Tim Rogers formed the first version of the band in Sydney, Australia, with his school friend Nick Tischler and his older brother Jaimme in December 1989. This initial line-up was short lived and by the end of 1990 both Nick and Jaimme had left the band. They were replaced by the group's one-time sound mixer Andy Kent on bass and Mark Tunaley on drums.
The band released several EPs and singles in the early 90s, though the real breakthrough came when Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth caught the band performing at 1993's Big Day Out festival and was impressed enough to produce their fourth EP, Coprolalia, and later the debut album, Sound as Ever, which went on to win the 1993 ARIA Award for Best Alternative Release.
After the release of their first album, Mark and the band parted company. He was replaced by the charismatic Russell Hopkinson (formerly of Nursery Crimes) creating the core line-up to this day. Since then, the band has been augmented by Davey Lane of The Pictures on guitar.
You Am I had toured the US extensively during the mid 90s, including playing with Soundgarden on the Lollapalooza festival, Red Kross, The Strokes and Smoking Popes to name a few. Despite little success overseas, the band became well known throughout Australia for their Pete Townshend-esque guitar windmills and their upbeat "ponce and thuggery" take on Rock 'n' Roll.
Further success came with the albums Hi Fi Way and Hourly Daily, with both picking up ARIA Awards. Hourly Daily was the first album released on the Shock label to go to number one in the ARIA charts upon launch. For many, the suburban inspired, 60s bop and folky 12 string melodies were a welcome departure from ever pervasive 70s rock sounds, or even grunge rock.
Subtle country influences became apparent on their 1998 Number 4 Record, which included the poignant Heavy Heart. A heart wrenching, almost karaoke inspired ballad about being 'dropped' by your girlfriend. Evidently each subsequent album has had a few countryish twang which have polarised some fans, who idolise the band's earlier warts and all rock beginnings.
1999 saw frontman Tim Rogers release his first solo album What Rhymes With Cars And Girls, followed up in 2004 by the record Spit Polish. In 2005 he released the critically acclaimed double-LP 'Ghost Songs' and 'Dirty Ron'.
After an album absence prolonged by touring and record label interference, Dress Me Slowly was released April 2001. Arguably containing some of the bands' best work including Damage and Kick a Hole in the Sky there were also some stellar b-Sides on the commercial singles that accompanied the album. These include a song called Older Guys which is track 2 on the Get Up single. Older Guys was one of the stand out songs on Gram Parsons' group The Flying Burrito Brothers album Burrito Deluxe and although the You Am I b-side is an original, Rogers is recognised as a keen student of music history and some connection can be assumed.
Dress Me Slowly was second guitarist, Davey Lane's first bona fide appearance on a studio record. Lane had come to the band's attention from his own work with The Pictures and transcribing, with almost scary accuracy, the band's guitar tabs on the You Am I web site. The band's last collective studio effort was Deliverance in 2002.
The likes of Nic Cester of Jet have mentioned that You Am I, at the very least, reminded them that you don't have to be American to be a successful rock band. Iconic references to Australian everyday suburban life remain a constant theme of Roger's material. The Vines also credit You Am I as a major influence and Silverchair take their name, in part, from You Am I's song Berlin Chair.
Their seventh album "Convicts" was released in May 2006. An about face on the previous two albums, Convicts rocks hard all of the way through with much more straight forward production and higher energy that makes you jump.
Their eighth album "Dilettantes" was released in September 2008.
Heavy Heart
You Am I Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm thinner than I should be
I'm like a waterlogged ball
That no-one wants to kick around anymore
An all day morning hair-do
That no comb can get through
It's all granola and beer
A calling card and a silk cut souvenir
And there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep
The morning's when it starts
I don't look so sharp
Now I got a heavy heart
I talk a lot about football
And girls I kissed in grade four
I piss off my friends
I'm digging a hole just staring at the floor
Now every t-shirt's got a wine stain
I'm loving cigarettes again
I know every tune about guys and girls
And hurts and hearts and moans
I miss you like sleep
And there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep
The morning's when it starts
I don't look so good
Now I've got a heavy heart
It's just a low rent paying, palpitating pulp inside my shirt
But there's a weight that's sitting
So hard oh God it hurts
Oh God it hurts
Been watching so much TV
I'm thinner than I should be
I'm like a waterlogged ball
That no-one wants to kick around anymore
I miss you like sleep
And there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep
The morning when it starts
Oh my heavy heart
The song "Heavy Heart" by You Am I is a melancholic ballad about the aftermath of a breakup. The opening lines, "been watching so much TV, I'm thinner than I should be", sets the tone of listless apathy and unhealthy coping mechanisms of the singer. The waterlogged ball that no one wants to kick around anymore symbolizes the feeling of being unwanted and unimportant. The all-day morning hair-do and granola-and-beer diet suggest a lack of care for personal appearance and health. It's evident that the singer is struggling with moving on and fills the void with monotonous activities such as watching TV and smoking cigarettes.
The second verse delves deeper into the singer's struggles, as he talks about constantly reminiscing the past and alienating his friends with his self-pity. His stained t-shirts and newfound love for cigarettes are signs of his declining mental and physical health. However, despite his lack of self-care, the singer understands that he's not alone in his pain, as he recounts his knowledge of every song about heartbreaks.
