While at the University of Connecticut, Buettner spent several years in Europe where she composed and recorded her 2011 debut album, "True Love and Water", with producer Pierre Faa (Peppermoon Music) in a home studio in Paris, France. The album features Paris-based, French and Belgian musicians, such as Stefanos Kotsanis, Romain Garnier (Hastings, Rooftop), Boris Gronemberger (V.O., Raymondo, Soy Un Caballo, Françoiz Breut), Conrad Steel (Teeth), Jesse D. Vernon (Morningstar) and Pierre Faa (Peppermoon).
Buettner has played in several countries including the United States, France, Belgium, Portugal, the UK, the Netherlands, and Italy.
She also sings with Liam Carey (Secondstar), The Sobs, My Broken Frame, V.O. and has played with Françoiz Breut.
She self-released the album "The Book of Waves" in 2018.
"True Love and Water and Time Travelling alone suffice to convince us that a real talent in the landscape of female folksingers has just bloomed". – François Gorin, Telerama
"Paris has its Sibylle Baier: an uprooted American whose enveloping siren song makes us lose all sense of reason." – Inrocks.com
"Ginsberg-ghosted Parisian-beat-music" - For Folk’s Sake
Under the Radar
Erica Buettner Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and you don't know why
you always feel the need to apologize
For things that are way out of your control
Instead of just facing the conflicts you're erasing,
let time do the trick,
it's the best medicine
like you're outside watching
he asks if you have any secrets
and you say no,
I'm as clean as snow
But the pressure never ceases
it's survival of the species
and just to love somebody
can leave you all in pieces
Sometimes to stand up straight
you've got to first bend down
shake off your hero's stance
and remove your crown
I liked you better the way you almost were.
Every word you utter
is carried by the tide
and ripples into places you might
have tried to hide,
fear of reaction is good incentive
for distraction
When johnny walker said
you could start playing dead
he really meant to kill the voices in your head
And if you live a little lower
and fly under the radar,
you might forget the reasons
you didn't want to stay here
Sometimes to stand up straight
you've got to first bend down
shake off your hero's stance,
and remove your crown
I liked you better the way you almost were.
The lyrics in Erica Buettner's song Under the Radar explore themes of insecurity, self-doubt, and the pressure to conform. The first verse addresses the tendency to apologize for things outside of our control, rather than facing conflicts head-on. The line "it's the best medicine" suggests that it is often easier to let time heal wounds, rather than confronting them directly.
The second verse delves into the pressure we feel to present ourselves as perfect and without flaws, illustrated in the exchange where the singer denies having any secrets. The line "survival of the species" highlights the feeling that we are constantly under scrutiny and must compete to survive in society. The chorus emphasizes the idea that sometimes we must lower our defenses and remove our masks in order to truly stand tall and face the world as ourselves.
The final verse brings in the idea of hiding and avoidance as coping mechanisms. The line "fear of reaction is good incentive for distraction" explores the way that we often turn our attention to trivial distractions rather than facing our fears of being judged or rejected. The final line ties the song together with the sentiment that we often feel nostalgia for the person we used to be, or who we could have been, rather than the person we are today.
Line by Line Meaning
You're sorry about the weather,
You apologize for things you can't control like the weather and you are uncertain why you do so.
and you don't know why
You are uncertain why you apologize for things you are not responsible for.
you always feel the need to apologize
You have a habit of saying sorry too often, even when it is not required.
For things that are way out of your control
You tend to say sorry for things that you don't have control over.
Instead of just facing the conflicts you're erasing,
You tend to avoid conflicts and let time heal them instead of facing them.
let time do the trick,
You wait for time to resolve conflicts instead of dealing with them directly.
it's the best medicine
You believe that time is the best solution to resolve conflicts.
You see yourself talking
You observe yourself talking to others.
like you're outside watching
You talk to others as if you are watching from a distance.
he asks if you have any secrets
Someone asked if you have any secrets.
and you say no,
You replied in the negative.
I'm as clean as snow
You believe you are completely honest and transparent.
But the pressure never ceases
You feel constant pressure to maintain your image.
it's survival of the species
You believe that survival depends on your ability to maintain your image.
and just to love somebody
Loving someone can be difficult.
can leave you all in pieces
Loving someone can emotionally hurt you.
Sometimes to stand up straight
Sometimes, to be assertive, you have to be humble.
you've got to first bend down
You have to humble yourself before you can be assertive.
shake off your hero's stance
You have to get rid of your overconfidence to be humble.
and remove your crown
You have to step down from your position of power to be humble.
I liked you better the way you almost were.
I preferred who you were before you tried to be something you are not.
Every word you utter
Every word you say.
is carried by the tide
Your words have a ripple effect on people and places around you.
and ripples into places you might
Your words can reach places you might not have intended.
have tried to hide,
Your words can reveal things you might have wanted to hide.
fear of reaction is good incentive
Fear of a negative reaction from others can motivate you.
for distraction
It can motivate you to stay distracted.
When johnny walker said
Referring to a saying from a Johnny Walker advertisement.
you could start playing dead
The saying suggested fake death to avoid unwanted attention.
he really meant to kill the voices in your head
The saying was about killing the negative voices in your head.
And if you live a little lower
And if you lower your expectations in life.
and fly under the radar,
And avoid drawing attention to yourself.
you might forget the reasons
You can forget the reasons why you didn't want to stay.
you didn't want to stay here
You didn't want to stay in a certain situation.
Contributed by Gabriel K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.