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.
The Days
Killing Heidi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Down the days
I mean no harm
In what I had to say
I've been counting
Counting down the days
I ain't got long
Before I start to break
*Chorus*
I been loving too much
You say that I lost touch
I was lying low with my hate
I been cryin' so hard
You think that I would break
But it gets my nights out of the way
I been counting
Counting down the days
I been counting down the days
Countin' down the days
Ooh oh oh
Countin' down the days
Ooh oooh Oh
I've been counting, all through the ways
The ways in which, I can make you pay
I been drifting, all through the days
I ain't got long, before I start to break
*Chorus*
I been loving too much
You say that I lost touch
I was lying low with my hate
I been cryin' so hard
You think that I would break
But it gets my nights out of the way
I been counting
Counting down the days
I been counting down the days
Countin' down the days
The days (x2)
Countin' down the days
I'm countin' the days
The days (x3)
I'm countin' down the days
Ooh oh oh
Countin' down the days
Ooh ooh
I've been countin down the days
I meant no harm
The days (x11)
The lyrics of the song "The Days" by Killing Heidi showcase the idea of waiting for an inevitable end. The singer of the song is counting down the days until they can finally break free from their current situation. Although they claim to "mean no harm," there is a sense of anger and resentment that is palpable throughout the lyrics. The singer has been loving someone too much and has lost touch with themselves in the process. They have been crying and harboring hate, but it helps them get through the nights.
The chorus of the song is particularly poignant as it highlights the singer's struggles. They have been loving too hard and have lost touch with reality. They have been consumed by their anger and sadness, and it is taking a toll on them. However, despite all of this, they keep counting down the days until things can finally change. The song is both melancholic and hopeful. It is about acknowledging the struggles that come with life but also believing that things will get better.
Overall, "The Days" is a beautifully written song that captures the essence of waiting for change. The lyrics are relatable to anyone who has been struggling with a difficult situation and is waiting for the inevitable end. The song is a reminder that things will eventually get better, and it is important to hold onto hope even during the dark moments.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been counting
I've been keeping track
Down the days
Counting the days until something happens
I mean no harm
I don't intend to do any damage
In what I had to say
The truth of what I needed to express
I've been counting
I've been keeping track
Counting down the days
Counting the days until something happens
I ain't got long
There's not much time left
Before I start to break
Before I lose control and break down emotionally
I been loving too much
I have been giving all my love
You say that I lost touch
You think I have lost my sense of reality
I was lying low with my hate
I have been trying to hide my feelings of anger
I been cryin' so hard
I have been crying a lot
You think that I would break
You believe I am about to have a breakdown
But it gets my nights out of the way
Crying at night helps me release my emotions
I've been counting
I've been keeping track
Counting down the days
Counting the days until something happens
I been counting down the days
I have been looking forward to something coming
Countin' down the days
Counting with anticipation
Ooh oh oh
Vocals
Countin' down the days
Counting with anticipation
Ooh oooh Oh
Vocals
I've been counting, all through the ways
I have been planning my revenge in every possible way
The ways in which, I can make you pay
I have been considering methods to make you suffer
I been drifting, all through the days
I have been lost in thought all day
I ain't got long, before I start to break
I do not have much time left before I lose control emotionally
The days (x2)
Referring to the passage of time
Countin' down the days
Counting with anticipation
I'm countin' down the days
Anticipating an event in the near future
The days (x3)
Referring to the passage of time
I'm countin' down the days
Anticipating an event in the near future
Ooh oh oh
Vocals
Countin' down the days
Counting with anticipation
Ooh ooh
Vocals
I've been countin down the days
I have been eagerly waiting for something to happen
I meant no harm
I did not intend to harm anyone
The days (x11)
Referring to the passage of time
Contributed by Hudson O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.