Kelli's first independent album, a collection of dark modern dream folk songs, was "Rocking Horse" (Nov '08, DIY & One Little Indian). It was produced by Max Richter (composer of "The Blue Notebooks" & "Memoryhouse" / producer of Vashti Bunyan's "Memoryhouse") & has received critical acclaim.
In 2009, Kelli recorded and produced her Butterfly album with her partner Metso.
Butterfly is an acoustic album which came about through Kelli's desire to capture the songs from her Rocking Horse album in their metamorphosis as she and her band reworked the songs for the live stage show. This is Kelli's second independent release which is sold through her website and online.
Her earlier solo albums, Tigermouth and Psychic Cat saw Kelli move from the trip-hop influences of her first successful band Sneaker Pimps, to a more dreampop electronic sound.
The Tigermouth album includes songs such as “Sunlight in the Rain” and “Kids,” which featured ex-Doors drummer John Densmore. Kelli toured with Garbage in 2003 and released her follow-up album, Psychic Cat, in mid-2004.
Psychic Cat saw a return to Kelli’s electro/rock and roll roots, and featured musician turned author Tony O’Neill on keyboards and Andrew Innes of Primal Scream on the song 'Ideal'.
Kelli's collaborations include her co-writing The Paul Oakenfold (featuring Brittany Murphy) Hit song 'Faster Kill Pussycat', Satoshi Tomiie's 'Up in Flames' and 'Love in Traffic' and Bootsy Collins' 'Play With Bootsy' lead single track from his album 'Play with Bootsy', on which Kelli wrote and sang lead vocals.
After leaving London in 2005 to go traveling around Mexico and California, Kelli began learning to play the acoustic guitar and writing songs for what would become her Rocking Horse album. Inspired by the beauty of nature and her travels, Kelli wrote songs such as 'One Day at a Time' and 'Urique'. Her new vocal approach and sparse arrangements creating the dream folk sound of Rocking Horse.
Kelli returned to the UK and began recording the Rocking Horse album with Max Richter in Scotland in Spring 2008.
Marc Pilley played the guitars on the record and Max Richter played the B3 organ and piano, with a quartet playing the string parts and Ruth Morley on flute.
In her live set, Kelli and her band combine cello, flute and acoustic guitar with Kelli's ethereal vocals to interpret the songs from her Rocking Horse album and an original cover of Willows Song from the cult classic Wicker Man film soundtrack.
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Ideal
Kelli Ali Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We don't care what's next
We wanna blow our mind
Hey girl, put on your make up
It's time to wake up
You're such a pretty zombie
Hey girl, we'll smoke a cigarette and then we'll soon forget that we were ever
I spy, nothin' new
Perfect
Me and you
So hey girl, put on your make up
It's time to wake up
You're such a pretty zombie
Hey girl, we'll smoke a cigarette and then we'll soon forget that we were ever
So ideal
Ah daddy it's cryptic as cherry bomb lipstick all over your chick's dick baby
Hey girl, you look like a ghetto, dressed up in stiletto
Oh you were never so ideal
Never so ideal
Never so ideal
Never so ideal
In Kelli Ali's song "Ideal," the lyrics speak of a disaffected and apathetic youth culture that has no regard for the future and only wants to live in the moment. The opening line "Generation X is doin' fine. We don't care what's next. We wanna blow our mind." speaks to the carefree and hedonistic nature of the singer and her peers. The chorus repeats the phrase "Hey girl, put on your make up. It's time to wake up. You're such a pretty zombie." which could be interpreted as a critique on the societal expectations of women to be merely decorative objects.
The song's repetitive nature highlights the monotony and emptiness of the lifestyle being described. The line "I spy, nothin' new. Perfect. Me and you." emphasizes the lack of excitement or novelty present in the singer's life. The final lines of the song "Ah daddy it's cryptic as cherry bomb lipstick all over your chick's dick baby. Hey girl, you look like a ghetto, dressed up in stiletto. Oh you were never so ideal." reveal a sense of disillusionment and bitterness towards the societal standards that the singer and her peers are expected to conform to.
Line by Line Meaning
Generation X is doin' fine
The current youth generation, also known as Generation X, is doing well both economically and socially.
We don't care what's next
The youth generation is carefree and uninterested in what the future holds.
We wanna blow our mind
The youth generation wants to have life-changing experiences.
Hey girl, put on your make up
The artist is speaking to a girl and telling her to put on makeup.
It's time to wake up
The artist believes that the girl needs to become aware of how society views her.
You're such a pretty zombie
The singer compares the girl's appearance to that of a beautiful but lifeless undead creature.
Hey girl, we'll smoke a cigarette and then we'll soon forget that we were ever So ideal
The singer plans to smoke a cigarette with the girl and lose themselves in the moment to forget how society wants them to be.
I spy, nothin' new Perfect Me and you
The artist sees no changes in their current situation and considers themselves and the girl to be perfect as is.
So hey girl, put on your make up It's time to wake up You're such a pretty zombie Hey girl, we'll smoke a cigarette and then we'll soon forget that we were ever So ideal
The artist repeats their earlier lines suggesting that the girl needs to become aware of how society views her and that together they will smoke and forget.
Ah daddy it's cryptic as cherry bomb lipstick all over your chick's dick baby
The artist uses crude language to describe an indecent act, implying they have defied societal expectations.
Hey girl, you look like a ghetto, dressed up in stiletto
The singer describes the girl as someone who appears from a poor area, but is dressed up for appearance.
Oh you were never so ideal
The artist believes the girl is the best she's ever been and that this ideal state is good.
Never so ideal Never so ideal Never so ideal
The singer emphasizes that the ideal state they are in has never happened before and seems to feel content in this moment.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW COLIN INNES, DAVE MCCRACKEN, KELLI ALI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind