After recording a 7-track demo in 1995, the band signed to Murmur Records, a subsidiary of Sony. In 1996, they released the 7-track EP The Answer to Both Your Questions, recorded and mixed by Greg Atkinson of Sydney band Big Heavy Stuff.
In November of 1996, the 3-track single "Dean Martin" was released. Early in 1997, the band released a 5-track EP titled Intermission as they recorded their first album, Elsewhere for Eight Minutes, in New Zealand and mixed and mastered it in New York with U.S. producer Brian Paulson. (Brian had previously produced albums for Wilco, Archers of Loaf, Superchunk and Slint, amongst others.) Something for Kate's first full-length album was released in July of 1997. Bass player Julian Carroll was then replaced by Toby Ralph, who toured with the band for the release of the album.
Four singles were released from Elsewhere for Eight Minutes: "Captain (Million miles an hour)", "Prick", "Working Against Me" and "Roll Credit". Bass player Toby Ralph was replaced by Stephanie Ashworth (of Melbourne outfit Sandpit) in March 1998. The band then wrote their second album, Beautiful Sharks, which was released in April of 1999. Beautiful Sharks was recorded in Melbourne, once again by producer Brian Paulson.
Four singles were released from Beautiful Sharks: "Electricity", "Hallways", "Whatever You Want" and "The Astronaut". When the band went on the road with this album they took on an extra touring musician, Wally Gunn, to play the incidental guitar and keyboard parts.
In 2000, as the band were writing for their third album, Murmur released Q & A With Dean Martin, a re-release of the sold-out first EP and single. Also released in 2000 was Big Screen Television, a video collection of 12 of the band's music videos along with some bonus footage.
In June of 2001, the third album, Echolalia, was released. Produced by the band and Trina Shoemaker (whose other recording credits include Queens of the Stone Age, REM, Whiskeytown and Sheryl Crow), Echolalia was recorded at INXS bass-player Garry Gary Beers' Mangrove studio in the Central Coast of NSW.
Four singles were released from Echolalia: "Monsters", "Three Dimensions", "Twenty Years" and "Say Something". When touring this album, the band took on two touring musicians, Pip Branson (ex Sydney band Sidewinder) and Simon Bourke, again, to play the increasing amount of keyboards and extra guitar parts featured on the album.
In 2002 the band released their first DVD, A Diversion, which is a document of the writing, recording and touring of the Echolalia album.
In 2003 the band recorded and released their fourth album, The Official Fiction. Produced once again by the band and Trina Shoemaker at Mangrove studios, it spawned the singles "Deja Vu", "Song for a Sleepwalker", "Best Weapon" and "Moving Right Along".
After supporting David Bowie on the Australian leg of his Reality Tour, the band toured Europe in 2004, taking in Germany, France, Denmark, Scotland, Ireland and the UK, before returned to Australia to release Phantom Limbs, a double album of the band members' and their fans' favourite b-side tracks from over the years.
On the 30th of June 2006, Something for Kate released their fifth album, Desert Lights. Since then, Something for Kate has released 2 singles, Cigarettes and Suitcases which was released on the 5th of May 2006, just under 2 months before the second EP, Oh Kamikaze which was released on the 1st of September 2006.
Hallways
Something for Kate Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Painting a self portrait
Painting ourselves into position
We'll scare them off with word play and sweep them under the rug
My face is pushed against the glass
Like a slowest-second-better off and thrown from the horse's back
But I know what I am, is there a trouble with that?
Hanging round hallways
Little by little (x2)
They bow their heads to pray for Friday night
To save their lives and then
They go on through life armed with a scale from one to ten
Hanging round hallways
Like to feel like we're going somewhere
And the thinner the air becomes
The more we feel at home
The more we feel
I heard her on the phone
She said, you said, had a good day
Didn't we? (x3)
And hanging round hallways
Like to feel like we're going somewhere
And the thinner the air becomes the more we feel
She said that's entertainment
But he didn't wanna know
He carried the shopping bag
She carried them both
The song "Hallways" by Something for Kate is about not fitting in with the rest of society. The opening lines "They'll never find us painting a self portrait, painting ourselves into position" suggest that the singer is creating a version of themselves that is not accepted by others. They use word play to keep people at arm's length and maintain their individuality. The line "My face is pushed against the glass like a slowest-second-better off and thrown from the horse's back" signifies feeling trapped and unable to move forward, like they are frantically trying to escape.
The chorus of the song discusses hanging around hallways, trying to gain a new perspective on life. The singer wants to feel like they are going somewhere, but also knows that the thinner the air becomes, the more at home they feel - this could mean that they are getting used to being alone and outside of normal society. The line "They go on through life armed with a scale from one to ten" could be referencing the way people judge others by their successes, popularity or wealth. But the singer doesn't feel like they fit into this system and wants to carve out their own path.
In the second half of the song, the singer overheard a conversation between two people - one person said "that's entertainment" but the other person didn't want to know. To the singer, carving out their own path might be seen as "entertainment" to others, something to watch and judge. However, they know that is not what they want for themselves. The final line of the song "He carried the shopping bag, she carried them both" suggests that the singer sees societal norms and gender roles as confining and limiting.
Line by Line Meaning
They'll never find us
We will evade the society's rules and perceptions.
Painting a self portrait
Creating a self-representation that we perceive for ourselves.
Painting ourselves into position
Forming our identity as we want to be perceived.
We'll scare them off with word play and sweep them under the rug
We will use our wit and intellect to dodge societal pressure and sweep it aside.
My face is pushed against the glass
I am pressing my face against the glass, feeling suffocated by the life inside.
Like a slowest-second-better off and thrown from the horse's back
I am struggling to find my place, lost like a jockey who just fell from the mount.
But I know what I am, is there a trouble with that?
I am aware of my identity, so why should I need acceptance from others?
Hanging round hallways
Lingering in the corridors, unsure of where to go next.
Trying to get a bird's eye view
Seeking a higher perspective to see things more clearly.
Little by little (x2)
Slowly, gradually.
They bow their heads to pray for Friday night
Society looks forward to the weekend as an escape from their mundane lives.
To save their lives and then
To make their life worth living.
They go on through life armed with a scale from one to ten
They judge their life based on a numerical value.
Like to feel like we're going somewhere
We like the idea of making progress, moving forward.
And the thinner the air becomes
The more isolated we feel from the masses around us.
The more we feel at home
The more comfortable we feel in our individuality.
I heard her on the phone
I overheard a conversation.
She said, you said, had a good day
She is confirming a positive message from someone else affirming the goodness of their day.
Didn't we? (x3)
She is looking for recognition of happiness and positivity from me, too.
She said that's entertainment
She views others' perception of life as mere entertainment.
But he didn't wanna know
He is uninterested in her perspective of life.
He carried the shopping bag
The male character seems to be the dominant party, performing traditional gender roles.
She carried them both
The female character is forced to take on additional responsibilities.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CLINT WESLEY HYNDMAN, PAUL ANTHONY DEMPSEY, STEPHANIE ASHWORTH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
no names in space
I was pretty sure the secrets of the universe were hidden in this song as a teenager
E
@Paul Jordan are you certain that he referred to this particular song? I've heard him refer to another song from later album as being based on a dream featuring Max Planck.
It seems to me this song is about, at least in part, time at high school with the cliques and social structures. ie: football jocks, cheerleaders, nerds, etc
Paul Jordan
Dempsey said it's about physics.
Ryan L
Fkn love this song!! The drums are killer
Dean Peters
Still one of my favs
DarkSpawn
God i love this song
Christopher Bishop
Lol everyone in the band is so relaxed, but the drummer is wanting to rock.
zacatecanjack
Archers of loaf lover on the drums :)
Crazy prayingmantis
Oh yeah 🤘
Ezequiel Barroso
I miss you