Malcolm Middleton (born Malcolm Bruce Middleton on 31 December 1973 and rai… Read Full Bio ↴Malcolm Middleton (born Malcolm Bruce Middleton on 31 December 1973 and raised in Falkirk, Scotland) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, best known best known for his work with Aidan Moffat in post-folk indie band, Arab Strap, and for his subsequent solo career, writing and producing. In 2012 he released a self-titled album under the name Human Don't Be Angry.

Middleton began in the 1990s playing both bass and guitar, and sometimes singing, in several bands including Purple Bass Plectrum, Rabid Lettuce, Pigtube and The Laughing Stock. In 1995, Middleton and Aidan Moffat, after sharing their love of musical artists such as Smog and Will Oldham, began making music under the name "Arab Strap". The band released six studio albums.

In 2002, while in between Arab Strap albums, both he and bandmate Moffat pursued different solo projects, Moffat's being the ambient Lucky Pierre; Middleton, writing lyrics and singing for the first time, recorded the cathartic 5:14 Fluoxytine Seagull Alcohol John Nicotine for Chemikal Underground.

Middleton released the slightly more optimistic album Into The Woods in the summer of 2005, again between Arab Strap records.

In late 2006, Arab Strap split after ten years together, leading Malcolm to focus on his solo work full-time. He swiftly signed to Full Time Hobby and the appropriately-titled third album, A Brighter Beat, was released in February 2007.

December 2007 witnessed an unlikely turn in Middleton's career as he put himself forward as a contender for Christmas no 1 alongside Sean The Sheep, Mariah Carey and the Xfactor. Needless to say, the coveted top spot went to fellow Scot Leon Jackon of Xfactor but Middleton made a sizeable dent in the festive 40, being the only independent entry at no 31 with We're All Going To Die.

Performing under the pseudonym, Human Don't Be Angry, Middleton released a self-titled album (Human Don't Be Angry) in 2012, despite previous claims that he would retire his solo work, Middleton has resumed performing under his own name, alongside his work as Human Don't Be Angry. His most recent album under his own name is, Waxing Gibbous, released on 8 June 2009

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Break My Heart
Malcolm Middleton Lyrics

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You're gonna break my heart I know it
But if you don't
You're gonna break my run of unhappiness and destroy my career
I'd rather feel full than sing these shit songs
I'll sell my guitar and never look back
You're gonna break my heart I know it
And when you do
I'm going to run to the country and plug my ears

I'd rather have you than sing these shit songs
I'll sell my guitar and get an education and never look back
You're gonna break my heart I know it
If you don't break my heart I'll do it myself
And when I do
I'm going to count all the numbers for all the years
If I don't have you I'm condemned to sing shit songs
I'll fuck my guitar and drink myself deaf

I'll be an education and I'll never look back
I don't want to sing these shit songs anymore

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Malcolm Middleton's "Break My Heart" reveal a complex mix of emotions that the singer is experiencing. At first, he acknowledges that he knows his heart is going to be broken by someone, and paradoxically, he seems to welcome this - almost as if he's been stuck in a rut of unhappiness and bad music for too long, and is longing for a change, even if it means experiencing heartbreak. The singer is tired of singing "shit songs" and feels that his music career has stagnated - perhaps this is why he's willing to let someone break his heart, to shake him out of his complacency, and to give him something new to write about.

However, as the song goes on, there's a shift in mood; the singer's desire for change turns into a desperate longing for the person he's addressing, even if it means continuing to sing "shit songs". The stakes get higher, and the singer's heartbreak becomes an all-consuming fear that leads him to make extreme choices - selling his guitar, getting an education, "fucking" his guitar, and drinking himself deaf. By the end of the song, the singer is confronting his own mortality and the limitations of his art, and he realizes that he doesn't want to keep singing "shit songs" anymore - but he's not sure he can survive without the person he loves.

Overall, the song seems to be exploring the tension between artistic fulfillment and personal relationships - a common theme in many singer-songwriters' lives. The singer seems torn between his desire to create meaningful art and his need for love and connection, and the two impulses seem to be at odds with each other. "Break My Heart" is a poignant and revealing song that showcases Malcolm Middleton's strengths as a lyricist and storyteller.

Line by Line Meaning

You're gonna break my heart I know it
The singer is certain that their heart will be broken.

But if you don't
However, if the other person does not break their heart,

You're gonna break my run of unhappiness and destroy my career
it would mean an end to their run of unhappiness and the destruction of their career.

I'd rather feel full than sing these shit songs
The artist would prefer to have emotional fulfillment over composing bad music.

I'll sell my guitar and never look back
The artist is willing to depart from their musical career.

And when you do
When their heart is eventually broken,

I'm going to run to the country and plug my ears
the singer plans to isolate themself from the world and not listen to anyone or anything.

I'd rather have you than sing these shit songs
The artist would rather be with the person they love than continue making bad music.

I'll sell my guitar and get an education and never look back
The artist is determined to leave their musical career behind and pursue education instead.

If you don't break my heart I'll do it myself
If the other person does not break their heart, the artist is willing to do it themself.

And when I do
When the singer breaks their own heart,

I'm going to count all the numbers for all the years
they plan to contemplate their past and future for an extended period of time.

If I don't have you I'm condemned to sing shit songs
The singer feels that without the person they love, they will only be able to make bad music.

I'll fuck my guitar and drink myself deaf
The singer plans to indulge in destructive behavior.

I'll be an education and I'll never look back
The singer is determined to pursue education and never return to their musical career.

I don't want to sing these shit songs anymore
The artist does not want to continue composing bad music.

Lyrics © Mute Song Limited
Written by: Malcolm Middleton

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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