Their first release in 1985 was a seven-inch single named "Crazy Game", with the B-side "Everybody's Waiting (for Someone to Come Home)". That same year, the Indigo Girls released a six-track Extended play album named "Indigo Girls", and in 1987 released their first full-length album, Strange Fire, recorded at John Keane Studio in Athens, Georgia, and including "Crazy Game". With this release, they secured the services of Russell Carter, who remains their manager to the present; they had first approached him when the EP album was released, but he told them their songs were "immature" and they were not likely to get a record deal.
They were signed to Epic Records in 1989 and won the Grammy for best contemporary folk album later that year (for their self titled release) Some of their hit songs include "Galileo," "Closer to Fine," and "Shame on You."
Aside from being musicians, Ray and Saliers are activists, constantly supporting causes like gun control, women's rights, Native American rights, environmental protection, the abolition of the death penalty, and as lesbians themselves, LGBT rights. They constantly devote their time and money to such causes, often playing benefit concerts.
Ray and Saliers both have side projects. Ray owns and founded Daemon Records, an independent label based in Decatur. She also has a career as a solo artist, and has released two albums thus far. Saliers is the part owner of Watershed, a restaurant and wine bar in Decatur.
Together, the Indigo Girls are constantly touring. Their new album, Poseidon and the Bitter Bug, was released March 24, 2009.
Your Holiday Song
Indigo Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's time to make your joyful noise
Some feel it in the feast after the fast
Where the oil lamp's everlasting
Or the solstice in the wild
Or the birth of a baby child
It's your holiday song
Our faith calls our name
Someone else's does the same
Hallelujah, thank you
So gather round girls and boys
It's time raise your holy noise
Some feel it in drum or the snare
Or the silence of their prayer
Or the church bells on the hill
Or the harmony of good will
It's your holiday song
No one more true, right or wrong
Our faith calls our name
Someone else's does the same
Hallelujah, thank you
For every voice lifted in song
The sacred place we all belong
The chance to heal a broken world
With every voice and every song
Of every boy and every girl
It's your holiday song
No one more true, right or wrong
Our faith calls our name
Someone else's does the same
Hallelujah, thank you
Hallelujah, thank you
Thank you
It's your holiday song
It's your holiday song
It's our holiday song
"Your Holiday Song" by Indigo Girls is a song celebrating the diversity of holiday traditions and the power of music to bring people together. The first verse acknowledges the variety of ways that people observe the holiday season, from the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah (referenced by the "oil lamp's everlasting") to the pagan celebration of the winter solstice and the Christian story of the birth of Jesus ("a baby child"). The second verse explores the different forms that people's music-making takes, from drumming to prayer to church bells, and emphasizes that every voice lifted in song is sacred and valuable.
Throughout the song, the chorus repeats the refrain "It's your holiday song / No one more true, right or wrong / Our faith calls our name / Someone else's does the same / Hallelujah, thank you." This chorus asserts that every person's holiday traditions and beliefs have equal weight and that we should celebrate and honor them all, regardless of whether or not we share them. The final lines of the song call for people to come together through music and use it as a tool to heal the world and create a sense of unity and belonging.
Overall, "Your Holiday Song" is a powerful call to put aside our differences and embrace the things that bind us together - music, community, and the simple act of celebrating together.
Line by Line Meaning
Gather round girls and boys
Come together, people of all ages and genders
It's time to make your joyful noise
Let's sing and celebrate
Some feel it in the feast after the fast
Some celebrate through food after times of sacrifice
Where the oil lamp's everlasting
Referencing the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, a celebration of light
Or the solstice in the wild
Others celebrate nature and the changing seasons
Or the birth of a baby child
Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus
It's your holiday song
This song is about your unique holiday celebration
No one more true, right or wrong
There is no right or wrong way to celebrate, only different traditions
Our faith calls our name
Our beliefs guide our celebration
Someone else's does the same
Others have their own beliefs and ways of celebrating
Hallelujah, thank you
A joyful expression of gratitude
So gather round girls and boys
Let's come together one more time
It's time raise your holy noise
Let's sing and make noise for our holiday celebration
Some feel it in drum or the snare
Some celebrate with music and rhythm
Or the silence of their prayer
Some celebrate in quiet reflection and prayer
Or the church bells on the hill
Some celebrate with the traditional sounds of the church
Or the harmony of good will
Some celebrate through the unity and peace of community
For every voice lifted in song
We celebrate every single person's contribution
The sacred place we all belong
Our holiday traditions bring us together and connect us as human beings
The chance to heal a broken world
Our holiday celebrations can bring hope and healing to a troubled world
With every voice and every song
Together we can make a difference, one voice and one song at a time
Of every boy and every girl
All people, regardless of gender or age, can contribute to our celebrations
Thank you
A final expression of gratitude
It's your holiday song
This song celebrates your unique holiday traditions
It's our holiday song
This song celebrates all of our holiday traditions as human beings
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EMILY ANN SALIERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind