After The Merry-Go-Round, who had a recording contract with A&M Records, disbanded in 1969, Rhodes recorded songs at A&M to fulfill that contract, but A&M decided to not release them at the time. Rhodes then decided to go out on his own and bought equipment to make a recording studio in his parents' garage. Rhodes recorded his first album (Emitt Rhodes) in that home studio. He got a recording contract with ABC/Dunhill Records, who released his album, as well as the next two albums he recorded (Mirror and Farewell to Paradise). Rhodes got a $5,000 advance for Emitt Rhodes, which he spent on recording equipment. His first album was a critical success – Billboard called Rhodes "one of the finest artists on the music scene today" and later called his first album one of the "best albums of the decade". The album reached number 29 on the Billboard charts. The single "Fresh as a Daisy" reached number 54 on the pop chart. Meanwhile, shortly after Emitt Rhodes was released by Dunhill, A&M decided to release their old recordings of The American Dream, which confused record buyers. Mirror was released in 1971 and did reach the top 200 on Billboard's album chart. In 1973 Dunhill released Rhodes' final album, Farewell to Paradise.
Rhodes wrote all of the songs on his albums. On Emitt Rhodes, Mirror, and Farewell to Paradise, he played all of the instruments and sang all of the vocals while recording himself in his home recording studio. He used a four-track recorder for the instruments for Emitt Rhodes and transferred those to an eight-track recorder to add the vocals. He used an eight-track recorder for Mirror, and Farewell to Paradise. The mixdown engineer on Farewell to Paradise was Curt Boettcher, the producer and musician who is best remembered for his work on the "soft pop" albums by Sagittarius and The Millennium.
Rhodes' contract with Dunhill called for an album every six months (six albums over three years) – a schedule that was impossible for Rhodes to meet, due to writing all of the songs and recording each instrument and vocal individually by himself.
Dunhill sued Rhodes for $250,000 and withheld royalties because of his failure to deliver albums on the timescale required by the contract. Emitt Rhodes took nearly a year to record, the album Mirror took nine months, and Farewell to Paradise took over a year.
After Farewell to Paradise, Rhodes stopped performing and released no more material, except on compilations. He continued to record his songs in his studio, but they were unreleased except for one song on Listen, Listen. He worked as a recording engineer and record producer for Elektra Records.
Rhodes' song "Lullabye" (from Emitt Rhodes) was featured in the 2001 Wes Anderson film The Royal Tenenbaums.
In January and February 2009, Italian director Cosimo Messeri shot a documentary movie about Rhodes's vicissitudes: life, past, present, troubles and hopes. The movie, entitled The One Man Beatles, was selected for the International Rome Film Festival 2009, and received standing ovations. In 2010 "The One Man Beatles" was nominated for David di Donatello Award as Best Documentary of 2010. Its US Screening took place in May 2010 at the Rhino Records Pop Up Store in Westwood, California.
Also in 2009, after many years of rumors as to the possibility of a new CD, Rhodes once again entered the recording studios with a new band and all-new material, joined by the co-founder of The Grass Roots and The Merry-Go-Round drummer Joel Larson, co-founder and former bassist for Counting Crows, Matt Malley, and guitarists Jim Rolfe and Dan Mayer. Also participating on three of Emitt's new songs is legendary guitarist Richard Thompson, whose band Fairport Convention covered Emitt's song "Time Will Show the Wiser" in 1967. Bangles' members Vicki Peterson and Debbi Peterson, who covered Emitt's song "Live" on their debut album, also make an appearance.
In 2010, Rhodes, along with Rhodes Band’s Matt Malley, joined another ex-member of Fairport Convention, Iain Matthews, on a new version of "Time Will Show the Wiser", arranged, produced and performed by Nick Vernier Band. This recording, initially released on Nick Vernier Band's "Sessions"-album, marked Emitt's first new release as a featured artist in almost four decades. Both Emitt and Iain recorded this Rhodes-original early on in their careers, the song being starting points as well as signature works for The Merry-Go-Round and Fairport Convention respectively. The new version united the two singers in an Indian musical setting. Also in 2010, a tribute album titled Long Time, No See was released. It contained Emitt Rhodes songs recorded by various artists.
On November 3, 2011, Rhodes released three new songs on iTunes titled "Just Me And You", "What's A Man to Do" and "This Wall Between Us", featuring back up singing by Vicki and Debbi Peterson of the Bangles, and guitar work by Richard Thompson.
In 2014, Emitt began work with musician/producer Chris Price on a full album of songs, recorded in his original home studio, intended as a stylistic follow-up to Farewell to Paradise. During these sessions, Emitt recorded a cover of the Bee Gees hit "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" for a tribute album called To Love the Bee Gees, released in November 2015 by 80 Proof Records and Tapes.
