Emily's song Just Fine was featured on the soundtrack for Covert Affairs, the hit new TV series on the USA Network. Emily shares soundtrack credits with other illustrious singer-songwriters and artists like Brandi Carlile, Florence & the Machine, Ray LaMontagne, Broken Bells, and Wilco.
Emily's debut album, Is This What You Had in Mind, was released digitally in June 2010 accompanied by a Northeast tour and release show in New York City. Her remaining 2010 touring schedule has her performing in two of Paste Magazine's Top 40 Music Venues in the US, The Living Room in New York and the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, among other great venues coast to coast.
Strikingly beautiful, she emanates a warmth that adds sincerity to her quirky personality. She openly jokes about her personal struggles, misadventures in dating, and dysfunctional family life. She's always the first to laugh at herself in spastic, almost slapstick humor. Unexpectedly, sits down at the piano, opens her mouth and what comes out sounds like aged cabernet, with subtle complexities, varied flavors and aromas emanating through her different songs; consistently smooth, sexy, thought-provoking and intoxicating.
A number of industry leaders have gathered behind her, beginning with Dan Romer, producer behind artists like Ingrid Michaelson and Jenny Owen Youngs. Dan teamed up with Emily to finish her debut. He introduced her to Gail Marowitz, Grammy award-winning art director for the CD package.
The album boasts layered harmonies and slow grooves, with memorable hooks like Oceans and Waves mixed with heavier pop anthems like Starting Fresh. The title track, Is This What You Had in Mind, is a dissonant melancholic confession that resolves in arpeggios and harmonies that haunt the corners of your mind long after the song ends.
Emily credits the uniqueness of her sound to experimental rock projects in jazz circles that she fell into while attending Berklee College of Music. She jammed with jazz musicians while branching off to form a solo project which soon becoming a staple in the Boston music landscape.
Her experience in the jazz world paired with her emotive and catchy songwriting led her to being a favorite in the Boston scene, and with an album in the works she left for New York City to pursue the dream of developing and sharing her music more widely.
Check out singer-songwriter Emily Greene when she is in your area, and be sure to take a listen to her new release, Is This What You Had in Mind.
Reviews
“Is This What You Had in Mind... its engaging songs waver between Liz Phair's brusque gal-rock and Norah Jones' husky coffee-tableisms.” - Time Out New York
“In a city where coffeehouse singer-songwriters teem like stray cats in a seedy neighborhood, singer songwriter Emily Greene sets herself apart with candid lyrics while crafting a conventional blend of piano rock rooted in both pop and jazz.” – Aquarian Weekly
"Is This What You Had in Mind plays like an aching indie-pop tragedy exquisitely woven with intricately layered harmonies and vividly profound lyrics. ...the Miami-native, NYC resident, establishes herself as an extremely gifted writer and singer. With this album, we experience a balance of excellent song-writing, melodious alternative-pop instrumentation, and tight vocals. A skilled virtuoso, Greene’s work on this album is not only limited to just the lead vocals alone; she also provides the background vocals and keyboard/ electric-piano work heard throughout this solid release." – Okay Player
"Singer-songwriter/keyboardist Emily Greene gives bluesy soul a frothy soft rock finish on her latest release Is This What You Had In Mind. Greene bares her soul lyrically and her inclination for folk rock aesthetics with a coffeehouse-pop. Emily Greene shows a love of life in her songs that is receptive to accepting the good with the bad. Her music has a bluesy rock shell glazed in a folk pop polish. There is optimism in her voice and a meditative bent in her music that makes her songs attractive and relatable to present day lives." – Associated Content
"This Miami born fem-crooner just dropped her first album and is bringing sexy back to pop-rock. Chock full of piano melodies and ear wetting harmonies, Greene takes you back to a place you forgot existed." – Change Up Magazine
"The Berklee graduate has a supremely warm sounding voice and a magnetic vocal personality. Full off rhythmic accents that play off Greene's vocal gymnastics. Greene's melodies are as rhythmic as they are melodic. The vocals are as comfortable sounding as they are dynamic, and that is what brings this performance home." bostonbandcrush.com
"...the earnestness of her approach and the quality of her vocals imbue the lyrics with a freshness that draws you in. It certainly feels like this is only the beginning for Emily Greene. Don't be surprised if an increase in production values causes her to show up...on the radio? On TV? Well, wherever salable, major-label artists appear these days. I, for one, will keep watching to see what happens next." – Iheardtheysucklive.com
"Emily is one of the most beautiful singers I've met, and her writing generally has a 50% chance of bringing me to tears at any given moment, which gets awkward." Dan Romer Producer, Jenny Owens Young, Ingrid Michaelson "She is like the indie scene's snarkier answer to Tori Amos" – ArtistDirect.com
LISTENER NOTE: The Terra Nova album shown in Top Albums in this profile was produced in 2003 by a different Emily Greene than the Emily Greene profiled in this bio. No biographical information is available for the other Emily Greene. It appears this other artist is no longer active.
Love Myself First
Emily Greene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And my heart is telling me to move away from here, from here
I've got to grow, got to show myself again
I can get out of a rut, I can love myself first, I can love myself first
Cause it′s time for a life change,
I've got to rearrange
I keep asking myself, where have the years gone,
Don't know how much longer I can hold on
I′m warm, yeah, you′ve warmed me away from here
I quit wishing on my mustard seed
Cause my heart's been breaking and my faith′s been shaken and
I'm holding on with all that I′ve got,
But it's time for a life change, I′ve
I've got to rearrange
The way I go about loving you
Cause it's time for a life change, I′ve
I′ve got to rearrange
The way I go about loving you
I know everyone gets their share of heart-ache
But this time there's just too much at stake, yeah
I got to get my heart, my soul back
My dignity
Cause it′s time for a life change, I've
I′ve got to rearrange
The way I go about loving you
Cause it's time for a life change, I′ve
I've got to rearrange
The way I go about loving you
(For a life change)
Loving you!
I can love myself, myself first
I can love myself, myself first
I can love myself first
The lyrics to Emily Greene's "Love Myself First" speak of a need for change and growth, both personally and in a relationship. The singer's heart is urging her to move away from her current situation and make a fresh start. She acknowledges the need to focus on loving herself first, rather than putting all of her energy into loving someone else. The repetition of the phrase "cause it's time for a life change, I've got to rearrange the way I go about loving you" emphasizes the theme of self-care and the need for a shift in priorities.
The lyrics suggest that the singer has been through a difficult time, as evidenced by lines like "my heart's been breaking and my faith's been shaken". However, she is determined to hold on and make a change for the better. The chorus reinforces this resolve, with the singer expressing confidence in her ability to "get out of a rut" and prioritize herself.
Overall, "Love Myself First" is a powerful anthem for anyone who has been through a tough time and needs to make some changes in their life. The lyrics encourage listeners to prioritize self-love and growth, even if it means making difficult choices and leaving behind people and situations that no longer serve them.
Line by Line Meaning
Things couldn't be more strange
The situation I'm in is very unusual and uncomfortable.
And my heart is telling me to move away from here, from here
I feel that my heart is urging me to leave this place.
I've got to grow, got to show myself again
I need to develop and exhibit myself once more.
I can get out of a rut, I can love myself first, I can love myself first
I can break free from my depressive state by prioritizing my self-love.
Cause it's time for a life change,
I need to make a significant change in my life,
I've got to rearrange
I must adjust
The way I go about loving you
The way I've been giving love to you needs to change.
I keep asking myself, where have the years gone,
I repeatedly wonder where the time has gone.
Don't know how much longer I can hold on
I'm unsure if I can continue to endure this situation.
I'm warm, yeah, you've warmed me away from here
I feel comfortable with you, but I need to step out of that comfort zone.
I quit wishing on my mustard seed
I'll stop waiting for a miracle to happen.
Cause my heart's been breaking and my faith's been shaken and
My heart is hurting and my faith has been tested.
I'm holding on with all that I've got,
I'm trying my best to hold onto what I have.
I know everyone gets their share of heart-ache
I realize that everyone experiences heartbreak.
But this time there's just too much at stake, yeah
This time, I have too much to lose.
I got to get my heart, my soul back
I must reclaim my heart and soul.
My dignity
And my self-respect.
I can love myself, myself first
I have to prioritize self-love.
Cause it's time for a life change, I've
I need to make significant adjustments to my life.
Loving you!
And that starts with reimagining the way I love you.
Writer(s): Emily Greene
Contributed by Lily W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.