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.
Don't Dream It's Over
Sarah Blasko Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost
But you'll never see the end of the road
While you're traveling with me
Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win
Now I'm towing my car, there's a hole in the roof
My possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof
In the paper today tales of war and of waste
But you turn right over to the T.V. page
Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win
Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum
And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart
Only shadows ahead barely clearing the roof
Get to know the feeling of liberation and release
Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win
Don't let them win (hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
Hey now, hey now
Don't let them win (they come, they come)
Don't let them win (hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
The song "Don't Dream It's Over" by Sarah Blasko is a powerful ballad that speaks of freedom, hope, and the need to persevere through difficult times. The opening lines "There is freedom within, there is freedom without, try to catch the deluge in a paper cup" suggest that freedom is a state of mind, something one can experience even when confined. The metaphor of catching "the deluge in a paper cup" is a representation of trying to control the uncontrollable, a theme that recurs throughout the song. The next line "There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost, but you'll never see the end of the road while you're traveling with me" is a reassurance that even though life may be difficult and we may lose battles, we can always carry on as long as we have someone to travel by our side.
The chorus, "Hey now, hey now, don't dream it's over, hey now, hey now, when the world comes in, they come, they come, to build a wall between us, we know they won't win," suggests that although there are challenges and difficulties, we should not give up hope, and we should not let others build walls between us. The "world" in this context may refer to external adversities such as cultural differences, societal norms, and limitations set by others, but it could also refer to internal struggles, fears, and doubts.
The third verse is a picture of the singer trying to make sense of a world that seems to be falling apart. The lines "Now I'm towing my car, there's a hole in the roof, my possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof, in the paper today tales of war and of waste, but you turn right over to the T.V. page" suggest that even though there are external realities that threaten to overwhelm us, we should not be driven by fear, and we should aim to find beauty and hope in the world.
In conclusion, the song "Don't Dream It's Over" is a powerful message of hope, perseverance, and finding freedom even in the midst of adversity. The song acknowledges the difficulties of life but urges us to keep going, to dream, and not to let anyone build walls between us.
Line by Line Meaning
There is freedom within, there is freedom without
Inside and outside there is freedom. It's about finding freedom within yourself or somewhere in the world outside.
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
Trying to contain or control something that is too big or too much for you, like trying to catch a flood in a paper cup.
There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost
There are challenges ahead, and sometimes it feels like we keep losing, but we have to keep pushing through.
But you'll never see the end of the road while you're traveling with me
As long as we're together, we'll keep moving forward and never give up.
Hey now, hey now, don't dream it's over
Don't give up, don't let your dreams die, keep fighting.
When the world comes in, they come, they come, to build a wall between us
People will try to separate us, try to build walls between us, but we won't let them succeed.
We know they won't win
We believe in ourselves, and we know that we'll overcome any obstacles in our way.
Now I'm towing my car, there's a hole in the roof
I'm struggling, my car is damaged, things are falling apart.
My possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof
I'm worried about my belongings, they're making me suspicious, but I don't have any evidence to back up my fears.
In the paper today tales of war and of waste, but you turn right over to the TV page
The news is full of stories of conflict and destruction, but some people choose to ignore it and distract themselves with entertainment.
Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum and I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart
I'm focused, moving forward, and trying to connect with someone on a deeper level.
Only shadows ahead barely clearing the roof, get to know the feeling of liberation and release
The future seems uncertain, but we need to embrace the feeling of freedom and let go of our worries.
Don't let them win (hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
We won't allow others to defeat us, we'll keep fighting no matter what.
Don't let them win (they come, they come)
We won't let other people tear us apart and destroy what we have.
Don't let them win (hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now)
We'll keep pushing forward, no matter what the obstacles may be.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Neil Finn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind