Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is a vocalist & rhythm guitarist … Read Full Bio ↴Susanna Lee Hoffs (born January 17, 1959) is a vocalist & rhythm guitarist for The Bangles. She has also released five albums as a solo artist, two in collaboration with Matthew Sweet. The Picture Me Songfacts states that her most recent one, Someday, was released via Vanguard Records on July 17, 2012. The 1960s-influenced set was co-written with Nashville musician Andrew Brassell and produced by Mitchell Froom.

Early life

Hoffs was born in Newport Beach, California to a Jewish family. Her mother was a fan of The Beatles and played their records for Hoffs when she was a child. She began playing the guitar in her teens and hooked up with Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson, who needed a singer for their band, which would later become The Bangles. Susanna attended Palisades High School in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. In 1980, she graduated from University of California, Berkeley with a BA in Art.

The Bangles years

The Bangles released their first album All Over The Place in 1984, but their major breakthrough album was Different Light in 1986, with the hit singles "Manic Monday" and "Walk Like an Egyptian." Her fame rising, Susanna starred in the movie The Allnighter in 1987. It was directed by her mother Tamar Simon Hoffs and also featured Joan Cusack and Pam Grier. She also made the covers of many magazines, and the Rickenbacker guitar company issued a Susanna Hoffs model, which she still plays during gigs. Although the Bangles did not have a set lead vocalist, and the girls alternated on singing, Susanna was perceived by many casual fans to be the main vocalist. She also received by far the most media attention, which led to tensions within the band. The Bangles released their very successful third album Everything in 1988, with their biggest selling single "Eternal Flame." But the breakup was inevitable, and they disbanded in 1989.

Solo career and personal life

Susanna released a solo album When You're a Boy in 1991, which didn't sell very well (although it did spawn a US Top 40 hit with "My Side of the Bed"). In 1993, she married Jay Roach, later the director of the Austin Powers movies and Meet the Parents and producer of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. They have two sons, born in 1995 and 1998.

In 1996, Susanna released her second solo album Susanna Hoffs, this time with more personal lyrics and a more mature sound. Although it received some praise in the press (and yielded a minor US hit with the single "All I Want"), it didn't sell well either. Susanna also recorded another album during 1993/1994, prior to leaving Columbia records. So far it remains unreleased, though substandard bootleg copies have been circulating for years. Susanna also records demos prolifically, and these also sometimes surface on the internet. The best known of these is probably the song "Pride," which can be legally downloaded at Bill Bonk's website.

Hoffs appears in the first Austin Powers movie as a member of the fictitious 1960s rock group Ming Tea, fronted by the title character. In real-life, Ming Tea consisted of actor Mike Myers, Hoffs, Canadian musician/producer Christopher Ward, and singer Matthew Sweet. This group made a number of TV performances (with Myers in character as Powers) and had a minor hit with the song "BBC." Hoffs returned with the group in the second and third Austin Powers films.

Bangles reunion

In the late 1990s, Susanna started to contact the other members of the Bangles again. They recorded the single "Get the Girl" for the second Austin Powers movie in 1999. Playing together and enjoying themselves, they announced their decision to reunite in 2000. Their fourth album, called Doll Revolution, was released in 2003, followed by a tour.
Cover of Under the Covers, Vol. 1

Sid 'n' Susie

In 2006, Susanna teamed up with fellow Ming Tea rocker, Matthew Sweet, under the name Sid 'n' Susie to record 15 covers on an album appropriately called Under the Covers, Vol. 1. The Album was released in April of 2006 and they appeared on July 18th on Late Night with Conan O'Brien to promote the album and tour.

Holding My Breath
Susanna Hoffs Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Take a minute, a minute to breathe
Oh I’m trying to see what you see
You’re always running in place
Looking down

Heavy thoughts can always recede
But you’re stuck inside reprise
And the truth is right there, but you’re looking past

Think it isn’t fair but don’t think so fast

Come to me
I know we’re losing time
Let me take the weight from your mind
Come to me
I know you’re bruised
And it’s harder all the time to do your best
I keep holding my breath

I’m trying to be what you need
You only hear your own voice
Caught in the sound
Open up to me and we’ll turn it around

Come to me
I know you’re bruised
And it’s harder all the time to do your best
I keep holding my breath
Come to me
I know we’re losing time
Let me take the weight from your mind

You always say it’s raining
Don’t let it chill you to the bone
And if it’s cold out there
Come on inside and make my house your home

Come to me
I know we’re losing time
Let me take the weight from your mind
Come to me
I know you’re bruised
And it’s harder all the time to do your best
I keep holding my breath

I keep holding my breath
I keep holding my breath

Overall Meaning

At the beginning of Susanna Hoffs's song "Holding My Breath", the singer encourages the person she's addressing to take a moment and pause, to take in their surroundings and consider what's happening around them. She then challenges this person to look up from their routine and daily grind, to acknowledge what is happening outside of themselves. She notes that while it's easy to get stuck in your own way of thinking, that these heavy thoughts can be overcome with a fresh perspective.

The chorus of "Come to me, I know we're losing time" is a plea for the person not to waste time, but to reach out to her and for both of them to work together to overcome the obstacles they are facing. It's a message of empowerment and support, assuring the person she is addressing that they don't have to face their troubles alone. She recognizes that life can be difficult and that good intentions don't always result in the best outcomes, but that in this moment, things can be different if they choose to connect with her.

As the song progresses, Hoffs offers further reassurances of safety and comfort in the lines "And if it's cold out there, come on inside and make my house your home." The final line of the song, "I keep holding my breath," implies a sense of anxiety and anticipation mixed with hope and expectation for the person to come to her.

Line by Line Meaning

Take a minute, a minute to breathe
Pause and take a breath to calm down

Oh I’m trying to see what you see
I'm trying to understand your point of view

You’re always running in place
You're stuck and not making progress

Looking down
Feeling down about yourself

Heavy thoughts can always recede
It's possible to lessen the heavy burden of your thoughts

But you’re stuck inside reprise
But you keep repeating the same negative pattern

And the truth is right there, but you’re looking past
The solution is within reach, but you're ignoring it

Think it isn’t fair but don’t think so fast
Don't jump to conclusions and assume things aren't fair

Come to me
Reach out to me for help

I know we’re losing time
We're running out of time to solve this issue

Let me take the weight from your mind
Let me help you deal with your problems