Early public performances by Kimbra included singing at JBC (now the dive bar Nivara Lounge) in Hamilton at age 9, the Waikato Times Gold Cup race meeting in 2000 as a 10-year-old, and singing the national anthem at age 12 before 27,000 people at the Auckland vs Waikato NPC rugby final. In 2007, after winning the Juice TV award for best breakthrough music video for her second single "Simply on My Lips", she came to the attention of ex-Independient Records boss Mark Richardson (Jamiroquai, Paula Abdul) and his newly-formed management company and independent label Forum 5 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Before her debut album, Kimbra released 2 singles: 'Simply On My Lips' and 'Deep For You'.
Kimbra's debut album, Vows was released in 2011. Three singles have been released from this album - 'Cameo Lover', 'Settle Down', 'Good Intent'. According to the Settle Down Songfacts, Vows spans five years of Kimbra's life from age 17 to 22. and explores love, identity and coming of age.
Kimbra also collaborated with Australian artist Gotye for the single 'Somebody That I Used To Know ' in 2011. This song has peaked on the charts in The USA, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium and The Netherlands at #1.
A significantly reworked version of her debut album was released in the U.S. in May of 2012. At the end of that year Kimbra triumphed in five categories at the New Zealand Music Awards, most notably Best Female Solo Artist and Best Pop Album. She also continued to receive plaudits for her Gotye collaboration well into 2013, among them the 2012 Grammy for Record of the Year.
Along with touring with Gotye and making festival appearances, including a spot at Brazil's Rock in Rio festival, Kimbra began work on her second album, The Golden Echo. She returned to the studio with producer Rich Costey and a host of collaborators including Bilal, Van Dyke Parks, Muse's Matt Bellamy, the Mars Volta's Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez, and Silverchair's Daniel Johns, who co-wrote some of the album's songs. Singles such as the genre-hopping "'90s Music" and the smooth disco-funk homage "Miracle" hinted at The Golden Echo's eclecticism ahead of its August 2014 release.
Kimbra reunited with Bilal in 2015, appearing on his album In Another Life, and debuted her own single "Sweet Relief" in 2016. The 2017 single "Everybody Knows" offered the first taste of her third album Primal Heart. Featuring songs co-written and co-produced by Kimbra -- as well as collaborations with John Congleton and Skrillex -- Primal Heart appeared in April 2018.
Cameo Lover
Kimbra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got me going crazy
You're heavier than I knew
But I don't want no other
You're my cameo love
Only here for a moment or two
You stay inside that bubble
With all of your trouble
You turn from the skies
You dance with your demise
I'll be here when you come home
We've all gotta break down
Let me come and break down, there with you
'Cause everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out
Everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out of here
I've got high hopes baby
But all you do is take me down to depths that I never knew
You've got two arms baby
They're all tangled in ladies of the black skies posing blue
Let go of your mother
And turn to your brother
Not a long gone lover's noose
Sometimes baby the hardest part of breaking
Is leaving pieces behind you
Oh we've all gotta get by
Let me come and hold you high, with you
'Cause everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out
Everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out of here
Open up your heart to me
The sun won't shine if you're not looking
Baby love is all that you need
When everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open, open, open
Everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart, open up your heart
The lyrics of "Cameo Lover" by Kimbra speak about a tumultuous relationship where the singer is infatuated with her lover but finds it difficult to understand the person due to their enigmatic personality. The chorus, "every day is like talking in your sleep, love is like a silhouette in dreams," describes the difficulty of communicating with the person, and the singer urges her lover to open up, "open up your heart and let me pull you out of here." The third verse talks about the singer's high hopes for the relationship but how her lover always brings her down to depths that she never knew existed. The bridge, "we've all gotta break down, let me come and break down there with you," highlights the need for support through difficult times.
The song's theme revolves around the idea of being in a relationship that feels fleeting and temporary, as represented by the term "cameo lover." The song's lyricism is poignant and introspective, as the singer grapples with the challenges of loving someone who struggles to open up. The song has a slow and intimate melody, with Kimbra's hauntingly beautiful voice accompanied by gentle guitar strums, building up to a powerful crescendo towards the end.
Line by Line Meaning
This is nonstop baby
The situation we're in is intense and unrelenting.
You've got me going crazy
Your actions and presence have taken a toll on me.
You're heavier than I knew
Your emotional baggage is more than I anticipated.
But I don't want no other
Despite your flaws, I only want you.
