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.
Madhouse
Kimbra Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They just fuel the heart's fire for more, more
Devils don't pry
They just wait until you want a bit more, more
I don't want lies
I want open skies
But the pressure keeps prying
There's an open fire at the core, core
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse that you're making
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse that you're making
Chaos and disorder!
I'm a mess then I'm a messiah
(Don't you leave me alone)
In the chaos and disorder!
I'm a mess then I'm a messiah
(I'm terrorizing everything)
The way we get by
Is to lie, lie, lie
A bit more, more
Way we get high
Is get high on pride
A bit more, more
You go deep inside
No room for the light
In these four walls
Hunting for your dream
Down the cocaine streets
Give me more, more
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse that you're making
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse that you're making
Chaos and disorder!
I'm a mess then I'm a messiah
(Don't you leave me alone)
In the chaos and disorder!
I'm a mess then I'm a messiah
(I'm terrorizing everything)
Inside of my head
It's a madhouse that you're making
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse that you're making
Breaking inside of me
We gotta find that light shining in the hard times
Gotta find that light shining in the dark times
Gotta find that light shining in the hard times
Gotta find that light shining in the dark times
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse
Breaking inside of me
Whats that clack clack? Gotta get outta here
Rather be caught dead than die in here!
The lyrics of Kimbra's song "Madhouse" speak of the chaos and disorder that comes with the pressures of life. The first two lines, "Devils don't lie, they just fuel the heart's fire for more, more," describe how our desires and needs are often pushed to the brink by the pressure around us, and how we feel like we need more to feel alive. The line "I don't want lies, I want open skies, I want doors, doors" represents the need for authenticity and transparency in life, the desire to be free from the shackles of societal expectations and hence wanting open skies and doors. However, pressure keeps building and we end up in a "madhouse," where chaos and disorder dictate our lives.
Further, the lyrics describe the struggle to find balance and the need for light in times of adversity. The line “We gotta find that light shining in the hard times, gotta find that light shining in the dark times,” represents the struggle to find hope in difficult situations. The final line “What’s that clack clack? Gotta get outta here, rather be caught dead than die in here” portrays a desire to escape the madness and find peace.
Overall, "Madhouse" is a song about the struggles of life, the need for authenticity, and the search for peace amidst chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
Devils don't lie
They just fuel the heart's fire for more, more
Deceivers don't make false statements, they only enhance the ambition by encouraging to aspire for more, more
Devils don't pry
They just wait until you want a bit more, more
Deceivers don't interfere, they just wait for the time when you yearn for more, more
I don't want lies
I want open skies
I want doors, doors
I don't desire deceit, I yearn for freedom, and opportunities to explore
But the pressure keeps prying
There's an open fire at the core, core
Despite the difficulty, there is a burning passion within that pressure continues to provoke
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse that you're making
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse that you're making
Take heed of the uproar within you that you created
Chaos and disorder!
I'm a mess then I'm a messiah
(Don't you leave me alone)
In the chaos and disorder!
I'm a mess then I'm a messiah
(I'm terrorizing everything)
Amidst chaos, I'm uncertain, but I'm also in charge, when left alone. In the chaos, I'm creating risk but I'm also a source of power and authority
The way we get by
Is to lie, lie, lie
A bit more, more
The strategy to survive is to deceive repeatedly for more personal gain
Way we get high
Is get high on pride
A bit more, more
We attain jubilant heights by running on self-importance and desiring more, more
You go deep inside
No room for the light
In these four walls
You delve inside but there is no space for enlightenment in this enclosed space
Hunting for your dream
Down the cocaine streets
Give me more, more
Chasing your aspirations down the alleys of drugs, the obsession drives you for more, more
Inside of my head
It's a madhouse that you're making
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse that you're making
Breaking inside of me
It's within my mind that I'm creating this chaos, listen to the noise and note the damage being done internally
We gotta find that light shining in the hard times
Gotta find that light shining in the dark times
Gotta find that light shining in the hard times
Gotta find that light shining in the dark times
Amid testing times, we must strive to find that glint of hope, through the moments of dismay and even within the more challenging times
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse
Oh hear the sound of the madhouse
Breaking inside of me
Listen to the sounds of the disarray and harm within me
Whats that clack clack? Gotta get outta here
Rather be caught dead than die in here!
I hear dangers and I must escape, even if that means risking my life
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ron Bruner, Joel David Whitley, Stephen Lee Bruner, Kimbra Lee Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind