Growing up in Harrow, London, Nash first became interested in music during her childhood when she learned to play the piano. She attended St. John Fisher school and moved on to the St. Joan of Arc School in Rickmansworth. Her talents were harnessed further when she wrote songs for her GCSE in Music and her time studying at the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in Croydon, South London. However, her first love was acting and so in 2005 she made moves to start a career in acting by auditioning at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and was rejected. After her rejection she fell down a flight of stairs, breaking her foot. During her recovery Nash was unable to go anywhere and found solace in song writing. She began to write some new songs, finished old ones and decided that she would book herself a gig at a local bar to showcase her songs. From this experience she decided to start a career in music.
Nash's early live performances saw her play a number of cover versions. After a few gigs, Nash uploaded her music to the popular website MySpace. Her music soon began to receive support from users of the site and Nash found herself a manager, proceeding to look for producers.
Fellow MySpace star Lily Allen has stated that she believes Nash is the "next big thing", and she has also garnered support from publications such as Vogue and NME, the latter dubbing her as "chavtronica". Nash has been compared to Lily Allen, because of their storytelling lyrics, the dry sense of humour that fuels their songs as well as distinctive London accents. Some people have commented that Nash sounds like Catherine Tate when she sings. Others have compared some of her songs to music by Regina Spektor.
Nash has stated that her biggest influence has been Regina Spektor and has an extensive list of influences on her myspace page. Some of her influences include, "London, punk, Bored Teenagers and John Cooper Clarke".
Nash's début release was a double-A side single released through independent record label Moshi Moshi in February 2007. The release was limited to 1000 copies and was available on only 7" vinyl. The first A-side, "Caroline's a Victim", is a synth-fuelled song about Nash's friend Caroline. A video for the song was released and received notable airplay on MTV2. The video, directed by Kinga Burza, featured Nash playing a variety of instruments at the same time that "Caroline" sits in her room "playing killer beats", taking photographs, trying on different outfits and sitting at her computer checking a social networking website.
The second A-side to the single was "Birds", an acoustic number that tells the story of a boy's inept attempts to try and explain to his girlfriend how he feels about her, all the while the girl remains despondent about the situation.
During the promotion for "Caroline's a Victim"/"Birds", Nash supported Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly on his national tour before embarking on her own headlining tour, which took her around the UK.
In April 2007, Nash was signed to the Polydor offshoot Fiction Records. A month later, Nash was mocked through a parody of her song, "Caroline's a Victim" entitled "LDN Is A Victim". The song mocked Nash and Lily Allen, amongst others, for singing in a Cockney-drawl, despite their privileged backgrounds.
Nash's second single and first through Fiction Records, "Foundations", which she co-wrote with producer Paul Epworth, was released on June 25, 2007 and reached number two in the official UK Singles Chart.
Following "Foundations", Fiction announced plans to bring forward the release of Nash's debut album to August 6, 2007. The album, Made of Bricks, produced by Paul Epworth, included many of the tracks she had been performing on her two nationwide tours. The album was leaked to filesharing networks days before its commercial release, and has received mixed reviews, The Independent describing it as being in "pole position for worst album of the year." The album reached number 1 in the UK charts.
During mid-2007, Nash performed at numerous festivals including Wireless Festival, Bestival, the Electric Gardens, Glastonbury, Latitude, Reading and Leeds, Oxegen and T in the Park. She made her official TV performance debut on Later with Jools Holland.
Nash features on rapper Kano's album London Town, in a song titled "Me & My Microphone". She is also featured in the song "Look What You've Done" from Lethal Bizzle's latest album, Back To Bizznizz.
Regarding the recording of a new album, Nash told NME that she had been inspired by The Supremes and has written a song called "Cat Song" in their honour. She is also set to release a duet single with Billy Bragg, a cover of The Shangri-Las "Give Storey A Great Big Kiss".
On 20 February 2008 she received a BRIT award for Best Female artist.
In April 2010 she released her sophomore album in 'My Best Friend Is You". With the singles "Do-Wah-Doo" and "Kiss that Grrrl" following close behind.
Skeleton Song
Kate Nash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you are made of bone
And you have got no flesh and blood
Running through you to help protect the bone
Skeleton, we have been friends for years
And you have seen me through some trials
And tribulations and some tears
And I should have known that it wouldn't be long
Until you, you've got me standing in an awkward position
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation
And it's not that I'm letting go of you
But I don't know what to do
Skeleton, we are so close
But you have got no body
So, why do you insist on wearing clothes?
