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)
All The Roses
Natalie Imbruglia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There not supposed to grow this time of year
It's a hard rain but you got me smiling
And you are the only one who can get me through
I can hear your voice when you're whispering
I can feel your heart when it's beating
I believe you're near when the ghost comes in
I can remember when a day lasted forever
Summer was everything and there was nothing to fear
You were so tough but your heart said so much
And nobody else got through quite like you
I can hear your voice when you're whispering
I can feel your heart when it's beating
I believe you're near when the ghost comes in
I can hear you when you're calling out my name
Did I get hit by the moonlight, under the stars
'Cos you feel so close that I can reach you
Wherever you are
I can hear your voice when you're whispering
I can feel your heart when it's beating
I believe you're near when the ghost comes in
I can hear you when you're calling
I can hear your voice when you're whispering
I can feel your heart when it's beating
I believe you're near when the ghost comes in
I can hear you when you're calling out my name
"All The Roses" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Natalie Imbruglia. In this song, she talks about her feelings towards someone who is no longer with her physically but is still present in her memories. She questions what she should do with all the roses outside that are not supposed to grow this time of year, perhaps symbolizing the unexpected memories and feelings that have resurfaced. Despite the hard rain, she's smiling because the thought of the person she lost is bringing her joy. She believes that this person is the only one who can get her through this tough time emotionally.
Natalie reminisces about her past experiences with this person when she could hear their voice when they whispered, feel their heart beating, and knew that they were near when ghosts or memories came calling. The memories are so vivid that the day would last forever, and summers were all-consuming, and there was nothing to fear, only the comfort of being close to the person she lost. They were tough, but their heart said so much, and nobody else got through quite like they did.
The last part of the song suggests that the memory of the person is so overpowering that it feels like they are still with her, as she feels the moonlight and the stars, which makes her believe that they are close enough for her to reach them, regardless of where they are.
Line by Line Meaning
What do I do with all the roses outside
I have received an overwhelming amount of roses, and I don't know how to handle them.
There not supposed to grow this time of year
The appearance of the roses is unexpected and out of season.
It's a hard rain but you got me smiling
Despite the difficult circumstances, the presence of the person being sung to brings happiness to the singer.
And you are the only one who can get me through
The person being sung to is the only one who can provide emotional support to the singer.
I can hear your voice when you're whispering
The singer feels a strong connection to the person being sung to and even hears their voice when they're not there.
I can feel your heart when it's beating
The singer is so in tune with the person being sung to that she can feel their heartbeat.
I believe you're near when the ghost comes in
The sense of closeness between the singer and the person being sung to is so strong that even supernatural occurrences make the singer feel like they are nearby.
I can hear you when you're calling out my name
The singer feels that the person being sung to is always calling her name and is constantly present in her life.
Did I get hit by the moonlight, under the stars
The singer feels a magical, almost surreal connection to the person being sung to.
'Cos you feel so close that I can reach you
The singer feels like she can almost touch the person being sung to because the connection between them is so strong.
Wherever you are
The connection between the singer and the person being sung to is not limited by physical distance.
Contributed by Samuel Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.