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)
Against the Wall
Natalie Imbruglia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the second story
So I waited
There was nothing for me
Shouldn't really be hard now
Been a long time
But I had it coming
I' ve waiting to tell you
For so Long , so long
I didn't mean to fall
You've got me up against the wall
I've wanted you all along
But you couldn't hear me call
Keep me backed up in this corner
And I won't go
You've got me up against the wall
Heard a siren
Screaming out a warning
In the silence of the early morning
And I'm thinking about you
I know now
This is how should be
All the best things
That ever happened to me
Never hap´pened without you
For so long, so long
I didn't mean to fall
You've got me up against the wall
I've wanted you all along
But you couldn't hear me call
Keep me backed up in this corner
And I won't go
You've got me up against the wall
Every time I turn around
I can feel it getting through
It turn me up side down
And all i see is you
I didn't mean to fall
You've got me up against the wall
I've wanted you all along
But you couldn't hear me call
Keep me backed up in this corner
And I won't go
You've got me up against the wall
The lyrics to Natalie Imbruglia's "Against the Wall" speak of unrequited love and the frustration of not being able to communicate one's feelings. The singer sees a light on from the second story of the person they are in love with and decides to wait for them. However, when they finally see each other, there is no response from the other person. The singer is frustrated with their own hesitation but is finally ready to tell the person they've been in love with for so long, that they have feelings for them.
The chorus speaks of being "up against the wall," which refers to being in a difficult situation with no escape. The singer feels trapped by their feelings and their unrequited love. The second verse mentions a siren warning, which could be interpreted as a metaphor for the singer's own internal warnings about their feelings, yet they still can't help falling for the person they love.
Overall, the song captures the frustration and pain of unrequited love and the feeling of being trapped by one's own emotions. It's a relatable experience that many people have gone through and Natalie Imbruglia captures it wonderfully with her powerful vocals and the melancholy tone of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Saw your light on
I noticed that your light was on
From the second story
It was on the second floor
So I waited
I stayed there for a while
There was nothing for me
I didn't have a reason to be there
Shouldn't really be hard now
It shouldn't be difficult anymore
Been a long time
It's been a while
But I had it coming
I deserved what was coming
Hesitation is leaving me with nothing
Not taking action is causing me to lose out
I' ve waiting to tell you
I've been waiting to talk to you
For so Long , so long
For a very long time
I didn't mean to fall
I didn't intend to develop feelings
You've got me up against the wall
You're making my situation difficult
I've wanted you all along
I've had feelings for you for a long time
But you couldn't hear me call
You weren't aware of my feelings
Keep me backed up in this corner
You're trapping me in a difficult situation
And I won't go
I won't leave this situation
Heard a siren
I heard a police car siren
Screaming out a warning
It was warning people of something
In the silence of the early morning
During the quiet time of the morning
And I'm thinking about you
You're on my mind
I know now
I'm certain
This is how should be
This is how things are meant to be
All the best things
The things that make me happiest
That ever happened to me
That have occurred in my life
Never hap´pened without you
You were always a part of those things
Every time I turn around
Every time I look around
I can feel it getting through
I sense that it's sinking in
It turn me up side down
It's making me feel disoriented
And all i see is you
All I can think about is you
Contributed by Bentley D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.