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)
181. Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He was warm, he came around and he was dignified
He showed me what it was to cry
Well, you couldn't be that man I adored
You don't seem to know
Seem to care what your heart is for
But I don't know him anymore
There's nothing where he used to lie
The conversation has run dry
That's what's going on
Nothing's fine, I'm torn
I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
You're a little late, I'm already torn
So I guess the fortune teller's right
Should have seen just what was there
And not some holy light
It crawled beneath my veins
And now I don't care, I had no luck
I don't miss it all that much
There's just so many things
That I can touch, I'm torn
I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
You're a little late, I'm already torn, torn
There's nothing where he used to lie
My inspiration has run dry
That's what's going on
Nothing's right, I'm torn
I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I am shamed
Lying naked on this floor
Illusion never changed
Into something real
I'm wide awake and I can see
The perfect sky is torn
I'm all out of faith
This is how I feel
I'm cold and I'm ashamed
Bound and broken on the floor
You're a little late, I'm already torn, torn
The song "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia is a powerful ballad about a relationship that has fallen apart. The main character is torn between her feelings for a man she used to adore and the reality of who he has become. The opening lines describe her hope that the man in her dream has come to life, but quickly she realizes that he is not the person she thought he was. The line "He showed me what it was to cry" suggests that this man was perhaps more emotional and sensitive than who he is now.
Throughout the song, she reflects on how the relationship has deteriorated. She no longer knows who he is and feels empty inside. "The conversation has run dry" shows that they have nothing left to say to each other. She is torn between holding onto the past and moving on from the relationship. The repetition of the lines "I'm all out of faith, this is how I feel" and "I'm cold and I am shamed, lying naked on the floor" indicate the emotional turmoil she is experiencing.
The chorus "I'm wide awake and I can see, the perfect sky is torn" represents the loss of the perfect fantasy she once had of love. She could see how perfect the relationship would be, but it has been torn apart. The final line "You're a little late, I'm already torn" suggests that the man is trying to come back to her, but she has moved on and is now already broken.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought, I saw a man brought to life
I believed I witnessed a man being revived from a state of inactivity or lifelessness
He was warm, he came around and he was dignified
The man in question displayed a sense of comfort and respectability when he arrived and interacted with me
He showed me what it was to cry
The man demonstrated the experience of shedding tears to me
Well, you couldn't be that man I adored
However, you are not the same man with whom I had great admiration and affection for
You don't seem to know
You appear to be unaware or ignorant
Seem to care what your heart is for
And do not seem to prioritize or value the intentions and desires of your own heart
But I don't know him anymore
Therefore, I no longer am familiar with or understand the man I once knew
There's nothing where he used to lie
There is now an absence of presence where he once existed
The conversation has run dry
Any sort of dialogue or communication has come to a halt
That's what's going on
This is the situation or circumstance that is currently occurring
Nothing's fine, I'm torn
Everything is not okay and I feel emotionally shattered and divided
I'm all out of faith
I have no more belief or confidence in anything
This is how I feel
This accurately portrays my current emotions and state of mind
I'm cold and I am shamed
I feel emotionally distant and unworthy
Lying naked on the floor
I am metaphorically stripped down and vulnerable
Illusion never changed
The false perception or misinterpretation of reality has not altered
Into something real
But that illusion never became an actual truth
I'm wide awake and I can see
I am fully conscious and aware of my surroundings and situation
The perfect sky is torn
The idealistic and flawless image of the sky has been ruptured or damaged
You're a little late, I'm already torn
Although you have belatedly arrived, I have already been emotionally damaged and broken
So I guess the fortune teller's right
I suppose the prediction of the clairvoyant was accurate
Should have seen just what was there
I should have recognized and acknowledged what was apparent and visible
And not some holy light
Instead of being distracted by a pious or spiritual luminescence
It crawled beneath my veins
A certain feeling or emotion has intensified and infected my blood flow
And now I don't care, I had no luck
As a result, I now lack concern or interest, as well as experiencing misfortune
I don't miss it all that much
The absence of that feeling or emotion is not causing me much longing or nostalgia
There's just so many things
There are a multitude of experiences, opportunities, or emotions
That I can touch, I'm torn
Yet I feel divided, conflicted, or emotionally torn regarding those prospects or experiences
My inspiration has run dry
My motivation and creative ideas have ceased to exist
Nothing's right, I'm torn
Everything seems amiss and chaotic, leading to a sense of being emotionally ripped apart
Bound and broken on the floor
I feel both physically and emotionally restricted or trapped, as well as shattered
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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