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.
Sleepwalking
Lissie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With my blue jeans on and you stuck in my head
I take it all back, I don't mean what I said
Dead roses on the bedside table
And a movie on, I think it's Betty Grable
I've been here for days so what's a couple days more?
Dreams talking
Telling myself that soon I will be feeling alright
We've been cheap thrillin'
And free wheeling
Taking the worries and giving them up to the night
I replay all the scenes in my head
Till I get blue in the face while you're waking the dead
Is it just me or do you miss me?
I'm walking these city streets
Life is so incomplete
Everywhere I look
I'm walking these city streets
And every set of eyes I meet
Read me like a book
They can tell I've been sleepwalking
Dreams talking
Telling myself that soon I will be feeling alright
Have you been cheap thrillin'
And free wheeling
Taking your worries and giving them up to the night?
Alright, alright, alright
I've been sleepwalking
Dreams talking
Telling myself that soon I will be feeling alright
Have you been cheap thrillin'
And free wheeling
Taking your worries and giving them up to the night?
Alright, alright
I've been sleepwalking
Dreams talking
Telling myself that soon I will be feeling alright
In Lissie's song "Sleepwalking," the singer awakens at the foot of their bed with their blue jeans on and their lover stuck in their head. They regret a previous statement and apologize, followed by a scene where dead roses on the bedside table reflect the deadness of their relationship. The days pass by with an old movie playing in the background, until the singer finally realizes they have been sleepwalking through life. They drown their issues in cheap thrills and free-wheeling, hoping to forget their problems and find comfort in the night.
The chorus repeats the lyrics "sleepwalking, dreams talking, telling myself that soon I will be feeling alright." The singer sounds like they are stuck in a loop of denial and self-deception, trying to numb themselves to the pain of their situation.
The second verse highlights the singer's feeling of incompleteness and their sense of aimlessness as they walk the city streets. Their loneliness is palpable, and they feel like everyone can see right through them by the way they're acting. The chorus repeats, with the singer wondering if their lover is doing the same thing, drowning their problems in the night.
Some possible interpretations of the song could be that the singer is struggling with a toxic relationship or struggling with letting go of a past love. They feel trapped in their own self-deception and are seeking comfort in unhealthy ways. The use of sleepwalking as a metaphor could represent how the singer is not consciously living in the present moment and not fully aware of their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
I woke up at the foot of my bed
I regained consciousness at the end of my bed.
With my blue jeans on and you stuck in my head
Whilst I was asleep, I was fixated on you so much that I still have you on my mind as I wake up.
I take it all back, I don't mean what I said
I regret what I said before and would like to retract it.
Dead roses on the bedside table
There are dead roses on the table near my bed.
And a movie on, I think it's Betty Grable
I have been watching a movie, which I think is one of Betty Grable's movies.
I've been here for days so what's a couple days more?
I've already been here for a few days, so it wouldn't matter if I stayed for a couple more.
I've been sleepwalking
I've been walking in my sleep.
Dreams talking
My dreams are telling me something important.
Telling myself that soon I will be feeling alright
I'm trying to convince myself that I'll soon feel better and everything will be okay.
We've been cheap thrillin'
We've been amusing ourselves with low-effort activities.
And free wheeling
We've been living life without any specific direction or purpose.
Taking the worries and giving them up to the night
We're ignoring our cares and concerns by indulging in the escapism that nighttime provides.
I replay all the scenes in my head
I keep replaying previous events in my mind.
Till I get blue in the face while you're waking the dead
I'm talking about these events so much that I'm exhausted, while it seems like you're unaffected.
Is it just me or do you miss me?
I'm asking if you share the same feelings that I have.
I'm walking these city streets
I'm roaming aimlessly in the city.
Life is so incomplete
I feel that my life is incomplete.
And every set of eyes I meet read me like a book
People seem to easily understand me when they look into my eyes.
They can tell I've been sleepwalking
People can sense that I've been walking in my sleep.
Have you been cheap thrillin'
I'm asking if you have also been doing low-effort, fun activities.
Alright, alright, alright
I'm trying to be optimistic and positive.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBERT DANIELS, NICHOLAS GEORGE LITTLEMORE, PETER BRUCE MAYES, MARTIN JAMES F CRAFT, HENRY HEY, MIASHA FISHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Reidie
I replay all the scenes in my head
Till I get blue in the face while you're waking the dead
Is it just me or do you miss me?
I'm walking these city streets
Life is so incomplete
Everywhere I look
I'm walking these city streets
And every set of eyes I meet
Read me like a book
They can tell I've been sleepwalking
Dreams talking
Telling myself that soon I will be feeling alright
Have you been cheap thrillin'
And free wheeling
Taking your worries and giving them up to the night?
Farhan Abdul Rahim
I still remember at one point where I had to work long hours every single day feeling tired while going through so much in life, trying chase my dreams. Somehow this song got me through. Thanks Lissie!
Kyle Marionne Tafalla
It's been ages since I last listened to this song. It still has that awesome feeling after all these years.
Fatih
Sane here today !
Colette Boutilier
I didn't know this girl existed until my brother told me about her! It's a shame...she's incredible. We should be hearing her music everywhere. What a wonderful change from today's pop music!! I love this tune!!
DanceToTheGrave
What's wrong with pop?
Paul M
Sadly, I never heard of Lissie until I saw her on "Guitar Center Sessions" in 2013. Call that a failing of commercial radio. The performance of her and her band was simply stunning. And I admit being equally stunned by her beauty. As her song "Shameless" says she's not interested in selling her looks; she wants to be known for her music. Gotta respect that..
tomlettman
One of Lissie's best songs in my opinion. Love the video too.
TheTruthIsLostWithTime
Check out the piano version it’s incredible
JERDN
This deserves more views...
Just discovered Lissie today and I'm in love with this song~
Ambria Daniels-Dovolis
Love these lyrics...feel good music! This picks me right back when life knocks me back...and she did an awesome job singin it live We were def doing the happy dance at FolkTales :)