“Humming” by Portishead
The lyrics of Portishead’s “Humming” are very indirect. For instance, there is no setting defined. Also, it is never specified what type of relationship the vocalist has with the addressee. So obviously, some imagination is required on part of listeners.
And as usual, one of the easiest ways to try to understand what’s going down her is by putting the lyrics in a romantic context. For example, in the first verse, when the vocalist tells the addressee to “give me all that you have”, that can be taken as entreating him to open up to her love. Also, the word “naked” is utilized later down the line, even though perhaps not particularly in that sorta way. And usually, when a singer goes about alluding to a relationship feeling “so wrong”, they are referring to a sensation like forbidden love.
So taking all of the above into consideration, it reads as if maybe the vocalist has been fighting the temptation to sleep with the addressee. But now it’s “too late”, as “the show has begun”, and there’s no turning back.
But again, that’s just a way of making sense out of all that’s being put forth – also taking into consideration the singer’s vocal delivery and music video’s imagery. The lyrics are very terse, open-ended and as such have been interpreted in a number of colorful ways. And “Humming” definitely isn’t the type of song where what’s being put forth is cut-and-dried. For instance, the title itself is nowhere to be found in the lyrics.
Portishead
Portishead is a band from Bristol, England that has been around since the early-1990s. To date they’ve only dropped three studio albums. However, they seem to be well-established in the music industry, especially in the UK.
“Humming”
“Humming” was released, courtesy Go! Discs and London Records, as part of the band’s second studio LP, itself titled “Portishead”, on 16 September 1997.
The core members of Portishead since the band’s early days have been the below:
- guitarist George Barrow
- vocalist Beth Gibbons
- drummer Adrian Utley
It is those three individuals who are credited with writing this song, as well as being collectively acknowledged as the track’s producer.
The “Portishead” Album
This is a self-titled second studio album, released by English electronic group Portishead. The project’s issuance date was on September 16 of 1997. This album, which is mainly of the trip hop genre, was officially launched by two British record companies, London Recordings and Go! Discs.
The group issued three singles from this record. And the first single, “Mine”, was issued a few days before the official release of the album. It was released on September 8. The second single, “Over”, was also issued the same year, on November 10.
On March 2 of 1998 the band officially released “Only You” as the album’s final single.
“Portishead” performed well on the charts in various regions. It peaked at number one on the official albums chart in New Zealand and ranked at number two on the main albums chart in the United Kingdom.
In the US, this record reached number twenty-one on the Billboard 200. It performed even better in countries mentioned below. In these countries, it ranked within the top 10.
- Australia
- France
- Greece
- Canada
- Sweden
- Canada
- Denmark
- Germany
- Portugal
- Norway
“Portishead” has been awarded Platinum certifications by official trade associations in multiple regions including the UK and New Zealand.
Furthermore, this project has appeared on various publications’ list of top albums. For instance, American music magazine, Spin ranked this record at number six on their “Top 20 Albums of the Year” for 1997.
