Beam was raised outside Columbia, South Carolina, United States where his father worked in land management and his mother was a schoolteacher. He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a bachelor's degree and the Florida State University Film School with an MFA degree. Until the first Iron & Wine album, Beam's main source of income was as a professor of film and cinematography at the University of Miami and Miami International University of Art & Design. He had been writing songs for over seven years before a friend lent him a four-track recorder. His friends handed out copies of demos that he had made, and the owner of Sub Pop Records personally contacted Beam and proposed a deal.
Beam released his first album, The Creek Drank the Cradle, on the Sub Pop label in 2002; Beam wrote, performed, recorded, and produced every track on the album by himself at a studio in his home. The album features acoustic guitars, banjo, and slide guitar; its music has been compared, variously, to that of Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, Elliott Smith, and Ralph Stanley.
In 2003 The Sea & The Rhythm was released, an EP collecting other home-recorded tracks along the same lines as those on the debut. Beam's second album, Our Endless Numbered Days (2004), was recorded in a professional studio with a significant increase in fidelity. The focus still lies on acoustic material, but the inclusion of other band members gives rise to a very different sound.
Beam released an EP titled Woman King in February 2005, and the EP In the Reins, a collaboration with Calexico was released in September 2005. This joint work mostly features new full-band versions of previously recorded Iron and Wine rarities.
One of his most famous songs is a cover, which was featured on a commercial for M&M’s candies and in the 2004 film “Garden State” (and on its popular soundtrack), of "Such Great Heights" by The Postal Service.
"Kiss Each Other Clean" is the fourth studio album by Iron & Wine, released January 25, 2011. The album's title is taken from the lyrics of track 10, "Your Fake Name Is Good Enough for Me". The album marks a further change in style – in an interview with SPIN magazine, Beam said “It’s more of a focused pop record. It sounds like the music people heard in their parent’s car growing up… that early-to-mid-’70s FM, radio-friendly music."
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Carissa's Weird
Iron & Wine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You run and hide, you get two stars
Last night two fat skinheads whistled at her
But she sleeps it off
A whiskey scent on her kitten's fur
And when it's time to go
I'll push her high as she wants to go
And though she'll never know
Carissa's weird but I love her so
The lyrics to Iron & Wine's song "Carissa's Weird" can be interpreted in different ways depending on the listener's perspective. One interpretation is that the song is about a woman named Carissa who leads a troubled life. The line "is there a race involved?" suggests that Carissa's struggles could be related to her racial identity or experience of racism. The line "you run and hide, you get two stars" could refer to the rating system used by police officers where two stars indicate a suspect who is likely to run away.
The next lines describe an incident where two "fat skinheads" catcall Carissa. This could be a reference to hate crimes against marginalized groups including people of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women. Despite these experiences, Carissa is able to "sleep it off" and go on with her life. The line "a whiskey scent on her kitten's fur" implies that Carissa may have turned to alcohol as a coping mechanism.
The chorus of the song expresses the singer's love and admiration for Carissa despite her quirks and struggles. The line "I'll push her high as she wants to go" suggests that the singer is supportive of Carissa's dreams and ambitions. The final line, "Carissa's weird but I love her so" can be seen as a rejection of societal norms and a celebration of individuality.
Line by Line Meaning
Is there a race involved?
Are we comparing ourselves to others?
You run and hide, you get two stars
When you avoid conflict, you are rewarded with approval.
Last night two fat skinheads whistled at her
She was subjected to harassment by strangers.
But she sleeps it off
She copes with the trauma by ignoring it.
A whiskey scent on her kitten's fur
She is drunk and possibly neglectful of her pet.
And when it's time to go
When the night ends.
I'll push her high as she wants to go
I will enable her self-destructive behavior if it makes her happy.
Red pants down, she's pissing out by the car
She is too inebriated to control her bodily functions.
And though she'll never know
Despite her unawareness of my feelings.
Carissa's weird but I love her so
I accept her unconventional behavior and care for her deeply.
Contributed by Aaliyah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Epoch Philosophy
The only YouTube video that had this song was striked down. Which is super sad because this song is near impossible to get even among the most dedicated fans. And it's absolutely great. I think this is one of Sam Beam's best songs.
Thanks so much for this.
Luis Alvarez Suarez
Carissa es rara pero la amo tanto
mellowcorpse :p
THERES BANGING ON THE WALL ITS FIVE AM IVE GOT NO SLEEP AT ALL
KAINI INDUSTRIES
I did not need these flashbacks
mellowcorpse :p
@KAINI INDUSTRIES when u go away; heaven's a distance not a place.
KAINI INDUSTRIES
@mellowcorpse :p actually want to get that line tattooed some day haha
mellowcorpse :p
@KAINI INDUSTRIES vi gör en fkn yugiohhandtatuering av re
KAINI INDUSTRIES
@mellowcorpse :p på gud
S Ryburn
Does anyone know the history of the song?
jason conerty
He is friends with the brother of Ben Bridwell. Ben is the lead singer of Band of Horses. Ben was also in a band called Carissa's Wired. He gave his early demos to these guys.