By dint of her birth in Little Rock, Arkansas, McQueen might claim a roots music birthright, though if the truth be told she came into her love of the music of the American South later in life. Coming of age in Columbia, Maryland, where her family moved when she was 10, McQueen followed piano and vocal lessons with stints in a variety of bands in her high school years as something "on the side." Like mmmany teens of her day, she enjoyed modern rock acts like The Smiths, Depeche Mode, The Cure and P.J. Harvey. But as she entered college, it was the rootsy pull of favorites like Costello and The Band that led her to voraciously explore the charms of classic country music. By the time her uncle turned her on to Rockpile and a college professor hipped her to Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun, McQueen had found her musical home within roots music.
After graduation, she landed a job doing social work, but making music had a growing allure. "I realized that as an adult you get to pick what you do," McQueen explains. "You don't have a syllabus and required courses. And if you get to pick what you do, that means that you should probably pick something you like." So she moved to Austin, reckoning it was an ideal locale to hone her musical talents.
McQueen quickly began assembling her group The Firebrands - guitarist Andrew Nafziger, bassist Lindsay Green and drummer Eric Hughes - and making a name for herself on the local club scene. Though Austin acts like The Derailers and Dale Watson fed her love of true country, hearing The Conrads rock barrooms inspired McQueen to develop her own approach to neo-traditional music making. "What Elizabeth McQueen is doing these days is a far cry from Patsy Cline, Connie Smith, and Kitty Wells, and certainly miles away from the crop of Nashville angels," observed Jerry Renshaw in the Austin Chronicle. "In a marketplace that's saturated with traditional female country singers, that difference, along with her charm, talent, and attitude, may be just what she needs to really stand out."
And stand out is just what she did with the 2002 release of The Fresh Up Club. It earned her favorable comparisons to the work of singers like Rosanne Cash, Carlene Carter and Kirsty MacColl in the new wave years from publications like the Village Voice and No Depression. And as the Santa Monica Mirror noted, "If pub rock had been launched in Texas instead of England, Elizabeth McQueen and the Firebrands' The Fresh Up Club is what it might've sounded like."
So it was only natural for McQueen to delve deeper into the roots of the music she found so inspirational for her next recording. "It's kind of spoke to me like the whole 'Great Books' thing, that there's this great conversation in arts, literature and science among those who came before and after and in the present. To me, the pub rock scene was a microcosmic example of that great conversation. The pub rock guys were looking at this particular brand of American music, and saying, man, that's the coolest stuff. I want to play that. But when they played it, they naturally t took it somewhere else. And when so many people that you like came out of one scene, you can't deny it."
But as one listen to Happy Doing What We're Doing attests, the album is anything but an academic exercise in musical history. Instead, it's a vivid demonstration of how the vital lifeline of inspiration keeps sparking delightful new iterations of trusty styles and themes. "It's just cool, fun songs. They have rhythm & blues, country, rock and everything mixed into them. But mostly it's that the songs are really good. That's what attracts me.
"I just love this music and I love listening to it and playing it," McQueen enthuses. "A good three chord rocker played with plenty of fun, excitement and moxie is as good and as valid today as it ever was. The real authenticity comes from the joy of doing it."
note: Elizabeth McQueen is now a member of legendary western swing band Asleep at the Wheel
Dirty Little Secret
Elizabeth McQueen and the Firebrands Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need you Umare hajimeta omoi Ima wa himitsu ni shiyou
Hanshashinkei wa PIKAICHI II hazu nano ni
Matataku kan ni hora Kokoro wa Nusumareteru
Uchuu WAAPU sae BIKKURI Koi no SUPIIDO
Kire aji batsugun! ATASHI mo Oitsukena
Kataomoi no mama ja Sukoshi setsunai ne
I love you Kimi no egao ga suki yo Yureru kaze no youna
I need you Umare hajimeta omoi Ima wa himitsu ni shiyou
I love you ATASHI itsumo to chigau Hade na fuku wo kitemo
I need you Chotto mebaeta omoi Ima wa naisho ni suru ne
Oshi no tsuyosa nara dare ni mo Sou oikakenai yo
SUTAIRU mo kanari IKEteru? Tokui POOZU
Omou mama ni ugokenai kara
Ima no ATASHI mitara Minna warau kana?