You're my cameo love
You're only present for a brief moment in time.
Only here for a moment or two
Your presence is temporary and fleeting.
You stay inside that bubble
You're hiding within your own emotional barriers.
With all of your trouble
You carry a lot of emotional baggage that is weighing you down.
In your black hole
You're stuck in a difficult situation that you can't seem to escape from.
You turn from the skies
You avoid the potential positivity that life has to offer.
You dance with your demise
You're actively engaging in self-destructive behavior.
I'll be here when you come home
I'll be here to support and care for you when you're ready to come back.
We've all gotta break down
We all experience emotional breakdowns.
Let me come and break down, there with you
Let me be there for you and share in your emotional struggles.
'Cause everyday's like talking in your sleep
The daily struggles are hard to deal with and feel dream-like.
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Love is an idealized, shadowy representation of reality.
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Allow yourself to be vulnerable and honest with me.
Open up your heart and let me pull you out
Open up to me and I will help you escape your emotional turmoil.
I've got high hopes baby
I have high expectations for our future together.
But all you do is take me down to depths that I never knew
You're dragging me down to emotional depths I never imagined.
You've got two arms baby
You have the power to hold and comfort me.
They're all tangled in ladies of the black skies posing blue
Your attention and emotions are consumed by other women.
Let go of your mother
Free yourself from your past and your parents' influence.
And turn to your brother
Look to those close to you for support and guidance.
Not a long gone lover's noose
Don't let past failed relationships hold you back.
Sometimes baby the hardest part of breaking
Breaking free from emotional baggage is a difficult process.
Is leaving pieces behind you
You may have to let go of parts of yourself to move forward.
Oh we've all gotta get by
We all need to find ways to cope and survive.
Let me come and hold you high, with you
Let me support and uplift you during this difficult time.
Open up your heart to me
Be vulnerable and honest with me.
The sun won't shine if you're not looking
You need to be open to positivity in order to experience it.
When everyday's like talking in your sleep
The daily struggles feel like they're not quite real.
Open, open, open
Keep yourself open to new possibilities and experiences.
Open up your heart and let me pull you out
Allow me to help you out of your emotional struggles.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kimbra Lee Johnson, Daniel Leonard Nigro
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MadamZilla
Lyrics:
This is nonstop baby, you've got me going crazy
You're heavier than I knew
But I don't want no other, you're my cameo lover
Only here for a moment or two
You stay inside that bubble with all of your trouble
In your black hole
You turn from the skies, you dance with your demise
I'll be here when you come home
We've all gotta break down
Let me come and break down, there with you
'Cause everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out
Everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out of here
I've got high hopes, baby, but all you do is take me
Down to depths that I never knew
You've got two arms, baby, they're all tangled in ladies
As the black skies posing blue
Let go of your mother and turn to your brother
Not a long gone lover's noose
Sometimes baby the hardest part of breaking
Is leaving pieces behind you
Oh, we've all gotta get by
Let me come and hold you high, with you
'Cause everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out
Everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out of here
Open up your heart to me
The sun won't shine if you're not looking
Baby, love is all that you need!
When everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open, open
Everyday's like talking in your sleep
Love is like a silhouette in dreams
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart and let me pull you out
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart, open up your heart
Open up your heart, open up your heart..
juancarlos
She deserves far more recognition. Mostly she's known for her contribution in Somebody That I Used to Know, but her music is way better than what she did there. She's fun to listen to.
A. Robinson
Agree 1000000%
Quincy Davis
Highly underrated
Ciara Kenny
THATS WHO THIS IS?!?
Aaron Luevano
Juan Carlos Alvarado Morones she's great! I still love her
Liam A Leuw
Juan Carlos Alvarado Morones, I know right. Her music is great, no cheap cheating, and can actually sing. She wrote all of this song. She knows what he is doing. She needs more fame, she deserves it.
S C
Her music aged much better than a lot of the mainstream going on then.
Davide Scannapieco
so true
Nico Morley
@Davide Scannapieco I never tire of her.
sk1llerdrag
honestly one of the greatest pop songs ever made, it is so sonically dynamic and nothing ever stays the same in this song, there are so many subtle touches that work together phenomenally, from the fact that the harmonies and melodies clash with one another, fitting into the theme of kimbra trying to "open up your heart", to the key change, the fact that the chorus changes FOUR fucking times after the key change, the double tracking throughout the track, just phenomenal.
kimbra should've been one of the main pop stars and i'll die on that hill