McCarley currently calls Nashville home, but she cut her musical teeth in San Diego, where she’d moved after college to pursue a life that did not feature music at its center. It was during this bout that McCarley met producer/writer/keyboardist Jamie Kenney (the rare partner she felt 100 percent comfortable with), and the two began honing the songs that would make up Love, Save the Empty.
During 2008, she was part of the "Hotel Café Tour" playing across the United States, and also performed at the 2008 SxSW festival. She was also part of the "Ten Out of Tenn" tour in Winter 2008/2009. Erin spent 2009 on the road with various musicians including Brett Dennen, James Morrison, Paolo Nutini and Mat Kearney.
In 2008, McCarley traveled the annual SXSW Music Festival where she was discovered by her label Universal Republic Records. Love, Save the Empty, was released digitally on December 30, 2008 via iTunes debuting #86 on the Billboard Top 200 Album.Chart. A physical album followed on January 6, 2009. The first single from the album, "Pony (It's OK)" was the iTunes Single of the Week for the first week of 2009.
What I Needed
Erin McCarley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And took over my head
You're all that I'm breathing
You got all in my head
Now I'm singing
I walked alone
And there you found me
I was so cold
But you surrounded
Every single broken part me
Forgot who I could be
All alone
What I needed
What I needed was you
Let's push nothing aside
And take off in the night
The spark isn't leaving
I don't care what's behind us
No one dares to reminds us
I walked alone
And there you found me
I was so cold
But you surrounded
Every single broken part me
Forgot who I could be
All alone
What I needed
What I needed was you
Was you
Was you
Woah ou-ou ou ou
Ou-ou ou ou
Ou-ou ou ou
Ou-ou ou ou
I walked alone
And there you found me
I was so cold
But you surrounded me
You surrounded
Every single broken part of me
Forgot who I could be
All alone
What I needed
What I needed was you
The lyrics to Erin McCarley's "What I Needed" speak of the profound impact that someone can have on our lives. The song tells the story of someone who has been lost and alone, feeling cold and broken, until they meet the person who becomes everything they need. The line "You got all in my head" implies that this person has completely taken over their thoughts, and the repetition of "You surrounded every single broken part of me" emphasizes the depth of the connection between the two.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "What I needed was you" as a reminder of just how important this person is to the singer. The bridge suggests that nothing else matters now that they've found each other, and that they can move forward together without any worries.
Overall, "What I Needed" is a powerful declaration of love and connection. The lyrics highlight the idea that sometimes, all it takes is one person to change our lives completely.
Line by Line Meaning
You got all in my head
You completely occupied my thoughts and emotions.
And took over my head
You exerted control over my thoughts and emotions.
You're all that I'm breathing
You are my sole focus; the only thing I care about.
Now I'm singing
I am filled with joy and happiness.
I walked alone
I was lonely and without direction.
And there you found me
You came into my life and gave me direction.
I was so cold
I was emotionally empty and lifeless.
But you surrounded
You enveloped me with warmth and affection.
Every single broken part me
You fixed and healed every part of me that was damaged.
Forgot who I could be
I lost sight of my potential and who I could become.
All alone
I had no one to turn to for support or companionship.
What I needed
What I truly desired and required.
What I needed was you
You were the missing piece that completed me and brought meaning to my life.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Erin McCarley, Kate York
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ji-woon-hak
I love her when she just sing like this it’s so beautiful ❤️
Lesley Logan
I downloaded this beautiful song a few days ago and on a long drive I heard the whole thing, and played it over and over. The next day my beautiful little puppy mill survivor chihuahua (7 years in a cage) was killed by a car. Two and a half years of loving him, there were no words. On the way home your song came on and nailed exactly what my little boy was to me. I played it till it hurt too much, then I tried to find the chords so I could play it, but there is no where online--and I have all the sites--that has the basic chords. I will try to figure it out, but your video of you playing it threw me because you were way up on the sixth fret (Im a beginner), so if anyone reading this or if the inspired author of this exquisite song and lyrics would be so kind as to tell me what the chords are, I would be so grateful. Playing bad guitar has helped me through the devastation of losing the one who surrounded every single broken part of me. Thanks.
Daphne Monty
Such a beautiful song! Great music, great lyrics, great voice - loved it!
Davey X
My favorite from My Stadium Electric. Of course, choosing a favorite is difficult, cause they're all so good!
Justin D. Ginn
I really love this song Erin. You just get better and better!
Claire Murphy
Love your entire album!
Dulce Caramia
Wonderful:)
Sims4TV
love this girl
dafred9898
great song. Nice pic.
camcat26
Pop Gun should be the next single