The chorus repeats the line "I miss you like sleep" twice, which suggests the magnitude of the pain and a sense of incompleteness without the other person. The adjectives "nothing romantic about the hours I keep" and "I don't look so sharp" paint a picture of dark and lonely nights spent brooding over the past. The final line "now I've got a heavy heart" encapsulates the emotional weight that the singer has been carrying all along.
Interesting facts about "Heavy Heart":
Line by Line Meaning
Been watching so much TV
I spend too much time mindlessly watching television
I'm thinner than I should be
My lack of physical activity due to excessive TV-watching has caused weight loss
I'm like a waterlogged ball
I feel bogged down and unenthusiastic
That no-one wants to kick around anymore
I feel uninteresting and ignored
An all day morning hair-do
My hair is a mess and impossible to style
That no comb can get through
My tangled hair is unmanageable
It's all granola and beer
My diet consists of health food and alcohol
A calling card and a silk cut souvenir
I have nothing to offer but a business card and a used cigarette
I miss you like sleep
I long for you constantly, like the need for restful sleep
And there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep
The late night hours I spend thinking of you are not glamorous or exciting
The morning's when it starts
My feelings of longing for you begin in the morning
I don't look so sharp
My appearance is disheveled and unkempt
Now I got a heavy heart
I feel weighed down by my emotions and longing for you
I talk a lot about football
I try to make small talk by discussing superficial topics like sports
And girls I kissed in grade four
I reminisce about past romantic experiences that are not important anymore
I piss off my friends
I annoy my friends with my behavior and attitude
I'm digging a hole just staring at the floor
I feel stuck in my unproductive and unmotivated state
Now every t-shirt's got a wine stain
My careless behavior leaves me with stained clothing
I'm loving cigarettes again
I have resumed a bad habit and find comfort in it
I know every tune about guys and girls
I have memorized every cliche love song
And hurts and hearts and moans
I am familiar with the themes of heartbreak and longing
It's just a low rent paying, palpitating pulp inside my shirt
My heart feels empty and cheap, beating heavily inside me
But there's a weight that's sitting
I am weighed down by my emotions
So hard oh God it hurts
The pain of longing for you is overwhelming
Oh God it hurts
I am really struggling with my emotions
Oh my heavy heart
I feel burdened and weighed down by my emotions
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: TIM ADRIAN*TERM/W/RET* ROGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Surbhi
Been watching so much TV
I'm thinner than I should be
I'm like a waterlogged ball
That no-one wants to kick around anymore
An all day morning hair-do
That no comb can get through
It's all granola and beer
A calling card and a silk cut souvenir
I miss you like sleep
And there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep
The morning's when it starts
I don't look so sharp
Now I got a heavy heart
I talk a lot about football
And girls I kissed in grade four
I piss off my friends
I'm digging a hole just staring at the floor
Now every t-shirt's got a wine stain
I'm loving cigarettes again
I know every tune about guys and girls
And hurts and hearts and moans
I miss you like sleep
And there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep
The morning's when it starts
I don't look so good
Now I've got a heavy heart
It's just a low rent paying, palpitating pulp inside my shirt
But there's a weight that's sitting
So hard oh God it hurts
Oh God it hurts
Been watching so much TV
I'm thinner than I should be
I'm like a waterlogged ball
That no-one wants to kick around anymore
I miss you like sleep
And there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep
The morning when it starts
Oh my heavy heart
Sean Casserly
Lyrics
Been watching so much TV
I'm thinner than I should be
I'm like a waterlogged ball
That no-one wants to kick around anymore
An all day morning hair-do
That no comb can get through
It's all granola and beer
A calling card and a silk cut souvenir
I miss you like sleep
And there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep
The morning's when it starts
I don't look so sharp
Now I got a heavy heart
I talk a lot about football
And girls I kissed in grade four
I piss off my friends
I'm digging a hole just staring at the floor
Now every t-shirt's got a wine stain
I'm loving cigarettes again
I know every tune about guys and girls
And hurts and hearts and moans
I miss you like sleep
And there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep
The morning's when it starts
I don't look so good
Now I've got a heavy heart
It's just a low rent paying, palpitating pulp inside my shirt
But there's a weight that's sitting
So hard oh God it hurts
Oh God it hurts
Been watching so much TV
I'm thinner than I should be
I'm like a waterlogged ball
That no-one wants to kick around anymore
I miss you like sleep
And there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep
The morning when it starts
Oh my heavy heart
Source: LyricFind
Justin Campbell
One of the best songs Australia has ever produced
Diamond Dale
@halo hunter whatever that means
Diamond Dale
Lol 😂
chosen2kill1
@CCP-BOT69-420 oh and by the way moron whos wasting whos time here? You replied to my comment from two fricken years ago and im wasting your time? Get yah head read muppet queen.
chosen2kill1
@CCP-BOT69-420 grow a brain hob nob
CCP-BOT69-420
@chosen2kill1 You won't waste any more of my time than you already have, but you will waste much more of your own.
cs29
"...I miss you like sleep, and there's nothing romantic about the hours I keep..." Such fantastic lyrics.
chosen2kill1
Just crap everything else
LastSinnerSA
Tim Rogers - absolute bloody legend. Australia is way better for what you made, mate.
chosen2kill1
@Kate Gamble people reply? Its not like i give myself brain cancer and listen to it again