After being dropped by the label in 1999, she released several more records under the Dead Daisy banner: Science Fair in 1999, Dead Relatives in 2000, Girl Versions in 2001, and Asianblue in 2002. She toured extensively in David Bowie's backup band during 2000 and 2001. She also toured with Swedish band The Cardigans in 2004 on the Chicks With Attitude tour.
Gryner has since released a DVD called Videochrome in 2003, featuring all four of her independent music videos and three previously unreleased songs. She released an album of Irish cover songs, Songs of Love and Death, featuring a guest contribution from Gryner's neighbour Kate McGarrigle, in January 2005.
On September 27, 2005, she released a limited edition homemade album called The Great Lakes which she wrote, recorded, mixed, printed, hand-stamped, stapled, embossed, cut, burned, packaged, and signed specially for her fans.
Gryner married visual artist Sean Odell in 2004. The couple currently lives in rural Ontario.
In 2005, she started a new band, Hot One, where she performs bass and vocals. Other Hot One members include Nathan Larson (guitar and vocals), film-score composer and guitarist with of Shudder to Think and Guided by Voices. Larson is married to the Cardigans' front-woman Nina Pearson. Kevin March is Hot One's drummer and Jordan Kern plays guitar. Hot One will be released in late August 2006.
Emm's latest studio album, The Summer of High Hopes was released in Ireland on May 12, 2006 and in North America on September 26, 2006. In the November 2006 issue of Q Magazine, celebrating the magazine's 20th anniversary, U2 frontman Bono recognized the track "Almighty Love" from Emm's new album as one of six songs that he wished he had written from the last 20 years of music.
Gryner also contributed vocals to the song "It's Always Raining in Dublin" on vitaminsforyou's 2006 album The Legend of Bird's Hill. She contributed on the 2006 Oxfam album by The Cake Sale.
July
Emm Gryner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tripped on my feet in the sun
No I don't want you for your money
No I don't care that you're someone
I'm older than your kids but not by much
Drowning like I forgot my raincoat
And you could find a love, a girl to take you on
I blame it on July
Blame it on myself
God gave me the summertime
Left me with nothing, left me with nothing else
The day of saints is almost here
Soon I'll be sweeping up a tree
Then it's going to be a nauseating happy new year
And you still won't be with me
I'll be 21 and old without a clue
Singin' I drowned like I forgot my raincoat
And then you'll wonder why they haven't checked me in yet
But even if they did, even if they did
I blame it on July
Blame it on myself
God gave me the summertime
Left me with nothing, left me with nothing else
I tripped on my feet in the sun
No I don't want you for your money
No I don't care that you're someone
I blame it on July
Blame it on myself
God gave me the summertime
Left me with nothing, left me with nothing else
Are you going to let it rain without me?
Are you going to let it snow without me?
Are you, are you?
I blame it on July
Blame it on myself
God gave, I said God gave me
Nothing else but July
The lyrics to Emm Gryner's "July" appear to be a lamentation on a failed love affair. The opening lines "I fell in love with you in July, Tripped on my feet in the sun" suggest a summer fling. The singer makes it clear that they did not fall in love with the person's money or status, stating "No I don't want you for your money, No I don't care that you're someone". However, they face the reality that despite their feelings, the other person can find someone else who would not love them as much as they do. The lines "And you could find a love, a girl to take you on, But she wouldn't want you half as much as this" reflects the singer's fear of being unrequited in love.
The song then takes on a melancholic tone in which the singer shares their personal struggles. They express feeling older than their significant other's children, suggesting that the age difference is a factor in the end of their relationship. The lines "Drowning like I forgot my raincoat" indicates that they feel hopeless and lost without their lover. The chorus "I blame it on July, Blame it on myself, God gave me the summertime, Left me with nothing, left me with nothing else" suggests that the summer, by which they fell in love, is to blame for the eventual heartbreak. The singer seems to be holding themselves responsible as well, indicating that they may have been at fault for the failed relationship. Overall, the song appears to be a reflection on lost love, blaming the summer and oneself for the heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
I fell in love with you in July
I started falling in love with you during the summer month of July
Tripped on my feet in the sun
I was so infatuated with you that I was clumsy in the bright warmth of summer
No I don't want you for your money
I'm not interested in your wealth or status
No I don't care that you're someone
I'm not intimidated by your reputation or social circle
I'm older than your kids but not by much
I'm slightly more mature than the people in your life that are younger than me
Drowning like I forgot my raincoat
I feel like I'm struggling and in over my head, like I wasn't prepared for what I'm experiencing
And you could find a love, a girl to take you on
You have the ability to find someone else to love and pursue a relationship with
But she wouldn't want you half as much as this
But she wouldn't be as enamored or infatuated with you as I am
I blame it on July
I attribute my love and emotions to the summer month of July
Blame it on myself
I hold myself responsible for my own feelings and actions
God gave me the summertime
I appreciate the gift of summer and the happiness it brings me
Left me with nothing, left me with nothing else
But, even with this gift, I'm still left feeling like something is missing
The day of saints is almost here
The feast day of Saints is approaching, which is on July 15th
Soon I'll be sweeping up a tree
I'll be celebrating the day of Saints by sweeping up shrubs from the wreath around the tree commonly known as bonfire tree
Then it's going to be a nauseating happy new year
Afterwards, the new year will begin and the celebratory atmosphere may become overwhelming and overwhelming thoughts may arise
And you still won't be with me
Despite my feelings, you still won't be in a relationship with me
I'll be 21 and old without a clue
I'll be 21 years old and feel directionless, like I'm not sure what I'm doing with my life
Singin' I drowned like I forgot my raincoat
I'll still be struggling and overwhelmed like I forgot to prepare for what's coming
And then you'll wonder why they haven't checked me in yet
You may begin to question my mental stability and wonder why I haven't received professional help yet
But even if they did, even if they did
But, even if someone did check me in to a mental health facility, my feelings for you wouldn't change
Are you going to let it rain without me?
Will you experience the ups and downs of life without me by your side?
Are you going to let it snow without me?
Will you experience both the joys and hardships of life without me to share them with?
God gave, I said God gave me
The gift of summer and its accompanying emotions and experiences are attributed to God
Nothing else but July
But, for me, this gift is only found in the month of July
Contributed by Caroline W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
John LaStrada
Great song by a wonderful singer. There is another version of this song by Emm that is more biting but I've never been able to locate it on YouTube. I had it on some compilation album. Maybe it was released on an EP? Or an extended version? Love the way Emm pronounces some of the lyrics in this. "God gave me the summertime, left me with nothin' -- left me with nothin' else."