Speak For Yourself
Imogen heap
2005
With a subtle momentum from her work in the duo, Frou Frou, the British ingenue develops an authentic, unique sound that garnered a cult following– transforming her into an influential figure in today’s scenes of the alternative.
Ethereal Wave/Trip Hop/Mall Rock
BY DA’SHAN “NIGHTSHAWN101” SMITH
MARCH 17, 2024
Imogen Heap’s voice had been the defining moment for her group Frou Frou when they released their album, Details . An album full of lush, well… Details , it explored the intricacies of love that soundtracked some of the early aughts romcoms. But with only one full studio album release, Frou Frou stopped making music together.
In 2005, the British native found herself releasing her sophomore studio album, Speak For Yourself , which became the breakout moment of her solo career. Her first album, 1998’s I Megaphone explored the genre of mall rock with aggressive production. What Speak For Yourself did was meld the trip hop world of Details with that sound, with an electronica presence controlling the sequencing and influencing the music choices.
Speak For Yourself starts out with distant “ooo” adlibs in the background that are accompanied by clinking alerts on “Headlock.” As the opening track, “Headlock” starts out a conceptual album that focuses on the tension experienced in a romantic partnership. In the hook, Heap practically yodels in what is now perceived as “cursive singing” according to today’s music critics (think the dialect exhibited by the likes of SZA). There’s a royal sharpness when Heap repeats what her antagonist says “You say too late to start got your heart in a headlock,” before she herself rebuttals in low register “I don’t believe any of it.”
“Headlock” contains a bridge that channels her falsetto— something that Heap accesses throughout Speak For Yourself . The beginning lyrics— “you been walking, you’ve been hiding”— foreshadows two later moments on the album. “Hide and Seek” is done with a vocoder in a stacked perfection, as it is a slowly building dramatic song. It’s that song that goes “mmm watcha say” — you know, that one line Jason DeRulo sampled in his debut hit that went No. 1 in 2008 and took over pop radio, MySpace, and YouTube. There is a drawn out reverb effect when Heap sings “appears on waaaallllsss” as if she is a defeated robot machine. And by the time “Hide and Seek” finishes its climax, her voice sounds as if it is crying— with her somberly running out of steam with “you don’t care a bit.”
The other song that is foreshadowed in “Hide and Seek” is “The Walk.” It’s in the vein of what The Veronicas would eventually do on “Untouched.” “The Walk” has an angsty anime flare with a thundering synth beat pacing throughout the track. While Heap shouts “I feel a weakness coming on” in the fashion of mall rock. An electric guitar and the sound of a speeding car in a chase fuels the bridge. In the beginning verse of “The Walk” she states “Cause you and I were never meant to be,” while in the second she suggests “I think you’d better leave.” Again she’s crying out in agony through her adlibs, with a Bruce Hornsby style piano melody aiding the confusion.
“Loose Ends” plays on that combination of anime meeting mall rock. It’s informed by an electric guitar shredding, while in the refrain she brings about her signature “dum, di-di-di-da-da-da-dum,” as her vocals become their own instrument adding to the corrupted symphony. “Clear The Area” incorporates a spinning of that ad-lib bringing it to the background. The song pushes forward like quintessential British pop, matching what had been accomplished on “Maddening Shroud” from Frou Frou’s Details . While, “Daylight Robbery,” screws with the electronica present on Madonna’s 1998 opus, Ray of Light .
Imogen Heap is the headmaster of the “neoclassical dark wave” movement happening in 2000’s music. It’s a genre that exists of gothic avant punk, atmospheric production and primarily soprano vocals. The main influence had been a classical music training— knowing how to play the piano or the incorporation of lush strings— but elevating that sound with a sonic commentary of technology progressing the future. In the ‘80s, the Cocteau Twins and Elizabeth Fraser were known to make their sound of dream pop a bit more dark.
The gothic presence can be felt on the eerie “Have You Got It In You?” with a repeated synth loop of a horror flick period piece and the tinkering of a harp. “There’s one love remaining,” she sings the final word of the line in broken syllables as a means to tie into the story of feuding lovers. But in metaphorical context, “Have You Got It In You?” could truly work as a commentary on the progress of her solo career— sort of like what Gwen Stefani does on her 2004 anthem, “What You Waiting For?” Heap herself had been underrated when it came to sales, but adored in a cult following of experimental music lovers. Did she really have it in her to continue her journey of making music?
The highlights and the most Imogen Heap-esque moments of Speak For Yourself happen at the key moments of the track sequencing for the sake of telling a story. “Goodnight and Go” saddles up country and western music with the help of a xylophone and British cathedral bells. “Why you have to be so cute, it’s impossible to ignore you” she yodels. As a fan favorite by those going on sites such as AOL Music to stumble upon the experimental maven, “Goodnight and Go” would eventually be covered by Ariana Grande for 2018’s sweetener .
“Just For Now” would also be covered by Grande- by for a cover on YouTube prior to the release of her debut album in 2013. “Just For Now” became a favorite amongst SoundCloud rappers— most notably Clams Casino who’d remix the adlibs and the sniffing portion in 2009. Lil B rapped over it and eventually in 2020 the instrumental would be sent to streaming services.
“Just For Now” is a funny, witty storytelling moment where a family argument happens at a holiday dinner and the dinner suddenly catches on fire (“I think something is burning/now you ruined the whole thing/muffled the smoke alarm”). At the end Heap shouts “get me out of here!” as everything comes crashing down.
In the closing two tracks, “Closing In” a high speed chase resumes. Her soprano by this point has become more refined as she’s finally got her lover where she wants him. But in the finale, “The Moment I Said It,” an argument breaks out, where he decides to go drunk driving. A man can be heard yelling “I’m fine” as she goes on to sing “I got a bad feeling” and “I’m losing you.” It’s the moment that primetime soaps like ‘ER,’ ‘How To Get Away With Murder,’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ would crave.
Read More Imogen Heap
Related Tangents
By the end of 2007, Speak For Yourself would chart at No. 2 on Billboard’s year-end Dance/Electronica Albums chart. She’d been nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammys and appeared on the soundtrack of ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.’ Most importantly, she inspired a new generation of millennial artists that would soon be delivering their own takes on what they experienced from her unique mastery of sound.
“Headlock” for being a great start of the atmospheric feel present throughout the album.
“Just For Now” for being one of the best songs ever released in history thanks to its falsetto and the superb storytelling.
“Loose Ends” for the intense instrumental, and being a nostalgic feel of rock music from alternative female artists.
“The Walk” for its shifting of moods and the bridge that adds to the dramatic build.
“Closing In” for the vocal performance in the bridge and the lead up of a speeding car that ties into a conceptual story.
Key Tracks
Speak For Yourself is a refreshing and inspirational listen that birthed a new generation of alternative music. Its sharpest moments happen when certain melodies are emphasized and informed. It’s one thing to know how to craft music, but it’s another to go into that specific work and start breaking down key aspects to tell the story at large. This will forever be one of the most important albums released.