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
Gasoline
Garrison Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I can smell it on my clothes
You wrapped your arms around me
And I woke up soaked in gasoline
Trampoline
I used the last of my faith
When you shot me straight up to the sky
I want to be brave
But you don't make it easy
When every time I get close
You get a little bit farther away
Hand grenade
It's difficult to feel safe
When you're taking little bitty steps
Terrified you don't upset my hand grenade
Rear view mirror
Somehow things become so clear
I'll be damned if I let you
Take a backseat to the view in my review mirror
I know you want to be brave
But I don't make it easy
When every time I get close
You get a little bit farther away
I wish I could save you from all the shrieking voices
Inside your head that rip you to shreds and tell you lies
Like there's no happiness to find
Gasoline, gasoline
In Garrison Starr's song "Gasoline," the singer is recounting a traumatic experience with their significant other. The first verse describes waking up in clothes that reek of gasoline after the person they're involved with wrapped their arms around them. This potent smell is a metaphor for the toxicity of the relationship. The second verse introduces the image of a trampoline, which the singer uses to describe the way their partner lifts them up only to let them fall again. The singer feels let down and uncertain about whether they can trust this person. The bridge describes the tension and instability of their relationship using the image of a hand grenade - even though they want to feel safe, they are constantly worried that one wrong move could cause everything to fall apart. Finally, in the last verse, the singer asserts their independence by rejecting the idea that they will let this person take up space in their rear-view mirror. Although they acknowledge that it isn't easy to move on from this person, they are determined not to let them hold them back.
Line by Line Meaning
Gasoline
Referring to a volatile or explosive situation
I can smell it on my clothes
The aftermath of a dangerous encounter lingers as a reminder
You wrapped your arms around me
Familiarity with danger, even when embraced closely
And I woke up soaked in gasoline
The realization of how explosive and dangerous the situation truly was
Trampoline
A metaphor for trust and vulnerability
I used the last of my faith
A feeling of betrayal in hoping to be caught by the trampoline of trust
When you shot me straight up to the sky
The sudden rise in emotions, leaving one feeling exposed
And I crashed right through your trampoline
Feeling unsupported and let down by someone you trusted
I want to be brave
A wish to overcome fear and vulnerability
But you don't make it easy
The person one looks to for support is not providing the same
When every time I get close
Attempts to bridge the gap for trust and vulnerability
You get a little bit farther away
The other person keeps their distance, making success harder to achieve
Hand grenade
A metaphor for emotional instability
It's difficult to feel safe
The fear of being emotionally wounded
When you're taking little bitty steps
The slow and careful approach to prevent detonating someone's emotional state
Terrified you don't upset my hand grenade
The fear of causing emotional harm to someone who is already fragile
Rear view mirror
A metaphor for the past and the realization of mistakes that have been made
Somehow things become so clear
The benefit of hindsight and the lessons learned from past mistakes
I'll be damned if I let you
The determination to prevent past mistakes from being repeated
Take a backseat to the view in my review mirror
The importance of prioritizing present relationships over past ones
I know you want to be brave
Realizing that the other person desires vulnerability and trust as well
But I don't make it easy
Acknowledging that one's own fear and doubt can inhibit vulnerability
When every time I get close
The efforts to move past fear and towards vulnerability
You get a little bit farther away
The other person's unwillingness to reciprocate vulnerability but rather retreats further
I wish I could save you from all the shrieking voices
The empathy towards the emotional turmoil and pain that the other person may experience
Inside your head that rip you to shreds and tell you lies
The internal struggle with negative self-talk and self-doubt
Like there's no happiness to find
The inability to see the good things in life due to the turmoil within
Gasoline, gasoline
Returning to the reminder of the explosive nature of the situation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHIP TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind