We Asked Ella Hooper for the Story of "Weir" by Killing Heidi

Ella. What is "Weir" about?

A weir is basically a reservoir—a town water supply. Killing Heidi's home town Violet Town had this old weir called the Railway Reservoir. It's a stunning tract of dark water trapped between three hills a few kilometres out of town, hemmed in by an intimidating wall, a sheer drop of old bricks, with an over grown gully down below. Walking along the weir wall to jump in from there freaks some people out, especially as kids it was a white knuckle thrill. Seeing as that's where I spent so many silly and serene afternoons with my best friends who I'm still best mates with, the weir signifies friendship, youth, hopefulness, shared dreams, secrets and the Unknown for me. The weir heats up in a funny way, it's bathtub hot on top, and freezing cold one meter down, so floating, not letting your legs drop is the key: "floating in the weir, so you think you'd never sink, so you forget all your fears, your fears…"

You were so young when it was written. Do you remember where were you and what you were doing around that time?

We were holed up in a studio called Periscope in Elsternwick. The studio was owned by Crowded House—our producer was the engineer on Woodface so we had a lot of Crowded House connections in those days. Jesse and I had written the verse in the country, I think. I was 15, and still living at home. One week with my dad on the farm in the Strathbogie Ranges outside Violet Town, and the next week with my mum in town. Every Friday night after school I took the train to Melbourne to spend all weekend making Reflector. We knew the verse was pretty, and I loved Jesse's picking part for it, but I couldn't seem to get a chorus that worked. It was getting stressful as we needed one more killer song for the record, and people were putting pressure on us. I wasn't used to writing to a brief or with any pressure from producers, but if memory serves me correctly—which it might not now—the consensus from the many cooks in the kitchen was that we needed something "big!", "uplifting!", "iconic!". I think I eventually belted out the chorus of "Weir" half out of frustration. Though its lyrics are questioning and kind of pensive, the melody is straight up. Like, "is that 'big' enough for you?!"

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Were you surprised that "Weir" became the smash hit?

I think we thought the song had potential, but we never thought it would do that well… Because we knew that it didn't fit with other stuff on the radio at the time. It was a gamble, but we loved the song so we got behind it. We actually had to push it for a long time, like 6 months on just that one song—taking it to record companies, getting knocked back, taking it to radio stations, getting knocked back. Not everybody got the Killing Heidi vibe, understandably. But some people were straight-out rude about it. Like "what is this?". One big producer we approached at the time heard our demos and told our manager "why would I want to do this?". He'd just produced Regurgitator or something.

You performed "Weir" at the ARIA Awards that year, what was it like being a tween there? Did you drink? Did you pash anyone?

The ARIAs were my first taste of going to a 'big event,' and to be such a big part of that 'big event' was pretty crazy. I did drink, but the rules seemed to be looser back then and I had good people around me making sure I didn't Gabriella Cilmi it onstage. I didn't pash anyone, I never really dated in the industry, but I always made a lot of new friends. I ended up fully clothed in a bath with Missy Higgins in Jet's penthouse one year, and helped Kelly Osbourne piff bread rolls at Richard Wilkins' head another. But those first few ARIAs, my memory is very blurry.

What's the weirdest place you've had to play the song? 

Some people won a competition and we had to play it in their basement. Basement shows or backyard shows seemed to be really popular back then, Channel V were always sending us off to some outer suburban abyss, to entertain the "winners"—"winners" became a semi-affectionate term for highly enthusiastic and odd people we met. The parents of were often more excited than the winners themselves, and we'd be treated to bulk cheezles, chippies, tours of the family photo collection. We were offered a bit of the home grown once. Those were the days…

We also played it for the troops and local people in East Timor, and on a rotating split stage with The Black Eyed Peas for a TV show in LA once. My favourite weird gig was probably Big Day Out 2000 when we were playing in the shed. The water pipes on the ceiling broke in the middle of the song—people were swinging from them I think—and it sprayed the boiling hot crowd with water during the song. A song about water. Too perfect.

And what's the weirdest place you've heard the song played?

Friends always send me questionable cover band versions when they peep them. There was a pretty good version from a pub in Broome that Dan Sultan sent to me.

What's up with all the videos for "Weir?"  

Weir had a whopping three film clips made for it. The first attempt was a haystack happy shearing shed party in the bush, deemed too daggy and country by management.

The second was my favourite, and the most well known I think? The wind tunnel! It was a car paint testing factory, I think. And those fans were mental, I literally had to be sand bagged down… I probably didn't weigh much back then either. I was 15, so I made my top myself—I was really into cutting the sleeves and the bottoms off my Bonds ringers, as belly out was in. I guess that's the first time people saw my natty dreads too, the whole contrasty look. My love of Japanese street fashion, FRUiTS et al, and the nature girl elements, like my belly dancing and the cuts to me and my girlfriends in the weir itself in the mid section. I was hoping to get my girlfriends in there as that's what the song's all about. I don't think the director cared what the song was actually about as much as I did. Cue mid riff shot.

And then there was the American version! God, what a debacle. I was terrified of that jet ski. I cracked it even though I hated the concept and the love interest. Chance was his name… I'll never forget his So Cal drawl—"Hey I'm Chance…"—I think I chortled. Anyway. It was a high cost adventure, Lake Powell, Arizona, the biggest man-made lake in the world, millionaires' playground kinda bullshit. I felt terrible about how ridiculously far from the old innocent weir it was. It did have some cool moments, and I'm glad I experienced it, but the result is hard for me to watch.

The song was included in—bear with me here—the most affecting and pivotal Australian film of my generation's time, Looking for Alibrandi. Question: can you watch the Josie-Tearing-Up-John's-Note scene without losing it?

Haha! That was such a big deal for people! Looking For Alibrandi was required reading in high school I think, but as I was pretty much absentee in years 10 and 11 I missed out on it in English class. But I got to attend the premiere of the movie. I think we may have even played acoustic before the screening? I remember meeting Kick Gurry, '90s spunk du jour, which some of my mates were pretty excited about. I honestly must have been more interested in the free pop corn and champagne because I can't even recall the tearing up the love note scene!

Wikipedia describes "Weir" as a teen anthem. It can't be denied. What does that mean to you and have you seen that reflected in its continued reception?

Haha, thanks Wikipedia. I guess it's an honour, and it's nice that this teen anthem was written by teens, for teens, and then loved by teens. I think people love a sweeping melody and a simple lyric, always, and it certainly has that. But that combo can be pretty naf if you don't mean it, if it's written by a committee and it's just a grab for airplay or bucks. Maybe "Weir" holds its own because it was true to a 15-year-old's voice, uncomplicated and naive in a good way.

Lastly, can you please tell us why Killing Heidi was called Killing Heidi?

Ha! The million dollar question. It was from a list of contrasting words—hard and soft. But it also struck me as the perfect analogy for the end of innocence. I was very focused on female stories and the expectations we place on young women—to be perfect, smart, strong, one moment hyper-sexualised and the next, the virginal girl next door, pushing her grandpa up the alps in his mother fucking wheel chair. While skipping… "Heidi".Kill your Heidi. Be whoever you want to be regardless of gender—you don't have to be perfect.