Songs From The Road
Released 11/11/2014 on Ruf Records
… Read Full Bio ↴Dana Fuchs
Songs From The Road
Released 11/11/2014 on Ruf Records
The road has led Dana Fuchs everywhere. But when it came to choosing a
location for Songs From The Road, it had to be New York. The singer and the
city have history. Almost two decades have passed since Dana left her home
in rural Florida and beat a path to the Big Apple. Stepping onto the mean
streets of the Lower East Side aged 19, she was an unknown singer with a
voice and a dream, ready to slug it out on the city’s bearpit jam-circuit.
Since then, New York has been the backdrop to Dana’s meteoric rise.
There were the early buzz-sets in the city’s late-night sweatboxes. The off-
Broadway musical Love, Janis, which saw the multi-talented performer play
the iconic Janis Joplin. Followed by the endless shows and sessions all across
town. No wonder, then, that for Songs From The Road, the Highline Ballroom
on West 16th Street was the perfect fit – and the singer was received like a
local hero.
Released in 2014 on Ruf Records, Songs From The Road is the latest in
the German label’s famous series of live albums, with Dana following in the
hallowed footsteps of legends including Luther Allison, Jeff Healey and the
Royal Southern Brotherhood. As ever, the Songs From The Road concept isn’t
about overdubs, Auto-Tune or opulent production, but the honest bottling of
the two-way energy that only occurs when great artists go nose-to-nose with
their fans. It’s hard to imagine a performer who deserves the treatment more
than Dana: a vocalist who means every note, every night.
A live show by the Dana Fuchs Band is an assault on all the senses. As
such, comprised in Songs From The Road’s two-disc pack, you’ll find an audio
CD capturing the soul power of that classic set on March 14th, 2014, plus a
DVD, directed by Kevin Mackall. Prowling the stage, pouring her heart into
the microphone and owning every song on the setlist, you won’t question the
wisdom of the UK’s Classic Rock Magazine, who famously declared Dana’s
once-in-a-generation voice as “juke-joint dirty and illicit, evoking Janis Joplin,
Mick Jagger and a cigarette butt bobbing in a glass of bourbon…”
You won’t take your eyes/ears off her, but Songs From The Road is far
from a one-woman show. At the Highline Ballroom, Dana’s performance was
taken to even greater heights by her stellar cast of players. On guitar and
backing vocals, give a big hand to long-time wingman and co-songwriter, Jon
Diamond: the former session ace who gave the singer an engine-room shortly
after her arrival in New York. Matt Beck (guitars), Jack Daley (bass), Pete
Levin (keys) and Joe Daley (drums) provide the thrilling musical canvass,
while the so-called Screaming Sirens (aka. Elaine Caswell, Nicki Richards and
Bette Sussman) dovetail with Dana’s lead vocal to create a wall of sound that
rattles your speakers.
Yet it’s the songs that are the true stars on the night. By this point, three
studio albums into their writing partnership, Dana and Jon have amassed a
solid-gold back catalogue, and Songs From The Road mines some of their very
best nuggets. Long-term fans will be delighted to get reacquainted with Tell
Me I’m Not Drinking and Sad Salvation: formative songs that date back to the
Dana Fuchs’ Band’s 2003 debut album, Lonely For A Lifetime. Film nuts who
caught Dana’s feted turn as Sadie in Julie Taymor’s highly acclaimed Beatles
movie, Across The Universe, will adore the closing cover of Don’t Let Me Down.
Those who came onboard with 2011’s Love To Beg, meanwhile, will be
thrilled to find cuts from that album including Set It On Fire, Summersong and
a cover of Otis Redding’s I’ve Been Loving You Too Long. And of course, the
Highline setlist had to have a healthy smattering from 2013’s Bliss Avenue: the
career-best third album that Dana once noted “really purged my soul in a
starker, more naked way, both lyrically and musically”. You won’t dispute
that after hearing the band’s powerhouse live readings of those classic songs,
which include Livin’ On Sunday, Handful Too Many, So Hard To Move and
Vagabond Wind.
Since the noisy birth of rock ‘n’ roll, New York has hosted hundreds of
were-you-there concerts by a roll-call of favourite sons, from The Ramones at
CBGBs to The Velvet Underground at The Factory. Now, with Songs From The
Road, Dana Fuchs has chalked up another entry in the NYC annals and staked
her claim as the city’s most exciting adopted daughter. So start spreading the
news. You’ll want to be a part of it…
-Henry Yates
Classic Rock Magazine
External Links:
http://www.last.fm/music/Dana+Fuchs+Band
http://www.last.fm/music/The+Dana+Fuchs+Band
https://www.facebook.com/danafuchsverified
https://www.youtube.com/user/allmack
https://twitter.com/DanaFuchsTweet
Officlal Website:
http://www.danafuchs.com/
Vagabond Wind
Dana Fuchs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
GO DOWN QUIET – DON'T MAKE A SOUND
WHEN YOU FALL APART I DON'T WANNA BE AROUND
NOBODY'S HERE – IT'S 4AM
I'M WONDERIN IF YOU'RE DEAD OR OUT WITH A FRIEND
LIKE SOME KIND DREAM - AN OLD MEMORY
I SAID HEY VAGABOND WIND
YOU'RE BLOWIN OUTSIDE MY DOOR AGAIN
IT'S SO COLD AT THE HEAD OF THE STORM
BUT THE CALM COMIN AFTER IT FEELS SO WARM
MY VAGABOND WIND - MY VAGABOND WIND
COLD LIGHT OF MORNING - PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE
GO ON AND FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO SHINE ON
MY SOULS GETTIN WEARY - AND MY LOVE'S GETTIN COLD
OH HONEY CAN YOU HEAR ME - I'M CALLING YOU HOME
I SAID HEY VAGABOND WIND
YOU'RE BLOWIN OUTSIDE MY DOOR AGAIN
IT'S SO COLD AT THE HEAD OF THE STORM
BUT THE CALM COMIN AFTER IT FEELS SO WARM
MY VAGABOND WIND - MY VAGABOND WIND
NOW HERE YOU ARE IN MY ARMS AGAIN TONIGHT
I'M HOPING YOU'RE GONNA STAY BUT I KNOW I CAN'T HOLD YOU THAT TIGHT
AND I CAN'T WORRY MY MIND ABOUT WHERE YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN
CUZ I KNOW IT'S A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE YOU BLOW OUT AGAIN…
LIKE THE SAME OLD BAD DREAM FROM AN OLD MEMORY
AND I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S REALLY HAPPENING TO ME
I SAID HEY VAGABOND WIND
YOU'RE BLOWIN OUTSIDE MY DOOR AGAIN
IT'S SO COLD AT THE HEAD OF THE STORM
BUT THE CALM COMIN AFTER ALWAYS FEELS SO WARM
MY VAGABOND WIND - MY VAGABOND WIND
I FEEL YOU BLOWIN INSIDE MY DOOR AGAIN YEAH, YOU BEEN YOU BEEN
YOU BEEN BLOWIN BABY – OH YEAH, YOU BEEN BLOWIN IN MY HEART AGAIN
OH YEAH - YOU'RE IN MY HEART AGAIN, YOU'RE BLOWIN IN MY HEART AGAIN…
YOU'RE IN MY HEART AGAIN BABY
NOW GO DOWN QUIET - DON'T MAKE A SOUND
WHEN YOU FALL APART - I DON'T WANNA BE AROUND
The song Vagabond Wind by Dana Fuchs seems to be about someone who can't stay in one place and keeps wandering around aimlessly like the wind - a vagabond wind. The singer says that they don't want to be around when this person falls apart because they know it's going to happen eventually. The lyrics suggest that this person may be an old memory or a dream from the past or they may be someone who keeps coming back, but the singer isn't sure if they're dead or alive.
In the chorus, the singer addresses the vagabond wind, telling it to go away and leave them alone. They acknowledge that it's cold at the head of the storm, but the calm that comes after feels warm. The vagabond wind may represent a feeling of unease or restlessness that the singer can't shake off. They know that they can't hold onto this person, and it's only a matter of time before they drift away again.
The singer also talks about how their love is getting cold and that their soul is getting weary. They want this person to come home and stay with them, but they know it's not possible. In the end, the vagabond wind blows in again, and the singer accepts that this is just the way things are.
Line by Line Meaning
GO DOWN QUIET – DON'T MAKE A SOUND
Please be discreet when you depart
WHEN YOU FALL APART I DON'T WANNA BE AROUND
I don't want to witness your breakdown
NOBODY'S HERE – IT'S 4AM
It's early morning and there's no one around
I'M WONDERIN IF YOU'RE DEAD OR OUT WITH A FRIEND
I'm anxious and unsure if you're still alive, or if you're with someone else
LIKE SOME KIND DREAM - AN OLD MEMORY
It feels like a distant, unreal memory
BUT THIS KIND OF THING CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME
I never thought something like this could happen to me
I SAID HEY VAGABOND WIND
I address the unpredictable force that disrupts my life
YOU'RE BLOWIN OUTSIDE MY DOOR AGAIN
You're back to stir things up again
IT'S SO COLD AT THE HEAD OF THE STORM
The beginning of this ordeal is harsh and uncomfortable
BUT THE CALM COMIN AFTER IT FEELS SO WARM
However, once it's all over, there's a sense of relief and comfort
MY VAGABOND WIND - MY VAGABOND WIND
You are the force that troubles and disrupts my life
COLD LIGHT OF MORNING - PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE
I wish for some time in solitude in the morning after the storm has passed
GO ON AND FIND SOMEONE ELSE TO SHINE ON
I want this unpredictable force to leave me and find someone else
MY SOULS GETTIN WEARY - AND MY LOVE'S GETTIN COLD
My spirit is tired and my love is fading
OH HONEY CAN YOU HEAR ME - I'M CALLING YOU HOME
I yearn for you to come back to me
NOW HERE YOU ARE IN MY ARMS AGAIN TONIGHT
However, you return to me yet again
I'M HOPING YOU'RE GONNA STAY BUT I KNOW I CAN'T HOLD YOU THAT TIGHT
I hope that you'll stick around, but I know I can't make you stay
AND I CAN'T WORRY MY MIND ABOUT WHERE YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN
I can't let myself worry about what you've been up to while you were gone
CUZ I KNOW IT'S A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE YOU BLOW OUT AGAIN…
Because I know that it won't be long before you leave again
AND I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S REALLY HAPPENING TO ME
I still can't believe that this situation is my reality
I FEEL YOU BLOWIN INSIDE MY DOOR AGAIN YEAH, YOU BEEN YOU BEEN
I sense your presence even before you've come back
YOU BEEN BLOWIN BABY – OH YEAH, YOU BEEN BLOWIN IN MY HEART AGAIN
You have stirred up my emotions yet again
OH YEAH - YOU'RE IN MY HEART AGAIN, YOU'RE BLOWIN IN MY HEART AGAIN…
Your presence is felt deeply within me
YOU'RE IN MY HEART AGAIN BABY
I can't seem to shake you off, you've taken root in my heart
NOW GO DOWN QUIET - DON'T MAKE A SOUND
Please leave the same way you came without any commotion
WHEN YOU FALL APART - I DON'T WANNA BE AROUND
I can't bear to witness your unraveling once more
Contributed by Kylie Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Singular Man
What a beautiful song. Sung by a beautiful voice! Beautiful Dana!
Darrell Balenseifen
Killer Tune! Grit and Grace in action.
Dracarys Fire
i could listen to her all day! i love the feelings in her music ♥
Dracarys Fire
Omg thank you for hearting my comment Dana! You made my day complete 💖💖💖💖
Teri P
Dana, listening to you really makes my heart smile. When the whole world seems crazy right now you really bring me to a happy place.❤
Singular Man
What I don't get is she gets 1 million views on I'd Rather go Blind" which I understand it is an awesome song from another awesome lady Etta James. But every since I have heard Dana's first song I want to hear everything she sings. There should be 1 million views on all her songs. There should be one million likes too!
gaetan landry
great stuff, love it
Steve Thunderdrums
Love it Dana !
thilo dirks
Outstanding,Dana!! Your voice is from outaspace!!Lovely greetings from Germany!!
Carolyn Heppner
One of my favorites!!!!!! <3