Lili Haydn has released four critically acclaimed major label recordings as a solo artist. Lili (1997 Atlantic Records), Light Blue Sun (2003 BMG Music), Goodbye Stranger Ep (2007 Nettwerk Music Group), and Place Between Places (2008 Nettwerk Music Group). She has played with, sung with, and opened for everyone from Roger Waters, Herbie Hancock, Sting, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Josh Groban, Seal, Matchbox 20, Cyndi Lauper, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and George Clinton's P-Funk All Stars to name a few. Both as a solo artist and as support, Lili has performed in premiere concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, the Vienna Opera House and the Hollywood Bowl.
Her last cd, “Place Between Places,” was a favorite on NPR, and Lili performed the single "Strawberry Street" on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and the HBO hit Californication. Her songs have also been licensed for TV, film, and commercials, including Army Wives, Dharma and Greg, the film Anywhere But Here, and adverts for Jaguar, and Folders Coffee, among others.
In addition to Lili's extensive recording and touring career, Lili is the featured voice and violin on several films with Hans Zimmer (Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and 4 (2007, 2011), The Burning Plain (2009), Casi Divas (2009), The Boat that Rocked (2009)), as well as with composers Harry Gregson Williams (The Town), Ramin Djwadi (The Unborn (2009), Fright Night (2011), Henry Jackman (Henry IV, Gulliver’s Travels), Cliff Eidelman, Paul Cantelon, Tom Petty (Open Window (2006), She’s the One (1996 )), among others.
After performing and improvising on filmscores for several years, Lili has launched her own film scoring career, earning a fellowship from the prestigious Sundance Institute for film composing, and has scored six feature in the last several years, including Jacklight (1999), the award winning film The Horse Boy (2009), The Lightmaker (2009), Somewhere Between (2011), Zeitgeist: Moving Forward (2011), Broken Kingdom (2012). Lili is currently in production for her upcoming CD, and is composing and performing additional score for an upcoming film called The Manson Girls, starring Eric Balfour, and Taryn Manning, to be released theatrically in 2012.
A humanitarian and activist, Lili also performs regularly for various human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Action Center, the Global Security Institute (for whom she performed a concert at the UN), Code Pink, John Wayne Breast Cancer Center, Indigenous Land Rights Fund, El Faro Orphanage, Peter Gabriel’s Witness Foundation, National Civil Rights Museum, among many others; and recently contributed her song “Unfolding Grace” to a CD compilation benefiting Ang San Suu Kyi and the Burmese pro-democracy movement which features U2, Peter Gabriel, Sting, and Paul McCartney.
Lili Haydn was also an accomplished actress growing up, paying her way through Brown University (where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science), performing in TV and film such as NBC’s Mrs. Columbo, The New Gidget, Rodney Dangerfield’s Easy Money, and Jack Frost, among many others.
At the center of all Lili Haydn’s musical ventures is a belief that music has the power to uplift and to heal, no matter what the medium. For an artist whose music has always been eclectic, cinematic, and broad in scope, there are no boundaries, and Lili looks forward to continuing to bring her unique voice to film and TV, as well as to her inimitable performances and recordings.
Real
Lili Haydn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't believe that you can treat me like that
I'm not your hair, you can not cut me like that
I'm not your past you cannot shove me in the closet
I'm not your tramp you cannot make me behave
My tits are real and I am tired of pretending
You'll never know how to take a real stand
I realized I am better off without you
I was afraid to sing out loud, you cannot change me
You cannot change that which is real, don't rearrange me
This battlefield has made me strong, although you've drained me
And when the dark has turned to dawn, I'm sure you'll claim me
I'm not your face, of me there's only one
I'm not your faith and I'm not gonna to disappear
I'm not your heart and I won't change with the wind
I'm not your spine and I won't wither into jelly
I was afraid to sing out loud, you cannot change me
You cannot change that which is real, don't rearrange me
This battlefield has made me strong, although you've drained me
And when the dark has turned to dawn, I'm sure you'll claim me
I wanted out of my skin
My colors I tried to hide
I am a wandering Jew
I've yet to love what is mine
I'm not your blood that you can pacify with saccharine
I'm not your love, my will is strong and never ending
I was afraid to sing out loud, you cannot change me
You cannot change that which is real, don't rearrange me
This battlefield has made me strong, although you've drained me
And when the dark has turned to dawn, I'm sure you'll claim me
The lyrics of Lili Haydn's "Real" are a powerful and assertive statement on the importance of self-acceptance and staying true to oneself. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song, as Haydn declares that she refuses to be objectified or controlled by anyone. She asserts her independence and individuality by insisting that she cannot be "cut" or "shoved" into someone else's mold.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of staying true to oneself despite external pressures to conform. Haydn rejects the idea that anyone can change her or "rearrange" her, asserting that her true identity is not negotiable. She uses the metaphor of a battlefield to describe the struggles she has faced in her journey towards self-acceptance, acknowledging that it has not been easy but that she has emerged stronger as a result.
The second verse delves more deeply into the struggles Haydn has faced in her personal journey. She describes the feeling of being trapped in her own skin and trying to hide her true colors. She also references her Jewish identity and the challenges she has faced in reconciling her cultural heritage with her own sense of self. Once again, she asserts her independence and strength of will, rejecting the idea that she can be pacified by false platitudes or forced into a mold she doesn't fit.
Overall, "Real" is a powerful anthem of self-acceptance and individuality, emphasizing the importance of staying true to oneself in a world that often tries to force us into narrow and limiting roles.
Line by Line Meaning
I am a girl who doesn't like it like that
I refuse to conform to societal norms or expectations of who I should be.
I don't believe that you can treat me like that
I won't accept or tolerate mistreatment from anyone.
I'm not your hair, you can not cut me like that
You have no power over me to alter or control who I am.
I'm not your past you cannot shove me in the closet
I won't allow you to hide or erase my existence from history.
I'm not your tramp you cannot make me behave
I won't let you project your judgments or labels on me to control my behavior.
My tits are real and I am tired of pretending
I won't pretend to be something I'm not or conform to unrealistic beauty standards.
You'll never know how to take a real stand
You lack the understanding and courage to stand up for what's right and just.
I realized I am better off without you
I made the choice to remove toxic influences from my life and am now better for it.
I was afraid to sing out loud, you cannot change me
I was once afraid to express my true self but now I won't let anyone change or manipulate me.
You cannot change that which is real, don't rearrange me
Who I am is real and can't be altered or forced to fit someone else's mold.
This battlefield has made me strong, although you've drained me
I've endured struggles and hardships but they've made me stronger, despite the emotional toll.
And when the dark has turned to dawn, I'm sure you'll claim me
You may try to take credit for my success, but I won't let you.
I'm not your face, of me there's only one
I won't be compared or reduced to someone else's standards or image.
I'm not your faith and I'm not gonna to disappear
I won't change my beliefs or disappear based on what you want or expect.
I'm not your heart and I won't change with the wind
I won't let emotions or others' opinions dictate my actions or decisions.
I'm not your spine and I won't wither into jelly
I won't let you control or manipulate me to the point where I lose my strength and independence.
I wanted out of my skin
I felt trapped or uncomfortable in my own skin or identity.
My colors I tried to hide
I felt the need to conceal certain aspects or features about myself to avoid judgment or scrutiny.
I am a wandering Jew
I am a person who is curious, open-minded, and constantly seeking new experiences and perspectives.
I've yet to love what is mine
I am still figuring out how to love and accept myself fully, with all my flaws and imperfections.
I'm not your blood that you can pacify with saccharine
You can't sugarcoat or manipulate my relationship with you to make things seem better than they really are.
I'm not your love, my will is strong and never ending
I won't let my love for you weaken my resolve or willingness to stand up for myself and my beliefs.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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