His album Rainbow Ends was released in 2016, his first album in 43 years.
Discography
Studio albums
The Merry-Go-Round (1967, with The Merry-Go-Round) reached #190 on the Billboard 200
Emitt Rhodes (1970) #29
Mirror (1971) #182
The American Dream (1971) #194
Farewell to Paradise (1973)
Rainbow Ends (2016)
Collections
Daisy-Fresh from Hawthorne, California (The Best of the Dunhill Years)[4]
Daisy-Fresh includes all of the songs from Emmit Rhodes, six songs from Mirror, four songs from Farewell to Paradise, plus the single "Tame the Lion".[4]
Listen, Listen: The Best of Emitt Rhodes
Listen, Listen contains five songs from The Merry-Go-Round, one song from The American Dream, seven songs from Emitt Rhodes, four songs from Mirror, two songs from Farewell to Paradise, plus the single "Tame the Lion" and the previously-unreleased 1980 song "Isn't it So".
The Merry-Go-Round: Listen, Listen: The Definitive Collection
A nearly complete collection of Merry-Go-Round songs, almost all written and sung by Rhodes. The The Merry-Go-Round (stereo version) and American Dream LPs are included in their entirety, as are the mono mix of "Time Will Show the Wiser" and a few non-album singles. Not included are the mono mix of The Merry-Go-Round and the unique single mixes of "Come Ride, Come Ride" and "'Til the Day After".
Royal Tenenbaums: Collector's Edition CD
"Lullabye" appears.
The Emitt Rhodes Recordings (1969–1972), two CDs:
CD 1: The American Dream (all thirteen songs from both versions) and Emitt Rhodes
CD 2: Mirror, Farewell to Paradise, plus the single "Tame the Lion"
Singles
with The Merry-Go-Round:
"Live" #63 on pop chart
"Time Will Show the Wiser"
"You're a Very Lovely Woman" #94 on pop chart
"She Laughed Loud"
"Listen, Listen"
"'Til the Day After"
solo:
"Fresh as a Daisy" #54 on pop chart
"You Take the Dark Out of the Night"
"Live Till You Die"
"With My Face on the Floor"
"Love Will Stone You"
"Really Wanted You"
"Golden Child of God"
"Tame The Lion" / "Those That Die"
"Isn't It So?
"Just Me And You", "What's A Man To Do" / "This Wall Between Us" Released on iTunes, November 3, 2011
Lullabye
Emitt Rhodes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And they darken all the sky
When the one you love says good-bye
Tears that angels cry
Sing a lullabye
Sing it soft and only sigh
When the one you love says good-bye
When your love still is strong
When the one you love is gone
The lyrics to Lullabye by Emitt Rhodes are poignant and bittersweet, invoking feelings of sadness and grief. The first verse talks about the tears that angels cry, and how they darken the sky. This is a powerful metaphor for the overwhelming sadness and pain that one feels when they are left by the one they love. The tears falling from heaven itself emphasize the gravity of the situation, and how the loss of someone we love can feel like the end of the world.
The chorus provides a soothing solution to this pain - singing a lullabye to oneself. The words suggest that the power of a lullabye can ease the hurt and agony felt by heartbreak. When the one you love says goodbye, a lullabye can provide a sense of comfort and solace. The second verse speaks of the strength of love, and how it can endure even in the face of separation. Emitt Rhodes is suggesting that even if the love is still present, the person may have to resign themselves to the fact that their lover is no longer physically present with them.
Overall, the lyrics to Lullabye are simple and poetic, but incredibly powerful. Emitt Rhodes has written a song that speaks to the universal experiences of heartbreak, loss, and pain, and shows that even in the darkest of moments, there is always hope for comfort and healing in the power of music and song.
Line by Line Meaning
Tears that angels cry
The sorrowful tears shed by celestial beings
And they darken all the sky
Such tears have the power to darken the entire sky with their immense intensity
When the one you love says good-bye
When someone you love dearly departs, it brings to you an indescribable pain
Tears that angels cry
The sadness of losing someone you love can be as profound as the tears shed by angels
Sing a lullabye
Soothe your mind and heart by singing a calming lullaby
Sing it soft and only sigh
The melody of the lullaby should be sung gently and with a soft voice that reflects your sadness
When the one you love says good-bye
The lullaby is meant to help you cope with the overwhelming emotions that come with someone you love leaving
Sing a lullabye
Repeating the lullaby can calm your mind and slowly ease the pain
When your love still is strong
Even when you still strongly love the person who has left you
When the one you love is gone
When the person who is your true love is no longer with you.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: EMITT RHODES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind