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.
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Monday's Ghost
Sophie Hunger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I tried to read your time at night
I tried to find your roof your floor
The corners of your mind, the four
And I'll return down to the mines
Where you are safe from me
And I will stop to burn your house
The red flags on your dear façade
Wouldn't break the secret to my guards
Told me not with which wind to come
Refused to tell how and when
And I'll return down to the mines
Where you are safe from me
And I will stop to burn your house
And keep you safe from me
How could I so clearly find
And have no chance to read your signs
Bring me back to your front door
And me pretend that I was waited for
I wish that you would search the mines
And keep them safe from me
I wish that you would stop the fire
And keep it safe from me [- will ich will bi Dir sie]
The lyrics of Monday's Ghost by Sophie Hunger address a longing to connect with someone who is far away, both physically and emotionally. The singer is trying to understand this person's inner world by interpreting the external clues they can observe, such as the city lights and the architecture of their building. However, they are unable to fully grasp this person's thoughts and emotions, as represented by the elusive nature of the "corners of your mind."
The singer also expresses a desire to protect this person, even if it means removing themselves from the situation altogether. The repetition of the lines "And I'll return down to the mines / Where you are safe from me / And I will stop to burn your house / And keep you safe from me" suggests a sense of self-sacrifice and a willingness to do whatever it takes to prevent harm from coming to the other person.
The final stanza of the song is particularly poignant, as the singer acknowledges their own limitations in understanding the other person. They wish that the other person could search for them, rather than the other way around, indicating a desire for mutual effort and reciprocity in the relationship. The final line, "And keep it safe from me," is left somewhat ambiguous, perhaps suggesting that the singer would rather distance themselves from the other person for fear of causing harm or becoming too emotionally invested.
Overall, Monday's Ghost is a haunting meditation on the difficulty of truly understanding another person, and the complex emotions that can arise in the face of distance and loss.
Line by Line Meaning
In your distant city lights
As I saw the lights of your city far away, I wondered how you spent your nights
I tried to read your time at night
I tried to imagine what were you doing at this time of the night
I tried to find your roof your floor
I tried to locate the very place you lived where you might have been thinking about me.
The corners of your mind, the four
I wanted to navigate the depths of your mind and understand your thinking
And I'll return down to the mines
Where you are safe from me
And I will stop to burn your house
And keep you safe from me
I will leave you alone and retreat to a hidden place, far from where you live, so that I can resist my urge to harm you
The red flags on your dear façade
I saw the warning signals that were hidden behind your sweet mask
Wouldn't break the secret to my guards
I realized that you would not reveal your true self to anyone, including my vigilant guards watching over you from a distance.
Told me not with which wind to come
You forbade me to come near you, ever again.
Refused to tell how and when
You wouldn't give me any explanation for your refusal
And how could I so clearly find
And have no chance to read your signs
Although I could see you so clearly, I couldn't understand your thoughts or feelings
Bring me back to your front door
And me pretend that I was waited for
Bring me back to your doorstep and let me pretend that you were waiting for me
I wish that you would search the mines
And keep them safe from me
I wish that you would stop the fire
And keep it safe from me [- will ich will bi Dir sie]
I wish that you would look for me and help me overcome my destructive urges, ultimately keeping me safe from myself
Contributed by Christopher C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.