In 2019, she broke the Australian record for the most weeks at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart by any artist with 16 weeks. By mid-January 2020, "Dance Monkey" had spent its 24th and final week at number one, beating Bing Crosby's all-time Australian record for his version of "White Christmas", which spent 22 weeks at the top in 1943.
"Dance Monkey" was accredited 16× platinum by ARIA for shipments of over 1,120,000 units, by mid-2021. Tones was the most awarded artist at the ARIA Music Awards of 2019, winning four of eight nominations. Tones and I released her debut extended play, The Kids Are Coming, on 30 August 2019, which peaked at number three in Australia, and top 10 in several countries. Her debut album, Welcome to the Madhouse, was released via Bad Batch on 16 July 2021. It debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album's lead single "Fly Away" peaked at number four in Australia and number 11 in the UK.
Toni Watson grew up in Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula to the south of Melbourne, in the Australian state of Victoria. Conflicting reports state she was born either in 1993 or in 2000. The artist prefers not to disclose her birth details, "I never denied my age. I never lied about it. I just don't say anything now... Everything is wrong online."
She explained choosing a music career: "One day I was at the park with my family, all my cousins and stuff, in Frankston... We were all just singing a song and my aunty was like 'oh guys, she can actually hold a note.' I think that's the earliest memory of someone actually pointing me out as someone that has an ability to sing. I was probably like 7 years old." The singer-songwriter had learned to play keyboards and drum pads while at secondary school.She started busking in Melbourne, while working in fashion retail at the Universal Store.
In 2009, as Toni Watson, she created a YouTube page and posted a cappella cover versions of songs. She performed local gigs and festivals, including the Let Go festival. Tones was the vocalist for a duo in 2014, and remembered: "I started out singing in small pubs and bars in Mornington, I was singing along to a guitarist until I ended up branching out on my own." She explained her shift to a solo career: "I actually got made redundant from my retail job and with that money I bought an RC300 (loop station) and just started to try to figure it all out." She busked "up and down the east coast with her synthesizers and loop pedal, she has been building a loyal fanbase and captivating crowds with her genre-diverse style."
In September 2017, the singer-songwriter travelled to Byron Bay in the Australian state of New South Wales to try busking there. At an early performance, she met Jackson Walkden-Brown who became her manager about a month later. Her busking success led to a greater commitment to a music career. The artist spent 2018 living between Walkden-Brown's home in the Gold Coast hinterland and in her van in Byron Bay, writing music and busking full-time. Later that year she won the Battle of the Buskers at Buskers by the Creek.
Jimmy
Tones And I Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To escape from all the fighting
He was always told that he wasn't right
So he just kept on writing
Writing to a dad that he wished he'd had
That he didn't know he needed, he said
"We should run away, but today we'll stay"
And I haven't seen him since that day, now I got
Jimmy on my mind, felt like yesterday
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
Jimmy, he got tired, so he couldn't stay
Now I don't see him anymore, anymore
Nah, nah, no, no
I don't see him anymore
Nah, nah, nah, ah
Jimmy would come over after school sometimes
And we'd dance around the garden
He would never talk, but when he would try
It would never come out right and
One day he had to go when his mum called him home
And he looked at me and smiled and he said
"We should run away, but today we'll stay"
And I haven't seen him since that day, now I got
Jimmy on my mind, felt like yesterday
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
Jimmy, he got tired so he couldn't stay
Now I don't see him anymore, now I got
Jimmy on my mind, feels like yesterday
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
Jimmy, he got tired, but he couldn't stay
Now I don't see him anymore, anymore
Nah, nah, no, no
I don't see him anymore
Nah, nah, nah, ah
And I pictured you back in the day when we were nine
We said that someday we would leave this all behind
And I pictured you back in the day when we were nine
We said that someday we would leave this all behind
Now I got
Jimmy on my mind, felt like yesterday (oh, oh, oh lord)
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
Jimmy, he got tired, so he couldn't stay
Now I don't see him anymore, now I got
Jimmy on my mind, feels like yesterday
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
Jimmy, he got tired, but he couldn't stay
Now I don't see him anymore, anymore
Nah, nah, no, no
I don't see him anymore
Nah, nah, nah, nah, ah
I don't see him anymore
Nah, nah, nah, ah
I don't see him anymore
Nah, nah, nah, mmh
The song "Jimmy" by Tones and I tells the story of a boy who is struggling to escape from the chaos and violence of his surroundings. Jimmy is used to running through the streets at night to escape from the fighting, and he feels that he isn't accepted by those around him. In response, he writes letters to a father figure who he longs for but doesn't have, and he dreams of running away to escape his troubled life. However, he never manages to leave, and the singer hasn't seen him since that day.
The lyrics are imbued with a sense of nostalgia, as the singer reflects on the past and remembers the times she spent with Jimmy. She recalls dancing around the garden with him, and how he would never talk much but would always try to express himself. The memories of their time together evoke a sense of longing for a happier time, when life seemed simpler and more innocent.
Overall, the song is a poignant tribute to a lost friend, and a reminder of the struggles that many young people face in difficult and challenging circumstances. It is a heartfelt and moving testament to the power of friendship and the importance of holding onto hope in the face of adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
Jimmy used to run through the streets at night
Jimmy used to escape from the fighting going on by running through the streets at night
To escape from all the fighting
Jimmy used to run to get away from physical altercations
He was always told that he wasn't right
Jimmy was always criticized by others and told he wasn't normal
So he just kept on writing
Jimmy coped with his feelings by writing about them
Writing to a dad that he wished he'd had
Jimmy wrote letters to a father figure he wished he had in his life
That he didn't know he needed, he said
Jimmy didn't know he needed a father figure until he began to write about it
"We should run away, but today we'll stay"
Jimmy talked about running away from his problems with his friend, but they decided to stay that day
And I haven't seen him since that day, now I got
After that day, Jimmy disappeared and the singer has been thinking about him since
Jimmy on my mind, felt like yesterday
The singer still thinks about Jimmy and their memories together, which feel like they happened just yesterday
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
The singer can't see Jimmy anymore and doesn't know what happened to him
Jimmy, he got tired, so he couldn't stay
Jimmy got tired of his situation and decided he couldn't continue to stay in it
Nah, nah, no, no
These sounds don't have a specific meaning but act as a refrain throughout the song
Jimmy would come over after school sometimes
Jimmy used to come over to the singer's house after school occasionally
And we'd dance around the garden
The singer and Jimmy used to dance together in the garden
He would never talk, but when he would try
Jimmy was very quiet and didn't talk much, but would try
It would never come out right
When Jimmy did try to talk, it wouldn't always come out correctly
And one day he had to go when his mum called him home
One day Jimmy had to leave when his mother called him back home
And he looked at me and smiled and he said
Before leaving, Jimmy smiled at the singer and said something
"We should run away, but today we'll stay"
Jimmy and the singer talked about running away again, but decided to stay that day
And I pictured you back in the day when we were nine
The singer recalls a memory of Jimmy when they were both just nine years old
We said that someday we would leave this all behind
In that memory, Jimmy and the singer talked about leaving their problems behind someday
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Toni Watson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@SomeRedDame
This is such an underrated song and one of the kindest, most considerate ways to describe losing someone to suicide.
"Jimmy, he got tired so he couldn't stay"
It's not blaming Jimmy for losing the fight, it's not centering the bereaved by asking "why did you do this?!" or any variant of that, it just understands that Jimmy was a little boy who fought his whole life, whether he wanted to or not, the fight was always put on him to endure and endure and endure, and he clearly fought with his whole heart, even aspiring to dream of running away and making a world of his own away from that pain and shame. He confided in his friend but didn't have the words to spell out just how he needed help, because how could someone in the thick of it know all the names or terminology for what they're going through? Let alone a CHILD.
Jimmy fought and ran as fast as he could and tried to dance his cares away.
But one day he just got too tired and the circumstances that bore down on him, that crushed his heart and soul finally became too overwhelming and he couldn't stay. He tried. He fought. He wrote. He danced. He dreamed.
He did literally all he could with what he had, but it just wasn't enough, and he. got. tired.
That's all people are when they reach the end. They are tired. And they fight til the very last of their body and mind gives out on them.
They are not to blame for losing the fight. They did all they could with what little they could see they had.
They need more, tho. They need support. They need resources. They need guidance and understanding. They need someone outside their own head to recognize what is going on, to tell them it has a name, and to fight alongside them, giving them the tools they need to recognize it at every turn, to identify it, and to know how to begin to combat it efficiently.
No one can nor should have to figure all that out on their own. We HAVE to reach out. We have to also understand when we reach out, once isn't enough. It's an ongoing effort.
Jimmy gave his all til there was nothing left.
Thank you so much Toni for making this song and showing you understand.
@XGibsonOwnerX
My friend sent me this song
My name is Jimmy and I run away from home often because of fighting parents.
She said that all my problems I've told her and multible things are summerized in this song (parts of them) And she says this song is 100% on the spot me.
In other words, This song is scary cause it hits me so scarily hard and that my name is actually Jimmy.
I'm gonna go see my friend and cry on her shoulder now
@gabrielaalejandramaganariv5086
Jimmy used to run through the streets at night
To escape from all the fighting
He was always told that he wasn't right
So he just kept on writing
Writing to a dad that he wished he'd had
That he didn't know he needed, he said
"We should run away, but today we'll stay"
And I haven't seen him since that day, now I got
Jimmy on my mind, felt like yesterday
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
Jimmy, he got tired, so he couldn't stay
Now I don't see him anymore, anymore
Nah, nah, no, no
I don't see him anymore
Nah, nah, nah, ah
Jimmy would come over after school sometimes
And we'd dance around the garden
He would never talk, but when he would try
It would never come out right and
One day he had to go when his mum called him home
And he looked at me and smiled and he said
"We should run away, but today we'll stay"
And I haven't seen him since that day, now I got
Jimmy on my mind, felt like yesterday
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
Jimmy, he got tired so he couldn't stay
Now I don't see him anymore, now I got
Jimmy on my mind, feels like yesterday
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
Jimmy, he got tired, but he couldn't stay
Now I don't see him anymore, anymore
Nah, nah, no, no
I don't see him anymore
Nah, nah, nah, ah
And I pictured you back in the day when we were nine
We said that someday we would leave this all behind
And I pictured you back in the day when we were nine
We said that someday we would leave this all behind
Now I got
Jimmy on my mind, felt like yesterday (oh, oh, oh lord)
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
Jimmy, he got tired, so he couldn't stay
Now I don't see him anymore, now I got
Jimmy on my mind, feels like yesterday
But I don't see him anymore, anymore
Jimmy, he got tired, but he couldn't stay
Now I don't see him anymore, anymore
Nah, nah, no, no
I don't see him anymore
Nah, nah, nah, nah, ah
I don't see him anymore
Nah, nah, nah, ah
I don't see him anymore
Nah, nah, nah, mmh
@johndala4766
When you find tones and I , you never leave
@joanblagdon5402
Her music has saved me
@johndala4766
joan blagdon that’s good , something about her music just soothes the soul
@joanblagdon5402
@@johndala4766 I have been in a very bad place very bad and she pulled me through .. gutted I missed out on her concert in Manchester as I would have loved to see her live .. hopefully she comes back and I wont miss her .
@joanblagdon5402
@@johndala4766 she has made me fall in love with music again after many years of mundane rubbish. Mind u it's only her music . Next time we have a good storm I will go and dance in the rain like I use too.
@brisu9853
omg it's true ._.
@williamdarcy3683
The more I listen to your music and the lyrics, the more I realize that your 18 years on this earth have not been kind to you. Your art reflects a tortured soul at times, which I think gives birth to the power of your voice. I hope you find peace as time moves you through life.
@shelly7324
what you said is really beautiful.
@nightcore6366
Wow.
@petercohen3966
@@davidmancillas693 Have you got a source for that? Her EP lists her as the composer for ALL her songs... including this one.