Sultry voice, poetic lyrics and surprising harmonies are just a part of the recipe that makes Chiara's music so irresistible.
The distance she has traveled is both musical and spiritual-literally stretching across the Atlantic Ocean. Born in Rome, Chiara was encouraged to play the piano by her grandmother; she kids that her nonna's out-of-tune upright afforded the best ear training. She briefly tried the acoustic guitar, but that ended almost comically with a drive to get some gelato. "The little car only had two doors," she remembers. "When I sat down, I broke the neck of the guitar. That was it for me. No more guitar. My mother said, 'You'd better sing, girl!'"
Chiara had already been in some classical choirs, but was looking for something freer than the operatic traditions of her homeland. A friend suggested that she learn jazz; she'd never heard of it. A little investigation brought her to a private music school that she would attend through her four years of high school: the St. Louis Music Academy in Rome. When she was sixteen, Chiara began singing professionally and won a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. She enrolled there from 1994-98. By the first year Chiara was a regular on the Boston club scene, performing with different bands.
But her journey didn't end with Boston or jazz. Chiara's move to New York City was inevitable. Searching for something musically closer to her Mediterranean roots, she immersed herself in Latin and Brazilian music, learning Spanish and Portuguese along the way. She also wrote her first song, "Parole Incerte" ("Uncertain Words"), about the misunderstandings that can come from the distance between a person and her loved ones.
Meanwhile, two of Chiara's bandmates - pianist Alain Mallet and drummer Jamey Haddad - had begun working with Paul Simon and invited her to a rehearsal. It was there that she met producer Russ Titelman and left him with a demo of "Parole Incerte." He called the very next day and insisted, "You are a songwriter. Forget about everything else you are doing. You have to write." Chiara began composing lyrics in English. She studied the work of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor.
Titelman let president and CEO of Verve hear the song and the next day Chiara was offered a record deal that not only allowed her to enter the studio but made her the first Italian born to be signed by Verve Records.
From this series of encouraging and exciting encounters emerged the 10 original compositions included on her debut album LAST QUARTER MOON, Verve2005; seven written by herself and three co-writes, including the brooding ballad "Trouble" that was co-written with legend Burt Bacharach. "I had almost every song on the album," recalls Chiara, "when Russ called me to say that Burt Bacharach was interested in writing with me." "Trouble" came together during a three day session at Bacharach's Los Angeles home. Chiara arrived with an idea for the melody; they shaped and refined it as a team.
The first album granted her a first round of the world and great position in the charts of italy and Japan.
Billboard Magazine noted that, “the beauty, charm and allure of singer/pianist/songwriter Chiara Civello’s debut…makes for an auspicious beginning and marks the first revelation of the New Year.” The International Herald Tribune declared “her combination of personality, soulfulness and sophistication…striking.”
The second album The Space Between (2007 Universal Classic and Jazz) produced by Steve Addabbo , shows a more intimate and immediate side of the singer songwriter, leading us us through a journey of thirteen beautiful moments where we feel we can get really close to her.
“This is a record about ‘the space between’. The space between the notes, the silence between words, the space between me and you, me and my past, me and my future, and all the spaces between that nowadays are so difficult to stop and think about….the space between that makes you feel the reality better, the space that makes you miss someone, the space between that makes you not say everything all at once, but bit by bit, as the need of saying it gets stronger in you. The space between what I think and what I say… In Italy, we have a saying: Between saying and doing, there is the sea.”
The album entered successfully the Italian and Japanese chiarts and led her to new important artistic collaborations.
Definitely an itinerant soul, Chiara describes her life as:” My home is the world, as long as there’s a piano at the destination, my world fits in a suitcase, the rest I carry with me : my computer and my guitar.
"Jazz was the most incredible diving machine when it came to going really deep into music," says Civello, about her path of discovery, one sure to continue in the future. "But I knew I couldn't be the new Ella Fitzgerald; I couldn't be the new Shirley Horn. I learned all different kinds of music and then I said to myself, 'I need to find my own voice. Time to unlearn now, time to be free.' It's like a hot air balloon: To be able to fly you have to throw off the sandbags. I want to be as light as I can-light as a feather."
“In the first album you search, in the second you focus, in the third you find yourself…. and here I am,” says Chiara Civello in describing her third album titled “7752” of upcoming release.
7752 is the distance in Kilometers from New York City to Rio de Janeiro, the two cities that provided the inspiration for this album. New York is where Chiara lives, while Rio changed Chiara’s life…
While visiting her friend, Daniel Jobim, in Rio in February 2008, Chiara was taken to a party (known as SARAO) where artists and musicians of all kinds get together. The guitar went around and everyone sang a song. As Chiara shared, listened, and learned, a new phase of her artistic path began.
“Co-writing I was already familiar with,” says Chiara, “since those unforgettable three days spent in Santa Monica in which I wrote Trouble with Burt Bacharach for my first album…but in Brazil everyone co writes. It’s a big party, everyone shares and dares and makes it happen.”
Ana Carolina, a Brazilian pop star, is one of the main collaborators of 7752. Not only did she co-write five of the songs with Chiara, but she also played acoustic guitar on most of them. “We met at that party and she asked me if I had a melody for her, so the next day I started RESTA, a song that soon after we finished together and sang as a duet live in Sao Paulo.” Success has already accompanied the collaboration with Ana Carolina, as RESTA will be featured on the new Novela of Globo TV called “Passione,” starting on May 17, 2010.
Written between Rio, New York, and Trastevere (Rome), 7752 includes ten musical moments of which eight were recorded in NYC (and produced by the eclectic producer Andres Levin), while four were recorded in Rio and produced by Chiara herself.
“All my friends and favorite musicians merged into this record in the most natural way…it was like bringing the Rio spirit into the studio: Mauro Refosco (Thom Yorke, David Byrne, Forro’ in The Dark) and Guilherme Monteiro (Ron Carter, Forro in The Dark) had already recorded with me and I couldn’t possibly think of a record without them, Anat Cohen is one of my best friends and I have always wanted to have her on my album but we never were able to make it happen; Jaques Morelenbaum is one of the most talented and sentimental musicians I have ever met; Mark Ribot was the perfect guy for these songs, not to mention the great rhythm section that Andres brought in the studio, Gene Lake on the drums and Jonathan Maron on the bass. Ana Carolina who wrote most of the songs with me already owned them on the acoustic guitar and added her tremendous groove to them”.
Already defined as an “enticing and contagious” album, 7752 sounds lively, while portraying a new, playful and joyous aspect of Chiara’s singing and songwriting. The sound is a beautiful alchemy among the 60s, Italian melody, Brazilian harmonies, and R&B.
http://www.chiaracivello.com
My Way
Chiara Civello Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
cnd so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I've traveled each and every highway
But more, much more than this
I did it my way
Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
cnd saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
cnd more, much more than this
I did it my way
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall
cnd did it my way
I've loved, I've laughed and cried
I've had my fill my share of losing
cnd now, as tears subside
I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
cnd may I say - not in a shy way
Oh no, oh no, not me
I did it my way
If not himself, then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels
cnd not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
cnd did it my way Yes, it was my way
Comme d'habitude
Je me lève
Et je te bouscule
Tu ne te réveilles pas
Comme d'habitude
Sur toi je remonte le drap
J'ai peur que tu aies froid
Comme d'habitude
Ma main caresse tes cheveux
Presque malgré moi
Comme d'habitude
Mais toi tu me tournes le dos
Comme d'habitude
clors je m'habille très vite
Je sors de la chambre
Comme d'habitude
Tout seul je bois mon café
Je suis en retard
Comme d'habitude
Sans bruit je quitte la maison
Tout est gris dehors
Comme d'habitude
J'ai froid, je relève mon col
Comme d'habitude
Comme d'habitude
Toute la journée
Je vais jouer à faire semblant
Comme d'habitude
Je vais sourire
Comme d'habitude
Je vais même rire
Comme d'habitude
Enfin je vais vivre
Comme d'habitude
Et puis le jour s'en ira
Moi je reviendrai
Comme d'habitude
Tu seras sortie
Et pas encore rentrée
Comme d'habitude
Tout seul j'irai me coucher
Dans ce grand lit froid
Comme d'habitude
Mes larmes, je les cacherai
Comme d'habitude
Comme d'habitude
Même la nuit
Je vais jouer à faire semblant
Comme d'habitude
Tu rentreras
Comme d'habitude
Je t'attendrai
Comme d'habitude
Tu me souriras
Comme d'habitude
Comme d'habitude
Tu te déshabilleras
Comme d'habitude
Tu te coucheras
Comme d'habitude
On s'embrassera
Comme d'habitude
The lyrics to Chiara Civello's song "My Way" express a deep reflection on one's life journey as they approach the end. The singer acknowledges that the end is near and faces it with a sense of acceptance and self-assurance, symbolized by facing the final curtain. They assert that they have lived a full life, embracing all the experiences and challenges along the way, and emphasizes the importance of having lived life on their own terms - "I did it my way." Despite experiencing some regrets, they believe these are outweighed by the fulfillment of living authentically and taking ownership of their choices and actions.
