Born in London to a Sri Lankan father and Icelandic mother, LAY LOW’s musical abilities stretch as far as her geographical heritage. Starting out as a pianist and bass guitar player; she has jammed on keyboards and synthesizers with Benny Crespo’s Band, found her voice in blues folk and a little honky tonk bop collaborating with producers such as Liam Watson. Although her new material is taking on a new trip hop twist, LAY LOW’s distinct musical journey can still be felt at its roots, producing a honed yet experimental sound that is all her own.
Vocally LAY LOW combines a rich chocolate sound with a sweet cinnamon rasp and a sip of whisky to take the edge off. Her live shows have seen her reach round and hug a room of 200 people using only her voice in acapella. Seeing LAY LOW perform is unique, musically playful, she spins new yarns out of her songs, exudes warmth and radiates sincerity that amounts to a profoundly personal experience.
LAY LOW came about in 2006, after Lovísa was contacted by a local label that picked up on a raw demo that she had uploaded onto MySpace. Not one to waste an opportunity, LAY LOW’s debut album ‘Please Don’t Hate Me’ was released that same year. An intoxicating take on classic Americana sounds, the record topped the Icelandic charts and became the bestselling original album in the country, winning no less than 3 Icelandic Music Awards.
To prepare for her next album Lovísa drew inspiration from Icelandic nature, travelling to remote country villages. With such a vast range of influences this isolation allowed LAY LOW to come into her own. She found something special with producer Liam Watson [White Stripes, Pete Molinari & Holly Golightly] on her second album, “Farewell Good Night’s Sleep”. The album was soon picked up by the music team at iTunes in the US who tipped LAY LOW as one of the best discoveries of 2008.
LAY LOW could never have predicted where her travels would take her in 2009. She spent a large part of the year supporting Emilíana Torrini on tour and performing solo across the world. This included appearances at Glastonbury, Into The Great Wide Open, Slottsfjell, and End of the Road festivals.
On “Brostinn strengur” (Broken String), her 3rd LP album, LAY LOW explored her talent for collaboration, harnessing the energy of Icelandic female poetry over the last 150 years. Using the poems as her lyrics, she sings in Icelandic and creates an enchanting sound of soothing folk with experimental indie twists. Nominated for 5 Icelandic Music Awards, the album was commended as her most experimental record yet, showing a confident use of LAY LOW’s broad range of musical styles.
LAY LOW’s new single ‘The Backbone’ has a poetic resonance with Neil Young and P.J. Harvey; a lick of Nancy Sinatra’s husky attitude and a dose of Portishead’s dirty acid trip. ‘The Backbone’ stirs up a cocktail of something you’ve never had before. And with her upcoming LP, set for international release in the autumn of 2012, you’ll soon be back at the bar asking for more of LAY LOW.
By And By
Lay Low Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm telling lies
All of the time.
I told the truth
And I'm telling you
I feel just fine.
And I'll make you cry
With the things I do.
I made you laugh
And I'll make you laugh
Without trying to.
And now it's time
For me to go
Before I let you down.
By and by
You'll realize
How I've done you wrong.
I talked a lot
And I talked too much
I'll talk for you.
I've been the fool
And I'll make a fool
Out of you.
So now it's time
For me to go
Before I let you down.
By and by,
You'll realize
How I've done you wrong.
Now it's time
For me to go
Before I let you down.
By and by,
You'll realize
How I've down you wrong.
By and by,
You'll realize
How I've done you wrong.
The lyrics of "By and By" by Lay Low express a sense of guilt and remorse for the mistakes that have been made in a relationship. The first verse acknowledges the fact that the singer has been lying and continues to do so, suggesting a lack of honesty and trust in the relationship. However, in the second part of the verse, the singer reveals that when telling the truth, they feel "just fine," indicating that they want to do the right thing but have struggled to do so.
The second verse speaks to the singer's ability to make their partner both cry and laugh, emphasizing the complexity of their relationship. The chorus then comes in, with the singer lamenting that it is now time to leave before they cause more damage to the relationship. The final verses continue in this vein, with the singer admitting they have talked too much and will make a fool out of their partner. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the inevitability of the heartbreak that will come.
Overall, "By and By" is a song that explores the mistakes we make in relationships and the consequences of those mistakes. The sense of regret and remorse woven throughout the lyrics speaks to a desire to do better but an awareness that the damage may already be done.
Line by Line Meaning
I told a lie
I have been dishonest in the past
And I'm telling lies
My tendency for deceit persists in my present behavior
All of the time.
I am consistently untruthful
I told the truth
There are times when I am honest
And I'm telling you
I am brave enough to share this with you
I feel just fine.
Being truthful makes me feel better
I made you cry
My actions have led to your sadness
And I'll make you cry
I may continue to hurt you emotionally
With the things I do.
My behavior will cause more tears
I made you laugh
I have brought you joy in the past
And I'll make you laugh
I can continue to bring you happiness
Without trying to.
It comes naturally
And now it's time
This moment signifies a change
For me to go
I need to leave your life
Before I let you down.
I don't want to hurt you any further
By and by
Eventually
You'll realize
You will come to understand
How I've done you wrong.
The extent of the damage that I have caused
I talked a lot
I have been talkative
And I talked too much
I have been excessive in my communication
I'll talk for you.
I am willing to speak to defend you
I've been the fool
I have made foolish decisions
And I'll make a fool
My actions could make me look foolish again
Out of you.
And potentially embarrass or harm you
Now it's time
The moment has finally arrived
For me to go
I need to leave
Before I let you down.
To avoid causing you any further pain
By and by,
Eventually,
You'll realize
The truth will come to light
How I've down you wrong.
And you will understand the harm I have caused
By and by,
Eventually,
You'll realize
You will come to understand
How I've done you wrong.
The extent of the damage that I have caused
Contributed by Sebastian E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@OMaMaRMY
song means alot to me 😭love you lay low
@coldfront321
I love your music ,Lay Low and may you stay forever young! Sincerely coldfront da decomposer..
@gabrielfair724
Still amazing after all these years
@torunnjakobs
My favorite Lay Low song :)
@rkdavenport
Voice and style are hypnotic. Quite wonderful.
@visualon
Beautiful voice!
@theonegift
I really like this talented band, thumbs up!
@gojo345
good song and cool effects
@gr8m8watch
I love it.
@TheJulianVella
Awesome song :)