Her independently released second album "Monday's Ghost" (2008) stayed at the top of the swiss charts for several weeks and caught the attention of critics abroad. The Guardian described her as "Laura Marling, Beth Orton and Björk in one folk-rocking package".
The Swiss singer spent parts of her youth abroad, living in England and Germany. Her cosmopolitan biography is reflected in her multilingual songwriting. While most songs are in English or German language, each album contains one song in a Swiss German dialect. Her third studio album 1983 (2010) also includes a cover version of Noir Désir's Le Vent Nous Portera in French language.
Hunger has always worked in a collaborative spirit, and her many musical interests have led her to a fascinating geographic and personality mix. While she had recorded her solo début "Sketches On Sea" at home in just a few days, her latest album "The Danger Of Light" evolved over three sessions abroad. In Los Angeles she was joined by Josh Klinghoffer (Red Hot Chilli Peppers, PJ Harvey), Nathaniel Walcott (Bright Eyes) and Steven Nistor (Danger Mouse); in Montréal Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire), singer/songwriter Mark Bérubé, Brad Barr (The Barr Brothers) und David Payant (A Silver Mt. Zion) jammed along. That last session from Hotel2Tango-Studio in Montréal is included on the Deluxe Edition of her latest release.
Rapidly gaining a reputation as an electrifying live performer, Hunger has been sharing stages with some of Switzerlands’s most successful artists, like Erik Truffaz, The Young Gods, Kutti MC or Stephan Eicher and appearing at locations such as Olympia in Paris, Miles Davis Hall at the Montreux Jazz Festival or the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury Festival.
The musical directions of Sophie Hunger are limitless, from traditional folk songwriting bathed in jazzy moods to soul balladry. Her musical universe is very flourished, nourished by an exceptionally fragile yet mature voice as well as an ability to cross genres. For Sketches On Sea, she collaborated with a great number of musicians, from a trombone player to a flamenco guitarist. Sophie’s technical prowesses can lead her anywhere and allow her to do things that nobody else could get away with.
Sophie Hunger also contributed the soundtrack to the documentary "Zimmer 202" and the movie "Der Freund" by Micha Lewinsky.
Sites: SoundCloud, Vimeo and Facebook.
A Protest Song
Sophie Hunger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You have no question, you are a thought
You are the answer, you're shaped and emblazed
Through the holes in my cover, [you're] something I made
You are the answer, my truthful response
My final saying when everyone's gone
You're my illusion, my pattern of wrong
You're my disgrace and my self-made war
And I don't want to remember faith anymore
[I'm] wasting myself in the name of a fake
You were made for me by mistake
Oh wash away
Oh wash away
You had nothing to say
You were made for me by mistake
I had nothing before, then I had you
I was denying, now I refuse
[I've] never been young, you'll never grow old
My life's in my words [and my] hands they are cold
[I] never made sense but now I disturb
And I'm bashing my goods against the door of the world
Oh wash away
Oh wash away
You had nothing to say
You were made for me by mistake
In Sophie Hunger's song "A Protest Song," the lyrics are a poignant and introspective rumination on the concept of self and identity. The singer of the song is grappling with the idea that the answer to their questions lies within themselves, but they struggle to articulate it. The lyrics "you are the answer, you never talk / you have no question, you are a thought" convey this internal tension. It's a feeling of being at once capable of understanding oneself but unable to put those thoughts into words.
The song then takes a turn towards self-doubt and self-loathing with lines like "you're my illusion, my pattern of wrong / [a] hollow idol [on the] tip of my tongue" and "you're my disgrace and my self-made war / and I don't want to remember faith anymore." The singer is struggling with the idea of self and struggling to confront their own flaws and mistakes. It's a deeply personal song that speaks to something universal, the ongoing quest for self-knowledge and self-understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
You are the answer, you never talk
You represent a solution to my problems, but you don't communicate with me.
You have no question, you are a thought
You don't need to ask anything, you exist as a thought in my mind.
You are the answer, you're shaped and emblazed
You are the response I've been looking for, and you're deeply ingrained in my thoughts and feelings.
Through the holes in my cover, [you're] something I made
Despite my attempts to hide my true self, you are still something that I have created within myself.
You are the answer, my truthful response
You represent the honest and genuine reaction or response I have to something.
My final saying when everyone's gone
You are the final word or conclusion that I reach when there is no one around to influence me.
You're my illusion, my pattern of wrong
You are my false perception or belief, and my behavior or choices reflect that.
[A] hollow idol [on the] tip of my tongue
You are something I want to believe in, but it lacks substance or meaning.
You're my disgrace and my self-made war
You are the source of my shame or embarrassment, and I am fighting against myself because of you.
And I don't want to remember faith anymore
I don't want to hold onto the belief or hope that things will get better because of you.
[I'm] wasting myself in the name of a fake
I am expending myself or my resources for something that is not authentic or real.
You were made for me by mistake
You were created specifically for me, but it was an error or miscalculation.
I had nothing before, then I had you
I did not have anything meaningful or valuable in my life until I encountered you.
I was denying, now I refuse
I initially rejected or turned away from something, but now I actively reject it.
[I've] never been young, you'll never grow old
I have always felt older than my age, and you will always remain the same or unchanging.
My life's in my words [and my] hands they are cold
My life is expressed through my words, but I feel emotionally distant or detached.
[I] never made sense but now I disturb
I have never been coherent or rational, and now I am causing disruption or chaos.
And I'm bashing my goods against the door of the world
I am desperately trying to get my message or ideas out into the world, even if it means damaging myself or others.
Oh wash away
I want to cleanse or rid myself of you and the negative impact you have had on me.
You had nothing to say
You were not able to communicate or offer anything of substance or value to me.
Contributed by Taylor B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Al Terego & the Hi-Q's
Stark! Der Song - tiefgründig wie der Zürisee - tänzelt über die Wellen! Alles was Musizieren ausmacht: Talent, Kreativität, Mut und - ab 2:06 - FREUDE und FREUNDE!
Tyle
❤
LN Colle
Thanks for a good laugh!!
Stephanie Böhringer
🥰
nissrine mouna
💫
Chris Ehmke
Lucky you did not fall into the lake! The good guitar would suffer...