The lyrics reflect a sense of resilience and determination in the face of difficulties, as the singer acknowledges times when they may have taken on more than they could handle but persevered nonetheless. They highlight their ability to confront doubts and challenges head-on, standing tall and facing everything in their own unique way. This resilience is a central theme throughout the song, showcasing the singer's unwavering commitment to living life authentically and staying true to themselves, regardless of the obstacles encountered.
The song also delves into the emotional aspects of life, touching on the themes of love, laughter, tears, and loss. Despite the ups and downs, the singer finds amusement in looking back at everything they have experienced and achieved. They emphasize the importance of expressing genuine emotions and staying true to oneself rather than conforming to societal expectations or sacrificing personal truths. The singer believes that true fulfillment comes from being honest and authentic in one's actions and feelings, as reflected in the lines, "For what is a man, what has he got / If not himself, then he has naught."
The French lyrics interspersed within the song, titled "Comme d'habitude" (As Usual), offer a contrasting perspective on routine and emotional detachment in a relationship. The singer describes a seemingly mundane and repetitive daily routine, symbolizing feelings of emptiness and resignation. Despite going through the motions with a sense of familiarity, there is a poignant undercurrent of unexpressed emotions and concealed pain. The repetition of "comme d'habitude" (as usual) throughout the French lyrics serves as a reminder of the stifling routine and hidden emotions within the relationship, contrasting with the themes of self-assurance and authenticity in the English verses.
Line by Line Meaning
cnd now, the end is near
As I approach the end of a chapter in my life
cnd so I face the final curtain
And I am ready to confront the inevitable end
My friend, I'll say it clear
I will speak honestly and openly
I'll state my case, of which I'm certain
I will present my perspective confidently
I've lived a life that's full
I have experienced a life rich in moments and experiences
I've traveled each and every highway
I have explored many paths and journeys
But more, much more than this
Beyond all of that
I did it my way
I did things according to my own choices and decisions
Regrets, I've had a few
I acknowledge that I have some regrets
But then again, too few to mention
But they are minor and insignificant in the grand scheme
I did what I had to do
I took the necessary actions
cnd saw it through without exemption
And followed through until the end
I planned each charted course
I carefully mapped out my direction
Each careful step along the byway
Taking deliberate and cautious steps on the path
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
I am aware that there were moments you recognized
When I bit off more than I could chew
When I took on challenges that were beyond my capacity
But through it all, when there was doubt
However, in the face of uncertainty
I ate it up and spit it out
I confronted and overcame those challenges
I faced it all and I stood tall
I confronted every obstacle with dignity and resolve
I've loved, I've laughed and cried
I have experienced love, joy, and sorrow
I've had my fill my share of losing
I have experienced my fair share of setbacks
cnd now, as tears subside
And now, as my sorrow diminishes
I find it all so amusing
I see the humor and irony in it all
To think I did all that
Reflecting on all that I have accomplished
cnd may I say - not in a shy way
And I must say, without hesitation
Oh no, oh no, not me
No, not me
For what is a man, what has he got
In the end, what truly defines a person
If not himself, then he has naught
But their own self, otherwise, they have nothing
To say the things he truly feels
To express one's genuine emotions
cnd not the words of one who kneels
Rather than conforming to someone else's beliefs
The record shows I took the blows
The evidence demonstrates that I faced challenges head-on
Yes, it was my way
Indeed, it was done according to my own way
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Gilles Thibaut
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind