Missy Higgins

On the way home from Joey's in Bellevue with Kim (we went out to get "Mormon drunk" for St. Patty's Day, AKA virgin drinks and dessert until we were stuffed), Missy Higgins played on the 10-disc changer in the car (I like the Jeep), and I decided I'd blog about her tonight because I was identifying with one of her songs particularly. I mentioned her in a previous post when I'd gone to one of her concerts (I've been to four so far).

I love her. She's the most adorable Australian female singer/songwriter ever. OK, her and Sia. I like her somewhat raw quality and lyrics that can be playful and thoughtful at the same time, and the relatively simple, non-flashy arrangements. Of course, she also hooked me with her between-song banter. I've included a video of an interview to show a bit of her personality.



In Steer, she sings about self-discovery and taking the reins in your life, making your own decisions actively instead of passively letting others call the shots:

Feel it falling off like clothing
Taste it rolling on your tongue
See the lights above you glowing
Oh and breathe them deep into your lungs

It was always simple
Not hidden hard
You've been pulling at the strings
Playing puppeteer for kings
And you've had enough

But the search ends here
Where the night is totally clear
And your heart is fierce
So now you finally know
That you control where you go..you can Steer

So hold this feeling like a newborn
Oh and freedom surging through your veins
You have opened up a new door
So bring on the wind, fire and rain

[...]
Get out of the box
And step into the clear
So now you finally know you can steer

When I heard her perform Secret last Fall, I grinned the whole time, shaking my head in bemusement that I was identifying to an extent with the lyrics:

You were from the North, I was from the South
We were from opposite places, different towns
But I knew it was good and you knew it was too.
So we moved together like a ball and chain
Mind becoming two halves of the same
It was real, but in the shadows it grew.

'Cause you’ve got a secret don’t ya babe?
Yeah you, you got a secret don’t ya babe?
And I should know
Yeah I should know

One of my faves of hers is The Sound of White, which mentions a freeze-dried rose as a metaphor for the memory of a lost loved one, in this case her cousin who passed away. She had a tough time dealing with losing him, and one day at her Catholic school, she went to the chapel she usually avoided and knelt in front of a statue of Mary. And though she, like most of the students, leaned agnostic, she said she was sure she felt hands on her head, which she interpreted as her cousin letting her know it was OK.




The Wrong Girl is really evocative and a great example of her somewhat cryptic but effectively emotive lyricism:

So the flood gates open but nothing comes out
I’m feeling no relief in my head, just doubt
But my heart keeps telling me ‘hold your ground
You’ll never learn a thing if you bail out now’

And I’m lonely again tonight
I can feel it like a knot in my side
They keep saying this is part of the ride
But I’m not getting stronger.

Yet hold me against the light
Do you see any bullet inside?
Wouldn’t find one if you magnified
Because you’ve got the wrong girl

Had my fingers around the back of your chair
You’d never missed a thing but you missed me there
And I just kept thinking ‘Am I prepared
To pull it out from under your trusting stare?’

Now the house is quiet as a hollow head
And I’m walking round bumping into things you said
This has not been as easy as I thought it would
I’d be cooling down the fire if I thought I could.

And I’m lonely again tonight
I can feel it like a knot in my side
They keep saying this is part of the ride
But I’m not getting stronger.

Yet hold me against the light
Do you see any bullet inside?
Wouldn’t find it if you magnified
Because you’ve got the wrong girl

And the flood gates open but nothing comes out

And just for fun, The Cactus That Found The Beat:



Another oldie but goody: