Walsh was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and grew up with two sisters and one brother in its Allerton suburb. She attended Sandy Lane First School, Stoney Lee Middle School and Beckfoot Grammar School and had her first taste of fame starring in an advert as a child.
In 2000 she tried out for the role of Maria Sutherland in the soap opera Coronation Street, losing out to Samia Smith. Later she appeared in the television series This Is Personal: The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper as Gillian Oldfield, and in the same year she starred in a BBC Educational Schools programme called Focus. In 2001 Kimberley played Tracy in Dream Back.
While studying for a BA degree in English and Media at Trinity and All Saints College, University of Leeds, in 2002 during her second year Walsh auditioned for a reality television show dedicated to assembling a new girl group: Popstars: The Rivals. She and future bandmate Nicola Roberts did not originally make the final ten, but Walsh was brought back to the competition when original finalist Hazel was found to be over the age limit - she resultantly dropped out of university. On the show she performed:
"Baby Can I Hold You"
"Emotion"
"Unbreak My Heart"
"Chain Reaction"
Walsh was the fourth girl to be voted into Girls Aloud, much to the delight of her friend and new bandmate, Nadine Coyle, with whom she had become good friends during the course of the show.
While in Girls Aloud, Walsh has been popular among the band's male fan base. In April 2004, Heat magazine named her toned stomach as the fifth best in the world, ahead of superstar Beyoncé and singer Rachel Stevens. In 2005, Walsh was ranked forty-fourth in the "100 Sexiest Females In The World" list published by FHM magazine; in 2006, she was ranked at sixty-six.
Walsh co-hosted the 25 August 2006 episode of The Friday Night Project with Cheryl Cole and Sarah Harding, on which she did an impression of Pop Idol and X Factor judge Simon Cowell.
Falling Slowly
Kimberley Walsh Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know you
But I want you
All the more for that
(Both)
Words fall through me
And always fool me
(Kimberley Walsh)
And games that never amount
To more than they're meant
Will play themselves out
(Both)
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly, eyes that know me
And I can't go back
Moods that take me and erase me
And I'm painted black
(Kimberley Walsh)
You have suffered enough
And warred with yourself
It's time that you won
(Both)
Oh, oh
Take this sinking boat and point it home
We've still got time
Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice
You've made it now
Falling slowly
Sing your melody
I'll sing out loud
Now you're gone
Now you're gone
Now you're gone
Oh
The first few lines of the song, sung by Ronan Keating, express a desire for someone he doesn't know, stating that he wants them even more because of this lack of familiarity. This sets the stage for the themes of the rest of the song, which touch on feelings of uncertainty and insecurity. Both singers then describe how words often elude them and they struggle to react in certain situations. This reinforces the idea of not feeling sure of oneself and lacking the ability to communicate effectively. The song then moves on to a metaphor of a sinking boat, suggesting that things are not going well and time is running out, but there is still hope for salvation. The phrase "raise your hopeful voice" further emphasizes this sense of optimism in the face of adversity.
Kimberley Walsh then sings about someone who has "suffered enough" and needs to win their personal battles. This could be interpreted as a reference to self-doubt, anxiety or depression. Both singers then come together again to repeat the refrain of "take this sinking boat and point it home" and "raise your hopeful voice," indicating that despite the challenges faced, there is still a chance for redemption and triumph. The repeated line "falling slowly" could be seen as a metaphor for how progress may seem slow and incremental, but it is still occurring.
The imagery of being engulfed by moods that erase the self and being "painted black" conjures up a sense of hopelessness and despair. However, the song ultimately leaves us with a sense of hope and possibility.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know you
I have not yet met you
But I want you
But, despite not knowing you, I have a desire to be with you
All the more for that
This desire is intensified by not truly knowing you
Words fall through me
Words I hear have little impact on me
And always fool me
They deceive me and lead me to believe something that is not true
And I can't react
I am unable to respond effectively
And games that never amount
Attempts to pursue something that is unlikely or impossible
To more than they're meant
Always end up falling short
Will play themselves out
Eventually come to an end by themselves
Take this sinking boat and point it home
Let's redirect our efforts towards achieving our goal
We've still got time
We have not yet run out of time
Raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice
Stay positive and proactive, you still have options
You've made it now
You have accomplished something worthy of recognition
Falling slowly, eyes that know me
Slowly losing my identity to external and internal pressures
And I can't go back
I cannot regain what I have lost
Moods that take me and erase me
My emotions overwhelm me and cause me to lose control
And I'm painted black
I am consumed by darkness and negativity
You have suffered enough
You have endured an appropriate amount of hardship
And warred with yourself
You have struggled internally with your own decisions and actions
It's time that you won
It is time for you to finally triumph in your struggles
Falling slowly
Gradually losing my grip on life
Sing your melody
Express yourself through music
I'll sing out loud
I will join you in expressing ourselves through music
Now you're gone
You have now left, physically or emotionally
Now you're gone
The feeling of your absence is prominent
Now you're gone
The pain of this absence is felt
Oh
A vocal expression of emotion
Contributed by Isabelle D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.