Background
Lissie was born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois, USA - her father is a physician and her mother is an interior designer. She was interested in singing and music from an early age. She played the title role of the musical Annie at the age of nine. "In high school it seems like everyone has more drama than any other time in their life. So that was the time in my life where I really leaned on music as a way to stay sane" she said in an interview.
In her senior year of high school, Lissie was expelled over, what she described, as "something stupid that [she] did, but it was sort of like the culmination of just a lot of negative things that had happened". She got her degree at an alternative outreach center. She spent two years at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, during which time she would open for musicians who visited the city. She collaborated with DJ Harry of SCI Fidelity Records on the song "All My Life", which featured on television shows House, The O.C., Veronica Mars and Wildfire. After spending a semester in Paris, she finished her studies to pursue a career in music. In 2007, she produced a four-song EP that received some airplay on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic.
In early 2008, Lenny Kravitz invited her to be the opening act for his Love Revolution Tour, after a friend tipped him about her MySpace page. Later that year, "The Longest Road", a song she co-wrote with DJ Morgan Page reached #4 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs chart. "We met under that idea that he was going to remix a song of mine (...) But we decided to work on a new song together", she told the Quad-City Times. The Deadmau5 remix of the track was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical" category.
Releases
EP - Lissie (2007 and re-released in 2013)
EP - Why You Runnin' (2009)
Her EP, Why You Runnin', produced by Bill Reynolds of Band of Horses, was released in November 2009 on Fat Possum. One of the songs, Oh Mississippi, was co-written with Ed Harcourt, whom she met through a mutual friend. The EP was listed amongst Paste magazine's "Eight Most Auspicious Musical Debuts of 2009". In early 2010, she toured various venues in the United Kingdom supporting Ohio-born singer-songwriter Joshua Radin.
Catching a Tiger (2010)
Lissie signed with Sony Music UK's Columbia Records. Her debut album, Catching a Tiger, was released on June 21, 2010. The album was recorded in Nashville in 2009 and produced by Jacquire King. The first single from the album, In Sleep, was selected as Track of The Day by Q Magazine on 13 March 2010. A second single, When I’m Alone, was released alongside the album; it would later be chosen by iTunes UK as their song of the year 2010.
Live at Shepherd's Bush Empire (2011)
EP - Covered Up With Flowers (2011)
Back to Forever (2013)
Lissie's sophomore album, Back to Forever, was released on September 8, 2013. It features the singles “Shameless” and “Further Away (Romance Police)”
EP - Love in the City (2013).
EP - Cryin' To You (2014)
In March 2014, Lissie released a critically acclaimed independent EP of cover versions called Cryin' To You. The 5-track EP features an eclectic mix of popular covers - Judas Priest’s Electric Eye, One Direction’s ballad The Story of My Life, Mother by Danzig, Hold On We're Going Home by Drake and Bob Dylan's To Ramona.
My Wild West (2016)
On February 12, 2016 Lissie released her 3rd studio album titled "My Wild West". The album has three singles: the promotional single Hero, the lead single Don't You Give Up On Me, and Daughters. My Wild West has an average grade of 73% on Metacritic.
Live at Union Chapel (2016)
Castles (2018)
On March 23, 2018 Lissie released her 4th studio album Castles. Generally receiving favourable reviews it has a rating of 76% on Metacritic. The album has a slower overall feel and includes prominent piano accompaniments on some tracks. The album has 4 singles; Boyfriend, Blood & Muscle, Best Days and Love Blows.
Compilation - When I'm Alone: The Piano Retrospective (2019)
EP - Thank You to the Flowers (2020)
Carving Canyons (2022)
Released September 16, 2022.
Loosen The Knot
Lissie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Think I've just made up my mind
Looking at me like a lover does
But it'll never be the way it was
Feel that chord that holds us tight
Let's unravel this tonight
Loosen the knot
The knot that is holding us
Binding us
Keeping us together now
I wanna give it up, toughen up
Like it or not
Maybe it's all that is stopping us
Keeping us together now
Undermining what I do
No one does it better than you
And when you change your attitude
Things will change 'tween me and you
The end is comin' darling and I'm bringing the news
I wanna loosen up loosen up
Loosen the knot
The knot that is holding us
Binding us
Keeping us together now
I wanna give it up, toughen up
Like it or not
Maybe it's all that is stopping us
Keeping us together now
Together now, together now, together, now
Humour me this one last time
I wanna loosen up loosen up
Loosen the knot
The knot that is holding us
Binding us
Keeping us together now
I'm gonna give it up, toughen up
Like it or not
Maybe it's all that is stopping us
Keeping us together now
I wanna loosen up loosen up
Loosen the knot
"Loosen The Knot" is a song about a relationship that has hit a roadblock, and one person is yearning for changes, even though it may be painful. The chorus of the song, "I wanna loosen up, loosen up, loosen the knot, the knot that is holding us, binding us, keeping us together now. I wanna give it up, toughen up, like it or not, maybe it's all that is stopping us, keeping us together now," expresses the desire to break free from the constraints of the relationship and explore new possibilities, even if it means ending it.
In the verses, Lissie alludes to the frustration and tension in the relationship, with lines such as "undermining what I do, no one does it better than you," suggesting that there may be an unhealthy power dynamic at play. However, there is also a sense of nostalgia and wistfulness, with lines like "looking at me like a lover does, but it'll never be the way it was," hinting at the memory of happier times and the fear of losing that connection.
Overall, "Loosen The Knot" is a poignant and introspective song about the complexities of relationships and the difficult decisions that often come with them.
Line by Line Meaning
Humour me this one last time
Please indulge me this final time
Think I've just made up my mind
I believe I have finally decided
Looking at me like a lover does
Gazing at me with the affection of a romantic partner
But it'll never be the way it was
However, our relationship can never return to what it once was
Feel that chord that holds us tight
Sensing the bond that binds us tightly
Let's unravel this tonight
Let's loosen and disentangle this knot tonight
I wanna loosen up loosen up
I want to loosen up, let go
Loosen the knot
Unravel and loosen the bond
The knot that is holding us
The bond that is holding us together
Binding us
Constraining us
Keeping us together now
Maintaining our current relationship
I wanna give it up, toughen up
I want to let it go, become stronger
Like it or not
Whether you approve or not
Maybe it's all that is stopping us
Perhaps it is what is preventing us from moving forward
Undermining what I do
Compromising my actions
No one does it better than you
No one is better at this than you
And when you change your attitude
And if you adjust your temperament
Things will change 'tween me and you
Our relationship will be altered
The end is comin' darling and I'm bringing the news
Our relationship's conclusion is imminent, and I am informing you
Together now, together now, together, now
With one another currently and at present
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ELISABETH MAURUS, JAMES IRVIN, JULIAN EMERY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind