Mena was thirteen years old she moved to live with her musician father. She sang and wrote lyrics as a form of therapy for her feelings and frustrations. Not all the stories in her diary became songs, but "My Lullaby" was one of them, expressing her pain from her parents' divorce. After pleading with her father to make a demo, he contacted some industry experts to record Maria's songs in the studio. Then he presented his daughter's demo to the music industry. Sony Music signed Maria Mena to their label.
In March 2002, Mena's single "My Lullaby" reached number five in the Norwegian charts. The young singer quickly gained fans and soon earned her first platinum record. 2005 saw the release of Apparently Unaffected, including singles "Miss You Love" and "Just Hold Me". A significant success in Norway, the album gained three Spellemann nominations: best female artist, best hit, and best music video.
In September 2008 Mena's fifth studio album was released, Cause and Effect.
It Took Me by Surprise
Maria Mena Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the slightest hint of hesitance
He'd bend awkwardly to suit my mood
No word from his defense
I'd cry knowing how my tears
Felt like acid burning through his skin
Pushed every little button
Now he's afraid of me
He's afraid of me
It took me by surprise
The hatred in his eyes
I've pushed this man as far as he could go
But he lacked the words to let me know
He acted out, now I can see it is my fault
I made changes
That went unnoticed
Sang songs for deaf ears
He mistook my silence for punishment
As it had been all these years
I'd cry knowingly how my tears felt like acid burning through his skin
Now he's afraid of me
He's afraid of me
It took me by surprise
The hatred in his eyes
I've pushed this man as far as he could go
But he lacked the words to let me know
He acted out, now I
It took me by surprise
The hatred in his eyes
I've pushed this man as far as he could go
But he lacked the words to let me know
He acted out, now I can see It is my fault
The lyrics to Maria Mena's song "It Took Me by Surprise" paint a picture of a relationship that has been damaged by one person's constant need for control and the other person's inability to speak up. The first few lines describe how the singer would react badly if her partner showed even the slightest hint of hesitance, and how he would bend awkwardly to suit her mood without ever defending himself. The singer then admits to pushing every little button but the right one that would let her partner into her life.
The second verse reveals that the singer's partner is now afraid of her, and that she only realized the extent of the damage she had done once she saw the hatred in his eyes. She acknowledges that she had pushed him as far as he could go, but he had lacked the words to let her know. The bridge of the song talks about how she had made changes that went unnoticed and sang songs for deaf ears, as her partner mistook her silence for punishment.
Overall, "It Took Me by Surprise" is a powerful song that explores the theme of control in relationships and the importance of communication. The lyrics are raw and honest, and Maria Mena's vocals convey a sense of regret and sadness that is palpable.
Line by Line Meaning
I would react badly
I responded negatively whenever he hesitated or showed uncertainty
To the slightest hint of hesitance
Even the slightest hint of indecision from him would trigger a negative reaction from me
He'd bend awkwardly to suit my mood
He tried to change his behavior to match my temperamental moods, often in an awkward way
No word from his defense
He didn't speak up or defend himself when I would overreact to his actions
I'd cry knowing how my tears
I would cry, but I was aware that my tears only caused him pain
Felt like acid burning through his skin
My emotional outbursts hurt him deeply
Pushed every little button
I would intentionally provoke him by pressing all his buttons and testing his patience
But the right one that would let me in
I was searching for a specific reaction from him that would satisfy me and make me feel loved and understood
Now he's afraid of me
My behavior has made him scared of me
It took me by surprise
I was shocked to realize the extent of the damage I had caused
The hatred in his eyes
He looked at me with resentment and anger
I've pushed this man as far as he could go
My behavior had pushed him to his limit
But he lacked the words to let me know
He didn't have the courage or words to communicate how my actions were affecting him
He acted out, now I can see it is my fault
He finally reacted negatively to my behavior, and I realized that my actions were the root cause of the problem
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Maria Mena, Martin Sjoelie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind