I Megaphone
I Megaphone[a] is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Imogen Heap. It was released on 16 June 1998 by Almo Sounds. The album was primarily written by Heap, starting when she was 15 years old, with co-writing from Guy Sigsworth and Fil Eisler. It was first produced and recorded solely by Heap and Dave Stewart, and it was subsequently re-recorded alongside producers David Kahne and Guy Sigsworth. It is an alternative rock record with largely confessional lyricism, addressing themes ranging from adolescent drug use and revenge to perseverance and religion. The album's title is an anagram of "Imogen Heap".
I Megaphone
16 June 1998
1997
- RAK Studios (London)
- Quad Studios (New York)
- Chapel Studios (Los Angeles)
- The Barn (Philadelphia)
48:42
- Imogen Heap
- David Kahne
- Dave Stewart
- Guy Sigsworth
The album spawned several singles, including "Getting Scared", which was featured on the soundtrack of the horror film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, "Shine", "Come Here Boy", and "Oh Me, Oh My". Some critics dismissed the record upon its release as derivative of the work of fellow singer-songwriters such as Tori Amos and Alanis Morissette, while others praised the album for Heap's vocal performance and piano playing. Almo did little to promote the album, causing it to be a commercial failure, and the label shut down before Heap was able to release a second album.
Development and release[edit]
The writing of I Megaphone started with "Come Here Boy" when Heap was 15 years old.[1] Parts of the album were recorded in the United States and Jamaica.[2] Heap originally recorded the album solely with Dave Stewart of British pop duo Eurythmics and re-recorded the album six months later alongside David Kahne and Guy Sigsworth (the latter of whom she would later form Frou Frou with)[3] after realizing, according to her, that it was "over-done" and that there was "too much going on".[4] The title of I Megaphone is an anagram of Heap's name.[3]
The album's lead single, "Getting Scared", was released in 1997, and appeared on the soundtracks for the 1998 horror film I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and for the 1999 comedy film Women Talking Dirty.[5][6] "Come Here Boy", the third single, was released in 1998, and appeared in the 1999 film Virtual Sexuality.[7]
Composition[edit]
I Megaphone is an alternative rock album.[8] Of the album, Heap stated, "Everything I’ve been through since I was a kid had to be confronted in these songs."[4]
The album's opener, "Getting Scared", is a "vengeful"[9] track described by Gil Kaufman of MTV as "A spare, creepy tune anchored by a thudding drum-machine beat, chaotic piano and blasts of industrial noise". It was written by Heap about a "revenge fantasy" about a former roommate and friend who betrayed her trust by telling people one of Heap's intimate secrets about her childhood trauma that, according to her, "turned out to be real".[1] "Sweet Religion" is a song about Heap deifying a former lover, while "Oh Me, Oh My" is a song about Heap's attempts to look for God on which she "wails soulfully".[4][10]
"Shine" is written about perseverance and self-preservation and incorporates elements of trip hop in its production.[1][10] "Whatever" is addressed to an ex-lover of Heap's.[10] "Angry Angel" is an "aggressive"[11] song about Heap's own experimentation with recreational drug use from a young age which features "saw-edged" guitar riffs,[10] while the instrumentation of "Candlelight" is built around an old family piano in Heap's father's house.[10][4] "Come Here Boy" is a "sensual"[11] piano ballad written when Heap was 15 years old about a 40-year-old man with whom she was in a relationship at the time.[4] "Rake It In" is written as a screed against record companies; "Useless" was described by The Irish Times as "tragic".[9] Heap stated that "Sleep", the album's closer, was her favorite track from the album. "Sleep" is a "spare" song featuring piano and violin, written about "the split second when you wake up and everything is absolutely perfect, and then, you remember what you have to do and nothing is quite the same after that."[1]
Notes
Sample credits