Shark In The Water

Album: Travelling Like The Light (2009)
Charted: 34 67
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • English Indie pop singer Vanessa Brown records under the name of V.V. Brown. Before being snapped up by Island Records, she cut her teeth singing backing vocals for Madonna and the Pussycat Dolls in Los Angeles. Brown is also an established songwriter, whose credits includes hits for the Pussycat Dolls, ("I Don't Need A Man") and Sugababes ("Denial" and "No Can Do").
  • This was the third single taken from Brown's debut album Travelling Like The Light.
  • Brown told Digital Spy that the song title refers to anxiety. She explained: "I guess I'm trying to create a new phrase. When something's not quite right or there's some kind of a problem, you might say, 'Maybe there's a shark in the water.' The video expresses anxiety in a relationship situation, but generally I'd like the song to be a bit more ambiguous. It could be anxiety about anything."
  • Brown told MTV News the melancholic lyrics are "about a relationship when you're anxious about something and something's not quite right. A sense of paranoia."
  • The song has featured on a number of TV shows including The City and Ugly Betty. It was also used as a promo for the summer run of the 10th season of the hit Canadian teen show Degrassi.
  • Brown re-recorded the song in the Simlish language of The Sims and it featured in The Sims 3: Ambitions.
  • Two videos were made for this track. The first is about Brown finding out that her boyfriend is cheating on her, so she follows him around taking pictures of him with the other girl. The second version was shot to promote the U.S. release of Travelling Like The Light and features Brown performing at a carnival. The cast of Degrassi also appear in this clip.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Bass Player Scott Edwards

Bass Player Scott EdwardsSong Writing

Scott was Stevie Wonder's bass player before becoming a top session player. Hits he played on include "I Will Survive," "Being With You" and "Sara Smile."

Bill Medley of The Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley of The Righteous BrothersSongwriter Interviews

Medley looks back on "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" - his huge hits from the '60s that were later revived in movies.

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.