[5] While riding her bicycle in Philadelphia in November 2003,[6][7] Gardot was struck by an SUV and sustained head, spinal, and pelvic injuries.

[1] Confined to a hospital bed for a year, she needed to relearn simple tasks and was left oversensitive to light and sound.

[8][9] Encouraged by a physician who believed music would help heal her brain, Gardot learned to hum, then to sing into a tape recorder, and eventually to write songs.

[10] For several years, she traveled with a physiotherapist and carried a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator to reduce pain.

[16] During her time in the hospital she learned how to play the guitar and began writing songs, which were made available as downloads on iTunes and released on Some Lessons: The Bedroom Sessions in 2005.