In… Read Full Bio ↴Elisa Peimer is an American singer/keyboardist based in New York.
In a musical landscape where anybody can record some songs, burn them onto a CD and toss them up on the Internet, Elisa Peimer writes songs that make people stop what they're doing and ask, "Wow, who is this?"
The New York City pop singer/songwriter's accomplishments are impressive: a publishing deal with Sonica Music, a Pop Artist Spotlight at Amazon.com, TV and film placements, and licensing deals with Columbia Tri-Star Television, MTV, the Oxygen Network, etc. She has been featured as an Unsigned Beauty on iVillage.com, sung the National Anthem at Giants Stadium and Keyspan Park, and received heavy video rotation on the CBS Spectacular screen in Times Square. Old and new media have lauded her recordings: Billboard, CMJ, Blogcritics, and many others.
But "nobody cares about all that," says Elisa. "When people hear the music and it makes an impact - that's why I'm doing it."
Elisa's music has been making an impact since her first release: four albums ago she tested the waters with a four-song EP that received an overwhelmingly positive response. She met the demand for more music with the 13-song Shed This Skin, and in 2003 her second full-length album, Transparent, came out to even more impressive reviews. Elisa and John Kurgan (Sting, Stanley Clarke, Stewart Copeland) co-produced that enhanced CD, which contained a stunning video of the pop anthem "Turning Circles." Transparent "hits home with heavenly force," wrote Indie-Music.com, and Icon Magazine called it "captivating from the first track to the last."
Continuing to outdo herself, Elisa has released a new album, Pull of the Moon, that testifies to her startling and ever-strengthening songwriting mastery. Featuring 10 brand new tracks, including a cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” (a popular staple of her live show), Pull of the Moon covers all the bases, from rockers to ballads. The songs delve into the dark complexities of relationships, but are brightened by Elisa’s trademark note of optimism.
"People relate to each other with positive and negative feelings at the same time. It’s never just straight-ahead simple. That’s why it's hard for me to write a pure love song," says Elisa. "Life is far too complicated and layered for anything that easy. This is my way of saying - hey, I don't get this any more than you do." These thorny issues electrify songs such as "Marine Layer," which deals with trying and failing to communicate, and "Don't Come Around," a pop nugget that admits that a relationship probably isn't such a good thing. Mastered by Daniel Wyatt, whose credits include Norah Jones and Blues Traveler, the album contains a powerful blend of the warm musicality of Sheryl Crow and the pop sensibility of Kelly Clarkson.
The music industry has changed dramatically since Elisa's first foray into the recording studio. But the demand for well-crafted, universally appealing songs has not. In this, Elisa's music rises above the fray, reminding us that classic songwriting is alive and well in the hands of this modest and hard-working writer and singer. Walking the streets of New York, humming new snippets of melody to herself, sculpting them into songs, teaching them to her band, and singing them for enthusiastic crowds, Elisa continues to build her audience. More and more people are discovering a little bit of their own lives in the music of this powerfully talented singer and songwriter.
Ring of Fire
Elisa Peimer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And it makes a fiery ring
Bound by wild desire
I fell into a ring of fire
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
The taste of love is sweet
When hearts like ours meet
I fell for you like a child
Oh, but the fire ran wild
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burn, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burn, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burn, burns
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
Elisa Peimer's "Ring of Fire" is a cover of the classic song originally by Johnny Cash. The lyrics depict the intense passion and wildness of falling in love. It's compared to a "burning thing" that creates a "fiery ring" that the singer falls into, bound by their "wild desire". The imagery of fire suggests both the heat of the passion and the potential danger, as the singer goes "down, down, down" into the flames that only grow higher, burning the "ring of fire". The taste of love is described as "sweet" when two hearts meet, but in this case, the fire it sparks runs wild and becomes all-consuming. The repetition of the chorus emphasizes the singer's descent into the ring of fire, each one describing the flames getting higher and burning brighter.
The original version of "Ring of Fire" was written by Johnny Cash's wife, June Carter, and Merle Kilgore. It was released in 1963 and became a huge hit, reaching number one on the country charts and gaining widespread popularity. Both Cash and Carter have performed the song throughout their careers, with different versions and arrangements. Elisa Peimer's interpretation brings a new perspective to the beloved classic, adding her own voice and style to its timeless lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Love is a burnin' thing
Love is an intense emotion that can consume and overwhelm us
And it makes a fiery ring
Love can create an all-encompassing and overwhelming feeling, like a ring of fire
Bound by wild desire
Desire for someone can be uncontrollable and all-consuming
I fell into a ring of fire
The artist is describing their experience of falling deeply in love
The taste of love is sweet
Love can feel good and bring joy to our lives
When hearts like ours meet
The singer is suggesting that their love is special and unique
I fell for you like a child
The singer is describing a love that feels innocent and pure, like a child's love
Oh, but the fire ran wild
Despite the innocence of their love, it became overwhelming and out of control
I fell into a burnin' ring of fire
The artist is repeating their previous description of falling deeply in love
I went down, down, down
The artist is suggesting that their love has taken them to new depths
And the flames went higher
Their love has also elevated them to new heights of emotion and intensity
And it burns, burn, burns
Their love is all-consuming and overwhelming, like a fire that cannot be put out
The ring of fire, the ring of fire
The singer is repeating the chorus, emphasizing the overwhelming nature of their love
Contributed by Aubrey C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.