Early life and career
Sandoval is from a large Mexican-American family in East Los Angeles, California.
Sandoval started her career in 1986 with her friend Sylvia Gomez in a folk music duo called Going Home.
Opal and Mazzy Star
Hope started to sing and perform with the band Opal in the late 1980s alongside David Roback. The two began writing together and renamed the band Mazzy Star.
The first Mazzy Star album, She Hangs Brightly was released in 1991. While not a commercial success, this album did establish Hope and David as a unique band with a sound that has been often imitated.
They had what many consider a surprise breakthrough hit single in early 1992. "Fade Into You" โ from their second album So Tonight That I Might See โ was recorded one year before it became a success (with heavy video rotation on MTV).
The tracks on the third Mazzy Star album, Among my Swan continue the sound and feel established on the first two albums.
Post-Mazzy Star
After 1996, Hope began a career of working with other bands. She collaborated with a series of artists, including the Jesus & Mary Chain, Chemical Brothers, Death In Vegas, Bert Jansch, and Vetiver.
Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions
Hope formed The Warm Inventions and released their first (and thus far only album) called "Bavarian Fruit Bread", in 2001. This album sounds, again, little different in terms of theme, voice, and instrumentation than that of her work with Mazzy Star. However, with a larger band behind her, and more time to work creatively, Hope's voice has matured on these songs.
Subsequently, The Warm Inventions released three EPs but received very little commercial success, no video on MTV, and very little radio play. Nonetheless, this band's efforts were appreciated by her fan base.
Suzanne
Hope Sandoval Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But all she does is waste your time
And she looks just like my sister
But she feels just like my man
And all the times I mean to tell her
The cats in here are over-flowin'
She pulls aside a four leaf clover
Suzanne, Suzanne
Suzanne, Suzanne
Suzanne is waiting at your doorway
But all she does is waste your time
And she looks just like my sister
But she feels just like my man
Suzanne, Suzanne
Suzanne, Suzanne
Suzanne, Suzanne
Suzanne, Suzanne
Suzanne, Suzanne
The lyrics to "Suzanne" by Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions depict a complex relationship between the singer and a woman named Suzanne. The singer seems to be torn between his attraction to Suzanne and his frustration with her behavior. She is waiting at his doorway, but he perceives her as a waste of his time. However, her presence also elicits a feeling of comfort and familiarity, as she looks like his sister but feels like his lover.
The singer struggles to express himself, intending to tell Suzanne that the cats in his house are overflowing, but he is unable to do so. Suzanne pulls out a four-leaf clover, which could represent luck or hope, and makes him feel at ease. The repetition of "Suzanne, Suzanne" throughout the song only heightens the ambiguity and intensity of their relationship.
Perhaps the lyrics suggest that the singer is in a complicated relationship with someone who is both familiar and foreign to him. Suzanne is simultaneously a source of comfort and frustration, and he is unable to express his emotions clearly to her. The use of imagery, such as the overflowing cats and the four-leaf clover, adds a layer of complexity to the song's meaning and interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Suzanne is waiting at your doorway
Suzanne is present at your doorstep, but what she contributes is a waste of time
But all she does is waste your time
Regrettably, Suzanne does nothing more than squander time
And she looks just like my sister
Although there is a resemblance between Suzanne and my sister in terms of appearance
But she feels just like my man
Suzanne creates a sense similar to that of a man in terms of feelings
And all the times I mean to tell her
Each time I intend to share my thoughts with her
The cats in here are over-flowin'
I attempt to warn her that the situation here is dire
She pulls aside a four leaf clover
Rather than acknowledge the danger, Suzanne focuses on a symbol of good luck
And makes me feel right on my own
It's just me, but her presence empowers me to feel secure
Suzanne, Suzanne
The name of the woman in question is Suzanne
Suzanne, Suzanne
Repetition of Suzanne
Suzanne, Suzanne
Continued repetition of Suzanne
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leonard Cohen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@nodytabotir6469
Suzanne is waiting at your doorway
But all she does is waste your time
And she looks just like my sister
But she feels just like my man
And all the times I mean to tell her
The cats in here are overflowin'
She pulls aside a four-leaf clover
And makes me feel right on my own
Suzanne
Suzanne
Suzanne
Suzanne
Suzanne is waiting at your doorway
But all she does is waste your time
And she looks just like my sister
But she feels just like my man
Suzanne
Suzanne
Suzanne
Suzanne
Suzanne
Suzanne
Suzanne
Suzanne
@jesseaceves6855
20 years ago I was in drug rehab going through withdrawal and this dude constantly played her music over and over, I fell in love with her voice and music and made me forget the pain, this dude said he was her brother and became my best friend, Robert (bobby) he said they grew up in East LA up in the hills. I love you Esperanza.
@igor_timofeev
She is amazing person! Fell in love with her singing.
@damaris2254
๐ฅบ
@SweetChick10101
This song will always remind me of driving at night with no destination into the middle of nowhere, feeling sad and yet also very hopeful.
@coolhandbobby
+SweetChick10101 I feel it too
@HeroHeloCrack
word!
@thekidneedsjuice3785
Can I join you on that drive?
@bluelava4282
Dreamy midnight driveโs good for the soul
@mathhew7352
I'm so happy to be on this planet with her. She brings us all such pure joy
@ukulena
I love the comments on mazzy star/hope sandoval songs, the good lot of us have this deep emotional, reminiscent connection to her beautiful music that is like nothing I've ever seen before.