Garrison Starr is a singer-songwriter who originally hails from Hernando, M… Read Full Bio ↴Garrison Starr is a singer-songwriter who originally hails from Hernando, Mississippi; a suburb of Memphis, TN. She was born on April 29, 1975.

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

Hey Girl
Garrison Starr Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

What makes you think you gotta hold
The world on your shoulders and handle that load
Who gave you the fine tooth comb?
To judge your every move before you've even started to make one

Hey girl
It's a beautiful day for flying
Don't you want to open your eyes?

You're dying

Subtle was the way, the clouds rolled in on you
To fog up your windows and darken your view
An unforgiving face who dared you to escape
Living for the chance to scare you back in place

Hey girl
It's a beautiful day for flying
Don't you want to open your eyes?

Hey girl
It's a beautiful day for flying
Don't you want to open your eyes?
You're dying

It's no way to live safe
All wrapped up in my fears

'Til I just suffocate
I will get through if it's the last thing I do

Overall Meaning

In Garrison Starr's song Hey Girl, she addresses someone who is carrying a heavy load and feeling burdened by the weight of the world on their shoulders. She questions the source of their judgment and challenges them to release that weight and open their eyes to the beauty of the world around them. The song suggests that living in fear and being trapped by judgments from others is no way to truly live. While the lyrics are open to interpretation, on a deeper level, the song seems to address themes of self-doubt, fear, and the courage to break free from expectations and live authentically.

The first verse of "Hey Girl" asks powerful questions of the listener, asking who made them think that they need to hold the weight of the world on their shoulders. The song addresses the unspoken rules that we live by, often without even realizing it, and challenges us to stop living in fear and start living for ourselves. The chorus invites us to open our eyes and break free from those judgments, to celebrate life and all the possibilities it holds.

One interesting fact about the song is that it was included on the soundtrack for the 1997 film "Beautiful Thing". Additionally, "Hey Girl" was released as a single in Europe in 1997, where it received significant airplay and helped to increase Starr's profile overseas. The song has also been featured on various TV shows, including the drama series "Popular" and the medical drama "Grey's Anatomy". "Hey Girl" continues to be an important and inspiring song for many fans of Starr's music.

Chords: G, C, Em, D.

Line by Line Meaning

What makes you think you gotta hold
Why do you feel the need to bear the burden

The world on your shoulders and handle that load
And handle all the weight of the world

Who gave you the fine tooth comb?
Who gave you the power to scrutinize everything?

To judge your every move before you've even started to make one
And critique every action before any decision is made

Hey girl
Listen up!

It's a beautiful day for flying
It's a good time to soar and embrace life

Don't you want to open your eyes?
Don't be blind to the opportunities around you

You're dying
You're not living to your fullest potential and wasting your life

Subtle was the way, the clouds rolled in on you
Unnoticeably, the negativity clouded your life

To fog up your windows and darken your view
Obscuring your vision and hopes