The nucleus of Killing Heidi was singer/songwriter Ella Hooper and her older brother, guitarist Jesse Hooper. They grew up in Violet Town, a small Victorian country town, with a population of approximately 2,000 where their parents worked as music and drama teachers.
They started jamming together at home; Ella singing while Jesse played the guitar. They played an acoustic gig together at the Violet Town Arts Festival in 1996, when Ella was 13 years old. Bent Records label owner and local record studio owner, Jamie Durrant, offered them some time in a studio with a couple of schoolmates as the rhythm section. They submitted these recordings into the Triple J Unearthed competition in 1996 and the track "Kettle" won the competition for their area of rural Victoria. "Kettle" was written by Ella Hooper; Brian Walton and Jessie Hooper added some guitar parts later.
The name "Killing Heidi" came from the band members generating two lists before their first gig; one filled with "soft" words, one with "harsh" words. Killing was chosen as the harsh, Heidi the soft. According to the band, the name basically means "the end of innocence".
Producer Paul Kosky who had worked with Crowded House, Rage Against the Machine, Kate Ceberano, and The Clouds was looking for a band to manage and sign to his new recording label Wah Wah Music. He decided to check out a very basic live performance by Killing Heidi. He developed the band from the ground up for the next two years working on songwriting, song structure and overall direction of the music. He became the manager of the band and arranged a contract with Roadshow Music (who had a contract with Savage Garden) for his label, Killing Heidi had also acquired a new rhythm section (which Kosky sourced and introduced to Killing Heidi) with Adam Pedretti (ex-Non-Intentional Lifeform) on drums and Warren Jenkin on bass. They recorded the rest of the first album in 1998.
Killing Heidi's first single "Weir" was released in August 1999 and reached #6 on the ARIA charts (and Platinum sales) by the end of 1999. The second single "Mascara", about self-image and individuality, was released in December 1999 and reached the top of the Australian charts on January 30th 2000, which was Ella's 17th birthday. - it stayed at #1 for three weeks, also achieving Platinum status.
The band's debut album Reflector was released in early 2000 and debuted at #1, quickly becoming the fastest-selling album in Australian music history. The album spent seven weeks at #1 on the ARIA charts, and spawned two further singles: "Live Without It" and "Superman Supergirl".
Reflector eventually sold over 350,000 albums in Australia, earning 5x platinum status and Killing Heidi won four ARIA Music Awards in October 2000.
The band's momentum halted when a cyst was found on Hooper's vocal cords and she underwent an operation in 2001. Her voice was slow to recover, which "destroyed any confidence [Ella Hooper] had in her voice."
The band recorded its second album Present, despite Hooper's continuing problems with her vocal cords. This album was not as successful as its predecessor, selling only 50,000 copies and failing to make the top ten of the Australian album charts. It spawned two singles - "Heavensent" which reached the top 30 in early 2002 and "Outside Of Me" which reached a peak of #12 later in 2002; a third song from the album, "Ammyl", was released to radio in 2003 but was never released as a commercial single.
In 2002 manager Paul Kosky and the band split in an ending characterized as "acrimonious"; the split "almost spelt the end" for the band, and left Kosky feeling that he was the scapegoat blamed for the problems with the second album.
Chris Robinson bought out Kosky's share of their partnership and became the band's new manager.
In late 2003, the band spent three months in Los Angeles recording their next album.
The first single from the band's third album was "I Am", released on July 12, 2004. Debuting at #16 on the Australian singles charts, it spent three months in the Top 50 charts and reached Gold sales. It also features on the Australian version of the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack.
In late August 2004, Killing Heidi released their third studio album. Self-titled as Killing Heidi, the album featured a less styled and more sonically expressive sound. It debuted at #7 on the charts, again only reaching gold and then fell out of the charts relatively quickly.
In September 2004, the second single from the album, "Calm Down" was released, peaking at #23. Early 2005 saw a third song from the album, "Running Underwater" released to radio, but like "Ammyl" in 2003, it was not released as a commercial single and received very little radio airplay. Later in 2005, Killing Heidi left Sony BMG.
In mid-2006, rumours began to surface in the media of the possibility of Killing Heidi breaking up. The reports continued for several weeks, with articles in some magazines and newspapers claiming the band had already split. The band clarified the situation in a blog entry on their MySpace page:
"Oh the waiting... oh the waiting.... ok, hi everyone. Here is the news: We are taking a break from killing heidi for a while but do not see this as a break up! It is us needing to try something else for a little while cos its all we've done for 9 years now. Killing Heidi will be playing some shows in the next 6 months so if you really want to you can get to these shows. I will post the dates as they are confirmed. Ella and Jesse are working on a new as yet unnamed project and will be playing in vic and nsw trying out new material and playing a few oldies too. Pedro is rocking with the very loud and very talented "Monster Truck Extravaganza" (see our top friends for a link to their myspace) so check them out when they start doing shows soon. Hopefully you guys will like what we all get up to over the next little while!!! There have been requests to change the new traks to downloads so i will look into that too!!! Thanks everyone for your continued support, we love playing for you guys and look forward to seeing on the road again soon!!!"
Ella Hooper, after spending time with Jesse in The Verses, is now a solo artist. However in 2016, the band announced they were reforming for their 20th anniversary.
12345
Killing Heidi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once I caught a fish alive
6, 7, 8, 9, 10
But then I let him go again
Oh why did you let him go
Because he bit my finger so
You, won't you
It's all for you
Sitting around thinking up something to do
And you said let's just go
And I, I say so too
Quick before we get too old
To recognise these things we hold
And we drove around with the moon on our backs
The most I'd had
The most I could ever have
Call you, won't you
It's all for you [x4]
It's all for
It's all for you
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Once I caught a fish alive
6, 7, 8, 9, 10
But then I let him go again
Oh why did you let him go
Because he bit my finger so
You, it's all for you
You, it's all for you
It's all for you
You, it's all for you...
The lyrics to "12345" by Killing Heidi speak about two individuals who are enjoying each other's company and living in the moment. The song starts with the timeless nursery rhyme "One, two, three, four, five, once I caught a fish alive" that sets a lighthearted and whimsical tone. This is followed by "6, 7, 8, 9, 10, but then I let him go again, oh why did you let him go? Because he bit my finger so." The narrative is complete as the singer is explaining why he had to let the fish go. This could potentially be a metaphor for letting go of something that you love but may hurt you in the end.
The chorus is repeated multiple times throughout the song: "It's all for you, sitting around thinking up something to do, and you said let's just go, and I, I say so too. Quick before we get too old to recognize these things we hold." This showcases how the singer and their companion decide to leave their mundane routine and go somewhere exciting before they become too old to appreciate such moments. The bridge has them driving around with the moon on their backs, enjoying the most they could ever have. The song ends with the repetition of the chorus and the nursery rhyme.
Overall, "12345" is an upbeat, nostalgic and somewhat metaphorical song about embracing the moment and being free-spirited.
Line by Line Meaning
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Counting along aimlessly, with no real purpose or direction.
Once I caught a fish alive
At one time I experienced something wonderful and exhilarating that I now cherish.
6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Continuing to count without any purpose or reason for doing so.
But then I let him go again
Although I experienced something great, I had to let it go for various reasons.
Oh why did you let him go
Questioning one's own decision to let go of something that was once so valuable.
Because he bit my finger so
I had to let go of the thing I valued because it hurt me in some way, and I couldn't continue holding onto it.
You, won't you
Addressing someone directly to get their attention and involve them in the story.
It's all for you
Everything I do and experience in life is ultimately for your benefit and enjoyment.
Sitting around thinking up something to do
Passing the time in a state of boredom and aimlessness, looking for something to occupy one's time.
And you said let's just go
Someone else suggested a spontaneous plan of action without any prior thought or planning.
And I, I say so too
I eagerly and enthusiastically agreed to the spontaneous plan presented to me.
Quick before we get too old
A sense of urgency and importance to experience life and make memories while still young and able.
To recognise these things we hold
A need to stop and reflect on the things in life that are truly valuable and worth holding onto.
And we drove around with the moon on our backs
Taking a joyride at night with the moon shining down on us.
The most I'd had
It was the most fun and excitement I had experienced at that time in my life.
The most I could ever have
The peak of what I was capable of experiencing and enjoying at that point in my life.
Call you, won't you
Asking for the other person's attention and involvement once again.
It's all for you [x4]
Reiterating the theme of everything being done for the benefit and enjoyment of the other person.
You, it's all for you
The entire story and all the experiences within it were solely for the benefit and enjoyment of the other person.
It's all for you
Repeating the central message of the song one last time to emphasize its importance.
Contributed by Landon O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.