Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born 22 July 1973) is a Canadian-American sing… Read Full Bio ↴Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born 22 July 1973) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter.
Wainwright was born in Rhinebeck, New York, USA, to folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle (they divorced while he was a child). He began to play the piano at age six, and by age thirteen he was touring with his sister Martha Wainwright, mother Kate, and aunt Anna as the McGarrigle Sisters and Family.
His song I'm A-Runnin', which he performed in the movie Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (in which he also played a minor character), was nominated for the 1989 Genie Award for Best Original Song and earned him a nomination for the 1990 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist.
He lived in Montreal with his mother for most of his childhood and briefly attended McGill University, where he studied both classical and 'rock' piano. Some of his songs feature his mastery of French. Wainwright still maintains a residence in Canada.
He came out as gay while still a teen.
Wainwright became interested in opera throughout his adolescent years (for instance, his track Barcelona features lyrics of Giuseppe Verdi). He also became an enthusiast of such performers as Édith Piaf, Al Jolson and Judy Garland.
After having been a fixture on the Montreal club circuit, Wainwright cut a series of demo tapes, one of which found itself in the hands of DreamWorks executive Lenny Waronker. The label signed him and he released the self-titled Rufus Wainwright album in the spring of 1998. This album received much critical acclaim in Canada, and was recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the best albums of the year. Wainwright's second album, Poses (2001), brought similar acclaim.
Wainwright's first main exposure to the American public came as an opener to singer Tori Amos in 2001 and 2002. He garnered praise for his performance and began touring as a main act shortly afterwards. He has frequently toured as the opener for Sting and co-headlined with Ben Folds and Guster in the summer of 2004. He still often performs with his sister Martha Wainwright (now herself an emerging artist) on backup vocals. Despite a growing cult following and critical acclaim, Wainwright has experienced only marginal commercial success in the United States.
In addition to being a pianist, Wainwright is a guitarist, often switching between the two instruments when performing live; however, his mastery of the guitar does not approach his talent with the piano within the Piano rock genre. While some of his most moving songs feature just Wainwright with his piano, many of his songs display complex layering and harmonies, occasionally comprising hundreds of individual parts. Wainwright is an avid opera fan, and the influences on his music are evident, as well as his love of Schubert 'Lieder'; his music has been described as "Popera" (Pop Opera) or "Baroque Pop." His lyrics are filled with allusions to opera, literature, pop culture, and, more recently, politics (in songs such as Gay Messiah and Waiting for a Dream). Wainwright is a recovering crystal meth addict and a rape survivor; he uses the press to bring awareness to these societal problems.
His talent has been widely recognized and praised by such artists as Elton John, Morrissey, John Mayer, and Sting, and he continues to influence artists like Keane, Alanis Morissette, Scissor Sisters, and Ben Folds.
Wainwright's Want Two, from which four songs were released as the EP Waiting for a Want, was released by DreamWorks/Geffen on November 16, 2004. It is a companion to the 2003 release Want One. His latest, a live iTunes Sessions EP entitled Alright Already, was released March 15, 2005. A DVD entitled All I Want, featuring a biographical documentary, music videos, and live performances, was released on both sides of the Atlantic in summer 2005. The same year was also notable for two major contributions as solo vocalist to a pair of important records: the Mercury Prize winning I am a Bird Now and At This Time.
The pair of Want albums was repackaged as Want for a late November 2005 release to coincide with the start of a British tour. The version of Want One is that which contains the two extra songs Es Mus Sein and Velvet Curtain Rag. The Want (Want One and Want Two combined) package in the UK has two new extra tracks: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 and In with the Ladies, which replace Coeur de Parisienne — Reprise d'Arletty and Quand Vous Mourez de Nos Amours from 2004's augmented edition.
Rufus' fifth studio album Release the Stars was released by Geffen on May 15, 2007. The album was executive produced by Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys and featured Richard Thompson, Teddy Thompson, Martha Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle, Neil Tennant, Joan Wasser, Julianna Raye, Larry Mullins - pka Toby Dammit and Sian Phillips.[14]. It reached number 2 in the UK and debuted at number 23 in the USA. The first single of the album, "Going To A Town" was released on April 3, 2007 on the iTunes music store.
Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall is his sixth album. It is a live recording of his June 2006 tribute concert to Judy Garland. Backed by a 36-piece orchestra under the conduction of Stephen Oremus, Wainwright recreated Garland's April 23, 1961 concert, often considered "the greatest night in show business history." After overcoming many personal problems, her comeback performance of 25+ American standards spawned the double album, "Judy at Carnegie Hall."
As well as Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller, Wainwright has appeared in the films The Aviator and Heights. Rufus has music in the film Brokeback Mountain, for which he recorded The Maker Makes and King of the Road, as well as a minor cameo as a guitar player.
Wainwright released his sixth studio album All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu in March 2010. In stark contrast to the lush ornamentation of Release The Stars, the album is a simple voice and piano rendition of a song cycle that includes versions of three Shakespeare sonnets, and an excerpt from his 2009 opera Prima Donna.
The Lulu figure of the title is said by Wainwright to be "the dark, brooding, dangerous woman that lives within all of us", similar to the Dark Lady character in Shakespeare's sonnets. The first part of the title comes from the final couplet of William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 43" ("All days are nights to see till I see thee...").
Wainwright was born in Rhinebeck, New York, USA, to folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle (they divorced while he was a child). He began to play the piano at age six, and by age thirteen he was touring with his sister Martha Wainwright, mother Kate, and aunt Anna as the McGarrigle Sisters and Family.
His song I'm A-Runnin', which he performed in the movie Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (in which he also played a minor character), was nominated for the 1989 Genie Award for Best Original Song and earned him a nomination for the 1990 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist.
He lived in Montreal with his mother for most of his childhood and briefly attended McGill University, where he studied both classical and 'rock' piano. Some of his songs feature his mastery of French. Wainwright still maintains a residence in Canada.
He came out as gay while still a teen.
Wainwright became interested in opera throughout his adolescent years (for instance, his track Barcelona features lyrics of Giuseppe Verdi). He also became an enthusiast of such performers as Édith Piaf, Al Jolson and Judy Garland.
After having been a fixture on the Montreal club circuit, Wainwright cut a series of demo tapes, one of which found itself in the hands of DreamWorks executive Lenny Waronker. The label signed him and he released the self-titled Rufus Wainwright album in the spring of 1998. This album received much critical acclaim in Canada, and was recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the best albums of the year. Wainwright's second album, Poses (2001), brought similar acclaim.
Wainwright's first main exposure to the American public came as an opener to singer Tori Amos in 2001 and 2002. He garnered praise for his performance and began touring as a main act shortly afterwards. He has frequently toured as the opener for Sting and co-headlined with Ben Folds and Guster in the summer of 2004. He still often performs with his sister Martha Wainwright (now herself an emerging artist) on backup vocals. Despite a growing cult following and critical acclaim, Wainwright has experienced only marginal commercial success in the United States.
In addition to being a pianist, Wainwright is a guitarist, often switching between the two instruments when performing live; however, his mastery of the guitar does not approach his talent with the piano within the Piano rock genre. While some of his most moving songs feature just Wainwright with his piano, many of his songs display complex layering and harmonies, occasionally comprising hundreds of individual parts. Wainwright is an avid opera fan, and the influences on his music are evident, as well as his love of Schubert 'Lieder'; his music has been described as "Popera" (Pop Opera) or "Baroque Pop." His lyrics are filled with allusions to opera, literature, pop culture, and, more recently, politics (in songs such as Gay Messiah and Waiting for a Dream). Wainwright is a recovering crystal meth addict and a rape survivor; he uses the press to bring awareness to these societal problems.
His talent has been widely recognized and praised by such artists as Elton John, Morrissey, John Mayer, and Sting, and he continues to influence artists like Keane, Alanis Morissette, Scissor Sisters, and Ben Folds.
Wainwright's Want Two, from which four songs were released as the EP Waiting for a Want, was released by DreamWorks/Geffen on November 16, 2004. It is a companion to the 2003 release Want One. His latest, a live iTunes Sessions EP entitled Alright Already, was released March 15, 2005. A DVD entitled All I Want, featuring a biographical documentary, music videos, and live performances, was released on both sides of the Atlantic in summer 2005. The same year was also notable for two major contributions as solo vocalist to a pair of important records: the Mercury Prize winning I am a Bird Now and At This Time.
The pair of Want albums was repackaged as Want for a late November 2005 release to coincide with the start of a British tour. The version of Want One is that which contains the two extra songs Es Mus Sein and Velvet Curtain Rag. The Want (Want One and Want Two combined) package in the UK has two new extra tracks: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 and In with the Ladies, which replace Coeur de Parisienne — Reprise d'Arletty and Quand Vous Mourez de Nos Amours from 2004's augmented edition.
Rufus' fifth studio album Release the Stars was released by Geffen on May 15, 2007. The album was executive produced by Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys and featured Richard Thompson, Teddy Thompson, Martha Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle, Neil Tennant, Joan Wasser, Julianna Raye, Larry Mullins - pka Toby Dammit and Sian Phillips.[14]. It reached number 2 in the UK and debuted at number 23 in the USA. The first single of the album, "Going To A Town" was released on April 3, 2007 on the iTunes music store.
Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall is his sixth album. It is a live recording of his June 2006 tribute concert to Judy Garland. Backed by a 36-piece orchestra under the conduction of Stephen Oremus, Wainwright recreated Garland's April 23, 1961 concert, often considered "the greatest night in show business history." After overcoming many personal problems, her comeback performance of 25+ American standards spawned the double album, "Judy at Carnegie Hall."
As well as Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller, Wainwright has appeared in the films The Aviator and Heights. Rufus has music in the film Brokeback Mountain, for which he recorded The Maker Makes and King of the Road, as well as a minor cameo as a guitar player.
Wainwright released his sixth studio album All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu in March 2010. In stark contrast to the lush ornamentation of Release The Stars, the album is a simple voice and piano rendition of a song cycle that includes versions of three Shakespeare sonnets, and an excerpt from his 2009 opera Prima Donna.
The Lulu figure of the title is said by Wainwright to be "the dark, brooding, dangerous woman that lives within all of us", similar to the Dark Lady character in Shakespeare's sonnets. The first part of the title comes from the final couplet of William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 43" ("All days are nights to see till I see thee...").
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House Of Rufus
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
11:11 Woke up this morning a 11:11 Wasn't in Portland and I…
14th Street You've got my lost brother's soul My dear mother's eyes A br…
A Bit of You A bit of you the only drug I must abuse A…
A foggy day I was a stranger in the city Out of town were…
After You're Gone After you've gone and left me cryin' After you've gone, ther…
Agnus Dei Agnus dei Agnus dei Qui tollis peccata mundi Agnus dei Agnus…
Albatross The lady comes to the gate dressed in lavender and…
Alone Together Alone together, above the crowd Beyond the world, we're not …
April Fools Oh, what a shame that your pockets did bleed on…
As In Happy Wish i could be more less Wish i could be less…
Baby Hush, little baby, don't say a word Papa's gonna buy you…
Barcelona The summer sun sets a vicious circus When shadows held the…
Bàrcelona The summer sun set a vicious circus When shadows held the…
Beautiful Child When I am older than these small god damned hills And…
Beauty Mark I never had it, I never wanted it, I never…
Between My Legs You can go out dancing And I'll write about you, dancing…
California California, California You're such a wonder that I think I'l…
chicago I got the surprise, the surprise of my life I had…
Cigarettes And Chocolate Milk Cigarettes and chocolate milk These are just a couple of my…
Come Rain Or Come Shine I'm gonna love you, like nobody's loved you Come rain or…
Complainte De La Butte La lune trop blême pose un diadème sur tes cheveux…
Cowboy Song See one thousand eyes forget the starry skies Leavin' you …
Crumb by Crumb Maybe in you I'll believe Maybe I'll believe in you The futu…
Damned Ladies Desdemona do not go to sleep Brown-eyed Tosca don't believe …
Danny Boy Your skin is cold, But the sun shines within your…
Dinner At Eight No matter how strong I'm going to take you down with…
Do I Disappoint You Do I disappoint you, in just being human? And not one…
Do It Again You really shouldn't have done it, you hadn't any right I…
Es Muß Sein Es mus sein Wanna be a man of my word Want to…
Evil Angel For to see my depth of sorrow You are not allowed…
Foolish Love I don't want to hold you and feel so helpless I…
Gay Messiah He will then be reborn From 1970's porn Wearing tubesocks wi…
Give Me What I Want And Give It To Me Now! Give me what I want And give it to me now! Don't…
Go Or Go Ahead Thank you for this bitter knowledge Guardian angels who left…
Going To A Town But I don't know where I'm going Searching for that place It…
Greek Song You who were born with the sun above your shoulders You…
Grey Gardens Honey I'm a roller concrete clover Tadzio, Tadzio Arm wrest…
Hallelujah I've heard there was a secret chord That David played, and…
Harvester of Hearts If a person should ever like a person Then a person…
Hometown Waltz The drummers and jugglers in Montreal Don't even exist at al…
How Long Has This Been Going On? I could cry salty tears Where have I been all these…
I Can't give you anything but love Now that it's your birthday I don't know what to do Can't…
I Don't Know What It Is I don't know what it is But you got to do…
If Love Were All I believe in doing what I can Crying when I must,…
Imaginary Love Every kind of love, or at least my kind of…
In A Graveyard Wandering properties of death Arresting moons within our eye…
In My Arms You gave me all your love in one day You gave…
In WIth The Ladies Get me new faces, new faces, I'm tired of the…
L'Absence Reviens, reviens, ma bien-aimée Comme une fleur loin du sol…
Leaving For Paris No. 2 I'm leaving for Paris No, I don't think that I'll see…
Les feux d'artifice t'appelent Les feux d'artifice t'appellent Descends dans la rue Les feu…
Liberty Cabbage Sometimes I think You're trying to kill me with your stars…
Little Sister Little sister come and sit beside me, beside me And we'll…
Martha Martha it's your brother calling Time to go up north and…
Matinee Idol This is the day, the day of the death, the…
Medley: Almost Like Being In Love / This Can't Be Love What a day this has been, what a fair mood…
Medley: You Made Me Love You / For Me And My Gal / The Trolley Song You made me love you I didn't want to do it,…
Melody Rock-a-bye your baby to a Dixie melody When you croon, croon…
Memphis Skyline Never thought of Hades Under the Mississippi But still I've …
Millbrook The boys and girls of Millbrook Are on the train from…
Movies Of Myself Stop me falling down, stop me making movies of myself Put…
Natasha You walk alone in the valley of life In the shadow…
Nobody's Off The Hook Haven't fallen down in a while Sitting here, walking the lin…
Not Ready To Love I'm not ready to love I'm not ready for peace I'm giving…
not ready to love / slideshow I'm not ready to love, I'm not ready for peace I'm…
Oh What A World Men reading fashion magazines Oh, what a world it seems we…
Old Whore's Diet An old whore's diet Gets me going in the morning Ain't nothi…
One Man Guy People will know when they see this show The kind of…
Over The Rainbow Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There's a land that…
Peach Trees Is true love a trip to Chinatown Or being held in…
Poses The yellow walls are lined with portraits And I've got my…
Pretty Things Pretty things, so what if I like pretty things Pretty lies,…
Puttin' On The Ritz Puttin' on the Ritz, puttin' on the Ritz Puttin' on the…
Rebel Prince Where is my master the rebel prince? Who will shut all…
Release The Stars Why do you keep all your stars in from your…
Rock-A-Bye Your Baby With A Dixie Melody Rock-a-bye your baby to a Dixie melody When you croon, croon…
Rules and Regulations I will never be as cute as you According to the…
Sad With What I Have Sad with what I have Never met a more unimpressed, depressed…
Sally Ann My true love did breathe by the sally ann Just barely That…
San Francisco I never will forget Jeanette MacDonald Just to think of her,…
Sanssouci Who will be at Sanssouci tonight? The boys that made me…
Shadows Who will keep Keep me in this evening Even though They are n…
Slideshow Do I love you because you treat me so indifferently? Or…
Someone to Watch Over Me There's a saying old says that love is blind Still were…
Sonnet 10 For shame deny that thou bear'st love to any Who for…
Sonnet 20 A woman's face with nature's own hand painted Hast thou, the…
Sonnet 43 When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see, For…
Stormy Weather Don't know why There's no sun up in the sky Stormy weather…
Swanee Swanee, how I love you, how I love you My dear…
That's Entertainment A clown with his pants falling down Or the dance that's…
The Art Teacher There I was in uniform Looking at the art teacher I was…
The Consort Prepare your things Dissolve your mind Cause I'm your consor…
The Dream The dream has come and gone The earth lumbers on The dream…
The Maker Makers One more chain I break, to get me closer to…
The Man That Got Away The night is bitter, the stars have lost their glitter The…
The Money Song If I should ever run into a lot of money Tell…
The One You Love The mind has so many pictures Why can't I sleep with…
The Tower of Learning I'm looking for the tower of learning I'm looking for the…
The Wants I don't want to make it rain I just want to…
This Love Affair I don't know what I'm doing I don't know what I'm…
Tiergarten Won't you walk me through the tiergarten? Won't you walk me…
True Loves A heart of ice is easily melted A heart of stone…
Tulsa You taste of potato chips in the morning Your face has…
Ups and Downs I'm just a floozy, an old-fashioned hussy Trying to kiss yo…
Velvet Curtain Rag Springtime, shoe shine, sometime of mine Brokered, then reme…
Vibrate My phone's on vibrate for you Electroclash is karaoke too I …
Vicious World Thought that maybe we'd fall in love over the phone Thought…
Waiting For A Dream Waiting for the present, for the present to pass Waiting for…
Want I don't want to make it rain I just want to…
What Can I Do? What can I do When the bird's got to die What can…
What Would I Ever Do With A Rose? What would I ever do with a rose? How would it…
What You Got When the bells all ring and the horns are blown And…
Who Are You New York? Saw you on the corner Saw you in the park Saw you…
You Go To My Head You go to my head, and you linger like a…
You're Nearer You're nearer than my head is to the pillow Nearer than…
Zebulon Where you been, Zebulon? What you doin' in this song? Skatin…
Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart Dear, when you smiled at me, I heard a melody It…