During this period he also collaborated with Allen Ginsberg, accompanying him on cello while Ginsberg read or sang. Russell also spent time in a Buddhist commune in California; he left when they decided to collectivize his cello.
By the mid-1970's Russell relocated to New York City, where he studied at The Manhattan School of Music. He formed a band from 1975-1979, The Flying Hearts, recorded by John Hammond and featuring David Byrne, Rhys Chatham, Jon Gibson, Peter Gordon, Jerry Harrison, Garret List, Frank Pagano, Andy Paley, Leni Pickett, and Peter Zummo.
In the late 1970s Russell became enamored with the disco scene in New York. At the time it represented a liberation force, particularly for the gay scene, just a few years after the Stonewall riots. (For more see "Turn the Beat Around: The Secret History of Disco" by Peter Shapiro).
'Kiss Me Again' was Russell's first dance track. Released under the name Dinosaur L by Sirerecords, it was to be the first of many innovative dancefloor tracks released under different names and with different collaborators, such as 'Is It All Over My Face' by Loose Joints, released in 1980. In 1982, Arthur Russell and William Socolov founded Sleeping Bag records and their first release was his 24-24 Music. This featured 'Go Bang' which was re-mixed as a 12" single by Francois Kevorkian.
Arthur Russell continued to release dance singles such as 'Tell You Today' (4th and Broadway, 1983) an upbeat dance groove featuring the vocals of Joyce Bowden . 'Wax the Van' (Jump Street, 1985) with vocals by Lola Blank, wife of notorious BobTreehouse aka Bob Schoolbell (Sleeping Bag, 1986) and 'Let's Go Swimming' (Upside / Rough Trade, 1986).
At the same time, he produced more meditative works on the albums 'Tower of Meaning' (Chatham Square, 1983) and 'World of Echo' (Rough Trade, 1986), which presented many of his pop and dance compositions in solo cellist form.
Arthur Russell died of AIDS on April 4, 1992, at the age of 40. The obituary in the Village Voice wrote: "his songs were so personal that it seems as though he simply vanished into his music."
In 2004 a renewed interest in Arthur Russell saw the release of "The World of Arthur Russell" on Soul Jazz records, which compiled his best-known dance hits alongside more introspective love songs such as "Little Lost" and "Keeping Up".
In the same year Audika records reissued "World Of Echo" and produced "Calling Out Of Context", 12 unreleased songs from 1985-90. The songs were taken from an album "Corn", recorded in 1985 but never released. They showcase a set of visionary pop songs years ahead of their time, minimalist and expansive, evidence that Russell's best work was perhaps never realized before his death.
In 2006 Audika released "First Thought Best Thought", compiling Russell's out of print orchestral and instrumental works with previously unreleased material.
A Little Lost
Arthur Russell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Without you
That could be an understatement
Now I hope I have paid the cost
To let a day go on by and not
Call on you
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
Out on the ocean surf
I'll have to pull myself together
Now it's harder I'm not on my turf
Just me and me and those big old waves
Rolling in
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
I'm so unfinished
Our love affair
A voice in me
Is telling me to
Run away
I hope your feeling isn't diminished
I hope you need someone in your life
Someone like me
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
The lyrics to Arthur Russell's song A Little Lost express the idea that the singer is lost and incomplete without the person they are singing to. The singer reflects on the fact that they have been thinking about kissing the other person constantly and hope that they haven't missed their chance to be with them. The singer also hopes that their love interest hasn't forgotten about them and that they need someone like the singer in their life. However, there is a voice within the singer telling them to run away from the love affair but their desire to be with this person is stronger.
The song captures how someone can feel so lost and attached to another person, that their desire for them is almost overwhelming. It highlights the idea that some people can get lost in the intensity of their feelings, and that they may be unsure if they have the courage to act on them. The lyrics also convey the idea of someone who is perhaps not confident enough to express their feelings openly, and may be worried about rejection. Ultimately, the song highlights the internal struggle and confusion that can come with being in love.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm a little lost
I feel lost without you in my life
Without you
You are an important part of my life
That could be an understatement
I might be downplaying my feelings for you
Now I hope I have paid the cost
I hope the sacrifices I made for you were worth it
To let a day go on by and not
To be okay with not being in constant contact
Call on you
Reaching out to you
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
My thoughts are preoccupied
Thinking about kissing you
My desire to be close to you is overwhelming
Now I want to do that
I want to be physically intimate with you
Without entertaining another thought
I don't want anything else to distract me
Out on the ocean surf
I'm out of my comfort zone
I'll have to pull myself together
I'll need to focus and be strong
Now it's harder I'm not on my turf
It's more challenging when I'm not in control
Just me and me and those big old waves
I'm alone and facing a powerful force
Rolling in
Approaching and threatening me
I'm so unfinished
Our relationship isn't complete yet
Our love affair
Our romantic connection
A voice in me
My conscience or inner thoughts
Is telling me to
I'm being prompted to
Run away
Consider ending the relationship
I hope your feeling isn't diminished
I hope you still have strong feelings for me
I hope you need someone in your life
I hope you want someone to share your life with
Someone like me
Specifically, someone who cares for you deeply like I do
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: CHARLES ARTHUR RUSSELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
TJG
I'm a little lost
Without you
That could be an understatement
Now I hope I have paid the cost
To let a day go on by and not
Call on you
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
Out on the ocean surf
I'll have to pull myself together
Now it's harder I'm not on my turf
Just me and me and those big old waves
Rolling in
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
It's so unfinished
Our love affair
A voice in me
Is telling me to
Run away
I hope your feeling isn't diminished
I hope you need someone in your life
Someone like me
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
X X
I'm a little lost
Without you
That could be an understatement
Now I hope I have paid the cost
To let a day go on by and not
Call on you
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
Out on the ocean surf
I'll have to pull myself together
Now it's harder I'm not on my turf
Just me and me and those big old waves
Rolling in
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
I'm so unfinished
Our love affair
A voice in me
Is telling me to
Run away
I hope your feeling isn't diminished
I hope you need someone in your life
Someone like me
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
Grant Freeman
His cello is magic. I've never heard anyone get such consistently interesting and beautiful sounds out of an instrument so organically.
christophe moynaton
Like yo-yo ma, he was insane on his instrument ! 🙏
abandofgeeks
This is one of the most beautiful songs ever performed.
TJG
I'm a little lost
Without you
That could be an understatement
Now I hope I have paid the cost
To let a day go on by and not
Call on you
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
Out on the ocean surf
I'll have to pull myself together
Now it's harder I'm not on my turf
Just me and me and those big old waves
Rolling in
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
It's so unfinished
Our love affair
A voice in me
Is telling me to
Run away
I hope your feeling isn't diminished
I hope you need someone in your life
Someone like me
'Cause I'm so busy, so busy
Thinking about kissing you
Now I want to do that
Without entertaining another thought
Sean Pierce Sumler
my heart
Edwin Meyer
Mind ‘boggling ly ‘ beautiful and true.
steadypizza
Cherish this existence.. thank you Arthur. Truly beautiful.
Charlie Tourniquet
This guy truly was a real diamond in the rough...such beautiful sounds.
Heidi Delatierra - Yoga Camino Hacia La Luz
I love this song over and over and over and over!!! <3
christophe moynaton
This is it !
A song for you, humanity !
Love, sharing and empathy. I miss you Arthur 🙏