Tidwell was born in Nashville, TN, where her grandfather had been a successful recording artist and a guest on the Grand Ol' Opry, her father was a veteran A&R man, her mother had landed several singles on the country charts in the 1970s, and their circle of friends included the likes of Townes Van Zandt and Jack Clement.
However, in the mid-'70s Tidwell's mother was diagnosed with manic depression, and her parents split up as her mother sunk deeper and deeper into depression, only to die alone in 1999 at the age of 49. As a child, Tidwell would play piano to escape the madness surrounding her, but with time she came to associate music with the pain of her childhood and gave up playing for many years.
Around the time of her mother's passing (which coincided with the suicide of a close friend), Tidwell returned to songwriting to make sense of her feelings, and after singing in a cover band and forming a punk combo with a friend, she began recording her own songs using a makeshift home studio, playing all the instruments herself. In time, Tidwell began playing her material in public, and while some audiences were nonplussed with her songs, she soon made friends and fans of some of Nashville's most acclaimed musicians, including members of Lambchop and Hands Off Cuba.
In the spring of 2005, Tidwell released her first record, a self-titled six-song EP released through the budding Nashville label Sissy Bragg Records. While touring as an opening act for Lou Barlow, Tidwell's music came to the attention of the British label Even Records, who signed her and released a second EP in early 2006. Several months later, Tidwell's first full-length album appeared, Don't Let the Stars Keep Us Tangled Up; it was produced by Tidwell and her husband Todd, and featured guest appearances from Kurt Wagner and William Tyler of Lambchop.
La la
Cortney Tidwell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The company is over
All of our memories fating to take me
Don't go, don't go is always in my mind, oh
I never look on the bright side and
Decide, decide, decide to hide from you.
And we all know a song that's tearing me and you apart
And we all know a song that tearing everybody else up
Lalalalala...
Facing the clover roll over
I stand true
And I wanted to know how we'll love and ???
Decide...
And I decide for life oh I know it all
I decide for I will lie...
You started over I started over
And we all know a song that tearing everybody else up
Lalalalala
And the words that you use are ???
Lalalalalalala...
In Cortney Tidwell's song La La, the lyrics talk about the heartbreak caused by the end of a relationship. The opening lines "All of our love we lose faking, the company is over" suggest that the love that they shared was not genuine and that the company they kept was not enough to save the relationship. The phrase "All of our memories fating to take me" indicates that the memories of the past relationship are difficult to forget and are causing emotional pain. The repetition of "Don't go, don't go" suggests that the singer is pleading with their ex-lover not to leave them.
The next verse "I never look on the bright side and decide, decide, decide to hide from you" portrays a sense of hopelessness and despair. The singer feels that they have no choice but to hide from their former lover as they cannot face the reality of the situation. The repetition of "decide" indicates that the singer is struggling to make a decision about how to move on. The chorus "And we all know a song that's tearing me and you apart, it's far far far far" suggests that there is a song that is symbolic of the pain and heartbreak that they are currently experiencing. The repetition of "la la la la" creates a sense of detachment or numbing of emotions.
The lyrics in the second verse "Facing the clover roll over, I stand true, and I wanted to know how we'll love and ???, decide" could be interpreted in several ways, but it seems to suggest the singer trying to move forward and find new love. The line "And I decide for life oh I know it all, I decide for I will lie" suggests that the singer is accepting the end of the relationship but may be dishonest with themselves in the future. The final chorus "And the words that you use are ???, la la la la la la" implies that the words spoken by their lover were hurtful, but the singer has become indifferent and numb to the pain.
Line by Line Meaning
All of our love we lose faking
We pretend to love each other, but our love is not genuine and we end up losing it.
The company is over
Our relationship has ended and we are no longer together.
All of our memories fating to take me
I keep thinking of the memories we had together that are now fading away and it deeply affects me.
Don't go, don't go is always in my mind, oh
I always think of you leaving me and it troubles me constantly.
I never look on the bright side and
I tend to focus on the negative aspects of life and I am unable to see the positive side of things.
Decide, decide, decide to hide from you.
I choose to hide my true feelings and emotions from you and pretend everything is fine.
And we all know a song that's tearing me and you apart
There is a song that reminds us of our broken relationship and it hurts both of us deeply.
It's far far far far
The pain and hurt caused by the song is intense and feels as though it is far away.
And we all know a song that tearing everybody else up
The same song that affects our relationship is also tearing other people apart.
Lalalalala...
The song is so painful that all we can do is sing 'la la la' to drown out the thoughts and emotions it brings up.
Facing the clover roll over
I have to confront my fears and face them head-on like flipping over a four-leaf clover for good luck.
I stand true
I remain honest with myself and stay loyal to who I am.
And I wanted to know how we'll love and ???
I wonder how we will ever love again and find happiness with someone else.
Decide...
I have to make a decision on how to move on and continue with my life.
And I decide for life oh I know it all
I make a choice for my life and think I know everything I need to know about the future.
I decide for I will lie...
My decision to move on involves lying to myself about how I truly feel.
You started over I started over
Both of us have decided to move on and start fresh with our lives.
And the words that you use are ???
The words you use when you talk to me are unclear and I am not sure what you truly mean.
Lalalalalalala...
I still cannot shake off the painful song that still haunts me deeply.
Contributed by Layla T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MElliottHolcman
I feel sorry for people who do not know about Cortney, her voice and her song. She's 1 in a billion...
@clorrainet
All of our love we lose faking
The company is over
All of our memories fating to take me
Don't go, don't go is always in my mind, oh
I never look on the bright side and
Decide, decide, decide to hide from you.
And we all know a song that's tearing me and you apart
It's far far far far
And we all know a song that tearing everybody else up
Lalalalala...
Facing the clover roll over
I stand true
And I wanted to know how we'll love and ???
decide...
And I decide for life oh I know it all
I decide for I will lie...
You started over I started over
And we all know a song that tearing everybody else up
Lalalalala
And the words that you use are ???
lalalalalalala...