
Bite-size life boats
Small steps forward to begin the healing process.
I'll fix your smashed up head
I’ll be there to help mend your mental state and put you back on track.
If you want
My support is entirely up to you, and I will never force it upon you.
To be alone (Be still)
Sometimes all you need is be still and alone with your thoughts.
If you'd rather die then tell
If you feel like sharing your thoughts is impossible or overwhelming.
You'll know where I'll be (Be still)
I am always here for you when you are ready for help or just need someone to listen.
For high talk
To discuss anything and everything in life.
To cut it off or bring it on
As a place to vent, to bring on negative feelings or cut them off.
If you're broken, I'll be here,
Even if you are in a completely broken state, I will be here to help put you back together again.
I'll be here
I will always be here for you, no matter what.
For a breather
A safe place to take a break from the world and gather your thoughts.
If there's nothing you can do
When you feel like there is nothing left for you to do.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IMOGEN JENNIFER JANE HEAP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind