In November 2003, at the age of 19, Melua released her first album, Call off the Search, which reached the top of the United Kingdom album charts and sold 1.8 million copies in its first five months of release. Her second album, Piece by Piece, was released in September 2005 and to date has gone platinum four times. Melua released her third studio album Pictures in October 2007, which has been announced to be the last of her albums in collaboration with Mike Batt. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2008, Melua has a fortune of £18 million, making her the seventh richest British musician under thirty.
In the summer of 2003, aged just 18 and still studying at the Brit School of Performing Arts in leafy Surrey, no-one, least of all Katie, would have predicted what the next few years would hold for the teenager. Four years later, Katie has sold more than 7.5 million albums becoming, in 2006, the year’s best selling British female in the world along the way.
Georgian born Katie relocated from Tbilisi to Belfast at the age of 8 due to her father’s profession as a heart surgeon and 5 years later moved to South East London. After her GCSEs Katie joined the Brit School for Performing Arts where she undertook a BTEC and Music A-level and discovered different styles of music including Queen, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Irish folk music and Indian music. On hearing an Eva Cassidy song Katie was blown away and when she discovered that Eva was no longer alive wrote the song ‘Faraway Voice’ as a tribute to her. It was this song that attracted the attention of the composer and producer Mike Batt. Katie signed to Batt’s record label Dramatico but stayed at the Brit School to complete her studies – she graduated with distinction in July 2003.
During the summer of 2003 her debut single, ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’, attracted the attention of British station BBC Radio 2 and upon its release entered the charts at number 10. Released in November, Katie’s debut album ‘Call Off The Search’ hit the UK number 1 spot in January 2004 and has subsequently scored top 10 positions throughout Europe. The album has since been certified gold in Holland, Hong Kong and Switzerland, platinum in Denmark, New Zealand and Australia, 2 x platinum in Germany, Ireland, Norway and South Africa and received the IFPI Double Platinum Award for 2 million European Sales. In March 2005 ‘Call Off The Search’ hit the number 1 spot in Denmark, a year after its initial release and became a top five album in Japan. Katie was awarded Best International Newcomer at Germany’s ECHO Awards in April 2005. In Britain, Katie was the highest selling female artist in 2004 – ‘Call Off The Search’ has now sold 1.8 million copies and is 6 x platinum (in Britain alone) and worldwide sales exceed 3.5 million.
Katie joined the line up for the Band Aid 20 single to record a new version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas’. As an ambassador for Save The Children this was particularly poignant for Katie. In March 2005 Katie was invited by Nelson Mandela to perform at his 46664 concert in aid of Mandela’s AIDS foundation. In addition to performing a full live set, Katie joined Queen on stage to perform a moving version of ‘Too Much Love Will Kill You’. Katie flew from South Africa to Sri Lanka where she experienced the work that is being done by Save The Children, particularly with child soldiers.
In August 2005 Katie and her family swore allegiance to The Queen and became British Citizens following a ceremony in Surrey, England. Katie was asked to perform at the Royal Wedding of Prince Pieter-Christiaan in Holland and at the Norwegian Royal Gala Concert in the presence of the Crown Prince Of Norway. Continuing the royal theme, the American TV show ‘Good Morning America’ broadcast live from Buckingham Palace and Katie was invited by the show to perform ‘Nine Million Bicycles’ and ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’. Katie performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Norway.
In between her overseas travel Katie recorded her new album, ‘Piece By Piece’, which was released in Europe on September 26th 2005. The album comprises more self-penned songs including the title track as well as a cover of the 1987 Cure hit ‘Just Like Heaven’ that Katie recorded for a new DreamWorks film starring Reese Witherspoon. The first single, ‘Nine Million Bicycles’, preceded the album release and gave Katie her highest UK single chart entry at number 5. One week later and Katie entered the UK album charts at number 1 and Europe swiftly followed with the album reaching #1 in Norway, Denmark and Holland, #2 in Ireland, #2 in Iceland, #3 in South Africa, #4 in Poland and #2 in Germany giving an overall chart position of #2 on the Billboard European Top 100 Chart.
Katie was nominated for two Brit Awards in the “Best Female” and “Pop” categories, for the “Best International Female” at the Edison Awards in Holland and was awarded “Best International Female (Rock & Pop)” at the Echo Awards in Germany. Once again Katie was pronounced the highest selling female artist in Britain in 2005 selling more than 1 million albums.
It is fair to say that 2006 was yet another extraordinary year for 22 year old Katie. In addition to the awards nominations, Katie had a Dutch tulip named in her honour, toured America coast to coast, raced at 160mph round Grand Prix circuit Silverstone, flew a plane, launched Save The Children’s ‘Rewrite The Future’ campaign, made the headlines with a Guinness World Record for the deepest concert when she performed 303 meters beneath the North Sea in the leg of a gas rig and was awarded the World Music Award for Britain’s Biggest Selling Female. Whilst in 2004 and 2005, Katie was the greatest selling female artist in Britain, in 2006 Katie was the highest selling European female artist in the world selling more than 3 million copies of her second album ‘Piece By Piece’.
Awarded the Golden Camera Award for International Pop Artist at the start of 2007, Katie was presented with the Echo Award for International Female Artist in March 2007.
October 2007 saw the release of Katie’s third album ‘Pictures’ – a record which has delighted her legions of fans, confirmed Katie’s status as a unique and remarkable vocalist, and revealed the third chapter in what is destined to be a long musical career.
Katie’s fourth album, “The Katie Melua Collection”, is a musical summary of the 24 year old’s journey so far and is being released to coincide with Katie’s arena tour in October and November 2008.
www.katiemelua.com/
Blue Shoes
Katie Melua Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When I feel like hell
As I do now that you're gone
Lost and lonely since you stopped caring
I've been wearing my new shoes
I've been wearing my blue shoes
You and I made the perfect pair
I loved you more than you know
Sorry I'm in such a sorry state
But while I wait for some good news
I'll be wearing my blue shoes
Don't feel like walking strong
Shufflin' along on my way home
Trudgin' down that shopping street
Where we used to meet
But I ain't buying
I'm wearing my blue shoes and crying
These blue shoes seem to suit my soul
Since you shot that hole
Shot that hole in my heart
And if I wind up on the sidewalk bleeding
I won't be needing my new shoes
Won't be needing my blue shoes
These blue shoes seem to suit me well
When I feel like hell
As I do now that you're gone
Lost and lonely since you stopped caring
I'll be wearing my new shoes
I've been wearing my blue shoes
The lyrics of Katie Melua's "Blue Shoes" describe the emotional pain and loneliness that comes with heartbreak. The blue shoes in the song serve as a symbol for a coping mechanism, a physical item that someone can hold onto when they feel lost. The lyrics suggest that the shoes are helping the singer make it through her day-to-day life, even when she feels like she can't go on. The blue shoes also serve as a reminder of the happy times that the singer once shared with her former lover. It is clear that despite the pain, the memories are still dear to her.
The first verse describes how the shoes seem to be helping the singer through the difficult times. She feels lost and alone without her former lover, but the blue shoes make her feel better. The second verse serves as a reminder of the love that the singer once had for her partner. Even though the relationship ended badly, she still loved him deeply. The third verse describes the singer's difficulty with moving on. She feels like she's walking down the same streets they once shared, but the blue shoes remind her that things aren't the same. The final verse is a poignant reminder that life goes on despite heartbreak. The blue shoes might help in the short term, but when it comes to long-term healing, they won't be of much use.
Overall, "Blue Shoes" is a powerful song that explores the complexities of heartbreak. The song's central metaphor of the blue shoes is effective in conveying a sense of loss, but it is the lyrics themselves that make the song truly resonate.
Line by Line Meaning
These blue shoes seem to suit me well
The singer finds comfort in the blue shoes especially during hard times.
When I feel like hell
The blue shoes give her strength to keep going even when life gets tough.
As I do now that you're gone
She is going through a tough time since her loved one left her.
Lost and lonely since you stopped caring
Her loneliness and heartbreak since their loved one stopped caring for her.
I've been wearing my new shoes
She wears her blue shoes to give herself a sense of purpose and to escape from her heartbreak.
I've been wearing my blue shoes
She finds comfort wearing her blue shoes.
You and I made the perfect pair
She thought they were perfect together.
It don't seem fair
She is hurt and finds it unjust that their relationship ended.
I loved you more than you know
She loved their loved one deeply, but was not acknowledged or reciprocated.
Sorry I'm in such a sorry state
Her state is pitiful, but she is apologetic nonetheless.
But while I wait for some good news
She hopes for positivity in the future.
I'll be wearing my blue shoes
She will continue to wear her blue shoes to help cope with her heartbreak.
Don't feel like walking strong
She doesn't have the strength to keep moving forward.
Shufflin' along on my way home
She walks reluctantly and sluggishly back home.
Trudgin' down that shopping street
She walks down the street where they once used to shop together.
Where we used to meet
The artist is nostalgic about their past relationship.
But I ain't buying
She is not in the mood for shopping despite being on a shopping street.
I'm wearing my blue shoes and crying
She wears her blue shoes as she cries in public.
These blue shoes seem to suit my soul
The blue shoes are a part of her deeper psyche and provide comfort for her soul.
Since you shot that hole
Their loved one caused her heartbreak, leaving a hole in her heart.
Shot that hole in my heart
Their loved one caused her heartbreak, leaving a hole in her heart.
And if I wind up on the sidewalk bleeding
She is in so much pain that she may even contemplate taking drastic actions.
I won't be needing my new shoes
Her blue shoes won't be needed in that extreme situation.
Won't be needing my blue shoes
Her blue shoes won't be needed in that extreme situation.
These blue shoes seem to suit me well
The singer finds comfort in her blue shoes.
When I feel like hell
The blue shoes give her strength to keep going during tough times.
As I do now that you're gone
She is going through a tough time since her loved one left her.
Lost and lonely since you stopped caring
Her loneliness and heartbreak since their loved one stopped caring for her.
I'll be wearing my new shoes
She wears her blue shoes to give herself a sense of purpose and to escape from her heartbreak.
I've been wearing my blue shoes
She finds comfort wearing her blue shoes.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Mike Batt
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind