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.
Stranger
Lissie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So what's that thing hanging 'round your finger?
You caught me all alone
When a knock came at the door
That brought me to my feet
And dropped you to the floor
Oh, wait a minute now, stranger
No, I gotta go
Oh, whoa
When shove comes to push
And push comes to shove
You're not the kind of man
That I want to give my love
I covered up my bruises
And gave away my sins
So what makes you think that I would let you in?
No, wait a minute now, stranger
I'm not sure I like your angle
No, I gotta go
Oh, no
I gotta go
A mild manner is a matter of taste
I warned you that you were only wasting your time
I asked nicely, please, get out of my face
Excuse me, I'm not yours: I am mine
I am mine, I am mine, I am mine
I am mine, I am mine, I am mine
Oh, wait a minute now, stranger
I'm not sure I like your angle
No, I gotta go
So save yourself the trouble
When this thing blows, you'll just be rubble, oh
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh, whoa, oh
Wait a minute now, stranger
I'm not sure I like your angle
No, I gotta go
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The lyrics to Lissie's song "Stranger" describe a confrontational situation where the singer finds out that the person they're involved with is not who they thought they were. The first verse reveals that they thought the other person was single, but they have a ring on their finger. A knock at the door interrupts the moment and causes the singer to stand up, while the other person falls to the ground. In the chorus, the singer tells the stranger to back off and leave them alone. They don't want to have anything to do with this person, who they don't trust or respect.
In the second verse, the singer warns the stranger that they're not the kind of person they want to be with. They've been hurt before and are not willing to let this person in. The reference to covering up bruises and giving away sins suggests that the singer has been in an abusive or toxic relationship before, which makes them more cautious this time around. In the bridge, the singer asserts their independence and self-worth. They remind the stranger that they belong to themselves and won't be controlled or manipulated by anyone else.
Overall, "Stranger" is a powerful song about standing up for oneself and refusing to be taken advantage of by others. It's about recognizing when someone is not worthy of our trust or affection and taking action to protect ourselves. The song has an assertive, almost aggressive tone, which mirrors the confidence and determination of the singer.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought you said that you were single
You told me that you were not in a relationship, so why are you wearing a ring?
So what's that thing hanging 'round your finger?
I am curious to know what the ring means and why you are wearing it.
You caught me all alone
You surprised me by showing up unexpectedly when I was alone.
When a knock came at the door
Someone knocked on the door while we were together.
That brought me to my feet
The sound of the knock made me get up from where I was sitting.
And dropped you to the floor
The knock startled you so much that you fell to the ground.
Oh, wait a minute now, stranger
Hold on a second, I don't know you well enough and need to be cautious.
I'm not sure I like your angle
I am suspicious of your motives and actions.
No, I gotta go
I need to leave and get away from you.
When shove comes to push
When things get tough and difficult to handle.
And push comes to shove
When the situation becomes more stressful and aggressive.
You're not the kind of man
You are not someone who I want to be with.
That I want to give my love
I am not interested in having a romantic relationship with you.
I covered up my bruises
I hid the physical injuries that I suffered from a past relationship.
And gave away my sins
I admitted to my mistakes and wrongdoings.
So what makes you think that I would let you in?
Why do you believe that I would be willing to open up to you and trust you?
A mild manner is a matter of taste
Being polite and respectful is a personal preference.
I warned you that you were only wasting your time
I cautioned you that pursuing a relationship with me would not be fruitful.
I asked nicely, please, get out of my face
I politely requested that you leave me alone and stop bothering me.
Excuse me, I'm not yours: I am mine
I am an independent individual who belongs to myself, not anyone else.
So save yourself the trouble
You should not bother putting in effort into a relationship with me.
When this thing blows, you'll just be rubble, oh
When things become difficult between us, you will be left with nothing.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Oh whoa
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, MUSHROOM MUSIC PTY LTD
Written by: KURT STEVEN DYER, HARRY HARRISON, DANIEL NICHOLAS KENNEDY, RICHARD WILLIAM PICKARD, DARREN ANTHONY PICKERING, GWYN LLEWELLYN REYNOLDS, SCOTT PETER TAITOKO, SACHA JANE VAN BEEK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Noname Mentioned
Lissie is my favourite singer.She is amazing.I love her song ˇˇstranger´´ .Lissie, you are amazing.
Shrimpless Scampi
This song is solid. Used to work retail at a popular outerwear store in America and this song used to play at least once a day on every shift I worked.
The entire build up to the chorus is solid. I come from a hip hop background but the bass line and drums kill me every-time.
Also took me five years to figure out the name of this song after working at said retail joint. Man…I’m happy to have stumbled upon this song.
regardez403
Does anyone else get a sort of Buddy Holly vibe from this song?
mtxmind
I get more of a Phil Spector "Wall of Sound"/Ronettes vibe to it! I love everything she has done & can't understand why she isn't a bigger star than she is!1
captsparks1
This is a really cool song? Is she a recent artist?
Andrew Hewitt
This song samples totem pole by Peter jay and the jaywalkers produced by the legendary joe meek!