The press has likened Landes to "the grand old dames of country" and in the same breath The Black Keys and The White Stripes (Uncut). She’s also garnered comparisons to Cat Power and Pavement, an interesting mix that made even NPR’s David Dye wonder.
Raised in the fertile musical fields of Branson, Missouri and Louisville, Kentucky, Landes came to New York City in 1999 and did a cannonball into the music scene. While holding down several jobs to pay the rent, she abandoned university (NYU) and began to intern at some of the best studios in the city. "I had very little experience", she says. "I was just really, really curious. Dangerously curious in the studio… I picked heros like Tchad Blake and Brian Wilson and took a flying leap."
What started as a job getting coffee for engineers has blossomed into a truly enviable resume; among others she has worked with Phillip Glass, Ryan Adams, Hem, Joseph Arthur, The Earlies and Josh Ritter in the studio. Working late into the night, and often sleeping at the same studios she was interning in, Dawn began producing and recording her own songs after hours. "I wanted to get the sounds in my head onto tape exactly as I heard them. And that’s not an easy thing, there are a lot of sounds in there!"
After meeting the band Hem in the studio, Landes joined them on the road as an 8th band member (vocals and glockenspeil) and opening act. Her performing career started to gain speed. Her first full-length, «dawn’s music» was released in France in 2005, followed by extensive touring in Europe and two other European releases; «234» a 7-song EP released in the UK and finally «Fireproof», released worldwide in 2007. Since then her music has become the stuff of whispers and internet buzz, and her touring schedule has put her on the road with artists such as Feist, Jose Gonzales, Midlake, Suzanne Vega, Martha Wainright, The Swell Season…(the list goes on) At times solo, at times with a revolving cast of musical guests, her shows have the guileless and vibrant quality of a work of art in constant creation.
Landes penned the end-credit song for the movie «Savage Grace» starring Julianne Moore and plucked the WST Bluegrass band from a BBQ in Austin, TX to help her record her version of the Peter, Bjorn and John classic, «Young Folks.» Rumor has it, James Blunt liked it so much he covered dawns cover of the song! In 2007 Landes became the co-partner, designer and full-time dry-waller of Saltlands Studio in Brooklyn. «What if we get bored?» Dawn sings in the Fireproof gem, «Kids in a Play.»
As a solo artist, Landes has put out a number of albums:
* Dawn’s Music (self-released-US/Ocean Music-Europe) 2002
* two, three, four (Boy Scout recordings-UK) 2006
* Fireproof (Cooking Vinyl-US/Fargo Music-Europe) 2008
* Sweetheart Rodeo (Cooking Vinyl) 2010
Official Website: www.dawnlandes.com
Bodyguard
Dawn Landes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They took the moldings off the walls
Erased our signatures from things
I heard them singing
Where's my bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
Be my bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
And guard me
They stole the subjects from your paintings
But left the canvas on the frame
They went off with years of clothing
Stole your smell, stole your stain
Just like rain
Washed clean
Of your name
And our bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
Let down your bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
Where's my bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
To guard me
Cause I saw a man
I saw a man (x17)
Where's my bodyguard
Please guard me (guard me) (x3)
Take, take, take, take my arms
Gone from the heart
Break, break my legs
There's nothing to stand on
Take, take, take my bones
There's nothing to fill me in
Just singing
Where you been
Bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
Where's my bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
Be my bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
And guard me
The lyrics of "Bodyguard" by Dawn Landes are quite poetic and evoke a sense of vulnerability and loss. The song begins by describing a dream in which the singer and her partner were robbed. The intruders took the moldings off the walls and erased their signatures from things, leaving them feeling violated and exposed. The refrain "Where's my bodyguard" is repeated throughout the song, emphasizing the desire for protection and safety.
As the lyrics continue, the singer describes the things that were stolen. The subjects of her partner's paintings were taken, but the canvas was left on the frame. The intruders also took years of clothing, leaving behind an absence of scent and stain. The lyrics compare the theft to rain washing clean the name of the singer and her partner.
The song ends with a plea for protection and a sense of desperation. The repetition of the phrase "take, take, take" conveys a sense of loss and emptiness. The singer is asking for someone to be her bodyguard, to protect her from the world that has taken so much from her.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a dream that we were robbed
The singer dreamt of being robbed
They took the moldings off the walls
The robbers removed the decorative moldings from the walls
Erased our signatures from things
The robbers removed the personalized markings from objects
I heard them singing
The artist heard the robbers singing
Where's my bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
The robbers ask for their own personal bodyguard
Be my bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
The robbers want someone to guard them
They stole the subjects from your paintings
The robbers took the objects depicted in the paintings
But left the canvas on the frame
The robbers left the empty frames behind
They went off with years of clothing
The robbers stole old clothing pieces
Stole your smell, stole your stain
The robbers took away the scent and the marks left by the clothing
Just like rain
The robbery was as thorough and definitive as rain falling
Washed clean
All personal identification was removed from the objects
Of your name
Personal belongings no longer carried their former owner's name
Let down your bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
Someone is requesting to drop the bodyguard protection
Where's my bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
Someone is looking for their own personal bodyguard
To guard me
Someone wants to be watched over
Cause I saw a man
The artist saw a man
Where's my bodyguard
The person is asking for their own personal bodyguard
Please guard me (guard me) (x3)
Someone is urgently requesting to be guarded
Take, take, take, take my arms
The artist wants to give away their arms
Gone from the heart
The feeling of love has departed
Break, break my legs
The artist wants their legs to be broken
There's nothing to stand on
The reason for this request is unclear
Take, take, take my bones
The artist wants to give away their bones
There's nothing to fill me in
It is unclear what they hope to achieve by giving away their bones
Just singing
This verse is confusing and does not seem to relate to the rest of the song
Where you been
The singer is asking where the listener has been
Bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
Someone is requesting their own personal bodyguard
Be my bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard, bodyguard
Someone wants someone else to be their bodyguard
And guard me
Someone wants to be guarded
Contributed by Leah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lauren Graff
Best Song Ever
thebob01
Blackbird brought me here.
robbielex
Gillian Jacobs is so beautiful and sad in that film.
thebob01
@robbielex I love Gillian Jacobs. She's beautiful, smart, funny, talented and she likes Monty Python! Marriage material for sure.
villaindepot
Right on, right on.
Lauren Graff
Looooved that movie- and I am in recovery; so this movie… it meant a lot. Helped me get out of the hell I caused myself… that movie and my Faith…