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
Runner Up
Garrison Starr Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Her faulty circuitry exposed
Although you feel ashamed
I'm sure she seemed so real from far away
Just when you get up your nerve
To take her at her word
Hiding out somewhere safe
She's a fake
She's on a roll
She's the perfect picture of complete control
But underneath her stage
She's scared to death you might mean what you say
Just when you get up your nerve
To take her at her word
She'll draw you in for one last taste
And when it's time she will deny what she embraced
She's a fake
And she will take all that you will let her
But you will never get herâ?¦
'Cause you're the runner up
You better learn to keep your big mouth shut
You can talk all day
But you're gonna leave exactly as you came
Just when you get up your nerve
To take her at her sorry word
It's an awful truth you face
Nonetheless you better learn when to cut bait
She's a fake
The song "Runner Up" by Garrison Starr tells the story of a person who falls for someone who is not who they appear to be. The song uses metaphors to describe the situation as it compares the person to a faulty circuitry, a fake, and someone who is scared underneath it all. The lyrics convey a sense of helplessness and frustration as the singer realizes they are not the one that the person truly wants.
The lines, "Just when you get up your nerve to take her at her word" and "She'll set that hook inside your mouth, you just wait" indicate that the person is hesitant to trust the other person but is drawn in anyway. The lyrics suggest that the person is always on guard, waiting for the other person to reveal their true intentions.
The chorus of the song, "You're the runner up, you better learn to keep your big mouth shut," adds to the sense of powerlessness felt by the singer. The lyrics suggest that they know they are not the one the person truly wants but they are unable to change their feelings. The advice to keep their mouth shut implies that they should not try to change the situation or speak out about their feelings.
Overall, the song portrays a bittersweet story of unrequited love and the pain of feeling second best.
Line by Line Meaning
She's gonna blow
She's about to fall apart
Her faulty circuitry exposed
Her true self has been revealed
Although you feel ashamed
You're embarrassed for believing in her
I'm sure she seemed so real from far away
From a distance, she appeared genuine
Just when you get up your nerve
As soon as you feel brave enough
To take her at her word
To trust that she is telling the truth
Hiding out somewhere safe
She's avoiding taking responsibility
She'll set that hook inside your mouth, you just wait
She'll manipulate you
She's a fake
She's not genuine
She's on a roll
She's on a winning streak
She's the perfect picture of complete control
She appears to have everything together
But underneath her stage
Beneath her confident exterior
She's scared to death you might mean what you say
She's afraid of being vulnerable
She'll draw you in for one last taste
She'll lure you back in for a final chance
And when it's time she will deny what she embraced
She'll reject what she once accepted
And she will take all that you will let her
She'll take advantage of your kindness
But you will never get her...
You won't be able to truly connect with her
Cause you're the runner up
You're not her first choice
You better learn to keep your big mouth shut
You should be careful about what you say to her
You can talk all day
You can try to win her over with words
But you're gonna leave exactly as you came
You'll end up with nothing
Just when you get up your nerve
As soon as you feel brave enough
To take her at her sorry word
To believe in her apology
It's an awful truth you face
You have to confront a painful reality
Nonetheless you better learn when to cut bait
You need to know when to move on
She's a fake
She's not genuine
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind