She is best-remembered for From a Distance, by Julie Gold, although the version that achieved greater commercial success was not Griffith's but Bette Midler's (From a Distance). Similarly, other artists have occasionally achieved greater success with Griffith's songs than did Griffith herself: for example, Kathy Mattea, who had a country music top five hit with a 1986 cover (Love at the Five and Dime) of Love at the Five and Dime.
ADDITIONALLY
In 1994, Griffith teamed up with Jimmy Webb to contribute the song "If These Old Walls Could Speak" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. Griffith is a survivor of breast cancer which was diagnosed in 1996, and thyroid cancer in 1998.[2]
Singer-songwriter Christine Lavin remembers the first time she saw Griffith perform:
I was struck by how perfect everything was about her singing, her playing, her talking. I realized from the get-go that this was someone who was a complete professional. Obviously she had worked a long time to get to be that good.
During her career, Griffith toured with many artists, including Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets; John Prine; Iris DeMent; Suzy Bogguss; and Judy Collins. Griffith has recorded duets with many artists, among them Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, John Prine, Don McLean, Jimmy Buffett, Dolores Keane, Willie Nelson, Adam Duritz (singer of Counting Crows), The Chieftains, and Darius Rucker (lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish). She also contributed background vocals on many other recordings.
Griffith suffered from severe 'writers block' for a number of years after 2004, lasting until the 2009 release of her The Loving Kind album, which contained nine selections that she had written and composed either entirely by herself or as collaborations.
After several months of limited touring in 2011, Griffith's bandmates The Kennedys (Pete & Maura Kennedy) packed up their professional Manhattan recording studio and relocated it to Nashville, where they installed it in Griffith's home. There, Griffith and her backing team, including Pete & Maura Kennedy and Pat McInerney, co-produced her album, Intersections over the course of the summer. The album includes several new original songs and was released in April 2012.
In addition to her own songs, Griffith is well known for her versions of other people's material, usually by contemporary singer-songwriters.
Awards
Griffith won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms. In 2008, the Americana Music Association awarded her its Americana Trailblazer Award; Lyle Lovett, who contributed backing vocals to some of "The Blue Moon Orchestra's" recordings,[which?] had won it before her.
Band (The Blue Moon Orchestra)
Griffith refers to her backing band as "The Blue Moon Orchestra." This reference is believed to have been drawn from both the title of one of her earliest albums, Once in a Very Blue Moon, and its title selection, which reached #85 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1986.
Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness
Nanci Griffith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you come home early
You come on big
When you're feelin' small
You come home straight
And you come home curly
Sometimes you don't come home at all
[Chorus:]
So what in the world's come over you?
What in heavens name have you done?
You've broken the speed of the sound of loneliness
You're out there runnin'
Just to be on the run
Well, I got a heart that burns with a fever
And I got a worried and a jealous mind
Well how can a love
That will last forever
Get left so far behind
Nanci Griffith’s song “Speed of the Sound of Loneliness” expresses the emotions that come with an unfulfilling relationship. The first stanza introduces the chaotic and unpredictable behavior of her partner, who comes home late or early, feels small, and sometimes doesn't come home at all. The chorus is a lament from the singer, questioning her partner's motivations and expressing frustration at being left behind. The speed of sound is a metaphor for the speed at which his partner is moving away from her and their love. He is running away, and the singer is left wondering what has happened to their once strong love.
In the second stanza, the singer reveals that she has a burning heart and a mind that is worried and jealous. She wonders how a love that was supposed to last forever could be left so far behind. These lyrics suggest that the singer has strong feelings for her partner and wants their relationship to work, but she feels like she is not good enough for him. She is jealous of the other things that he does, and worries that she will eventually lose him.
Overall, the song captures the loneliness and frustration that come with a relationship that is falling apart. The singer longs for her partner's attention and affection, but he seems to be more interested in running away.
Line by Line Meaning
You come home late
You arrive at home at a later time than usual
And you come home early
You arrive at home at an earlier time than usual
You come on big
You act in a grandiose or exaggerated manner
When you're feelin' small
When you're feeling insignificant or unimportant
You come home straight
You come home sober and without deviation
And you come home curly
You come home under the influence of a substance
Sometimes you don't come home at all
At times you do not return home
So what in the world's come over you?
What has happened to you to cause this change in behavior?
What in heavens name have you done?
What actions have you taken that are causing this behavior?
You've broken the speed of the sound of loneliness
Your behavior has caused loneliness to set in quickly
You're out there runnin'
You're currently engaging in aimless activity
Just to be on the run
Your aimless activity seems to only seek physical escape
Well, I got a heart that burns with a fever
I have strong emotions that are hard to control
And I got a worried and a jealous mind
I feel anxious and envious
Well how can a love
How can a true love
That will last forever
That will endure indefinitely
Get left so far behind
Be abandoned and forgotten so easily?
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: John E. Prine
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind