With her multifaceted acting career and some incredible theatre projects ahead of her, Rubin-Vega's latest endeavor is REDEMPTION SONGS (Sh-K-Boom Records), a much-anticipated collection of original and diversely classic songs.
"Some of these songs were written when I experienced deep losses and incredible firsts. I was inspired to write again. It was a very 'fertile' time for creativity," says Rubin-Vega. The result developed into a form of personal redemption; a vibrant and sophisticated collection of pop, Latin folk, rock and reggae influenced songs that are soulful, passionate and very reflective of Rubin-Vega herself.
As a child, Daphne moved to NYC's Greenwich Village from Panama. It was in the center of this bohemia that Daphne discovered her passion for music and performing.
"I was in the seventh grade when almost overnight I realized I was quite popular with the girls in school, and my house was turning into the hot after school hang out," Rubin-Vega recalls. "It didn't take long to figure out that it was because my brothers' band played in the basement almost every afternoon," she added. "Shortly thereafter, I started glomming the mic and singing lead."
In her teens, Daphne found herself at an Atlantic Studios vocal session begging legendary producer Arif Mardin to let her sing with David Bowie on the soundtrack to George Lucas' film, "Labyrinth." After attending a birthday party for Mardin’s son Joe, she listed all the celebrated singers in her resume; having sung "happy birthday" with them. With that credit under her belt, she joined Pajama Party, the girl group with the infamous freestyle single, "Yo No Se." She recorded two albums on Atlantic Records with the group before going solo to write and record singles for the indie club label, Maxi. Her single, "I Found It" topped the Billboard Dance and Club Play charts. At the same time, the LAByrinth Theater Company was founded and she became an early member.
In 1997, Daphne Rubin-Vega cut her first album of original music, SOUVENIRS for Polygram's now defunct Mercury label. It was the fans of this album that she credits for getting her band started. Fate also intervened in the form of Joan Jett, her co-star and roommate during Rubin-Vega's run as Magenta in 2000's The Rocky Horror Show. "She basically told me to stop bitching, get up off my ass and start a band," says Rubin-Vega. "So I did."
Rubin-Vega went on to play straight-laced detective Gloria Perez in the camp-noir thriller "Wild Things," starring Kevin Bacon and Matt Dillon, for which she won a Blockbuster Award for Best Supporting Actress/Suspense. Other film credits include Robert De Niro's love interest Tia, in the film "Flawless" and her award-winning performance of Olya in the indie cult feature "Skeleton Woman."
Daphne's 2003 role as Canary Mary in Susan Lori Parks' Fucking A at the Public Theater got her a Lucille Lortel Best Featured Actress nomination, and in 2004, Rubin-Vega received her second Tony nomination for best featured actress (play) for her role as Conchita in Nilo Cruz' Pulitzer Prize winning Anna in the Tropics with Jimmy Smits.
Rubin-Vega is preparing for the end of a very busy year. This April, she ended her run as Martirio in Bernarda Alba at Lincoln Center. In September, she finished her star turn in The New Group's summer 2006 production of Everythings Turning Into Beautiful.
In October, the same month as the release of REDEMPTION SONGS, Rubin-Vega will play Fantine in the Broadway revival of Les Miserables.
In January 2007, she will star with Academy Award winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman in The Public Theater/LAByrinth production of Bob Glaudini's Jack Goes Boating.
For more information on Daphne Rubin-Vega, please visit www.daphnerubinvega.com
or www.myspace.com/drvmyspace.
Souvenirs
Daphne Rubin-Vega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Garbage trucks don't come around no more
Let's get out I want to play
Meet you at the window on the fire escape
Tear away
Scale the ladder
Take me down below
Underground
Come along for a ride
Souvenirs from the ghetto
Welcome to the high life
Souvenirs from the ghetto of my mind
Picking up the pieces that you'll find
Taking in the sounds and the smells and sights for sore eyes
Peal the chips from off the wall
Walls so thin the breath is like a wrecking ball
Tear away
Scale the ladder
Rummage through the mound
Underground
Where the raindrops go
Come along for a ride
Souvenirs from the ghetto
Welcome to the high life
Souvenirs from the ghetto
My mind
Come along for a ride
Souvenirs from the ghetto
Welcome to the high life
Souvenirs from the ghetto of my mind
Oh yea
Oh yea
Oh yea
Oh yea
Oh yea
Oh yea
Come along for a ride
Souvenirs from the ghetto
Welcome to the high life
Souvenirs from the ghetto
My mind
Come along for a ride
Souvenirs from the ghetto
Welcome to the high life
Souvenirs from the ghetto
My mind
Come along for a ride
Souvenirs from the ghetto
Welcome to the high life
Souvenirs from the ghetto
The lyrics of Daphne Rubin-Vega's song Souvenirs speak of the desire to escape from the mundane routine of life and to find solace in the underground realm. The first lines "Someone's knocking on my door, Garbage trucks don't come around no more" serve as a call to adventure, a signal that something new and exciting is about to happen. The singer and her companion escape to the strange and unknown world, which is metaphorically represented by the underground, where "the rain drops go". The underground here is the place where you can find souvenirs that are unique to this place, and that will stay with you long after you leave.
The imagery and the vocabulary used in the song are also suggestive of a search for identity and self-discovery. The singer picks up pieces that she finds and takes in the sounds, smells and sights for sore eyes, indicating a hunger for new experiences and a desire to soak in everything that this new place has to offer. The walls that are "so thin the breath is like a wrecking ball" signify the fragility of our spiritual and emotional lives, and the need to tear them away and start anew.
Overall, Souvenirs is a powerful song that expresses a universal desire for adventure, change and self-discovery. It blends different genres and styles, such as rock, pop, and Latin music, to create a unique sound that reflects the singer's journey and her search for a new identity.
Line by Line Meaning
Someone's knocking on my door
I hear a knock on my door
Garbage trucks don't come around no more
The garbage trucks stopped coming by my neighborhood
Let's get out I want to play
I want to go outside and have fun
Meet you at the window on the fire escape
Let's meet outside by the fire escape window
Tear away
Remove something quickly
Scale the ladder
Climb up the ladder
Take me down below
Take me underground
Underground
Beneath the surface, beneath the city
Where the rain drops go
Where the water falls, where it flows beneath the city
Come along for a ride
Join me on this adventure
Souvenirs from the ghetto
Memories of my past, from where I came from
Welcome to the high life
Join me in my new life, my new adventures
Souvenirs from the ghetto of my mind
My memories of growing up in the ghetto, stored in my mind
Picking up the pieces that you'll find
Collecting things that were left behind
Taking in the sounds and the smells and sights for sore eyes
Experiencing the environment with all of its unique characteristics
Peal the chips from off the wall
Leaving marks from places that have been abandoned
Walls so thin the breath is like a wrecking ball
The walls are so weak that just breathing seems to be destructive for them
Rummage through the mound
Dig through and explore what has been left behind
Oh yea
Expression of excitement and enthusiasm
Contributed by Victoria D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Rob Bleu
Daphne is so fun!