Picking Up the Pieces of “Torn” - How Ednaswap’s Alt-Rock Gem Became Natalie Imbruglia’s Pop Smash

Picking Up the Pieces of “Torn” – How Ednaswap’s Alt-Rock Gem Became Natalie Imbruglia’s Pop Smash

If you are a millennial or just have the radio on the right channel, chances are you are familiar with Natalie Imbruglia’s 1997 smash hit “Torn.” The song was everywhere in the late nineties and was perfect for the softening sound of alternative music in the mainstream. One thing many are probably not privy to is that the song is actually a cover from the alternative rock band Ednaswap. I find it extremely interesting how the song has transformed since its inception in the early nineties. Let’s go back and piece back together the history of pop-rock hits.

The song was written by Ednaswap band members Anne Proven and Scott Culter back in 1991. Danish singer Lis Sørensen subsequently recorded it with its lyrics rewritten in Danish by Elisabeth Nielsen. The song appeared on Sørensen’s 1993 album Under Stjernerne Et Sted as “Braendt” or “Burnt.” However, sounding a little aged due to its heavier use of synths, the vocals and instrumentation sound remarkably similar to the Natalie Imbruglia version 4 years later.

Anne and Scott formed the band Ednaswap in 1995 and released their version of the song on their debut album that year. This version is much more in the vane of artists like Veruca Salt, That Dog, and Juliana Hatfield, with its more alt-rock edge. The song is about a love that doesn’t burn as brightly for her as it does for him. You can see how much he loves her in the opening lines, “I thought I saw a man brought to life/ He was warm — he came around like/ He was dignified/ He showed me what it was to cry/ Well you couldn’t be that man I adored/ You don’t seem to know — don’t seem to care/ What your heart is for.” The problem is that she doesn’t have the same feelings for him. The song’s chorus puts this all out on the table, “… Illusion never changed / Into something real/I’m cold, and I am shamed and bound/ And broken on the floor / And I can see the perfect sky is torn/You’re a little late/I’m already torn”. Should she stay with him and try to find that spark he has or should she break it off and move on? This absence of infatuation has put a lot of guilt on her, “So I guess the fortune teller’s right/ I should have seen just what was there/ And not some holy light/ But you crawled beneath my veins.”

This song was picked up by Norwegian artist Trine Rein in 1996. The track would, this time, be sung in English. Rein’s version is very similar to Imbruglia’s. The acoustic guitar strumming pattern and the key sound identical to what would be heard internationally just two years later. Unlike the Danish version, Trine kept the original lyrics Anne and Scott had written. It would be mildly successful for Rein in Norway, making it to number 10 on the charts.

The track would be reinvented again on Ednaswap’s 1996 EP Chicken. This version would be subsequently added to their sophomore album Wacko Magneto. This re-recording of the track slows the tempo and gives the song a much rawer edge compared to its ’95 original. The electric guitar is prominent here. The track picks up in the second verse, where the bass and drums come in. Compared to their first recording, the end section was reworked into a darker descending closer.

Phoebe Bridgers would go on to cover this version live during one of her shows in 2018.

Ednaswap would also release a radio edit of the track with a more pop edge in late 1997. This last iteration marries a bit of the original and re-recorded version. The electric guitar part of the re-recording has softened, opting instead to play this section on acoustic guitar. A spacey synth and synth strings in the chorus have been added to give a lighter feel. Anne’s vocals continue to add raw emotion to the track that marries perfectly with how alternative rock was going in the late 90s. They have brought back the trademark ending that is present in the other recordings of the track.

The song would be picked up by Australian actress Natalie Imbruglia by way of producer Phil Thornalley, who co-wrote the track with Anne and Scott back in 1991. Imbruglia was known for her work on the soap opera Neighbours, the same show that gave pop diva Kylie Minogue her break before her singing career. The track was released as the first single of her debut album Left of the Middle, and became a massive hit in the US. This is the version almost everyone is familiar with. The song would skyrocket Imbruglia to the top of the charts in the US and UK (making it to number 2 in the UK, and number 1 on several US billboard lists). She would receive several awards for the success of the track: