Born in Windsor, Ontario and raised in France and Kelowna, British Columbia, Fellows lived in Toronto, Vancouver, Guelph and Montreal before settling in Winnipeg in 1992.
In 1993, she formed her first group, Helen, with Barry Mirochnick, Paul James, and Chang. Helen broke up in 1995, and in 1996 Fellows teamed up with singer-songwriter Keri McTighe, Barry Mirochnick, Keith McLeod and Peggy Messing, to form Special Fancy. The group released one album, King Me.
In 2000 Fellows released her debut solo album, 2 Little Birds. This was followed by The Last One Standing in 2002, Paper Anniversary in 2005, and Nevertheless in 2007. These albums feature Leanne Zacharias (cello), Jason Tait (drums, vibraphone), Barry Mirochnick (drums, vocals), John K. Samson (vocals, guitar), Keith McLeod (mandolin), Monica Guenter (viola), Greg Smith (bass), Ed Reifel (percussion), and Cristina Zacharias (violin).
Fellows has performed with the Rheostatics, Veda Hille, The Mountain Goats, Kim Barlow, Old Man Luedecke, and The Weakerthans. She is married to The Weakerthans' lead singer, John K. Samson.
In 2006, Fellows and Samson recorded The Old House, an album intended only as a Christmas gift for friends and family, although they released two songs, "Taps Reversed" and "Good Salvage", for airplay on CBC Radio 3 in early 2007. Fellows and Samson also performed live on the network on March 17, 2007, to mark the final night of the network's terrestrial simulcast on CBC Radio 2.
Fellows also composes music for dance, film and television. She scored part of Clive Holden's Trains of Winnipeg film series, as well as collaborating with Tait and Samson on the associated album. In 2007, she wrote several songs for a dance piece by choreographer Susie Burpee; they were later included on her fourth solo album, Nevertheless, which was released on November 6, 2007.
Fellows has also toured as a member of The Pan-Canadian New Folk Ensemble with Kim Barlow and Old Man Luedecke.
Recently, she was artist-in-residence at Le Musee de Saint-Boniface Museum in Winnipeg (2009), and she has been writing songs for a new solo album, scheduled for release on Six Shooter Records in fall of 2010.
Paper Anniversary
Christine Fellows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is a first for me and you.
Here we have an appropriate excuse to wear those shoes,
To drink cheap champagne and say what we really mean.
What did we learn?
There's a first time a worse time for everything.
All the birds fly home today
It's fly home day,
It is a holiday for me and you.
We put clothespins in out hair and tissues in our sleeves.
We sing along with everything.
And what did we learn from the second time?
What did we learn?
There's no better time than the second time of anything,
With you.
In "Paper Anniversary" by Christine Fellows, the singer reflects on the significance of a first-year anniversary in a relationship. She acknowledges that this is the first time that she and her partner have hit this milestone together and that it represents an appropriate excuse to celebrate in a meaningful way. They can wear their best shoes, drink cheap champagne, and express their feelings honestly. The singer wonders what they've learned from this experience, implying that they've gained some clarity about their relationship over the past year. However, she also notes that there will always be both good and bad firsts - some experiences will be better the first time around, while others will be worse.
The second part of the song is more abstract, describing a day when all the birds fly home, which the singer and her partner celebrate as a holiday. They put clothespins in their hair and tissues in their sleeves, singing along with everything. Once again, the singer reflects on what she's learned - this time, that there's no better time than the second time of anything with her partner. This reinforces the idea that relationships are made up of both good and bad experiences, and that the second time around can often be even more meaningful than the first.
Overall, "Paper Anniversary" is a song about the significance of milestones in a relationship and how they can offer opportunities for reflection and celebration. It highlights the idea that relationships are complicated, and that there's no clear formula for what makes them work - sometimes things will be better the first time around, and sometimes the second time around will be even more special. Ultimately, the singer emphasizes the importance of cherishing and learning from every experience, good and bad, in order to deepen her connection with her partner.
Line by Line Meaning
Paper anniversary, it occurs to me,
I just realized it's our paper anniversary.
Is a first for me and you.
It's our first anniversary since we've been together.
Here we have an appropriate excuse to wear those shoes,
We finally have a reason to wear those fancy shoes we've been saving.
To drink cheap champagne and say what we really mean.
We can celebrate with inexpensive champagne and be honest with each other about our feelings.
And what did we learn, from this first time?
What have we discovered from this initial experience?
What did we learn?
Can you reflect on what we've just experienced?
There's a first time a worse time for everything.
The first time doing something is always the most difficult.
All the birds fly home today
It's the time of year when all the birds return home.
It's fly home day,
Today is the day when birds migrate back to their original habitat.
It is a holiday for me and you.
Today is a special day for us to celebrate.
We put clothespins in out hair and tissues in our sleeves.
We have fashioned makeshift accessories out of everyday items.
We sing along with everything.
We join in harmony with all the songs we hear today.
And what did we learn from the second time?
What have we realized from the subsequent experience?
What did we learn?
Can you reflect on our most recent experience?
There's no better time than the second time of anything,
The second time of doing anything is usually better than the first.
With you.
This sentiment applies specifically to you, my partner.
Contributed by Parker S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.