Martin got her start singing opera while attending Eastern Illinois University in the late '90s. Her father was a respected professor in the music department, and naturally Martin followed his footsteps. She began playing piano when she was a little girl and her childhood was surrounded by music.
While attending school, Martin experienced "real life," from living with her goth roommate and dealing with typical college-like drama to the tragic suicides of two close friends. Martin turned to music for solace. She desperately wanted to make music into a career; therefore, a whirlwind move to Los Angeles seemed like the right thing to do.
Martin eventually made a record, One Girl Army, with producer Tom Rothrock (Badly Drawn Boy, Beck, Elliott Smith), but it was never released. Before 2002 came to a close, Martin got her own studio and recorded a new batch of songs with Ken Andrews (Air, Pete Yorn). The melodic dreamscapes of In Parentheses arrived in August 2003 and Martin's bright voice drew comparisons to Fiona Apple and Kate Bush. Dates with Howie Day and Damien Rice also coincided with the release of the EP.
On Your Shore followed in 2004. Unfortunately, Martin's relationship with RCA proved creatively trying as the singer/songwriter continued writing and recording new material. A decision to leave the major label in 2005 allowed Martin to accomplish her creative goals, thus reconnecting with Test-Drive Records to issue the Veins and Darkest Hour EPs before the year's end. Additional support dates around North American followed into the fall, and Martin rounded out the Veins tour with her first DVD recording, the limited-edition Something Like a DVD.
She also married her long-time collaborator and co-producer, Ken Andrews (Pete Yorn, Year of the Rabbit, Failure), in the midst of recording her second album, Stromata. The album arrived on Martin and Andrews' own Dinosaur Fight label in September 2006.
In 2009, Martin released the instrumental album Piano Trees, a collection of improvised piano songs.
In 2011, Martin released her album, Dancing on Needles.
In 2014, Martin released Water Breaks Stone.
On October 5, 2018, Martin released the second of her instrumental piano albums (after Piano Trees), entitled Clear Blue Sky. The following year, in 2019, two more albums in a similar vein were released: Monotonous Night on March 8 and Dawn on December 27.
http://www.charlottemartin.com
PILLS
Charlotte Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pills that make you think that you are happy
Pills that make you think that you are sad
Pills that make you love most anybody
Pills that make you altogether mad
Pills that make you feel a little sleepy
Pills that make your skin feel kinda creepy
Pills that make your brain hallucinate
Ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba da da
Ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba da da
Pills that make the boys a little frisky
Pills that help the girls fight PMS
Pills that make your conversation risky
Pills that help you straighten out the mess
Ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba da da
Ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba da da
Pills to calm your nerves when on an airplane
Pills to make your acne start to fade
Pills to make you rid yourself of water
Pills that cause your body to retain
Pills that make you think that you're a rockstar
Pills that make you feel a bit insane
Pills that make you think you're in a movie
Pills that make you stand in front of trains
Ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba da da
Ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba da da
Ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba da da
Ba ba ba ba ba ba
Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba da da
The song Pills by Charlotte Martin is a commentary on the prevalent use of prescription drugs in modern society. The lyrics reflect on the variety of pills available and the different effects they can have on individuals. The opening lines suggest that pills can make an individual feel happy, sad, or love anyone, and it can also make you mad. These lines portray the volatility of the situation, where pills can have a wide range of effects on individuals. The lyrics then go on to mention the use of pills for sleep, acne, nerves, and water retention. The variety of reasons for taking pills put forth the idea that pills have become ubiquitous in society.
The lyrics of the song portray the overreliance and overuse of pills in modern society. The lyrics are straightforward and to the point, and due to the nature of the topic, the song comes off as a critique of the industry. The lyrics showcase how pills are used without much thought and as a quick fix to solve various problems. The song is thought-provoking and highlights an important social issue concerning society today.
Line by Line Meaning
Pills that make you think that you are happy
Medications that deceive you into believing that you are happy
Pills that make you think that you are sad
Drugs that create a false sense of sadness in your mind
Pills that make you love most anybody
Pills that stimulate feelings of attraction towards anyone
Pills that make you altogether mad
Medications that can drive you completely insane
Pills that make you feel a little sleepy
Drugs that can induce a bit of drowsiness
Pills that make you stay up way too late
Medications that keep you awake beyond your regular sleep hours
Pills that make your skin feel kinda creepy
Drugs that cause an unpleasant sensation on the skin
Pills that make your brain hallucinate
Medications that result in visual and/or auditory hallucinations
Pills that make the boys a little frisky
Tablets that can arouse the sexual desires of men
Pills that help the girls fight PMS
Medications that aid women in coping with pre-menstrual syndrome
Pills that make your conversation risky
Drugs that heighten the probability of engaging in risky talks
Pills that help you straighten out the mess
Medications that can assist you in resolving a complicated situation
Pills to calm your nerves when on an airplane
Tablets that can soothe your anxiety while travelling in an aircraft
Pills to make your acne start to fade
Medications that aid in removing acne marks from the skin
Pills to make you rid yourself of water
Drugs that aid in flushing out extra water from your body
Pills that cause your body to retain
Medications that result in your body conserving fluids
Pills that make you think that you're a rockstar
Tablets that create an illusion that you are a famous musician
Pills that make you feel a bit insane
Medications that induce a feeling of temporary insanity
Pills that make you think you're in a movie
Drugs that can make you temporarily believe that you are in a film
Pills that make you stand in front of trains
Medications that can lead to dangerous behavior like standing in front of a moving train
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
jbero2478
I love this song!
Chris Williamson
Hearing this inspired me to link a the Killing Joke song "Prozac People".