Diament set up his own UK record label in December 2004 called Paper and Glue releasing a series of limited edition Temposhark singles, the first of which was their critically acclaimed EP Neon Question Mark.
Temposhark quickly collaborated with singer Imogen Heap (Frou Frou), received club remixes from electro pioneers including Cursor Miner, Mark Moore (S'Express), Melnyk, Metronomy, Avril (FCommunications), Carmen Rizzo and Crispin J Glover as well as hip-hop crew Border Crossing, Masashi Naka (Escalator Records, Japan), Akira the Don and electropunk duo Noblesse Oblige. The band have also written two short film soundtracks for fine artist Justine Pearsall.
A second EP 'Invisible Ink/Little White Lie' came out in May 2005 which attracted many new admirers including acclaimed producer Guy Sigsworth, best known for his work with Madonna, Björk and Britney Spears. Sigsworth went on to produce Temposhark's first nationwide released UK single It's Better To Have Loved, which came out as a limited edition CD on December 12th 2005. All of these early Temposhark limited edition EPs came in deluxe packaging helping to create a buzz around the band in creative circles and with their fanbase. The band themselves were never pictured on the sleeves instead choosing striking original art images and stylish die-cut record sleeves.
In 2005, Diament said that his band name was thought up when he "woke up in the midst of a dream one night, at like 4am, and just said the word Temposhark. So it came from my subconscious I guess. Honestly it was that simple. I wanted a name that sounded strong. I liked the idea that music could be a weapon. Something powerful.."
In May 2006 Temposhark released their second nationwide single Joy on limited edition CD and 7” vinyl and the band set out on a UK tour visiting towns all over the UK. These dates included a very high profile London show at Tate Britain on Fri May 5th and Carling Academy Islington on Sat May 20th. Temposhark gained many new fans when Joy was featured on the front homepage of iTunes UK and in iTunes’ weekly newsletter.
In 2007, Temposhark toured the USA with their full band as well as completing their debut album, to be released in March 2008.
Temposhark's debut album The Invisible Line will be released in Spring 2008 in both UK and USA/Canada. It was produced and recorded in London by rising producer Sean McGhee with two tracks produced by Guy Sigsworth. The album includes the song Blame, which was co-written with legendary producer Youth aka Martin Glover from Killing Joke as well as a duet with Imogen Heap called Not That Big.
On March 15th 2007 at the South by Southwest 2007 festival, Temposhark announced on stage that their debut album was to be called The Invisible Line. Singer Robert Diament has said that the album title was inspired by controversial British artist Tracey Emin from passages in her books Exploration Of The Soul (1994) and Strangeland (2005).
A behind-the-scenes video of Temposhark recording at London's RAK Studios was released on YouTube.com on May 26th 2007. The video was synced up to the full album version of the Temposhark song Blame. This is thought to be the first preview of the newly recorded album version of the song.
In October 2007, Temposhark's song Blame, taken from their forthcoming album, was nominated in the Best International category at the Ontario Independent Music Awards which take place in Toronto, Canada on November 15th 2007. Due to the album being leaked ahead of its official March 2008 release, its now been made available on iTunes in Europe, Australia and Japan.
It's Better to Have Loved
Temposhark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I would've stayed to clear those final doubts
How suddenly the whole world can change overnight
How suddenly the whole world knows your name
And I find myself questioning all that I have done
And I'm trying to press the button to rewind
And I find myself whispering, "There's more I could have done."
Is it better to have loved, than not at all?
Is it better to have loved, than not at all?
I'm not the same; it feels like I'm missing out
The sky has drained, now I must live without
How suddenly the whole world can change overnight
How suddenly the whole world sings your name
And I find myself questioning all that I have done
And I'm trying to press the button to rewind
And I find myself whispering, "God, what have you done?"
And I wish I had the option to rewind
Is it better to have loved, than not at all? (x4)
I find myself thinking; I hope I can inspire
The subtleties you taught me to admire
I find myself thinking; I hope I can inspire
The subtleties you taught me to admire
Is it better to have loved, than not at all? (x4)
The lyrics to Temposhark's song "It's Better to Have Loved" explore the universal theme of regret and the question of whether it is better to have loved and lost, or to never have loved at all. The verses describe a sudden change in the singer's world, as someone they care about has seemingly achieved fame or success without them. The singer is left questioning their own choices and actions, wondering if they could have done more to help this person or to achieve their own goals.
The chorus asks the overarching question of whether it is better to have loved and experienced the pain of loss, or to avoid that pain altogether by never putting oneself out there. This is a classic dilemma in love and life in general, and the song offers no easy answers. The bridge adds a more positive note, with the singer hoping they can still make an impact in the world by inspiring others with the lessons they have learned from their experiences.
Overall, "It's Better to Have Loved" is a thoughtful and introspective song that invites listeners to reflect on their own past choices and consider how they might approach similar situations in the future.
Line by Line Meaning
You didn't wait for me to help you out
I wanted to assist you, but you didn't give me a chance
I would've stayed to clear those final doubts
I would've remained to solve those last uncertainties
How suddenly the whole world can change overnight
It's surprising how rapidly everything can transform in a single night
How suddenly the whole world knows your name
It's amazing how fast your name became known throughout the world
And I find myself questioning all that I have done
I'm doubting every action I took
And I'm trying to press the button to rewind
I wish I could go back in time and change my past decisions
And I find myself whispering, "There's more I could have done."
I'm saying to myself, I could have done more to help
And I wish I had the option to rewind
I wish I had the opportunity to undo what has already happened
Is it better to have loved, than not at all?
Is it preferable to have experienced love, even if it ends in heartache?
I'm not the same; it feels like I'm missing out
I've changed, and it seems like I'm deprived of something
The sky has drained, now I must live without
Everything seems colorless now that I have to live without what I had before
And I find myself whispering, "God, what have you done?"
I'm pensive, asking the higher power what they were thinking when certain events occurred
I find myself thinking; I hope I can inspire
I aspire to affect others positively and become a source of inspiration for them
The subtleties you taught me to admire
The subtle things you showed me to appreciate
Contributed by Alexis J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@syxxfreakinstyx
I absolutly love how fragile he sounds in this piece. It really brings more to the words than just the words by themselves.
@chamomile8170
Man this band really was lost to time 😩 Beautiful song.
@martianvampire
This song makes me so nostalgic. I listen to it about once a year because I keep forgetting about it but I keep getting every bad memory from years ago when I hear it. I can't get through 10 seconds of it without pretty much sobbing, I'm not even sure why.
@JJ-qs5ev
I haven’t listened to temposhark in literally 9 years omg I miss those times :\
@utahlover1995
wow! im at a lose for words,, he is a VERY talented singer and im sad that i just discovered him =/
@AmeBliss3
passion behind the voice
@jellabella100
its not much my type of msic... but that changed everything with the lyrics he puts in... simply amazing <3
@consteldermal2029
I love ALL of Temposharks songs😍 Have you listened to BYE BYE BABY? I like this song especially though🙍
@asteriusblack
damn i love this song . <3
@bartokclem
I'VE JUST LITERALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH THIS SONG *-* (Song, would you marry me ?)