Allison Crowe began performing professionally in 1996, at age 15, doing regular sets in the coffee-houses and bars of Vancouver Island. She began touring internationally in 2001. The artist settled in Canada's Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador at the end of 2005.
"I love singing for people," says Crowe. "It's a way to connect and share with others. Communication is crucial. Just being able to do what I do, to write and sing and perform, makes me feel not only alive, but incredibly lucky. Knowing at any moment everything could change, I don't take one second for granted."
Today, Crowe's reach is global. The audience for her music videos and song downloads numbers more millions each year.
"Allison Crowe has a voice to fall in love with," says UK music industry journal Record of the Day. "She is from Vancouver Island in Canada, descended from Scottish, Irish and Manx stock. She's exactly the sort of artist who can make serious headway on her own label and that's just what she's doing."
With Ani DiFranco as a model of integrity, Crowe created her own label. Since 2001, Rubenesque Records Ltd has released a series of critically and commercially successful albums: Lisa's Song, Secrets, Tidings, Live at Wood Hall, This Little Bird, Little Light, Spiral, Tidings Concert, Newfoundland Vinyl, Heavy Graces, Songbook, Souling, Newfoundland Vinyl II, Songbook, Souling, Newfoundland Vinyl 3, and Introducing / Heirs + Grievances.
Through recording and touring Allison Crowe has achieved broad popularity, featured by BBC Radio, MOJO magazine and acclaimed Hollywood director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch). In 2013, Allison Crowe appears in "Man of Steel" - an epic science fiction movie adventure featuring Superman. In this blockbuster film, Crowe cameos as a singer/musician in Cassidy's Bar where Clark Kent is working incognito. She performs "Ring of Fire", a song penned by June Carter and Merle Kilgore and made legendary by 'The Man in Black'. “I’m a big Johnny Cash fan. And I’m a big Allison Crowe fan. So the combination to me seemed like an awesome opportunity if we could make it happen,” explains MoS Director Zack Snyder.
"The first thing you notice about Allison Crowe is her voice. Rich and dark, it seems to come from a place most singers can only dream of accessing. Then there are the songs. Filled with raw passion and accompanied by Crowe's eloquent piano playing," writes Clodagh O'Connell (The Courier). Hers is a joyous sound: "Elton John meets Edith Piaf."
A sensation at the UK's John Lennon Northern Lights Festival, "Canadian angel Alison Crowe gave one of the weekend's most magical moments," says The Scotsman newspaper. Festival Director Mike Merritt describes Crowe as "awesome" and "spine-tingling", noting her performance "put hairs on the back of your neck! She brought the house down."
"Ever wonder what it would have been like to listen to a gifted singer/songwriter from Saskatchewan in a small, intimate hall before she became Joni Mitchell? Don't fret the missed opportunity. There's no need to turn back the clock. Check out Allison Crowe," says Robert Reid in The Record.
"Allison has a special gift that is so very rare in musicians today. She is true to her mind, heart and spirit," says Ross Hocker, long-time public broadcaster with NPR affiliate WGTE. Hocker, whose musical taste embraces Thelonious Monk, Bela Bartok and Charles Gounod, calls Allison Crowe's live performance "the most honest, heartfelt, and directly intimate concert in my entire life."
"In an entertainment world that increasingly genuflects at the altar of instant fame, Crowe seems an anomaly, building her career slowly and carefully," notes Adrian Chamberlain, of Canada's Times Colonist newspaper.
"Soulful. Alive. Joyous. Grievous. Real, true, music is what I want to make," says Allison Crowe.
Little Light
Allison Crowe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Words & Music by Allison Crowe
Half my life is spent
trying to figure out
where the other half
is supposed to go
until they make sense to them
I've opened up my eyes
and I've seen in to the dark
it's hard to tell if there's a light at all
and I can't seem
to open them this time
and the little light that's there
is about to fall
Walk backwards to see
if you can start where you were before
break the locks to see
if there was ever really a door
set fire to yourself
to see if there is anything to burn
keep making mistakes
to see if there is anything to learn
I've opened up my eyes
and I've seen in to the dark
it's hard to tell if there's a light at all
and I can't seem
to open them this time
and the little light that's there
is about to fall
the questions that persist
they will torture you
you will not know until it is too late
the questions that repeat
will never give you answers
you will not know until you've passed
I've opened up my eyes
and I've seen in to the dark
it's hard to tell if there's a light at all
and I can't seem
to open them this time
and the little light that's there
is about to fall
Allison Crowe's song "Little Light" speaks to the experience of trying to make sense of one's life and the world around us, and the struggle to find hope when faced with darkness and uncertainty. The song's opening lines express this sense of confusion, as the singer reflects on the challenge of reconciling the disparate parts of their life: "Half my life is spent / trying to figure out / where the other half / is supposed to go / and try to put them together again / until they make sense to them."
Throughout the song, there is a recurrent motif of light and darkness, with the singer speaking of "the little light that's there / about to fall." This light serves as a metaphor for hope or inspiration in difficult times, yet it is fragile and easily lost. The song's chorus underscores this theme: "I've opened up my eyes / and I've seen into the dark / it's hard to tell if there's a light at all / and I can't seem / to open them this time / and the little light that's there / is about to fall."
The song's closing lines suggest that there are no easy answers to life's challenges, and that the very act of seeking answers can be fraught with pain and difficulty: "the questions that persist / they will torture you / you will not know until it is too late / the questions that repeat / will never give you answers / you will not know until you've passed." In this sense, "Little Light" is a powerful and emotive reflection on the human condition, and the struggle to find meaning and purpose in a complex and often bewildering world.
Line by Line Meaning
Half my life is spent trying to figure out where the other half is supposed to go
I spend a lot of time trying to understand the direction and purpose of my life, but I can't seem to find the answers.
and try to put them together again until they make sense to them
I keep attempting to piece together my life but can't make sense of it all.
I've opened up my eyes and I've seen into the dark
I have come to realization of the darkness and complexity of my life.
it's hard to tell if there's a light at all
Despite the challenges, I struggle to find hope and positivity.
and I can't seem to open them this time and the little light that's there is about to fall
Even the small glimmer of hope that I had is fading away and I feel lost in the dark once again.
Walk backwards to see if you can start where you were before
Sometimes we need to retrace our steps to find where we went wrong and fix it.
break the locks to see if there was ever really a door
We need to explore all options and possibilities to understand what is truly available to us.
set fire to yourself to see if there is anything to burn
We must push ourselves to the limit to see what we're capable of and what truly matters.
keep making mistakes to see if there is anything to learn
We need to embrace our failures and learn from them instead of letting them define us.
the questions that persist they will torture you you will not know until it is too late
Questions that haunt our minds will continue to trouble us, but sometimes we'll never truly know the answer until it is too late.
the questions that repeat will never give you answers you will not know until you've passed
Repeating the same questions over and over again won't bring us the answers we seek. Sometimes it is only in hindsight that we understand.
Contributed by Aubrey G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
RamblinAround
Beautifully done....... Like this stripped down style..mostly guitar and that amazing voice.