Karaoke Korner

Picking up the pieces

Ashlee Simpson can hardly catch her breath

By Matt Leppard
Photograph courtesy of UMG

According to MTV.com, Ashlee Simpson describes �Pieces of Me� as being about a best friend who brings comfort at the end of a long, stressful day of work. �It�s like a sigh,� she says on the site. �When I finally see him, all the other dramas fade away.� Ah, so it�s a him � and therefore, we can assume a boy friend, if not a boyfriend.

In the song, we can see the idiom �catch my breath.� We know this is an idiom, because you can�t catch breath unless you�ve got expensive and complex scientific equipment. In fact, it means to breathe normally again after running or doing exercise. In the case of the song, Simpson refers to falling and then catching her breath. Unless she�s literally just fallen from a high building, miraculously survived and is now catching her breath (well, wouldn�t you?), we can assume this is being used metaphorically. Ashlee feels like she�s falling and the feeling makes her catch her breath.

Catch is used in a number of English-language expressions. We�ve listed some in the exercise below. Your job is to decide whether the expression is usually used as an idiom or is a literal expression, but be careful � we�ve tried to catch you out on a few of them.

�Pieces of Me�

by Ashlee Simpson

On a Monday I am waiting
Tuesday I am fading
And by Wednesday I can�t sleep
Then the phone rings I hear you
And the darkness is a clear view
�Cause you�ve come to rescue me

Fall, with you I fall so fast
I can hardly catch my breath
I hope it lasts

Chorus
It seems like I can finally
Rest my head on something real
I like the way that feels
It�s as if you know me better
Than I ever knew myself
I love how you can tell
All the pieces, pieces, pieces of me
All the pieces, pieces, pieces of me

I am moody and messy
I get restless and it�s senseless
How you never seem to care
When I�m angry you listen
Make me happy � it�s your mission
And you won�t stop till I�m there

Fall, sometimes I fall so fast
When I hit that bottom crash
You�re all I have

(Chorus)

How do you know?
Everything I�m about to say
Am I that obvious?
And if it�s written on my face
I hope it never goes away
Yeah

On a Monday I am waiting
By Tuesday I am fading
Into your arms
So I can breathe

(Chorus)

About Ashlee Simpson

Name: Ashlee Simpson
Nationality: American
Style: Pop rock
Label: UMG
Albums: Autobiography (2004)
In brief: You�d think it precocious of a 19-year-old to release an album titled Autobiography, but not Ashlee Simpson, sister of so-stupid-she�s-funny Jessica Simpson. Ashlee started dancing lessons at 3 years old and at 11 was admitted to the esteemed School of American Ballet. Since then, Ashlee has carved out a successful TV career, with a regular role in the TV series 7th Heaven, and has a successful reality show on MTV that follows her progress as a fledgling pop star. A long-time fan of music, Ashlee�s tastes reveal a deeper side to her personality than her sister, naming Janis Joplin, Blondie, Hole and Green Day as some of her influences.
Official website: www.ashleesimpsonmusic.com
If you like Ashlee Simpson, check out: Fiona Apple, Alanis Morissette

Exercises

Look at the expressions below and decide if the word catch/caught is being used idiomatically or literally in the context. Remember, the definition of an idiom is a group    of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words.

Expressions                                                                 Usage

Can you catch the waiter�s eye?                .......................................................

He was caught with his pants down.                .......................................................

Don�t get caught red-handed.                .......................................................

It�s a dumb idea; it won�t catch on.                .......................................................

Go ahead, I�ll catch up with you.                .......................................................

Vocabulary

fade (v): to become or to make something become paler or less bright
moody (adj): bad-tempered or upset, often for no particular reason
sigh (v): to take and then let out a long deep breath that can be heard to show that you are disappointed, sad, tired, etc.
complex (adj): made of many different things or parts that are connected
precocious (adj): (of a child) having developed particular abilities at a younger age than usual
esteemed (adj): respected and admired very much
fledgling (n): (usually before another noun) a person, an organisation or a system that is new and without experience