I love you Kimi no egao ga suki yo Sunda sora no youna
I need you Umare hajimeta omoi Ima wa himitsu ni shiyou
I love you ATASHI nadaka chigau Hade na fuku no nakami
Follow you Zutto tsuite ikitai Ima wa naisho ni suru ne
Itsu no hi ka Kimi to futari de
Nagareboshi wo zutto Zutto miteitai (Kanau kana...?)
I love you Kimi no egao ga suki yo Yureru kaze no youna
I need you Umare hajimeta omoi Ima wa himitsu ni shiyou
I love you ATASHI itsumo to chigau Hade na fuku wo kitemo
Follow you Zutto tsuite ikitai Ima wa naisho ni suru ne
I love you Kimi no egao ga suki yo Sunda sora no youna
I need you Umare hajimeta omoi Ima wa himitsu ni shiyou
Ima wa himitsu no mama de.
The lyrics to "Dirty Little Secret" by Elizabeth McQueen and the Firebrands express the desire for a secret love. The singer declares their love for a person named Kimi and admires their smile, comparing it to the fleeting wind. They also express their need for Kimi and their belief that their heart has been stolen. The singer acknowledges that their feelings are unrequited and that being in love with a secret can be painful.
The lyrics also touch upon the singer's insecurities and their fear of rejection. They mention being shy and feeling a little bit sad knowing that their feelings may never be reciprocated. Despite this, they cannot help but feel strongly for Kimi and their desire to keep their love a secret. The repetition of the phrases "I love you" and "I need you," further emphasize the strength of the singer's emotions.
Overall, the lyrics communicate the bittersweetness of having a secret love and acknowledging the possibility that it may never come to fruition.
Line by Line Meaning
I love you Kimi no egao ga suki yo Yureru kaze no youna
I love you, your smile is like a swaying breeze
I need you Umare hajimeta omoi Ima wa himitsu ni shiyou
I need you, my newly-born feelings, let's keep them a secret for now
Hanshashinkei wa PIKAICHI II hazu nano ni
My reaction should be top-notch, but
Matataku kan ni hora Kokoro wa Nusumareteru
My heart is being stolen as I blink
Uchuu WAAPU sae BIKKURI Koi no SUPIIDO
Even a surprise speed of falling in love would shock the warp of space-time
Kire aji batsugun! ATASHI mo Oitsukena
The thrill is explosive, I can't help it either.
SHAI na kimochi warukunai kedo
I'm not ashamed of my feelings, but
Kataomoi no mama ja Sukoshi setsunai ne
It's a little painful to just have an unrequited love.
I love you ATASHI itsumo to chigau Hade na fuku wo kitemo
I love you, even if I'm wearing flashy clothes different from my usual
I need you Chotto mebaeta omoi Ima wa naisho ni suru ne
I need you, these newly sprouting feelings, I'll keep them a secret for now
Oshi no tsuyosa nara dare ni mo Sou oikakenai yo
If it's just the strength of a push, then I won't pursue anyone
SUTAIRU mo kanari IKEteru? Tokui POOZU
Is my style quite cool too? My specialty pose.
Omou mama ni ugokenai kara
I can't move according to my thoughts,
Ima no ATASHI mitara Minna warau kana?
If everyone saw me now, would they laugh?
I love you Kimi no egao ga suki yo Sunda sora no youna
I love you, your smile is like a clear sky
I love you ATASHI nadaka chigau Hade na fuku no nakami
I love you, even if the inside of my flashy clothes is different from usual
Follow you Zutto tsuite ikitai Ima wa naisho ni suru ne
Follow you, I want to keep following you forever, but for now, let's keep it a secret
Itsu no hi ka Kimi to futari de Nagareboshi wo zutto Zutto miteitai (Kanau kana...?)
Someday, I want to always be stargazing with you under the shooting stars (I wonder if that wish will come true)
Ima wa himitsu no mama de.
For now, let's keep it a secret.
Contributed by Zachary S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.