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.
Weir
Killing Heidi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Old friend of mine, we will never lose the time that we've shared allthese years, all these years.
Will you?
Will you make it in the end, through all the twists and bends? Will you fulfill your dreams-not as easy as it seems.
Lover friend of mine, we will never lose the time that we've covered in our tears, in our tears.
(Repeat)
Will you?
Will you make it in the end, through all the twists and bends? Will you fulfill your dreams-not as easy as it seems.
Floating in the weir, and you think you'll never
sink, so you forget all your fears, your fears.
(Repeat)
The lyrics of Killing Heidi's song Weir are about the bonds of friendship and love, and the obstacles that come along with fulfilling dreams. The repetition of "old friend of mine" and "lover friend of mine" emphasizes the deep connections that the singer has formed with these people. The first verse talks about the time shared over the years and how it will never be lost. However, the chorus questions the ability of the friends to overcome the twists and bends, and fulfill their dreams. The line "not as easy as it seems" implies that achieving one's dreams requires hard work and perseverance.
In the second verse, the lyrics touch upon the tears that the singer and their lover friend have shared. This could mean that they have overcome some hardships that testing their bond. The chorus is repeated again, emphasizing the importance of overcoming obstacles and fulfilling one's dreams. The final lines of the song describe the feeling of floating in the weir, and how it gives the illusion of never sinking, allowing the singer to forget their fears.
Overall, the lyrics of Weir convey a sense of hope and optimism despite the challenges that come with pursuing one's dreams. The use of repetition and imagery evokes strong emotions and emphasizes the importance of the relationships formed along this journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Old friend of mine, we will never lose the time that we've shared all these years, all these years.
This line is referencing an old friendship that has stood the test of time, and how the memories they've shared will never be forgotten.
Will you?
This line asks the listener if they think they will succeed in fulfilling their dreams despite the challenges and obstacles they'll face.
Lover friend of mine, we will never lose the time that we've covered in our tears, in our tears. (Repeat)
Similar to the first line, this one is referring to a close relationship where they've shared both good times and bad, and how those moments will always be remembered.
Floating in the weir, and you think you'll never sink, so you forget all your fears, your fears. (Repeat)
This line is a metaphor for feeling invincible and confident, so much so that your fears don't seem to matter. But eventually, reality will set in and you'll have to face those fears.
Lyrics Β© O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael Waters
The Weir, the damned,
The lake if fire,
I fell in with angel wings,
Birds of a feather flock together,
The hairs on my wings,
Burner, melted together,
Made leather,, bat wings,
Dragons wings, fire proof,
Protected from my firey breath,
Burning and flying,
Spitfire..
H. Windsor
As a former British backpacker who managed to stay in Australia for a good few years, this band and some of their songs are on the soundtrack of my life. The time spent in this amazing country was (and still is) the best time of my life. Remember seeing Killing Heidi at Melbourne BDO 2000 (up on a shed on a huge indoor barn), Sydney homebake, and some Irish pub behind Sydney Central. Think i'm not alone in thinking Ella is hot!
chris kelly
she's aged well, too. Still very attractive in her late 30's...
mrityu
@chris kelly stop talking for several days
Matthew Mcclure
Yeahhhh brother πππππ
PeKγγ
yeah I was at Homebake 2000! Good days
CDogBeast1992
man of culture #straya
Angekattts
It's a dam shame this song has only 13k views, so so, under rated even when you compare it to today crap. Aussie's should get behind and support such great Aussie talent. 5 stars from me!
peter giannaros
Totally agree with you!
cs512tr
for some reason only uploaded 2016, that missed out on 10 years of viewing
Jaded Muse
I remember you guys from when I was a teen
Still love your music
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