Galia Durant’s story began in a household running amok with records, art and books. Galia’s mum collected protest songs while her dad is a professorial art historian with an encyclopaedic knowledge of Indian classical music. Galia “loved it all,” finding no real distinction between Woody Guthrie peacenik anthems, Sarangi etudes and her elder brother’s acid jazz albums. After struggling to learn violin and piano (she preferred her 1988 vintage Casio SK-8 sampling keyboard, which the band still use), at 8, Galia graduated from a more-ideas-than-action ‘band’, “GO”, formed with her brother.
Carim Clasmann’s musical youth was spent in German recording studios learning the alchemical business of faders, compressors and microphones. A self-professed failure at the school recorder and a frustrated guitarist, he dabbled in music-making while cutting demos for other people. Quickly rising through the Cologne studio ranks, Carim learned his chops recording bands like Einstürzende Neubauten and Die Toten Hosen and even worked at Can’s famous Inner Space studio, always dallying with music of his own on the side. He moved to London at the close of the ‘90s, working and then taking up residence at the King’s Cross studio/house he and Psapp currently call home.
Carim met Galia through mutual, musically-inclined friends who would often gather at the studio. For a year or so the duo experimented, united by an eclectic taste for Tom Waits, the Cure, Erik Satie, Duke Ellington and “anything that’s silly and uses stupid noises.” Their own ‘silly noises’ married to Galia’s sultry vocals and perspicacious lyrics produced recordings of shimmering originality and nascent charm - an opinion shared by the handful of labels to which Psapp, as they’d by now christened themselves, sent demos toward the end of 2002. A litany of recordings duly followed. Early 2003’s debut EP for Melodic called, instructively, Do Something Wrong was followed by a single, "Difficult Key", the following Autumn. After seeing a live show by Morr Music electronicists ISAN and befriending the band’s Robin Saville, Psapp’s next recordings would appear on Saville’s own Arable imprint, with Winter ‘04’s Buttons And War EP attracting rave notices.
Around this time several Psapp tracks found their way to US music consultants who were universally wowed by the band’s evocative charms. The duo’s music seemed to chime with the TV zeitgeist and their music started to seep into primetime dramas (not to mention a very high profile Volkswagen advert), culminating in the track Cosy In The Rocket being chosen as the theme music to hit ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, which premiered in March 2005. At a stroke, burgeoning inquisitiveness about Psapp turned into an eager US fanbase. Meanwhile, in King’s Cross, dust wasn’t being allowed to settle. A Japanese EP, Northdown appeared in March 2004, swiftly followed by a vinyl-only 4-track nugget, Rear Moth for the discreet Wiaiwya imprint – some tracks from which would appear on the band’s debut album for Arable (also licensed to Leaf for the US and Canada, Third Ear in Japan and Gronland for much of Europe). Released in February 2005, Tiger, My Friend consolidated the burgeoning interest in all things Psapp. MOJO magazine’s four star review – “Arresting, childlike pop confections… effortlessly carved pop sophistication…” was typically hyperbolic. With Psapp duly rising, the major labels soon came a-courting but by autumn 2005 Psapp had spurned their fevered advances, preferring to ink a deal with Domino.
Toward the close of ’05 Psapp embarked on their first live ventures. Translating their records’ layered complexity to the stage was never going to be easy, but with the multi-instrumental Galia and Carim joined by Gwen Cheeseman (violin, floatation toys), Eshan Khadaroo (drums, lumps of wood), and Jim Whelan (bass, keyboards, ashtrays etc), (joined in 2008 by Matt Jones (keyboardist, Ultrasound, Minuteman)), Psapp took to the road around the UK and Europe, eventually honing an exhilarating, ‘in the flesh’ version of their incomparable recorded sound. Initial touring forays successfully completed, Psapp set about buffing their second album to lustrous perfection, pausing only to head down to the Dorchester Hotel to pick up the BMI Award for 2005’s Best TV Theme Tune for ‘Cosy In The Rocket’.
Psapp are known for their humour on stage, throwing cats (hand-made by the band) into the audience and their highly eclectic music videos.
