Blasko was first heard in the mid-1990s fronting Sydney band, Acquiesce, after an initial tour of France with founding members Dave Hemmings, Paul Camilleri, and her sister Kate Halcrow. With material written by Blasko and Camilleri, they recorded a single and an EP with producer Hugh Wilson, receiving some local attention.
In 2002, Sarah decided to go solo. Material for the Prelusive EP - a result of initial explorative collaborations with Wilson but fully realised with Nick Schneider and Steve Francis - was originally recorded as demos. However, after becoming disillusioned with the indecisiveness and lack of solid commitment from the labels she met with, Blasko decided to release and promote the material independently. With the financial assistance of then-manager Craig New, she also produced a music video for the leading track, "Your Way".
The track was picked up by local community stations such as 2SER, as well as the national youth broadcaster, Triple J – who also gave light rotation to two other EP tracks, "Will You Ever Know" & "Be Tonight". "Your Way" was also featured on the test loop of fledgling Sydney community radio station 2FBi, when the station began to broadcast full-time.
After this initial success, Sarah was approached by and eventually signed to Brisbane-based label, Dew Process, who repackaged and re-released the EP. There are minor variations to the packaging of the major label release, which make the independent release slightly more valuable to collectors.
In late 2004, Blasko released her debut album, The Overture & the Underscore, recorded in Hollywood at the studio of engineer Wally Gagel. She co-produced the album with Gagel and fellow songwriter, Robert F Cranny.
The album was met with critical acclaim and received gold accreditation in Australia, despite limited commercial radio play. In 2005 Blasko was rewarded for her work with four ARIA nominations. Of particular note was her nomination for Album of the Year.
Sarah spent most of April 2006 recording her second album in Auckland, New Zealand at Roundhead Studio, the studio of Crowded House frontman Neil Finn.
Sarah produced the album with Robert F Cranny , and "Flame Trees" collaborator and Midnight Oil guitarist and keyboard player, Jim Moginie . The recording session was engineered by Paul McKercher, who has worked with numerous Australian bands including Glide, The Cruel Sea , You Am I and more recently Augie March.
The final addition to this all-Australian team was New York-based producer/engineer, Victor Van Vugt, who mixed the record. Van Vugt has worked on a number of Beth Orton records and has a long association with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds , mixing a number of their albums as well as some Mick Harvey solo work and production efforts such as PJ Harvey’s Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea.
The album was nominated for the 2006 J Award, and debuted at number 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It led to her first ARIA win for Best Pop Release at the 2007 ARIA awards and a nomination for Sarah for Best Female Artist.
After some posts detailing on her blog that Sarah would be soon releasing new material on a third album, on July 10, 2009 she released 'As Day Follows Night'. Produced by Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn & John and recorded in Stockholm, Sweden, the album was performed with a band of local Swedish musicians with comparatively little electronic production in contrast to her previous works. The end result was an album retaining Sarah's signature style of pop and trip hop, while adding some jazz influences to the mix. This release, along with her extensive touring across Australia resulted in her receiving the ARIA award for Best Female Artist and being nominated in two other categories.
Diverging from previous efforts, Sarah made a conscious effort on her third album to make her songs more intimate, closing the distance between herself and the listener. In an interview to The Brag magazine by Mike Gee, she states 'Generally the songs are more open and I didn't want to obscure them too much... I wanted the songs to be straight to the point. I wanted them to be like classic old pop songs in that they had that structure.'
In 2011, Sarah collaborated with two other artists, Sally Seltmann and Holly Throsby, to form a group named Seeker Lover Keeper. They released a namesake album in June of that year and promoted the record by touring churches around Australia.
October 2012 saw the return of Sarah's solo work in which she released her fourth independent record, 'I Awake'. In an effort to explore her family's heritage, she recorded the songs with the Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra. However, she was aware that recording such an album was risky. Sarah stated in an interview that she did not want the album to be 'watered down' or 'unnecessary'.
She is currently promoting the record by touring Australian cities in which she invited their respective orchestras to provide backing music. Most recently, she performed live in the Sydney Opera House where the concert was streamed live via Youtube. Soon, Sarah will embark on a European tour to promote her album overseas.
Bird on a Wire
Sarah Blasko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You got cursed
You got burnt
Something that no one deserves
Has broken your wings
You forgot how to sing
All the trouble it brings
Trouble that it brings
For the first time in your life you're coming home
You can feel the strength returning to your bones
Caught in a trap of desire
You got lost
You got shot with a bow
And arrow to the heart
Fashion your life like a battered wife
Got some wood and a knife
Wood and a knife
For the first time in your life you'd make a home
You'd work your fingers right down to the bone
The first few lines of Sarah Blasko's song 'Bird on a Wire' describe a person who is hurt, cursed, and burnt. The metaphor of a bird on a wire is used to represent how vulnerable and exposed this person is feeling. Something has broken their wings and they have forgotten how to sing, which speaks to their loss of confidence and hope. The line 'Something that no one deserves' is particularly poignant, as it suggests that this pain is unjust and unwarranted.
The second stanza continues the theme of being trapped and lost. The person has been shot with an arrow to the heart, which is a powerful image of emotional pain. The line 'Fashion your life like a battered wife' suggests that the person has been beaten down and is struggling to find the strength to rebuild their life. They have some tools to work with, but it will take a lot of effort to get back to a place of stability and happiness. The final lines of both stanzas repeat the phrase 'For the first time in your life you're coming home/you'd make a home', which suggests that the person is returning to a place of safety and comfort after a period of upheaval.
Overall, the song is a powerful meditation on pain, loss, and resilience. The image of a bird on a wire is a powerful metaphor for vulnerability and exposure, and the lyrics explore the ways in which we can rebuild ourselves after a period of turmoil.
Line by Line Meaning
Hurt like a bird on a wire
Feeling vulnerable and helpless, exposed and scared.
You got cursed
Suffered consequences of an ill fate or predicament.
You got burnt
Endured the suffering of an unfortunate incident.
Something that no one deserves
Facing an undeserved hardship or misfortune.
Has broken your wings
Shattered your sense of security and confidence.
You forgot how to sing
Lost the ability to express yourself and find joy.
All the trouble it brings
Consequences that follow the struggle.
Trouble that it brings
Pain that lingers and adds on to the burden.
Caught in a trap of desire
Stuck in a cycle of wanting but not being able to have it.
You got lost
Felt adrift and uncertain.
You got shot with a bow
Hurt in a powerful but controlled way.
And arrow to the heart
Injured at the core of your being.
Fashion your life like a battered wife
Molding your existence to fit a reality that is hurtful or damaging.
Got some wood and a knife
Preparing to rebuild yourself, starting with the basics.
For the first time in your life you're coming home
Returning to a place of safety and comfort.
You can feel the strength returning to your bones
Feeling empowered and renewed.
For the first time in your life you'd make a home
Setting down roots and building a stable foundation.
You'd work your fingers right down to the bone
Putting in tireless effort and work to create a better life.
Contributed by Eliana T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mmv10
I cant believe she only has 25k views. She is amazing. I have been listening to this song since highschool
@82Ebbz
i love this song. sarah you're so amazing, please keep making music. its insperational !
@Triathe
Absolutely addictive
@blurrystar
She's brilliant.
@jafoosy
Love it
@RichardHBlumberg
Sarah! Your one of my favorites! Great Video!
@jannatulorpita3654
Richard H Blumberg hey plz reply me plz
@hidektol
Hauntingly beautiful.
@andrewhack3453
If I had one singer that I'd dare to dream of doing a duet with... it's Sarah Blasko. As day follows night is a classic!! When I was a teenager I dreamt of meeting AC/DC.. and in 2001, my dream came true in Hobart. It would be an honor to meet such a talent. Pure magic 🥰🎶🎶
@roxannelabrecque4210
Extraordinaire !