Skeleton, when we were young, it was easy
Even though the other kids, they would tease me
I was only seven, I had you but now I'm twenty-two
And now it's different when I take you out
And you, you've got me standing in an awkward position
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation
And it's not that I'm letting go of you
But I don't know what to do
And sometimes at night
I dream of the most terrible things
I take, take a hammer and I creep out of bed
And I raise it high and I smash your head
Fibula and tibula and ribs and cages, too
In fact, while I'm here, I'll smash the whole of you
But skeleton, you are my friend
And I could never bring your life to an end
Yes, skeleton, you are, you are my friend
And I'll be there for you until the end
And even though when I take you out
You've got me, you've got me
Standing in an awkward position
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation
I could, I could never let you go
And that is all I know
And that is all I know
And that is all I, that is all I know
And that is all I know, know
The song "Skeleton Song" by Kate Nash is a melancholic and creepy song about the relationship between the singer and her skeleton friend. The song is basically a rumination on the peculiar nature of this friendship, in which she is relying on a skeleton, something that lacks flesh, life, and feeling, as her friend. The song is a celebration of the strange, and something to hold onto in moments of extreme awkwardness or isolation.
The singer longs for the time when her relationship with her skeleton was easy and sweet, but now the same relationship makes her feel awkward and weird. She reveals that she has nightmares about smashing her skeleton friend with a hammer, but can't bring herself to do it. She also notes that people around her think she's weird, which further complicates her struggle with this unconventional friendship.
Overall, "Skeleton Song" is a hauntingly beautiful reminder that sometimes our relationships are complicated and that it's okay to have friends who are different from the norm. It is a song that celebrates the macabre and the unusual.
Line by Line Meaning
Skeleton, you are my friend
The singer is addressing their skeleton as if it were a close friend.
But you are made of bone
The singer acknowledges that their skeleton is a physical structure made of bone.
And you have got no flesh and blood
The singer notes that their skeleton lacks the soft tissue that humans possess.
Running through you to help protect the bone
The artist highlights the protective function of flesh and blood over bones.
Skeleton, we have been friends for years
The artist reaffirms their long-standing relationship with their skeleton.
And you have seen me through some trials
The singer recalls how their skeleton has supported them through some difficult times.
And tribulations and some tears
The singer elaborates on the nature of the difficulties they have faced.
But everybody thinks I'm weird
The artist reveals that they are perceived as unusual or abnormal by others.
And I should have known that it wouldn't be long
The artist expresses regret that they did not expect the reaction they are receiving from others.
Until you, you've got me standing in an awkward position
The artist blames their skeleton for causing them to feel awkward in social situations.
With unwanted attention and a need for explanation
The singer elaborates on the reasons for feeling awkward.
And it's not that I'm letting go of you
The artist reassures their skeleton that they are not going to abandon it.
But I don't know what to do
The singer admits their confusion and uncertainty about how to deal with their situation.
Skeleton, we are so close
The singer emphasizes the emotional closeness of their relationship with their skeleton.
But you have got no body
The singer acknowledges that their skeleton is an incomplete version of a human body.
So, why do you insist on wearing clothes?
The artist humorously questions why their skeleton should wear clothing when it lacks flesh.
Skeleton, when we were young, it was easy
The artist reminisces about the simplicity of their relationship with their skeleton in childhood.
Even though the other kids, they would tease me
The singer acknowledges that they were bullied by other children for their relationship with their skeleton.
I was only seven, I had you but now I'm twenty-two
The singer marks the passage of time from childhood to early adulthood.
And now it's different when I take you out
The artist notes that their relationship with their skeleton has changed as they have grown older.
And you, you've got me standing in an awkward position
The artist blames their skeleton for making them feel embarrassed in public.
And sometimes at night
The artist begins to describe a disturbing dream they have about their skeleton.
I dream of the most terrible things
The singer acknowledges that their dream is a nightmare of an extreme nature.
I take, take a hammer and I creep out of bed
The artist describes how they are compelled to get up and take action in the dream.
And I raise it high and I smash your head
The singer describes how they attack their skeleton with a hammer in the dream.
Fibula and tibula and ribs and cages, too
The singer lists the bones they destroy in their dream attack on their skeleton.
In fact, while I'm here, I'll smash the whole of you
The singer intends to destroy their entire skeleton in the dream.
But skeleton, you are my friend
The artist affirms their affection for their skeleton despite their violent dream.
And I could never bring your life to an end
The artist reassures their skeleton that they would never actually harm it.
Yes, skeleton, you are, you are my friend
The singer repeats their assertion of the emotional importance of their relationship with their skeleton.
And I'll be there for you until the end
The singer promises to remain loyal and supportive to their skeleton for the rest of their life.
And that is all I know
The artist reflects on the limits of their knowledge and understanding of their relationship with their skeleton.
And that is all I know
The artist reiterates the previous statement.
And that is all I, that is all I know
The artist extends their repetition of the statement for emphasis.
And that is all I know, know
The singer concludes the song with a final repetition of the statement.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Kate Marie Nash
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind