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)
Identify
Natalie Imbruglia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To eternity
Your heart may cast me down,
To hell
Again
But lately its your love,
It's condemnation enough
Please Identify
If it's me you want,
Standing by your side
Identify
These tears of mine,
Am I lonely? Or am I just alive?
And what is time, to say
Who and why the test of love,
Your hands were speaking "no"
I felt the movement go
The ice was breaking,
So
I wonder why
That I'd
Identify with you
My life
Leave me empty and see if I survive
For every questioned hour,
For every second devoured
You let me wonder you
Into a myth
That I
Missed
Identify
Please identify
If it's me you want,
Standing by your side
Identify
These tears of mine
Am I lonely? or am I just alive?
Am I lonely? or am I just alive
In these lyrics, Natalie Imbruglia is talking about her uncertainty about her relationship with someone. She starts off by saying that their eyes make her feel like she could be with them forever, but then she doubts their love, saying that their heart could send her to hell. However, lately, their love alone is enough to feel like a condemnation. She asks for the person to identify whether they want her in their life or not. Her tears make her question whether she's feeling lonely or just alive.
The next part of the song is about how confusing love can be, and how even though the person's hands were saying "no", she felt like something was moving. The ice was breaking, but she doesn't know why she identifies with this person. She wonders if her life would be empty without them. Every hour and second makes her wonder if they want her, until she feels like she's in a myth that she missed. She ends the song by asking if she's lonely or just alive.
Line by Line Meaning
Your eyes, they send me
The way you look at me makes me feel deeply connected to you.
To eternity
My feelings are so intense that they feel like they will last forever.
Your heart may cast me down,
Although you have the power to hurt me emotionally,
To hell
I would rather experience that pain than not love you at all.
Again
This is a recurring theme in our relationship where you have hurt me before.
But lately it's your love,
Despite the pain I have experienced, I cannot help but love you.
It's condemnation enough
My feelings for you are enough to make me feel judged or punished.
Identify
Help me understand and make sense of my emotions.
Please Identify
I need your help to clarify your feelings towards me.
If it's me you want,
I need to know if I am the person you truly desire.
Standing by your side
I want to be with you through thick and thin.
These tears of mine,
I am experiencing a range of emotions that are making me cry.
Am I lonely? Or am I just alive?
I am questioning whether the strong emotions I am feeling are because I am actually alone, or if they are a natural part of being alive.
And what is time, to say
Time may not necessarily have the answers or be able to tell me what to do in this situation.
Who and why the test of love,
Love is often difficult to understand, and I am questioning why it has to be tested in this way.
Your hands were speaking 'no'
Your body language is telling me that you may not want to be with me.
I felt the movement go
I could sense that the relationship was shifting or changing in some way.
The ice was breaking,
There was tension or discomfort between us that was about to erupt like unstable ice.
So I wonder why
I am questioning the reasons behind our relationship difficulties.
That I'd
I am reflecting on how or why I ended up in this relationship.
Identify with you
I feel a deep sense of connection to you and I want to work through our problems together.
My life
The quality and direction of my life are bound up in my relationship with you.
Leave me empty and see if I survive
If we were to break up, I fear that I would feel empty and lost without you.
For every questioned hour,
For every moment that I am uncertain about our relationship,
For every second devoured
For every moment spent agonizing over my emotions,
You let me wonder you
You allow me to continue to be intrigued and curious about you and our relationship.
Into a myth
Our relationship seems to be shrouded in mystery or confusion.
That I missed
I regret not having seen the warning signs earlier in our relationship.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIAM PATRICK CORGAN, MICHAEL GARSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind