Anya was born in Ann Arbor, Mich., and grew up in the Silicon Valley area of California as a capricious child with Russian-Agnostic/Irish-Catholic professor parents (psychology and russian literature/math) and a younger sister. After finishing high school, Anya moved to Los Angeles as an aspiring actress. With stints in the British American Drama Academy (taught by Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Anne Jackson and Eli Wallach) and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, Anya has also acted in television and film (in 2001, she starred in the feature film, 100 Girls). She eventually moved back home to earn a college degree in English and writing at Santa Clara University. She continued to struggle as an artist -- working in acting, musical theatre, music, improv and comedy -- but eventually found a job as a radio DJ on KSCU, Santa Clara University's college station.
After graduating, Anya took a radio station job in San Diego with Mike Halloran at XHRM-FM (92.5). After the station was bought out by another corporation, Halloran hired Anya at Y107 in Los Angeles before they both moved to Premium Radio 92/1 in San Diego's North County. After leaving that station, both disc jockeys landed at FM94/9.
It was in San Diego that Anya played her first open mic night and began to write her own songs. She quickly developed a live stage act using what she learned as an actress, comic and impressionist. Her recorded debut was a five-song EP called Exercises in Racketeering, which eventually led to a full-length album, Miss Halfway, which was released in early 2005. Anya subsequently opened for such artists as Jason Mraz and Rhett Miller. She was named one of the "Best Unsigned" acts by San Diego CityBeat.
The songs on Miss Halfway talk about her upbringing, ex-boyfriends and all the after-effects. Anya's album was also produced by Scott Russo, the frontman for rockers Unwritten Law, along with Peter King from The Surfers. The record eventually earned a San Diego Music Award for Best Recording. The title track also landed on Grey's Anatomy and was featured as the fifth song on the second Grey's Anatomy (soundtrack) disc along with The Fray, KT Tunstall, Gomez and Snow Patrol.
The internet radio station KGRL featured her as their Flower-Powered Artist for March of 2007. The feature includes an exclusive interview, CD Review of Miss Halfway, and an on-demand audio stream of an unreleased Anya Marina track titled "Try It And Like It."
Not a Through Street
Anya Marina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of those years,
Kind of strange and kind of sad
Considering all the laughs
And all the tears.
Could it be this quiet cul-de-sac
Or the cynical moon?
Could it be the neighbor's cat watching
Either way, these days I feel so strange.
I remember you, so strange.
Do you remember me secretly?
So I comb the depths of the ocean floor
Of my memory, grasping onto some
Shell, some piece some evidence
Of you and me,
Sunlight streams in morning
Your head in the sheets
Dancing naked in the living room
(I still practice secretly).
I remember you secretly.
Do you remember me secretly?
I remember you secretly.
Do you remember me secretly?
You're a mile away
On your island, so close
Doing who knows what
With who-knows-who
Haphazard lovers don't
Seem to drown out your tune
It goes for me anyway
I don't know about you.
The song seems to portray a kind of angst or melancholy stemming from the feeling of being adrift, forgotten or misplaced. The first verse talks about the lead character having trouble remembering past events, even poignant ones such as tears and laughter. There is a feeling of emptiness that lingers, and the singer is almost trying to get to the bottom of why that is.
The second verse talks about the frustration that comes with feeling lost - combing through memories that read like shells and trying to piece together what was, but to no avail. It could be an ode to a failed romance or a broken friendship, with the lead character sad they're now adrift without any anchor.
The chorus serves to highlight the need for a connection between people, especially between individuals who at one point shared something special. It seems like a desperate plea to the past, a yearning to be remembered secretly in the heart of someone else. In the final verse, the lead character makes a reference to the distance between them and their former lover/friend. It could be interpreted as a metaphor for the emotional distance the singer is feeling, that nobody is really there to share and understand their current struggles.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't remember much of anything
I have a hard time remembering the past.
Of those years, Kind of strange and kind of sad
It's strange and sad that I don't remember much from the past years, despite there being both happy and sad moments.
Considering all the laughs And all the tears.
Despite the good and bad times, it's strange that I can't remember much from the past.
Could it be this quiet cul-de-sac
Perhaps the quietness of the cul-de-sac I am in contributes to my feeling of not remembering much.
Or the cynical moon?
Maybe the moon, which is often seen as a symbol of mystery and uncertainty, also contributes to my confusion.
Could it be the neighbor's cat watching Me from the living room?
I wonder if even the neighbor's cat could have an effect on my memory, as though it's a witness to my past.
Either way, these days I feel so strange.
Regardless of the cause, I feel odd these days.
I remember you, so strange.
Although my memory is hazy, I can remember you well enough.
Do you remember me secretly?
I wonder if you remember me the way I remember you, in a private and guarded way.
So I comb the depths of the ocean floor
I search the deep recesses of my mind.
Of my memory, grasping onto some
Hoping to find even a small piece of what I used to know and remember.
Shell, some piece some evidence
Even a fragment of a memory would be significant to me.
Of you and me, Sunlight streams in morning
I remember moments we shared, like sunlight streaming into our home on mornings.
Your head in the sheets Dancing naked in the living room (I still practice secretly).
I remember us laying in bed together or dancing naked in our home secretly, but I wonder if you remember those moments as well.
I remember you secretly. Do you remember me secretly?
I remember you privately and I wonder if you do the same.
You're a mile away
You're physically far away from me, living your own life.
On your island, so close
Even though you're living your own life, you're still close to me in my thoughts and memories.
Doing who knows what With who-knows-who
I don't know what you're doing or who you're with these days.
Haphazard lovers don't Seem to drown out your tune
The fleeting nature of your relationships hasn't changed who you are and the memories I have of you.
It goes for me anyway I don't know about you.
I'm not sure if you still think of me, but you'll always be in my memories and thoughts.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANYA MARINA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind