Origin: Tasmania, Australia
Active Since: 1993

Monique Brumby (bo… Read Full Bio ↴Origin: Tasmania, Australia
Active Since: 1993

Monique Brumby (born 16 September 1974, Devonport, Tasmania)[1] is an Australian Indie pop/rock singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer.[2] Her debut single, "Fool for You", peaked into the top 40 in the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) ARIA Singles Charts,[3] and provided an ARIA Award for 'Best New Talent' in 1996.[4][5] Her single, "Mary", won an ARIA Award in 1997 for 'Best Female Artist'.[4][6]

Brumby's songs have been used for Australian television: Neighbours, Home and Away, McLeod's Daughters,[7] The Secret Life of Us[8] and Heartbreak High;[9][10] and in the Australian films: Diana and Me (1997) and Occasional Coarse Language(1998).[11]

Early years

Brumby was born in 1974 in Devonport, Tasmania, and moved to Hobart at age seven.[12] She attended three different primary schools including Lauderdale Primary School (in nearby Clarence) and then secondary school at St Michael's Collegiate School to Year 12, she sang in stage musicals and tried out for women's soccer. In 1991, she was selected for the Australian under-19 youth team in a three test series against New Zealand.[13][14] While still at school, Brumby busked by singing to acoustic guitar in Hobart streets and obtained some part-time gigs.[12][15] In 1993, after leaving school, Brumby had paying gigs in Hobart clubs and then travelled to England on a working holiday as a boarding house mistress for a year;[15] she returned to Tasmania to write songs and, in 1995, relocated to Melbourne, Victoria, where she performed in local pubs and clubs. She joined a guitar-based band and wrote songs with its members before leaving to concentrate on her own songs.[15] In September 1995 she was the support act for Jeff Buckley's performance at The Athenaeum in Melbourne and at the Phoenician Club in Sydney.[16]

lava
Monique Brumby Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So this is your old stomping ground
I guess it must have been refreshing to see a new face
In such a boring crowd
You move like hot lava
The way you swept through the crowd
Turning heads with your smile
You were an object of total desire

I like the look of you I’m sure that you don’t mind
I like the look of you how do you feel inside

I move I become aware
That you’re watching me now from across the room
Burning a hole in the back of my head

I like the look of you I’m sure that you don’t mind
I like the look of you how do you feel inside

I ask questions I need answers
To your suggestions to your advances
To your sexual advances

It’s OK I admit you’re sweet
And the look of you spins me out of control
Just one word is all I need

I like the look of you I’m sure that you don’t mind
I like the look of you how do you feel inside

I like the look of you I’m sure that you don’t mind
I like the look of you how do you feel inside

I ask questions I need answers

To your suggestions to your sexual advances
How do you feel inside…

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Monique Brumby's song "Lava" are about the initial attraction between two people in a crowded room. The opening lines suggest that the location is a familiar one to the person singing the song, but that someone new has arrived, bringing a sense of excitement with them. The metaphor of hot lava is used to describe the person's movements as they navigate through the crowd, turning heads with their smile and becoming the object of desire for others.

As the song progresses, the singer reveals that they too have been noticed by the person they are watching. The line "Burning a hole in the back of my head" suggests that the other person's stares are intense and passionate. The singer acknowledges the attraction between them, but also focuses on the need for communication and honesty about their feelings, as symbolized in the lines "I ask questions I need answers/ To your suggestions to your advances/ To your sexual advances".

Overall, "Lava" is a song about the initial stages of attraction, exploring the intense feelings and physical sensations that come with meeting someone new, as well as the importance of being honest and communicative in any potential relationship.

Line by Line Meaning

So this is your old stomping ground
I understand that this is familiar territory for you

I guess it must have been refreshing to see a new face
Seeing me must have been a nice change from the usual crowd

In such a boring crowd
The people here are quite dull

You move like hot lava
You move with a fluid and mesmerizing quality

The way you swept through the crowd
You moved effortlessly through the people here

Turning heads with your smile
The way you smiled caught people's attention

You were an object of total desire
You were someone everyone wanted

I move I become aware
As I move, I notice something

That you’re watching me now from across the room
I realize you're watching me from a distance

Burning a hole in the back of my head
It feels like your gaze is intense and unwavering

I ask questions I need answers
I have some important questions for you