Heather Nova is the Bermudian Songwriter who grew up on a boat in the Caribbean and went on to sell over 2 million albums in her 15 year career to date. She has released seven albums and has opened for artists like Van Morrison and Neil Young as well as performed with artists like Sarah McLachlan. She has also had hit records with co-writes featuring artists like ATB (Renegade), and Eskobar (Someone New).Her brother is the Reggae singer Mishka.
By the end of the 1980s, after leaving RISD, Heather moved briefly to New York City (where she unsuccessfully tried to interest some major labels in a demo including Columbia , who rejected her, only to sign her five years later ), before moving to London, England. She has British citizenship due to her Bermudan origin. In 1990, she released her first recording, an EP called 'Heather Frith' — she had not yet changed her name by then. The name change came a year or so later after several gigs in the Netherlands, where, after finding out that the Dutch have trouble pronouncing "Frith," she chose a name that would be easily pronounceable in every European language, "Nova," her Canadian mother's maiden name.
The new name debuted in 1993 with her second EP 'Spirit in You' and her first full album, 'Glow Stars'. The success of the album led her to record and release her first live album, 'Blow', the same year, which she supported by a tour of Europe. A year later in 1994 she released what many consider to be her finest work to date, the emotional yet jagged album 'Oyster', for which she toured for almost two years. Another live album, 'Live from the Milky Way', was released in 1995, and after its release she toured for nearly three years straight, twice joining Sarah McLachlan and others on the North American Lilith Fair, which is a music festival with only female performers. Heather is also a frequent performer at European music festivals such as Roskilde.
In 1998, the long-awaited follow up to 'Oyster' was released. After the release of 'Siren', Heather took a break while various television show and film soundtracks licensed some of her songs and her record company (Sony Records/The WORK Group) released various singles from the album, which received only moderate play on America's MTV2, Europe's MTV and Canada's MuchMusic and on mainstream radio, although she was popular on college radio. Also during this time, she recorded a version of the often covered Billie Holiday song, 'Gloomy Sunday', for the German WWII drama Ein Lied von Liebe und Tod. In 2000, she released yet another live album, called 'Wonderlust'.
Over the years, Heather has written and recorded over a hundred songs, so that her albums are selected from work that has often already been performed live, rather than being conceived during rushed songwriting sessions. Half the songs on 'Siren' had been written during the 'Oyster' sessions and were frequently played live prior to being committed to a studio session, and most of the songs for 2001's 'South' were written between 1999 and 2000 while she was on hiatus from touring. With the release of 'South', she returned to the international spotlight with an appearance on the soundtrack of the John Cusack movie "Serendipity", a couple of music videos, and a collaboration with Swedish band Eskobar, for a song called "Someone New", also released as a video, which proved so popular that it was played primarily on America's MTV, not just MTV2 (which is normally reserved for less-popular songs). 'Storm', Heather's fifth studio album, was released in late 2003 on Big Cat Records, as was 'Redbird', released in 2005.
In 2002, she self-published 'the sorrowjoy', a 72-page book of her poetry and drawings. An album of the same name was released in March 2006, which featured Nova reading the poems from her book set to ambient music. The album has only been available for purchase at concerts beginning with the Intimate Evening tour, from the fan-run websites, HeatherNova.Net and HeatherNova.De, and from the official website, www.heathernova.com.
The album Storm was released in 2003. It was a more refined album, using Mercury Rev as Heather's backing band. The album was Top 5 in Germany and Top 10 across Europe. It was an album of dark ballads, marking a step away from the polished sound of South. It was also Heather's first release on her own record label, Saltwater Records. Despite being pregnant, she toured hard with a new line up and band, before returning home to Bermuda. (A live DVD was made of these concerts (live at the Union Chapel)
Ruby Red
Heather Nova Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Like a virus like my last hope
I've got a ruby red desire
I've got to hear the red bird sing
I've got to rip this cord
And rinse this lazy blood
Clear a path and walk away
I've been waiting for the sky to fall
I've been worried I could lose it all
I've been waiting for the safety net
Tell myself that I'm not ready yet
And every memory's a dream
And each uncertainty reminds me why
I saw a kid outside playing by a moongate
Making paper things that fly
I've been waiting for the sky to fall
I've been worried I could lose it all
I've been waiting for the safety net
Tell myself that [m not ready yet
I want to live ...
I've been waiting for the sky to fall
I've been worried I could lose it all
I've been waiting for the safety net
Tell myself that I'm not ready yet
I want to live ...
In the song "Ruby Red", Heather Nova expresses her strong desire for change and the need to break free from her current situation. She compares her desire to a virus, which could be interpreted as an all-consuming feeling that is difficult to shake off. Nova longs to hear the "red bird sing" and wants to clear a path and walk away from her past. She has been waiting for something catastrophic to happen ("the sky to fall") and has been worried that she might lose everything. However, she also acknowledges that every memory is a dream and each uncertainty reminds her of why she wants to take a chance on living. She witnesses a child outside, creating paper things that fly, and is reminded of the beauty in taking a risk and pursuing one's passions.
The lyrics of "Ruby Red" suggest that the song is about taking risks and embracing change, even when there is fear and uncertainty. Nova is tired of waiting for the safety net and wants to live life fully, even if that means letting go of what is familiar and comfortable. She encourages listeners to take risks and not be held back by fear.
Line by Line Meaning
I've got a ruby red desire
I have an intense and passionate desire
Like a virus like my last hope
My desire is all-consuming, like a virus, as if it's my last hope of achieving something
I've got to hear the red bird sing
I need to experience the beauty and joy of life
I've got to rip this cord
I must break free from whatever is holding me back
And rinse this lazy blood
I have to refresh and invigorate myself
Clear a path and walk away
I need to remove obstacles and leave behind whatever doesn't serve me anymore
I've been waiting for the sky to fall
I've been anxious and worried about potential catastrophes
I've been worried I could lose it all
I've been concerned about losing everything I care about
I've been waiting for the safety net
I've been hoping for a fallback plan or a guarantee
Tell myself that I'm not ready yet
I'm trying to convince myself that I'm not capable or prepared enough
And every memory's a dream
Every recollection of my past feels like a surreal and distant dream
And each uncertainty reminds me why
Every unknown and doubt reinforces my motivation and purpose
I saw a kid outside playing by a moongate
I witnessed a child enjoying the simple pleasures of life
Making paper things that fly
Creating something beautiful and free-spirited
I want to live ...
I want to seize the moment and make the most of my life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: HEATHER NOVA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lightning Jack
I like it :)