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.
Train People
Sophie Hunger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feel my teeth
I cannot feel my feet
We're driving forever now
Why did we leave and how? 2x
Always hungry
And it's blindly running
And everybody knows
It should be stopping
And we should get off
And it will collide but
We're all tied up
Now don't be scared
Of what I say
It won't carry things away
Our words echo on the rails
Where all of our days are made 2x
Rise your voices
With no hesitation
The metals are motion
Without a trembling
That lights your thoughts
With anticipation
The stations asleep
Without a dream
And while we're
Passing
The towns are
Passing
And while we're
Passing
The homes are
Passing
And while we're
Passing
Time is
Passing
The lyrics of Sophie Hunger's "Train People" communicate a sense of disorientation and detachment from reality. When the singer says, "My love, I cannot feel my teeth, I cannot feel my feet," they express a feeling of complete numbness, as if they're not quite sure if they're fully present. The subsequent lines, "We're driving forever now, Why did we leave and how?" reinforce the sense of the singer feeling unmoored and directionless. They're not sure how they got where they are or where they're going.
The central metaphor of the train is a powerful one; it carries connotations of both progress and inertia. The singer is on a journey, but it doesn't seem to be a voluntary one. The train is hurtling forward blindly, and everyone on it is "tied up" in some way. The lines, "And it will collide but, We're all tied up," are particularly striking; they suggest that some kind of disaster is imminent, but nobody is in a position to avoid it.
Despite the sense of impending calamity and the singer's confusion about where they're going, there's a strong sense of community throughout the song. The repeated refrain, "The metals are motion, Without a trembling," suggests a kind of unity between all the people on the train. Though they may be strangers to one another, they're all experiencing the same journey together. The final lines, "And while we're passing, time is passing," drive home the idea that the journey is as much a temporal one as a physical one; nobody can stop the inexorable passage of time, and everybody on the train is subject to it equally.
Line by Line Meaning
My love, I cannot
I am unable to do something, my love
Feel my teeth
I am numb and cannot feel the sensation in my teeth
I cannot feel my feet
My feet are numb and I cannot sense them
We're driving forever now
We have been driving for an extended period of time without stopping
Why did we leave and how? 2x
We departed from our original location and I am uncertain why and by which means
Always hungry
I am always in need of something
And the whistle blows
The sound of the train whistle can be heard
And it's blindly running
The train is moving with no clear purpose or direction
And everybody knows
All the passengers are aware of the train's uncertain path
It should be stopping
The train should stop at a certain location
And we should get off
It would be appropriate for us to disembark the train
And it will collide but
The train is on a collision course
We're all tied up
All of the passengers are trapped and cannot escape the train
Now don't be scared
There is no reason to be frightened
Of what I say
My words are not meant to be alarming
It won't carry things away
My words will not lead to any negative consequences
Our words echo on the rails
Our words reverberate throughout the train
Where all of our days are made 2x
Every day is the same in this monotonous train journey
Rise your voices
Everyone should speak up and make themselves heard
With no hesitation
Do not doubt, speak your mind without hesitation
The metals are motion
The train tracks are always in motion
Without a trembling
They are sturdy and firm, without any shakiness
That lights your thoughts
The train ride inspires and sparks thoughts
With anticipation
It is exciting to think about what is ahead
The stations asleep
The stations along the journey are quiet and lifeless
Without a dream
There is nothing extraordinary or awe-inspiring to see or experience
And while we're passing
As we continue to journey forward
The towns are Passing
The towns along the way are quickly disappearing in the train's wake
And while we're Passing
As we continue to move along
The homes are Passing
The homes of the residents are quickly passing by the train
And while we're Passing
During our entire journey
Time is Passing
Time is slipping away unnoticed during this uneventful train ride
Contributed by Logan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@antoineleger2458
Joli moment de douceur et de classe. Sophie Hunger est une grande artiste !
@nkunku5142
Im thankful for poetry in general, and im thankful for poets and artists, thank you for your poetry, thank you for your art, thank you for all these moments, making my life definetly better, and making the world a better place.. Yes.. This is a shoutout to the beauty out there and everybody able to see it, to feel it, to live it, and specially to those, working with it ❤❤ danke Sophie Hunger 💜💜
@Pansybinoche
💙
@GeorgPauling
Wunderschöner Song. So einfühlsam vorgetragenen. 🥰
@tyle1234
Magic Sophie ❤
@klausgoedeke6647
Fantastisch.
@jbradshaw7
Beautiful
@SanDro-et8kg
Das trifft mich. Immer. Mitten ins Herz.
@VolkerundWallyMusic
Very good Performance
@gigimodica2041
magnificent