Her first single, "Torn", reached number 2 in the UK charts and became the most played song on the radio in 1998. "Torn" is originally written by Anne Preven, Scott Cutler and Phil Thornalley. In 1995, "Torn" was recorded by Preven's and Cutler's band Ednaswap, although the band would record several more versions prior and following Imbruglia's hit recording. The first released version of "Torn", though, was a 1993 version by Danish singer Lis Sørensen, entitled "Braendt". Norwegian singer Trine Rein had a hit with an English language version of "Torn" in her home country, a year prior to Imbruglia's million selling single. Co-writer Phil Thornalley was involved in all of these versions and eventually offered the song to Natalie Imbruglia, whose album he produced. Imbruglia initially declined recording the song, stating she didn't want to do a cover. Ironically, "Torn" did not only become her biggest hit, it also became her signature song.
Following "Torn", Natalie's debut album "Left of the Middle", released on November 1997, became a million seller. Further singles ("Big Mistake", "Wishing I Was There", and "Smoke"), again proved to be hits in terms of radio and video airplay, but had a less than stellar chart run compared to "Torn".
In a 1999 cooperation with singer Tom Jones, she appeared on his duet album "Reload", on which the pair teamed up for a cover of INXS' ""Never Tear Us Apart".
Imbruglia's sophomore album, "White Lilies Island", was released in November 2001, although it met with significantly less success than its precursor. It did spawn the UK hit singles "That Day", "Wrong Impression" and "Beauty On The Fire".
She returned to acting in 2002 with a supporting role in British spy spoof Johnny English, playing alongside Rowan Atkinson. Natalie married her long-time boyfriend Daniel Johns, lead singer of Silverchair, on 31 December 2003.
In April 2005, Imbruglia released her third studio album "Counting Down The Days" in UK, which in its first week of sales hit number one on the album charts. The first single from this album "Shiver" became her longest running single on the UK charts since her debut "Torn" and also topped the UK Airplay charts for several weeks. The second single, the title track "Counting Down The Days", was released on 25 July 2005 and although it did not have as much success in the singles chart as "Shiver" it reignited interest in its parent album.
After "Counting Down the Days", Natalie switched labels and released in a greatest hits "Glorious: The Singles 97-07", which included five new tracks and was promoted by the single "Glorious".
Natalie's fourth studio album "Come to Life" was released on October 2009 in Europe, preceded by the music video of "Wild About It". The first official single issued on 28 September 2009, was "Want", a song written by Natalie Imbruglia, Daniel Johns (credited Kat Kourtney), Gary Clark and Chris Martin. The next single "Scars" was sent to radio in the UK on 22 March 2010; however, due to any support from radio networks, the single release was cancelled.
Appearances on other albums:
"Troubled by the Way We Came Together" on Go! O.S.T. (1999)
"Never Tear Us Apart" with Tom Jones on Reload (1999)
"Identify" on Stigmata O.S.T (1999)
"Cold Air" on Y Tu Mama Tambien (And Your Mother Too) O.S.T. (2001)
"Wrong Impression" (Radio Remix) on Mr. Deed O.S.T. (2002)
"Pineapple Head" on She Will Have Her Way (2005)
"All The Magic" on Winx Club O.S.T. (2007)
_Counting_Down_The_Days
Natalie Imbruglia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I don't want to be here
If you're gonna be there
Was that supposed to happen?
I'll hold tight
I'll remember to smile
Though it has been a while
There's no room
No place to start
When our souls are apart
I want to travel through time
See your surprise
Hold you so tight
I'm counting down the days
Tonight
I just want to be
A million miles away from here
I'm counting down the days
How you've been
It's just the usual here
And days are feeling like years
And every day's without you
Now I cry
Just a little too much
When I think of your touch
And every thing about you
I feel cold
I'm in the dark
When our souls are apart
I want to travel through time
See your surprise
Hold you so tight
I'm counting down the days
Tonight
I just want to be
A million miles away from here
I want to travel through time
See your surprise
Hold you so tight
I'm counting down the days
Tonight
I just want to be
A million miles away from here
I'm counting down the days
I'm counting down the days
I'm counting down the days
I'm gonna be your surprise
I'm gonna hold you so tight
I want to travel through time
See your surprise
I'd hold you so tight
I'm counting down the days
Tonight
I just want to be
A million miles away from here
I want to travel through time
See your surprise
I'd hold you so tight
I'm counting down the days
Tonight
I just want to be
A million miles away from here
A million miles away from here
In "Counting Down The Days," Natalie Imbruglia sings about a lost love and the longing to be with that person again. The lyricist paints a picture of someone who feels like they don't belong without the person they love, and they are struggling to move on. In the first verse, Natalie acknowledges that her ex was right to leave but admits she doesn't want to be near them if they are going to be there. She then remembers to smile despite feeling down and trying to look forward to a time when she can be reunited with her lover.
The chorus of the song is an emotional plea to travel through time, see her lover's surprise, and hold them tight. She's counting down the days until they are together again. In the second verse, she talks about missing her lover and thinking of them every day, adding that days feel like years without them. The bridge highlights the agony she feels when apart from her lover. She is left feeling cold, miserable, and in the dark, implying that she is lost without them. The final chorus repeats the same things but this time stating that the singer is determined to be with her lover again, and that she is counting down the days until that happens.
Line by Line Meaning
You were right
The singer acknowledges that the person they were in a relationship with was correct about something
And I don't want to be here
The singer doesn't want to be in a place where the other person will be
If you're gonna be there
The singer is referring to the other person and their physical presence
Was that supposed to happen?
The artist is questioning whether or not they were meant to cross paths with the other person
I'll hold tight
The artist is going to try to endure the situation
I'll remember to smile
The singer is going to try and put on a happy front
Though it has been a while
The singer hasn't seen the other person in a long time
And without you doesn't matter
The artist is implying that everything else in their life doesn't matter without the other person
There's no room
The artist is referring to the emotional distance between them and the other person
No place to start
The artist feels like they can't start fresh with the other person
When our souls are apart
The singer feels like they are not connected to the other person
I want to travel through time
The artist dreams of being able to manipulate time to be with the other person again
See your surprise
The singer longs to see the other person's reaction to a hypothetical reunion
Hold you so tight
The singer yearns to physically be with the other person again
I'm counting down the days
The singer is eagerly anticipating the moment when they can be with the other person again
Tonight
The moment the artist is currently in
I just want to be
The artist desires to be in a different place away from the current situation
A million miles away from here
A hyperbolic expression of wanting to be as far away from their current situation as possible
How you've been
The singer is inquiring about the other person's wellbeing
It's just the usual here
The artist is suggesting that things haven't changed much since they last spoke
And days are feeling like years
Time seems to move slower without the other person around
And every day's without you
The artist misses the other person every day
Now I cry
The singer cries when they think about the other person
Just a little too much
The crying is becoming excessive
When I think of your touch
The singer is reminiscing on how it felt to be physically close with the other person
And every thing about you
The singer misses everything about the other person
I feel cold
The singer feels disconnected and alone
I'm in the dark
The artist feels lost and unsure about the future without the other person
I'm gonna be your surprise
The artist plans on surprising the other person when they finally reunite
I'm gonna hold you so tight
The singer anticipates hugging the other person tightly
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NATALIE JANE IMBRUGLIA, MATTHEW ALAN PRIME
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind