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.
Stranger
Lili Haydn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dig a little deeper
No way to get around
We're all in this together
Pretty teenage baby has a baby of her own
No one to talk to, she's got no place to turn
Ain't like she's asking or looking for a free ride
She strips for stranger to keep her baby satisfied
and Stranger, stranger things have happened
Goodness brings a chain reaction
Liberate me from inaction
Stranger, stranger things have happened
Sometimes I don't really know
How I make a difference
Smack dab in the river bed
Next door to the living dead
Smack dab in the river bed
I opened up my heart and listened
Speeding down the highway, sister shared her thoughts with me
And for an hour we even shared a destiny
Her baby's father loves her with brutality
She had a dream God came down and set her free
and Stranger, stranger things have happened
Goodness brings a chain reaction
Liberate me from inaction
Stranger, stranger things have happened
The lyrics of Lili Haydn's song "Stranger" showcase the struggles that people face in life and the hope that exists even in the darkest of circumstances. The first verse describes the story of a young mother who is forced to strip for strangers to provide for her child. The lyrics are a reflection of the harsh reality that many women face in society, where they are forced to make difficult choices to survive. The chorus, "Stranger, stranger things have happened, goodness brings a chain reaction, liberate me from inaction," highlights that even though life can be difficult, good things can come out of even the most unlikely situations.
The second verse of the song tells the story of the artist herself, who finds herself struggling to make a difference in her life. The lyrics describe her as being "smack dab in the riverbed" next to the "living dead." Despite feeling like she is not making a difference, she opens up her heart and listens to the stories of others, like her sister who shares her thoughts with her as they drive. The lyrics suggest that even small acts of empathy and connection can make a big difference in the lives of others.
Overall, "Stranger" is a song about the human experience, about the struggles we face, and the hope that exists even in the darkest of circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Down, while you're diggin' down
When you're feeling down and out
Dig a little deeper
Look beneath the surface and find inner strength
No way to get around
We can't escape the realities of life
We're all in this together
We share a common experience as humans
Pretty teenage baby has a baby of her own
A young, attractive woman has become a mother
No one to talk to, she's got no place to turn
She feels isolated and alone
Ain't like she's asking or looking for a free ride
She's not seeking handouts from anyone
She strips for stranger to keep her baby satisfied
She does what she must to provide for her child
and Stranger, stranger things have happened
Unexpected events occur in life
Goodness brings a chain reaction
Acts of kindness can inspire others to do the same
Liberate me from inaction
Give me the courage to take action
Sometimes I don't really know
At times I am unsure
How I make a difference
How my actions positively impact others
Smack dab in the river bed
In the midst of difficult circumstances
Next door to the living dead
Surrounded by people who are emotionally and spiritually numb
I opened up my heart and listened
I was receptive to others' struggles and emotions
Speeding down the highway, sister shared her thoughts with me
While driving quickly, a woman confided in me
And for an hour we even shared a destiny
We felt connected and had a shared purpose
Her baby's father loves her with brutality
Her partner treats her with violence
She had a dream God came down and set her free
She had a hopeful vision of divine intervention
and Stranger, stranger things have happened
Again, life is full of unexpected twists and turns
Goodness brings a chain reaction
And yet, one positive action can lead to others
Liberate me from inaction
May we be motivated to make a difference in the world
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind