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)

Shikaiya
Natalie Imbruglia Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Five years old
And life had made me shy
I'm telling you
Shikaiya made me feel like I could fly
And there she was
So crazy but she was on fire
A smile behind the door of every answer
to my questions

You made it seem like everything was possible

That's where you stood out from everybody elese
Shikaiya , yeah
That's what you're about and
you should never lose yourself
Shikaiya , yeah

Down the phone
Years and miles apart
We try to find the magic we used to bounce
From heart to heart
But you don't seem to believe in anything today
I wonder if your dreams got smashed

upon the rocks of Bateau Bay
You made me feel like every wave is beautiful.

Overall Meaning

The song "Shikaiya" by Natalie Imbruglia begins with the reflection of a five-year-old who has become shy because of life's experiences. The second line suggests that the singer finds comfort in something known as "Shikaiya". It is unclear what this is, but it seems to have a positive impact on the singer as they feel like they could fly when they encountered it. As the singer continues, they describe a person who embodies the essence of Shikaiya. This person is crazy yet on fire, and they are always wearing a smile. They have the ability to make everything seem possible, and they stand out from everyone else.

Later on in the song, the singer states that they have been separated from the person associated with Shikaiya for years and miles. The magic that they used to share seems to have dissipated. The person they once knew does not believe in anything anymore, and the singer questions whether their dreams have been smashed upon the rocks of Bateau Bay. Nevertheless, the singer remembers that this person made them feel like every wave is beautiful, alluding to the fact that beauty still exists in the world.

Line by Line Meaning

Five years old
At a very young age

And life had made me shy
Experiencing things that made me lose confidence

I'm telling you
I want to share something with you

Shikaiya made me feel like I could fly
Shikaiya gave me the confidence to believe in myself

And there she was
Referring to Shikaiya's presence

So crazy but she was on fire
Shikaiya was eccentric but full of passion

A smile behind the door of every answer to my questions
Shikaiya had an infectious positive attitude in answering my inquiries

You made it seem like everything was possible
Shikaiya's encouragement made me believe in endless possibilities

That's where you stood out from everybody else
Shikaiya was unique from the rest

Shikaiya , yeah
Referring to Shikaiya once again

That's what you're about and you should never lose yourself
Shikaiya's identity is to inspire others and it's important for her to continue doing so

Down the phone
Through a phone call

Years and miles apart
Separated by time and distance

We try to find the magic we used to bounce from heart to heart
Trying to revive the same spark between them

But you don't seem to believe in anything today
Shikaiya's lack of faith in anything

I wonder if your dreams got smashed upon the rocks of Bateau Bay
Did Shikaiya's aspirations fail?

You made me feel like every wave is beautiful.
Despite the distance, Shikaiya's past influence still makes the author appreciate things even if they are different now.

Contributed by Camden L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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