Harris is truly an innovator. For over 30 years, Emmylou has flowed effortlessly between genres achieving popularity in pop, folk, country and now alternative. The common bridge is an exquisite vocal style and a gift for discovering the heart of a song.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 2, 1947, the daughter of Walter and Eugenia Harris grew up near Washington, D.C. As a college student in the late 60s, she sang with a local folk duo and eventually moved to Greenwich Village. She played the clubs on the local folk scene occasionally sharing the stage with Jerry Jeff Walker and David Bromberg.
Discovered in 1971 by Chris Hillman, Hillman brought Gram Parsons to hear her sing in a small club in the Washington D.C. area. In 1972, she answered the call from Gram to join him in Los Angeles to work on his first solo album, "GP." According to Songfacts, Parsons tragic early death in 1973 left Harris at an emotional and musical crossroads. Her earliest signature song, Boulder To Birmingham was written shortly after Gram's death, and it showed the depth of her shock and pain at losing her friend and mentor.
After the loss of Gram, Emmylou went back to the D.C. area and formed a country band, playing with them until her 1975 major label debut, Pieces of the Sky, when she formed the first version of the legendary Hot Band. Over the years the Hot Band included world class players such as Albert Lee, Rodney Crowell and Hank DeVito.
Emmylou has been called by Billboard Magazine a "truly venturesome, genre-transcending pathfinder." Throughout her career, she has been admired for her talent as an artist and song connoisseur, but it was with her 2000 album, Red Dirt Girl, for which Ms. Harris was awarded her tenth (out of eleven total to date) Grammy, that she revealed she is also a gifted songwriter. Continuing the trend with her September 2003 album, Stumble Into Grace, Emmylou wrote ten of the album's eleven tracks. Though Emmylou is the most admired and influential woman in contemporary country music, her scope extends far beyond it. She has recorded with such diverse artists as Ryan Adams, Beck, Elvis Costello, Johnny Cash, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan, Tammy Wynette, Neil Young, The Chieftains, Lyle Lovett, Roy Orbison, The Band, Willie Nelson and George Jones.
She sings with Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt on the incomparable albums Trio and Trio II, making all three artists living American legends.
A longtime social activist, Harris has lent her voice to many causes. She is active in cultural preservation issues, notably the Country Music Foundation and the Grand Ole Opry. As an animal rights activist and the owner of several dogs and cats, Emmylou also supports PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and the Humane Society. Since 1997 she has been the most visible spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine Free World, drawing public attention and notable musical artists to the cause.
Wondering
Emmylou Harris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wondering, wondering if you're wondering too
Every hour through the day since you went away
I keep wondering, yes, wondering if you're wondering too
I pray every night to the good Lord above
To send back to me the one I really love
Wondering, wondering if you're wondering too
Every hour through the day since you went away
I keep wondering, yes, wondering if you're wondering too
I pray every night to the good Lord above
To send back to me the one I really love
Wondering, wondering who's kissing you
Wondering, wondering if you're wondering too
Every hour through the day since you went away
I keep wondering, yes, wondering if you're wondering too
The song "Wondering" by Emmylou Harris is a poignant and melancholic lament about a past love. The singer is consumed by deep sadness, constantly ruminating about her lost love and wondering if he is experiencing the same heartache. She yearns for his return and prays to the "good Lord above" to send him back to her.
The lyrics convey a sense of longing and vulnerability, as if the singer is unable to move on from her past relationship. The repetition of "wondering" throughout the song emphasizes the singer's inability to let go, and the phrase "wondering if you're wondering too" highlights her desire for some sort of confirmation or acknowledgement from her former lover.
Overall, "Wondering" is a bittersweet reflection on lost love, beautifully expressed through Emmylou Harris's soulful vocals and simple yet evocative lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Wondering, wondering who's kissing you
Constantly thinking about who might be kissing the person she loves, while they are apart.
Wondering, wondering if you're wondering too
Wondering if the person she loves is also thinking about her, and missing her in the same way.
Every hour through the day since you went away
Her thoughts are consumed with the person she loves, and the pain that their absence causes her.
I keep wondering, yes, wondering if you're wondering too
Emphasizing the point that she can't stop thinking about the person she loves, and how much she wishes they were together.
I pray every night to the good Lord above
Expressing her desperation and hope for divine intervention to bring her loved one back to her.
To send back to me the one I really love
Specifically asking for the person she loves to be reunited with her, acknowledging the strength and depth of her feelings for them.
Lyrics © Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOE WERNER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind