On her fourth … Read Full Bio ↴Edie Carey is an American folk-pop singer-songwriter.
On her fourth studio album, Another Kind of Fire, Carey explored the myriad kinds of "fire" - romantic and otherwise - that keep us burning below the surface: old resentments, creativity, anger, lost friendships, lust, and, of course, love. The disc, released September 19th independently on Accidental Poet, maintained much of the organic, woody sound of its predecessor, When I Was Made (2004), touted by Harp Magazine as "a little country, a little adult-contemporary, and a lot of fine music." But on her latest effort, producer Crit Harmon (Martin Sexton, Lori McKenna, Mary Gauthier) introduces a somewhat moodier, darker sound, painting haunting, vast landscapes behind her intimate vocals.
Drawn from her own experiences and the stories of those around her, Carey's poetic lyrics are the focal point of her songs. Paste Magazine confirmed this in a 2004 review of Made:"Economic instrumentation forces all your attention toward the gentle storytelling, rich with humanity and insight...Carey draws us into her world, where we find we have a lot in common."
Several fires have raged within Carey over the past two years - both personally and professionally - creating fertile ground for songwriting. After three years south in her adopted hometown of Atlanta, Carey has returned to her native Boston - though she plans to spend little time at home.
The 2004 Telluride Bluegrass Troubadour Finalist will hit the road in earnest this fall, performing at clubs, coffeehouses and colleges across the country. Carey kicks off her CD release tour for Another Kind Of Fire on September 8th at The Living Room in New York City.
Touring internationally since 1999, Edie has shared stages with Norah Jones, Leo Kottke, Ani DiFranco, Jonatha Brooke, Catie Curtis, Lucy Kaplansky, and Sandra Bernhard. She was asked to perform at The Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City and on Ed McMahon's "Next Big Star" ("Star Search"), and has had her songs featured on The WB's "Charmed" and MTV's "Road Rules". She was recently a featured act on Public Radio International's "Mountain Stage," and When I Was Made was a finalist for Album of the Year in the 2003 Independent Music Awards.
More About Edie...
"Accidental Poet," one of Edie Carey's earliest songs, describes a particularly eloquent friend, but could just as easily refer to Carey herself and the circuitous and serendipitous route that led her to become one of the country's most notable young songwriters. Somehow, all of the seemingly unrelated turns - from her intention to become a doctor, to a tiny music room in the basement of a Morningside Heights' chapel, to a year in Italy - managed to steer her towards music.
Born in Burlington, Vermont and raised in the Boston suburbs by her English teacher father, therapist mother, and poet stepmother, Edie Carey couldn't help but learn to love words. But her ear for music only became apparent after she "took the stage" in the back seat of her babysitter's green Cadillac, belting out her own rendition of "Up Where We Belong." From age nine, after beginning voice lessons, she became involved in singing groups and musicals, which she continued all the way through high school. A child of the 80's, she dressed in lace and sequins and dreamed of appearing on Ed McMahon's "Star Search." However, as much as she loved performing, Carey was unaware that there was any middle ground between singing at weddings and being Madonna, and never considered music a real career possibility. So, she made plans to major in English/Creative Writing with Pre-Med classes at Barnard College in New York City. However, during her freshman year, two pivotal discoveries knocked those plans right off course - The Postcrypt Coffeehouse and the Italian language.
In the Postcrypt, an intimate music venue in the basement of St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University, the seeds of possibility were sewn as Carey watched Jeff Buckley, Ani Difranco, and Lisa Loeb among others perform unplugged to candlelit audiences. She saw how words could sometimes have even greater power when used in a song, and simultaneously came to appreciate the sonorous quality of words regardless of their meaning or the melody in which they were framed. This appreciation for their musicality grew deeper with the study of Italian, which eventually led her to spend a year abroad in Bologna, where she taught herself to play the guitar.
In Italy, Carey set herself up in a corner of the main piazza and played every Bonnie Raitt, Shawn Colvin, Sarah McLachlan, and Rickie Lee Jones song she knew, throwing in a few of her own tunes, which would later land on her debut album, The Falling Places . Her experience abroad gave her a newfound confidence and encouraged her to begin performing on campus, where she started to build a student following. She made her first album in 1997, while working long days at Worth Magazine and recording until 3 am each night. Though the process was a daunting one, by the time she was finished, Carey was sure she had "accidentally" ended up exactly where she was supposed to be.
After the release of The Falling Places in 1998, she began venturing outside of New York City to play neighboring east coast cities, and gradually expanded throughout the United States, then Canada and the UK. While the debut was a very sparsely produced acoustic contemporary folk album, Call Me Home, Carey's follow-up in 2000, was by comparison an all-out pop record, a tribute to her early inspirations and the reckless abandon of her childhood. With its release, the "accidents" continued, and Carey unexpectedly found herself achieving her childhood dream of appearing on television with Ed McMahon.
Since 2000, she has been working as a full-time performing songwriter, touring rigorously to promote all of her independently self-released records, which now include Come Close, her 2002 live CD, When I Was Made (2004), and the latest addition to her growing catalog, Another Kind of Fire. Looking back, she has to wonder if maybe this wasn't an accident after all.
Official Website
Call Me Home
Edie Carey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aren't I supposed to learn to bend in all kinds of unnatural ways? You've already seen me at my best
Oh my god
You've seen me undressed
So much for mystery
And on the count of ten
Swear you'll tell me the truth
And do you wanna run to the nearest telephone booth
And call me?
'Cause it's not like I don't know you
And I don't wanna throw you
But it's damn near impossible
To meet your gaze
And the silence just isn't the same
It only feeds the flame and steers us clear of the blaze
'Cause I've always tied myself to the deadest driest trees
And I've been known
To strike a match
And now I'm screaming
Like bloody hell to be set free
And all you have to do boy is catch
Catch my drift
Drift to me
The only mystery is what your answer will be
The real mystery is why
I just won't accept the truth
That I've been resenting red
For not being blue
Like I've been resenting him
For not being you
And not calling me home
The lyrics to Edie Carey's song "Call Me Home" express a sense of vulnerability and longing for connection. The song opens with the lines "It's far too perfect an end / Aren't I supposed to learn to bend in all kinds of unnatural ways?", which suggest a feeling of discomfort with the idea of a perfect ending. The singer seems to be questioning whether they are meant to sacrifice their authentic self in order to fit into someone else's idea of perfection.
The second verse continues to explore the theme of vulnerability as the singer asks their partner if they are also struggling to navigate a difficult situation, saying "Is there a minefield under you too? / And do you wanna run to the nearest telephone booth / And call me?" The use of the image of a minefield suggests that both people are dealing with complex and potentially explosive emotions. The singer is offering a supportive and loving presence, even in the face of difficult circumstances.
The chorus of the song further emphasizes the singer's desire for connection, but also acknowledges the difficulty in achieving it. The repetition of the lines "It's not like I don't know you / And I don't wanna throw you / But it's damn near impossible / To meet your gaze" highlight the emotional distance between the two people. The mention of the silence "feeding the flame" and "steering us clear of the blaze" suggests that there is a potential for a deep emotional connection to ignite, but it hasn't been realized yet.
The final verse reveals the source of the singer's inner turmoil - a longing for someone who is not available to them. They say "The real mystery is why / I just won't accept the truth / That I've been resenting red / For not being blue / Like I've been resenting him / For not being you / And not calling me home." Here the colors red and blue are used symbolically, representing the choice between two options. The singer is resentful of the fact that they can't have what they really want, and continue to hold onto an impossible dream.
Overall, the song "Call Me Home" is a poignant exploration of human vulnerability, longing, and the difficulty of connecting with others. It emphasizes the importance of being true to oneself while also reaching out to others for support and connection.
Line by Line Meaning
It's far too perfect an end
The ending seems too ideal
Aren't I supposed to learn to bend in all kinds of unnatural ways?
Shouldn't I be more adaptable?
You've already seen me at my best
You've seen me at my most polished
Oh my god
Expressing surprise or shock
You've seen me undressed
You've seen me at my most vulnerable
So much for mystery
Any sense of enigma is gone
And on the count of ten
Starting a countdown
Swear you'll tell me the truth
Pleading for honesty
Is there a minefield under you too?
Are you struggling too?
And do you wanna run to the nearest telephone booth
Do you want to escape from this situation?
And call me?
Will you reach out to me?
'Cause it's not like I don't know you
I know you well
And I don't wanna throw you
I don't want to hurt you
But it's damn near impossible
It's almost impossible
To meet your gaze
To look you in the eye
And the silence just isn't the same
The quiet feels different now
It only feeds the flame and steers us clear of the blaze
It only makes things worse and keeps us from getting closer
'Cause I've always tied myself to the deadest driest trees
I've always been with the wrong people
And I've been known to strike a match
I've been known to start trouble
And now I'm screaming
I'm shouting out
Like bloody hell to be set free
Desperately wanting to break free
And all you have to do boy is catch
All you have to do is be there for me
Catch my drift
Understand what I'm saying, read between the lines
Drift to me
Come closer to me
The only mystery is what your answer will be
The only unknown is your response
The real mystery is why
The actual confusion is why
I just won't accept the truth
I refuse to acknowledge the reality
That I've been resenting red for not being blue
I've been upset at things that don't matter
Like I've been resenting him for not being you
Like I've been upset at others for not being you
And not calling me home
And not bringing me back to where I belong
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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