Natalie Jane Imbruglia (born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer-songw… Read Full Bio ↴Natalie Jane Imbruglia (born 4 February 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress. The second of the four daughters of an Italian father and an Australian mother, Natalie grew up on the Central Coast, North of Sydney, Australia. As a teenager she played a role in the soap Neighbours before venturing into a singing career.

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)

I've Been Watching You
Natalie Imbruglia Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When the rose
slaps your face
says your pain is a state of grace (I think that's right)
mirror cracks
image bleeds
he'll touch your desires
but not your needs
I stand at an open window

I see everything there is to see

I-I-I i've been watching you
isn't it true the fool keeps taking you down down
taking you
I-I-I i've been watching you
isn't it true the world keeps taking you down down
taking you

party ends
on the floor
hear a voice
behind the door
in the dark
you play his games
forget yourself
forget your name
I stand at an open window
I see everything there is to see

I-I-I i've been watching you
isn't it true the fool keeps taking you down down
taking you
I-I-I i've been watching you
isn't it true the world keeps taking you down down
taking you

so there you are all dressed in black
walk away and don't look back
but if you must then cast a stone
the light is on but there's nothing and no one home (I think)
cos i've been watching you
isn't it true the fool keeps taking you down down
taIking you

I-I I've been watching you
isn't it true the world keeps taking you
down down
taking you
I said I i've been watching you
Isn't it true the fool keeps taking you down down
taking you
I-I-I I've been watching you

isn't true the world keeps taking you down down
taking you down.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Natalie Imbruglia’s “I’ve Been Watching You” suggest a story about a woman who is stuck in a cycle of abuse, both by a man and by the world at large. The opening lines, “When the rose slaps your face, says your pain is a state of grace,” suggest that the woman is being abused by a romantic partner, who tells her that her pain is a necessary part of their relationship. The image of the mirror cracking and bleeding suggests that this abuse is damaging to the woman's self-image.

As the song progresses, the lyrics imply that the woman is unable to break free from this cycle. The lines “he’ll touch your desires but not your needs” suggest that the man is taking advantage of the woman’s vulnerabilities, and that she is unable to fulfill her own desires and needs. The lyrics describe the woman playing “his games,” and forgetting herself and her own identity.

The chorus reinforces the idea that this woman is trapped. The repetition of the phrase “Isn’t it true the fool keeps taking you down down, taking you” suggests that the woman is unable to escape the cycle of abuse, and that the world is complicit in her suffering. The final verse, “so there you are all dressed in black, walk away and don't look back, but if you must then cast a stone, the light is on but there's nothing and no one home,” suggests that the woman is at a breaking point, but ultimately unable to escape.

Line by Line Meaning

When the rose
In times of beauty and happiness,

slaps your face
unexpected challenges and struggles arise,

says your pain is a state of grace (I think that's right)
these challenges bring about personal growth and strength.

mirror cracks
self-reflection is distorted,

image bleeds
internal turmoil is reflected outwardly.

he'll touch your desires
temptations are present,

but not your needs
but they do not fulfill what is truly important.

I stand at an open window
As an observer, I can see everything,

I see everything there is to see
and have a clear understanding of the situation.

I-I-I i've been watching you
I have been observing your struggles,

isn't it true the fool keeps taking you down down
despite these challenges and temptations,

taking you
you continue to fall victim to them.

party ends
The good times come to an end,

on the floor
and in the aftermath,

hear a voice
inner thoughts and struggles arise.

behind the door
They are hidden from others,

in the dark
and are shrouded in mystery.

you play his games
Temptations continue to challenge us,

forget yourself
causing us to lose sight of who we truly are.

forget your name
even our identity becomes lost.

so there you are all dressed in black
In the midst of struggle and pain,

walk away and don't look back
it is best to move on,

but if you must then cast a stone
and if prompted, speak out against these challenges.

the light is on but there's nothing and no one home (I think)
But in the end, we realize that external validation and solutions cannot provide true happiness and fulfillment.

I said I i've been watching you
Once again, I have been observing your struggles,

Isn't it true the fool keeps taking you down down
and see that you continue to fall into the same traps,

taking you
and wander further from true happiness.

I-I-I I've been watching you
once again, as an observer,

isn't true the world keeps taking you down down
I see that the world itself is also full of challenges and struggles,

taking you down.
that we must navigate in order to find true grace and contentment.

Contributed by Gavin C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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