Her first album "Pinwheels" was recorded shortly after her high school graduation. During a 1 1/2 year stint as a student at Ole Miss, Starr met and forged a friendship with fellow artist and producer Neilson Hubbard. To this day, Starr and Hubbard frequently collaborate. Her second release, the 7 track EP "Stupid Girl" references her experiences there which were not always pleasant.
Garrison was signed to Geffen Records who released her first major label album "18 Over Me" in 1997. "18 Over Me" includes the song "Superhero" which is her most well known song to date, it has appeared on several compilations including "Live at World Cafe" and CMJ magazine's sampler. Garrison re-recorded "Superhero" for her 3rd major release 2005's "Airstreams & Satellites". It also includes a faster version of "Molly" which originally appeared on the "Stupid Girl" EP. On both versions producer Neilson Hubbard sings back-up vocals. "18 Over Me" is currently out of print and can only be purchased used. Garrison occasionally has copies at her live performances, but currently Geffen owns the rights to it so she cannot re-release it.
On the moderate success of "18 Over Me" Garrison was invited to play on the highly successful all female festival tour Lilith Fair created by Sarah McLachlan. Starr left the deep south for Los Angeles in the mid 1990s. There was a huge gap between the release of "18 Over Me" (1997) and "Songs From Take-Off To Landing" (2004) because Garrison (along with many other artists) was dropped from the Geffen roster. Garrison recorded several demos of songs that would eventually become part of "Take-Off" those were never officially released and in the years between those recordings & the release of "Take-Off" the songs evolved and changed significantly. Between these releases Garrison released "24/7" an EP of live & acoustic versions of songs from "18 Over Me" as well as a cover of the Rolling Stone's "Taxman" and a previously unreleased song "Simple Theme". Also during this time Garrison released "Something To Hold You Over" for devoted fans who were asking for new recordings.
In Los Angeles she gained inspiration for two albums, "Songs From Take-Off To Landing" (which was finally released in February 2004) and "Airstreams and Satellites" (October 2005). "Airstreams" includes a hidden track in which Garrison makes her first definitive reference to being a lesbian. She has toured with the likes of Melissa Etheridge, Steve Earle, Melissa Ferrick and Mary Chapin-Carpenter.
In 2005, Starr returned to the south, more specifically, Nashville, Tenn., where she completed her most recent album, "The Sound of You and Me" (March 2006). Released by Vanguard Records it includes a fellow Vanguard artist Mindy Smith on background vocals for track "Kansas City, KS".
Starr's song "Superhero" was featured during ABC-TVs coverage of the Women's World Cup Soccer in 1999. More recently, Starr's "Beautiful in Los Angeles" was the featured song on the season one finale of MTVs original program "The Hills" (2006).
Starr is currently working on her next album, a greatest hits cd for which she asked fans to vote for their top 10 favorite songs. In early 2007 she released a statement that she is recording the songs that received the most votes and that the cd will be available at her Los Angeles shows in late January 2007. Garrison put that cd online for purchase on her official website www.garrisonstarr.com in March 2007.
Garrison's new album "The Girl That Killed September" will be released on October 18, 2007 on Media Creature. Available Online for $10 (CD) and $7.50 (DOWNLOAD) LISTEN | WATCH EPK http://www.mediacreature.com/playerpage/gstarr/blastplyr-lcns.html
Gardenia
Garrison Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Melt down my ammunition
I willingly diffuse
You're something else
Keeping my head out of my head,
I curse my old familiar way
Of bracing for the weather
You're something else
Something else
Gardenia, out of my reach
Gardenia, why'd you have to open yourself to me
My hour of temporary blindness,
Stunned like a sleepwalk slapped awake
Wrestling my leaning to define this
Learning to live with extra space
And you're something else
Something else
Gardenia, out of my reach
Gardenia, why'd you have to open yourself to me
There is no word grand enough
For this extraordinary love that has overcome
Didn't know what I was missing 'til I caught sight of you
Now everything looks different, so wonderfully different
Gardenia, out of my reach
Gardenia, why'd you have to open yourself to me
Why'd you have to open yourself
Garrison Starr's "Gardenia" is a beautiful love song that describes the feelings of a person who never knew what they were missing until they met their love. The first verse talks about how the person's outlook on life changed after seeing their love for the first time. They say they "didn't know what they were missing" until they caught sight of their love. The person is so in love that they are willing to let go of their ammunition and diffuse any conflict that comes their way.
The second verse talks about how this person is learning to live with the extra space that love creates. They are stunned by their temporary blindness, but they are learning to define their feelings for their love. The chorus repeats the phrase "Gardenia, out of my reach. Gardenia, why'd you have to open yourself to me," suggesting that their love is something unattainable but breathtaking.
The bridge of the song speaks to the grandness of their love, saying "there is no word grand enough for this extraordinary love that has overcome." The final verse concludes with the person saying that now that they have found their love, everything looks different, "so wonderfully different."
Line by Line Meaning
Didn't know what I was missing 'til I caught sight of you
I didn't realize what I was missing in life until I met you
Melt down my ammunition
I am willing to let go of my defenses
I willingly diffuse
I am willing to surrender myself to you
You're something else
You are unique and incomparable to any other person I've met
Keeping my head out of my head,
Trying to get out of my own thoughts and let go of anxiety
I curse my old familiar way
I regret my previous habits and behaviors
Of bracing for the weather
Of preparing for the worst
On a perfectly clear day
Even on days where everything seems to be going well
Something else
Incomparable and extraordinary
Gardenia, out of my reach
The object of my love is unattainable
Gardenia, why'd you have to open yourself to me
Why did you have to make me fall in love with you?
My hour of temporary blindness,
The moment where I was unaware of your presence
Stunned like a sleepwalk slapped awake
Suddenly jolted out of a dream-like state
Wrestling my leaning to define this
Trying to come to terms with my feelings for you
Learning to live with extra space
Adjusting to the changes in my life after meeting you
There is no word grand enough
No single word can fully convey the depth of my love
For this extraordinary love that has overcome
This love is so powerful that it has taken control of me
Now everything looks different, so wonderfully different
My outlook on life has been transformed by my love for you
Why'd you have to open yourself
Why did you have to make me fall in love with you?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind