Singing in the local church choirs as a boy, studying jazz and classical piano performance, composition, and arrangement, and singing and playing keyboards in the ska band Gangster Politics in high school. Watson left the band after graduating and began to explore other types of music, including electronica and ambient. In 2002, after returning from a trip to Vietnam, he decided to start a four-piece chamber pop group, bringing in bassist Mishka Stein, drummer Robbie Kuster (both of whom he had met at university), and former Gangster Politics guitarist Simon Angell. The group (which was technically a solo project with a backing band) released Just Another Ordinary Day (2003) independently.
In 2001 Watson released his first own solo debut, Waterproof9 and in 2006 his second, Close to Paradise. Early in 2007, Watson was nominated for a Juno Canada's music award in the New Artist of the Year category.
His band's song "The Great Escape" was featured on a third-season episode of Grey's Anatomy.
He co-wrote and performed on several songs on The Cinematic Orchestra's 2007 album Ma Fleur including the opening track "To Build a Home". His "Missing You" remix of Champion's "Guy Doune", from Champion's 2006 album The Remix Album, reached #1 on CBC Radio 3's R3-30 chart in early 2007.
Patrick Watson (the band) also won the prestigeous Polaris Music Prize (Canada) in 2007.
Website: www.patrickwatson.net
Sleeping Beauty
Patrick Watson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
High-rise plasticize
He talks and looks for all the signs
Of Broken dreams
In this new machine
He chews her apple down to the core
Thinking of sleeping beauty
She spews her venom to the floor
And opens up the door
Thinking plastics duties
Thinking of sleeping beauty chains
To her plastic duties
Thinking of sleeping beauty chains
To her plastic duties
Thinking of plastic duty
She my sleeping beauty
The opening lines of the song "Sleeping Beauty" by Patrick Watson describe the dichotomy between the natural environment and the man-made world that we have created for ourselves. The singer is walking beneath the skylines of high-rise buildings that have been erected like plastic Barbie houses. The imagery of "plasticize" emphasizes the fact that these structures lack an organic quality and instead are synthetic and lifeless. It is a symbol of the encroachment of technology on the natural world.
The second stanza introduces the character of the male protagonist who is searching for signs of broken dreams in this new machine. This could be interpreted as the way in which people have become disconnected from nature and are now living in a world that is divorced from reality. The line "He chews her apple down to the core" is a reference to the ancient story of Adam and Eve who were punished for eating from the forbidden fruit. The female character is being forced to consume the apple to its core before thinking of Sleeping Beauty.
The third stanza speaks of the female protagonist spewing venom to the floor and thinking about "plastic duties." This could be interpreted as a reference to the way in which women are often forced to conform to societal norms and expectations. The repetition of the line "Thinking of sleeping beauty chains to her plastic duties" emphasizes the feeling of being trapped and unable to escape these constraints. The final line, "She my sleeping beauty," suggests that the singer is in love with this woman and sees her as a victim of society's expectations.
Line by Line Meaning
She walks beneath the skylines of
She walks below the towering buildings made of plastic
High-rise plasticize
The buildings are full of plastic
He talks and looks for all the signs
He speaks and searches for any indications
Of Broken dreams
Of shattered hopes and aspirations
In this new machine
In this modern society
He chews her apple down to the core
He bites into her apple until only the core is left
Stopping just before
Pausing just in time
Thinking of sleeping beauty
Contemplating about the fabled character of Sleeping Beauty
She spews her venom to the floor
She expresses her anger violently towards the ground
And opens up the door
Then she opens the door
Thinking plastics duties
Thinking about the responsibilities related to plastic
Thinking of sleeping beauty chains
Thinking about the entrapment associated with the story of Sleeping Beauty
To her plastic duties
To her obligations related to plastic
Thinking of plastic duty
Contemplating the responsibility related to plastic
She my sleeping beauty
She is my Sleeping Beauty
Contributed by Jake Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.