Her 2006 debut solo album entitled Beloved One was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize and was released through Lou's own label Infinite Bloom. Rhodes' second album, Bloom (A&G Records/Infinite Bloom), was released in October 2007. Her third album, One Good Thing (Motion Audio/Infinite Bloom), was released in early 2010.
She released her third solo album One Good Thing in 2010 and became an author in 2012 with her children's picture book, The Phlunk (Strata Books). Follow-up, The Phlunk's Worldwide Symphony was published in 2014.
In 2012 Rhodes also contributed an essay to The First Time I Heard The Smiths, part of an ongoing series where musicians/writers tell their stories of first hearing the music of an iconic artist or band.
Rhodes released the singles "All The Birds" in April, and "All I Need" in June 2016. A month later, the album theyesandeye was released through Nude records. The album includes a cover of the song "Angels" originally performed by The xx. Other musicians on the album include Ian Kellet (guitars), Nikolaj Bjerre (drums), Danny Keane (strings) and [atist]Tom Moth (harp).
Circles
Lou Rhodes Lyrics
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And so does my mind
Thought I was wiser
But it seems I was blind
Seven years later
And six thousand miles
Here you come lately
And I tie myself in knots and bows
Just trying to make sense
Of all that is and yet will be
In past and present tense
But sitting here I kick myself
I never seem to learn
This heart it seems to open still
And never hard to turn
And it's great and it's small
It's lightness and weight
If we rise or we fall
It's all down to fade anyway
Life moves in circles
And so does my mind
Thought I was wiser
But it seems I was blind
Seven years later
And six thousand miles
Here you come lately
To break me with your smile
Lou Rhodes's Circles is a song that explores how life moves in circles, and the cyclical nature of human thoughts and emotions. The song is characterized by the calm, tranquil pacing of the music, which is imbued with a sense of introspection and melancholy, punctuated by moments of surprise and revelation.
The opening lines speak of how life moves in circles, and how the singer's thoughts are also trapped in cycles. The singer then reflects on how they thought they were wiser, but have now realized that they were blind. This could refer to a specific situation in the singer's life, or be a more general statement about the way that time and experience can change one's perspective.
The second verse introduces the idea that time and distance cannot truly break the emotional bonds between people. The singer speaks of being separated from someone they knew seven years ago and who now lives six thousand miles away. This person then returns unexpectedly and strengthens the singer's emotional ties to them with a single smile. This may reflect how sometimes, even if we try to move on, we can never fully escape the past, and how memories and emotions can remain strong across time and distance.
Overall, the lyrics of Circles are introspective and contemplative, exploring the themes of emotional bonds, time, and the cyclical nature of human experience. The use of repetition and cyclical imagery emphasizes the idea that life is constantly repeating itself, and that the past and present are interwoven.
Line by Line Meaning
Life moves in circles
The singer is acknowledging how life is cyclical and we often end up in the same place we started
And so does my mind
The singer's thoughts are also cyclical and she finds herself in the same mental patterns
Thought I was wiser
The singer believed she had gained wisdom from her experiences
But it seems I was blind
However, in hindsight, she realizes that she wasn't as wise as she thought she was
Seven years later
The singer is referring to a significant period of time that has passed
And six thousand miles
The singer's distance from someone important to her
Here you come lately
The person she was distant from has returned to her life
To break me with your smile
Their return is impacting the singer deeply, in a way that is both good and bad
And I tie myself in knots and bows
The singer is feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed
Just trying to make sense
She is struggling to understand the situation and how it will impact her future
Of all that is and yet will be
The singer is grappling with both the past and the future
In past and present tense
She is considering both the memories of what has already happened and the current situation
But sitting here I kick myself
The singer is frustrated with herself
I never seem to learn
She feels like she keeps making the same mistakes
This heart it seems to open still
The singer's heart is still vulnerable and open to being hurt, despite past experiences
And never hard to turn
Despite previous pain, the singer's heart still feels pulled towards this person
And it's great and it's small
The singer is reflecting on the enormity and the insignificance of what is happening
It's lightness and weight
The situation is both freeing and heavy at the same time
If we rise or we fall
The outcome of the situation is uncertain
It's all down to fade anyway
Ultimately, everything will pass and fade away no matter what happens
Writer(s): Gareth D. Johnson
Contributed by Isabelle B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.