Heather and Ciara met at BIMM Institute and formed the band Creek in 2013 with guitarist Ben Bateman and bassist Ryan Marsden. Their song “Lust” gained local popularity and received radio airplay, leading to a number of local gigs. In 2014, band changed its name to Pale Waves and Hugo and Charlie joined soon after, in 2015. Heather has said that the band name comes from the title of a painting owned by her grandmother.
They were signed to record label Dirty Hit in 2016 and their first two singles, 2017's "There's a Honey" and "Television Romance", were produced by Matthew Healy of labelmates The 1975. Their first EP, All the Things I Never Said, was released in February 2018. In September 2018, they released their debut album My Mind Makes Noises.
Early in 2019, the band shared plans to release an EP that year, but decided later to focus on their second album. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020—as well as the decision to approach the new album with a different stylistic direction inspired by the music of the 1990s and 2000s—delayed the production and release of new music until late 2020.
The band’s second album, Who Am I?, was released on February 12, 2021, preceded by the single "Change”, which was released on November 10, 2020. It debuted at #3 on the UK Albums Chart.
Unwanted, Pale Waves' third album, was released on August 12, 2022. The album represents yet another stylistic leap for the band, this time adding pop punk influences to their evolving sound.
When Did I Lose It All
Pale Waves Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the corner of my eyes I see you
When did we fuck it and fall?
It's always been you, always been you
Thought we'd love and grow old together
We bring out the best in each other
You made me believe we could do anything, anything
I wanna marry you, but not now, not now
Kiss me down my neck, let's have our moment
Just before I forget what you taste like
What you feel like
Touch me like we're dying
Touch me like the first time
I was never lying, desperately trying for us
Desperately trying for us
I'm letting you go for now, for now
I wanna marry you, but not now, not now
I'm letting you go for now, for now
I wanna marry you, but not now, not now
The saddest thing of all is that I know
You're truly under my skin and that won't ever go
When you said bye a piece of me died
It left with you that night, that night
When you said bye a piece of me died
It left with you that night
We admitted it for the very first time
I'm letting you go for now, for now
I wanna marry you, but not now, not now
'Cause I'm letting you go for now, for now
I wanna marry you, but not now, not now
The song "When Did I Lose It All" by Pale Waves explores the pain of lost love and facing the realization that two people once meant to be together have grown apart. The song starts with the singer asking a question that many people ask themselves after a relationship ends and they are trying to process their feelings - "When did I lose it all?". The person she's singing about is still present in her life, albeit in a corner of her eyes. She acknowledges that they had come together but had fallen apart. However, the pain is intensified because she believed that they would love and grow old together, but things did not pan out that way. She then addresses the person directly and acknowledges that they brought out the best in each other and made her believe that they could do anything, anything together. Despite this, she decides to let go of the relationship, for now at least, and echoes that she wants to marry the person, but not now. The chorus is repeated twice, and we are hit again with the final decision she has made before the song ends.
The second half of the song turns into an emotional plea, where the singer is trying to hold onto the memories of the relationship. She pleads with the person to kiss her down her neck and reminds him of the moments they shared before she forgets what he feels and smells like. The desperation in her voice is felt as she implores him to touch her the way they used to touch each other when it was all new and exciting. The song finally ends with her acknowledging that the saddest thing of all is that she knows the person is truly under her skin and will never go away. When they said goodbye, a piece of her died, and it left with him that night. The song ends with her admitting it for the very first time, and she decides to move forward with her life but also leaves the door open for future possibilities.
Line by Line Meaning
When did I lose it all?
I want to know when everything fell apart.
In the corner of my eyes I see you
I keep catching glimpses of you even though you're gone.
When did we fuck it and fall?
When did we mess up our relationship and lose it all?
It's always been you, always been you
You were always the one for me, but it still fell apart.
Thought we'd love and grow old together
I had hoped we would be happy and in love for the rest of our lives.
We bring out the best in each other
We made each other better when we were together.
You made me believe we could do anything, anything
You gave me hope and confidence that we could accomplish anything together.
Kiss me down my neck, let's have our moment
Let's make the most of this time we have together and make a special memory.
Just before I forget what you taste like
Let's have one last kiss before I forget what it's like to be with you.
What you feel like
I don't want to forget how it feels to be with you.
Touch me like we're dying
Let's touch each other as if it's our last time together.
Touch me like the first time
Let's capture the magic of when we first fell in love.
I was never lying, desperately trying for us
I was always honest and doing my best for our relationship to work.
The saddest thing of all is that I know
It hurts me the most to know that I still love you.
You're truly under my skin and that won't ever go
You left a lasting mark on me, and I can't stop thinking of you.
When you said bye a piece of me died
I felt like I lost a part of myself when you left.
It left with you that night, that night
My happiness and hope left with you the night you walked away.
We admitted it for the very first time
We finally confessed our feelings for each other, but it was too late.
I'm letting you go for now, for now
I'm giving you some space, but I'm not completely giving up on us.
I wanna marry you, but not now, not now
I want to be with you forever, but we need to figure things out first.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Ciara Louise Doran, Heather Patricia Baron-Gracie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind