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)
Troubled By The Way / We Came Together
Natalie Imbruglia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blood is the shield against the weather
Became a stone for fear of being melted
Trouble from the day we came together
When you recover, from yesterdays low
True slave to traction of pleasure
I collect the embers as I watch you grow
As you breathe as you breathe it to life
You will lead, you will lead
As you stray as you star far from home
I will believe I will believe
Flames of love immerse you
Cradle and coerce you
Shadows overrun the place you play
Names of love remind along the way
Seems shallowed by the way we came together
My heart carries on, mmm
But my head knows better
Troubled by the way we came together
As you breathe, as you breathe it to life
You will lead, you will lead
As you stray as you stray far from home
I will believe, I will believe
Cause you are here today, and gone tomorrow
Basking in the fields of never never
You wanted today, mmm but I wanted forever
Troubled by the way we came together
My heart carries on, mmm
But my head knows better
Troubled by the way we came together
As you breathe as you breathe it to life
You will lead, you will lead
As you stray, as you stray far from home
I will believe, I will believe
Cause you are here today
And gone tomorrow
The lyrics of Natalie Imbruglia's song "Troubled" depict a tumultuous relationship that is plagued by difficulties and conflicting desires. The opening lines suggest a sense of transience and instability, with the singer describing themselves as being bought and sold "from hand to hand" before becoming "a stone for fear of being melted." This is followed by the line "trouble from the day we came together," which suggests that the relationship has always been fraught with issues.
The second verse delves deeper into the dynamic between the two people, with the singer describing themselves as a "true slave to traction of pleasure" while their partner grows and changes. Despite this, the singer remains committed, collecting "embers" and watching as their partner evolves. However, the final lines of the verse suggest that they have been left behind in some way.
The chorus is a plea for reassurance - the singer asking their partner to lead them and promising to believe in them, despite the fact that they often stray far from home. The bridge introduces the imagery of flames and shadows, with love both immersing and coercing the singer but also causing them to be troubled by the way the relationship has unfolded. The song culminates with a bittersweet acknowledgement that the partner is here today and gone tomorrow, leaving the singer both heartbroken and resigned.
Line by Line Meaning
From hand to hand you bought and sold
You were treated like a commodity, passed from person to person.
Blood is the shield against the weather
Your family bonds have protected you from the challenges of life.
Became a stone for fear of being melted
You've guarded yourself closely to avoid getting hurt or feeling vulnerable.
Trouble from the day we came together
Our relationship has been difficult from the very beginning.
When you recover, from yesterdays low
You tend to rebound quickly from difficult times.
True slave to traction of pleasure
You let your desires and impulses guide your choices.
I collect the embers as I watch you grow
I'm supportive of you as you mature and develop.
You left along the way we came together
You've gone your own way, leaving our relationship behind.
Flames of love immerse you
You're consumed by the intense feelings of romance.
Cradle and coerce you
Love both comforts and controls you.
Shadows overrun the place you play
There's darkness and uncertainty lurking in your life.
Names of love remind along the way
Reminders of love help guide you on your journey.
Seems shallowed by the way we came together
Our connection feels superficial because of all the troubles we've faced.
My heart carries on
Despite everything, my emotional attachment to you persists.
But my head knows better
Rationally, I understand that we may not be good for each other.
Cause you are here today, and gone tomorrow
You tend to leave abruptly, without warning or explanation.
Basking in the fields of never never
You prefer to live in a world of fantasy and imagination.
You wanted today, mmm but I wanted forever
Our priorities were never quite aligned.
As you breathe, as you breathe it to life
Your breath energizes and animates you.
You will lead, you will lead
You're in charge of determining your own path.
As you stray, as you stray far from home
Your choices may take you far from your usual routine.
I will believe, I will believe
Even when I don't understand your choices, I'll try to have faith in you.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NICK SEYMOUR, NATALIE IMBRUGLIA, DAVID BIEGEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind