Pati was born in Poland but spent the first 6 years of her life on tour with her mother’s partner, who was a frontman in an iconic punk band. They underwent extreme danger to smuggle their anti regime message through soviet censorship, becoming hugely influential during the radical social and political change within Poland in the early eighties.
Of course Pati grew up as an uncompromising character; she literally escaped her home and school in Poland at 16 to study music in London. By eighteen she had signed a major record deal with Sony. It was a huge success. The record, became a best seller in Poland and won major awards; winning over critics and fans alike and earning a reputation that spread worldwide, for her enchanting voice, musical talent and unrelenting creativity.
Returning to Poland Pati became immersed in the creative arts scene that had proved such a strong and radical voice in her youth. She also became a self taught visual artist, published poet, and a widely influential radio DJ in Warsaw.
It was on taking her work to London again that Pati met Stephen Hilton.
Together they formed the band Children and once again were praised alongside the likes of Kieran Hebden, Steve Reed and Prefuse 73 in the Independent Newspaper’s round up of new electronic experimental artists. Stephen also co founded The Free Association with David Holmes and programmed the beats behind many soundtracks for Hollywood blockbusters such as two James Bond movies , Hot Fuzz, Moulin Rouge, and Ocean’s 11 ,12 13.
Together Pati and The Free Association worked on the soundtrack to Michael Winterbottom’s film Code 46 which was nominated for the best soundtrack at the European Film Awards in 2003, this was a personal high for Pati along with supporting Depeche Mode at their stadium show in Warsaw 2006.
Pati then went on to co-write and front “FlyKKiller” , a musical, photographical and installation artwork project which she founded together with Stephen. With their first singles FlyKKiller were praised as one to watch across the UK press; the single rocketed straight into the DMC Zzub chart at number 1. NME, DJ Mag, Hip Hop connection and DJs such as Annie Nightingale and Rob Da Bank at Radio One, John Kennedy and James Hyman; XFM, Joe Ransom and Loose Cannons at Kiss all went berserk for FlyKKiller’s cosmically inspired conspiratorial beats, BBC 6 Music made FlyKKiller’s second singleRecord of the Week while Times magazine placed FlyKKiller’s debut album “Experiments in Violent Light” at 2 in their best of 2007 chart.
Since then Pati released her critically acclaimed third solo record, “Faith, Hope and Fury” in her native Poland and lended her voice to 7 independent movies, including Richard Jobson’s New Town Killers as well as Richard’s following project, the uncompromising, beautiful and brutal short film on sex trafficking called The Journey .
Pati Yang also released a single "Tonite" under the name Nikita, which was very succesful song.
Pati's latest work is "Wires and Sparks", which is her 4th solo album and was launched 27th of May 2011. The producer of the album was Joe Cross, of "We are Performance" band. The album was recorded in Warsaw, Poland. Joe Cross is also responsible for Hurts' debut album, which was a big success all around the world.
Switch Off The Sun
Pati Yang Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even my bed is cold
Naked I seat down and break in tears
So hysterical
Tearing off the pillows of past
I bet all neighbors have heard me before
Can't beat another sleepless night
Does it have to go on?
It's only when I loose myself
And it won't stop raining
Chasing days on the runaway
From the deep burning
It's only when I fade away
And the fever stays
Water is gonna have to be
Once more the substitute for milk
I close my eyes:
I think they've seen enough,
Light hurts:
Can anyone switch off the sun?
The lyrics to "Switch Off The Sun" by Pati Yang express the pain and despair someone goes through after a difficult morning of emotional turmoil. The song begins with the singer waking up to a cold and empty bed, sitting down naked and bursting into tears. She goes on to describe herself tearing the pillows of the past and feeling alone in her suffering. She can't sleep, and she feels like she is losing pieces of herself out on the streets. The only time she feels a sense of comfort is when she loses herself completely, which could represent a form of escapism. The line "And it won't stop raining" could signify the inability to escape the pain and struggles. The singer is chasing the days and trying to run away from her troubles, but the burning feeling within her is deep and persistent. She describes the sensation of a fever lasting even after she fades away. In the end, she is so overwhelmed that she wishes for the sun to be switched off- a metaphor for her wish to be free from her emotional turmoil, to be enveloped in nothingness.
Overall, the song expresses the feeling of being stuck, restless and overwhelmed by internal struggles that you can't seem to escape from. It portrays how feeling isolated can eventually lead someone to seek refuge in self-destructive ways, and the longing for the pain to end completely.
Line by Line Meaning
This morning's been cruel to me again,
Once more, I am suffering from a difficult start to my day.
Even my bed is cold
Even the comfort of my bed cannot provide warmth to my life.
Naked I seat down and break in tears
I am vulnerable and overwhelmed, crying without holding back.
So hysterical
My emotions are so intense that I can barely control them.
Tearing off the pillows of past
I am tearing apart the memories and regrets of my past.
I bet all neighbors have heard me before
I am certain that my neighbors have heard me crying like this before.
Can't beat another sleepless night
I cannot endure another night without restful sleep.
Does it have to go on?
I am questioning whether this pain is going to continue endlessly.
Carry on finding pieces of me on the streets
I feel like I am losing pieces of myself as I wander aimlessly through life.
It's only when I loose myself
I can only find peace and freedom when I let go of my identity.
And it won't stop raining
My sorrow and despair seem to be endless, like a stormy rain that just keeps pouring down.
Chasing days on the runaway
I am desperately trying to cling onto fleeting moments of happiness.
From the deep burning
I am suffering from a profound, soul-crushing pain.
It's only when I fade away
The only time I can forget my pain is when I am no longer present in this world.
And the fever stays
Despite my desperate efforts, my emotional agony continues to persist.
Water is gonna have to be
I must make do with water instead of milk, a metaphor for accepting less than ideal circumstances.
Once more the substitute for milk
Once again, I am forced to accept a less desirable alternative to what I truly want or need.
I close my eyes:
I am shutting out the world and trying to create some inner peace.
I think they've seen enough,
I am concerned that those around me have seen my pain and sadness for long enough.
Light hurts:
Even the light is too bright and painful for me to handle when I am in such a dark place.
Can anyone switch off the sun?
I am pleading for relief from my pain, even seeking the impossible like turning off the sun.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PATI YANG, STEPHEN DEAN HILTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
tropicwave1
Switch Off The Sun
Pati Yang
Album: Silent Treatment
This morning's been cruel to me again
And even my bed is cold
Naked I seat down and break in tears
So hysterical
Tearing off the pillows of past
I bet all neighbors have heard me before
Can't beat another sleepless night
Does it have to go on?
(Carry on) Finding pieces of me on the streets
It's only when I lose my faith
And it won't stop raining
Chasing days on the runaway
From the deep burning
It's only when I fade away
And the fever stays
It's only when I fade away
And the fever stays
Water is gonna have to be
Once more the substitute for milk
I close my eyes:
I think they've seen enough
Light hurts:
Can anyone switch off the sun?
(Carry on) Finding pieces of me on the streets
It's only when I lose my faith
And it won't stop raining
Chasing days on the runaway
From the deep burning
It's only when I fade away
And the fever stays
It's only when I fade away
And the fever stays
Can anyone switch off the sun?
Written by: PATI YANG, STEPHEN DEAN HILTON
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
℗ 2005 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by POMATON EMI
John Biebel
Such a strange and beautiful voice... I really like it, very original - and nice instrumentation! Nice Pati!!
wiks
Tak, Pati jest genialna ;)
Chris Schneider
I LOVE THIS TRACK!!!
wiks
Uwielbiam Pati:) ! Moja ulubiona artystka
zmola
Je to super pesnicka....fakt talentovana slecna :)
ewelina
jej muzyka jest tak dobra że aż nie moge uwierzyć że coś tak dobrego powstało i że generalnie stworzyła to tak młoda Polka gratulacje!
Jolanta Alkan
Very nice!
Dawid Klimczak
Super :)
hentzz
no words... awsum
tropicwave1
Switch Off The Sun
Pati Yang
Album: Silent Treatment
This morning's been cruel to me again
And even my bed is cold
Naked I seat down and break in tears
So hysterical
Tearing off the pillows of past
I bet all neighbors have heard me before
Can't beat another sleepless night
Does it have to go on?
(Carry on) Finding pieces of me on the streets
It's only when I lose my faith
And it won't stop raining
Chasing days on the runaway
From the deep burning
It's only when I fade away
And the fever stays
It's only when I fade away
And the fever stays
Water is gonna have to be
Once more the substitute for milk
I close my eyes:
I think they've seen enough
Light hurts:
Can anyone switch off the sun?
(Carry on) Finding pieces of me on the streets
It's only when I lose my faith
And it won't stop raining
Chasing days on the runaway
From the deep burning
It's only when I fade away
And the fever stays
It's only when I fade away
And the fever stays
Can anyone switch off the sun?
Written by: PATI YANG, STEPHEN DEAN HILTON
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
℗ 2005 The copyright in this sound recording is owned by POMATON EMI