Return to Sometimes (thing)

This is a track by Natalie Imbruglia released in 1997 as a B-side on the Torn singles. It was co-written by Imbruglia, Palombi, and Trevisik (the trio also wrote Impressed and Contradictions); produced by Matt Bronleewe (who also produced Impressed, Smoke, and Why).

Two Torn singles were released, both of which carried Torn and Sometimes as the first and second tracks. Torn CD1 (BMG Cat. #74321527982) featured Frightened Child as the third track. Torn CD2 (BMG Cat. #74321530822), on the other hand, had four tracks: Torn, Sometimes, Contradictions, and Diving in the Deep End. On both pressings the length of Sometimes is misprinted as 5m51s- two minutes longer than the actual length of the track.

The song itself is fairly up-tempo and the background consists of a synthetic percussion loop, some bass and guitar, vibraphone, and a nice horn section.

Isn't it like me
To want to say
Things I can't explain
In simple ways?

Why should I be sane?
Why can't I be crazy?

Sometimes I'm up
Sometimes I'm down
I choke on words, and make no sound
Sometimes

Sometimes I'm weak
Sometimes I'm strong
Living with the fear I don't belong
Sometimes

Why is it so hard
To know myself?
Underneath this skin you'll find
Someone else

Don't be so suprised
When you look inside me
(inside me)

Sometimes it's black
Sometimes it's white
You hide behind electric light
Sometimes

Sometimes I swear
Sometimes I pray
Suddenly the guilty disobey
Sometimes

Sometimes I'm weak
Sometimes I'm strong
Living with the fear I don't belong
Sometimes

{musical bridge, unintelligible half-lyrics}

Sometimes I stand
Sometimes I fall
I throw myself against the wall
Sometimes

Sometimes I sink
Sometimes I swim
Tell me why my world is caving in
Sometimes

Sometimes it's sweet
Sometimes it's raw
Gonna to get so high, like I did before
Sometimes

Sometimes it's love
Sometimes it's hate
Sometimes it's all a big mistake
Sometimes

This song is the first MP3 I ever acquired. For a while all I had in my Winamp playlist were Natalie Imbruglia tracks, then I figured out how to rip/encode my own and finally the Napsterbation began...
Of all the tracks associated with her first album this was, by far, my favorite. It's very different from the other tracks that had been released before it, having a much less pop and more rock or scratch bass feel to it.
This track got me looking through music stores to see if they had a copy of the single. This track got me onto eBay, bidding on singles ($70 for Big Mistake CD3!). This track was on repeat in my car for several months during the hour long weekly drive to see the girl I was dating at the time (and am, inexplicably, still dating, more or less).

This obsessive replaying wasn't unique to me, however. I know of at least two other members of the imbruglia.com IRC chat that listened to it at least as often as I did. One got to the point where merely saying the word "Sometimes" would ellicit a
* Tobakuki throws himself against the wall.
Yeah. We were hooked.

Then she didn't release much of anything for 3 years, we all grew a little older, and now we are primarily interested in how much skin she's showing. Sunlight, off the new album has the same sort of flavor to it, so if you like that track you should definitely check Sometimes out.

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