Hi
Psapp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get out the abacus and count this
A funny story with a dark twist
The target so big that you can't miss
Me
Composing
And every page I turn I want more
'Cause you excite me like a locked door
Does
Like a liquid
I want to take your voice and drink it
There doesn't seem to be a limit
To all the things that I could do
I know how I want it to go
I know how I want it to be
Don't make me think before I speak
Or make me hold my horses
Hold tight
We saddled up if you can ride light
If you just think it then you'll be fine
Fingers crossed that it's the right time
This time
Through a fat swamp
We can visit for a fun romp
I really want to do the high jump
Taking a risk will do us all some good
I know how I want it to go
I know how I want it to be
Don't make me think before I speak
Or make me hold my horses
I've got my eye on the prize
(Look at my eyes)
My beady eyes are alight
(They're alight)
And though I don't know what comes next
I will not hold my horses
Hello
Get out the abacus and count me
A funny feeling says I won't be
The target so big that you can't miss
Me
I know how I want it to go
(I want it to go)
I know how I want it to be
(I want it to)
Don't make me think before I speak
Or make me hold my horses
I've got my eye on the prize
(Look at my eyes)
My beady eyes are alight
(They're alight)
And though I don't know what comes next
I will not hold my horses
I know what you're thinking
I know how you see me
Although it hurts
You're probably right
The song “Hi” by Psapp is an eccentric and hauntingly beautiful piece. The lyrics present a dark twist to a fun story, and mention themes of desire, risk-taking, and excitement. The first few lines talk about counting something on an abacus, almost like counting a game, and goes on to talk about the target being so big that it can’t be missed, referring to the singer. The song continues to talk about the excitement of composing something and always wanting more, almost like an addiction. This is followed by a comparison to drinking liquid and wanting to consume the voice of someone they desire.
The chorus repeats the same lines: “I know how I want it to go, I know how I want it to be, don’t make me think before I speak, or make me hold my horses”. This suggests that the desire and passion are so strong that the singer does not want anything to hold them back from expressing themselves fully. The song ends with the singer claiming that they know what the listener might think of them, and that it might hurt, but the listener is probably right.
Overall, the lyrics of “Hi” are open to interpretation, but the song definitely conveys an intense and impulsive desire that the singer feels. It also presents a sense of danger and risk-taking, urging the listener not to hold back but to embrace their inner desires.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello
I am initiating conversation
Get out the abacus and count this
Prepare to be amazed, this is worth counting
A funny story with a dark twist
This story is humorous but has a sinister undertone
The target so big that you can't miss
The subject of this tale is of great importance
Me
I am the focus of the story
Composing
I am creating something
And every page I turn I want more
I am excited about what I am creating and am eager to keep going
I never know the next thing in store
I am improvising and creating spontaneously
'Cause you excite me like a locked door
The process of creation is thrilling to me
Does
That's just how it is
Like a liquid
I desire you in a fluid way
I want to take your voice and drink it
I am enamored with your voice and want to absorb it
There doesn't seem to be a limit
I feel there is no end to my desire
To all the things that I could do
The possibilities seem endless
I know how I want it to go
I have a clear vision for what I am creating
I know how I want it to be
I have a specific outcome in mind
Don't make me think before I speak
I don't want to hesitate or overthink my creative process
Or make me hold my horses
I don't want to be slowed down or restrained
Hold tight
Prepare yourself
We saddled up if you can ride light
We are ready to begin, if you are nimble enough to keep up
If you just think it then you'll be fine
If you stay focused and composed you will succeed
Fingers crossed that it's the right time
I hope that this is the ideal moment for my vision to come to fruition
This time
This attempt won't fail like the previous ones
Through a fat swamp
The journey may be difficult
We can visit for a fun romp
Despite the challenges, we can still enjoy ourselves
I really want to do the high jump
I am eager to take on greater challenges
Taking a risk will do us all some good
We will all benefit from being daring and taking chances
I've got my eye on the prize
My focus is on achieving the specific goal I have in mind
(Look at my eyes)
Emphasis on the importance of the goal
My beady eyes are alight
I am driven and determined
(They're alight)
Emphasis on my dedication to the goal
And though I don't know what comes next
I am uncertain of the future but steadfast in my pursuit of my goal
I will not hold my horses
I refuse to be slowed down or held back
I know what you're thinking
I understand your perception of me
I know how you see me
I comprehend your view of me
Although it hurts
Your opinion is painful to acknowledge
You're probably right
You are likely correct in your assessment
Contributed by Lila D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@hockneyfication
Psapp is a band that resonates with me on so many levels. Love it to bits!
@BaddaBigBoom
Me too
@skittlebug101
I can't believe this song has existed for 11 years... its sound is so fresh! I love it!
@isabellaontis
I searched "hi" on the search bar because I was bored, and I found a masterpiece
@orionjenkins6370
And you found it with that search word?? I've been looking g for this so g forever and "hi" was definitely not a helpful key word lol
@JayBaddAssCutler
this songs been stuck in my head since 2006, finally it will be gone
@ojxirkgiouu2147
Hi
@darthdj31
I've had the song on my Ipod for years, only to now see the video, very neat
@mags7542
Our dance studio did a dance to this song and I got addicted to it. Super catchy!
@dianamendeva3447
Love this unusual, one of a kind style ❤