Browne was born in Heidelberg, Germany, where American serviceman father was stationed. Browne moved to the Highland Park district of Los Angeles, California at an early age and soon began singing folk music locally. In 1966, his major career began as a part of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Often mixing catchy melodies with reflective, moody, and sometimes melancholic lyrics, some of his most popular hit singles include "Doctor My Eyes", "Running on Empty", and "Somebody's Baby". Considered a precociously-talented songwriter by many peers, Browne's solo career got its legs when he signed a publishing contract with Nina Music. His work have been performed by several artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Larry Norman, Linda Ronstadt, Nico, and Tom Rush, among many others.
After moving to Greenwich Village, New York, Browne worked, for a brief period, in Tim Buckley's back-up band and on Nico's Chelsea Girl. This album includes two of Jackson's songs and the pair were reputedly lovers for awhile. After leaving New York City, Browne formed a folk band with Ned Doheny and Jack Wilce.
In 1971, Browne signed with Asylum Records and released Jackson Browne (1972), which included "Doctor My Eyes", a major hit and later coverec by the Jackson Five . He didn't sustain pop success, though, and his next album, For Everyman (1973), while considered of high quality, was a commercial failure.
Late for the Sky (1974) established a significant audience for Browne, and fans and critics often consider this Browne's best album. Highlights include the searching title song, the elegiac "For a Dancer" and apocalyptic "Before the Deluge", the pure arrangements featuring David Lindley's evocative violin and guitar playing, and the Magritte-inspired cover. The title track was also featured in Martin Scorsese's film, Taxi Driver.
Browne released his breakthrough album, The Pretender (1976) soon after the suicide of his wife, Phyllis. Featuring livelier production by Jon Landau, the title song is a vividly described account of trying to maintain one's ideals in the struggle against the realities of day-to-day life.
During this time, Browne produced and played on Warren Zevon's first two Asylum albums.
Browne began recording his next LP while on tour, and Running on Empty (1977) became his biggest commercial success. Breaking the usual conventions for a live album, it was truly made on the road, including tracks recorded on buses and in hotel rooms, with none of the songs having appeared on any of his prior albums. Running on Empty contains many renowned songs, such as the propulsive title track (Browne's biggest hit single), "The Road", "Rosie", and "The Load-Out/Stay" (Browne's affectionate and knowing send-off to his concert audiences).
In 1979, Browne was a founding member of Musicians United for Safe Energy.
Browne achieved less critical acclaim with Hold Out (1980), although it was commercially successful--his only number 1 record, and with his hit single "Somebody's Baby" from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack. Lawyers in Love followed in 1983 and contained hints of a more political focus, especially in the mysteriously satirical title track.
Political protest came out full force in Lives in the Balance (1986), an overt condemnation of Reaganism and American policy in Central America. Flavored with new instrumental textures, it was a huge success with Browne fans, though not with mainstream audiences. World in Motion (1989) was even more politically-oriented and polarizing. Browne frequently played for causes he believed in, including Amnesty International (making several appearances on the 1986 A Conspiracy of Hope Tour), Farm Aid, and the Christic Institute.
After four years of silence and a break-up with his girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah, Browne returned with I'm Alive, a critically acclaimed album with a more personal perspective that sold respectably, the title track being a modest radio hit. Looking East (1996) was released soon after, but was not as successful critically or commercially. The Naked Ride Home was released in 2002. On 11 May 2003, Jackson Browne made a celebrity guest star debut on the FOX series The Simpsons.
As a whole, Browne's work is marked by compelling melodies, simple, honest, and insightful lyrics, and a flair for composition rarely seen in the world of rock and roll. He is often referred to as "a thinking man's rock star."
Browne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. He also participated in the Vote for Change tour in October 2004, playing a series of concerts in American swing states. These concerts were organized by MoveOn.org with the general goal of mobilizing people to vote in that year's Presidential campaign. Browne's appearances were joint performances with Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo', and in one instance with Bruce Springsteen. Three of Browne's albums were selected by Rolling Stone magazine as among its choices for the 500 best albums of all time.
Browne released "Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1"in 2005 and "Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2" in 2008, both on Inside Recordings. The "Vol. 1" album consists of live recordings of eleven previously released tracks and "The Birds of St. Marks," a song that does not appear on any of Browne's studio albums. The "Vol. 2" album contains roughly the same mix of twelve songs (popular hits vs. deep cuts). Interestingly, both albums also contain separately tracked "intros" to some songs, giving a brief glimpse of the intimacy between artist and audience at the shows where the songs were recorded.
"No one gives a shit but Jackson Browne." - Randy Newman in "A Piece Of The Pie"
Website: www.jacksonbrowne.com
Late For The Sky
Jackson Browne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And somehow the feeling still wasn't right
And still we continued on through the night
Tracing our steps from the beginning
Until they vanished into the air
Trying to understand how our lives has led us there
Looking hard into your eyes
Such an empty surprise to feel so alone
Now for me some words come easy
But I know that they don't mean that much
Compared with the things that
Are said when lovers touch
You never knew what I loved in you
I don't know what you loved in me
Maybe the picture of somebody
You were hoping I might be
Awake again I can't pretend and I know I'm alone
And close to the end of the feeling we've known
How long you have been sleeping
How long you have been drifting
Alone through the night
How long have I been dreaming
I could make it right
If I closed my eyes
And tried with all my might
To be the one you need
Awake again I can't pretend and I know I'm alone
And close to the end of the feeling we've known
How long you have been sleeping
How long you have been drifting
Alone through the night
How long have I been running
For that morning flight
Through the whispered promises
And the changing light
Of the bed where we both lie
Late for the sky
In Jackson Browne's deeply introspective ballad, "Late For The Sky," the singer recalls the last night he spent with his former lover. Even though all the words had been spoken, and their exploration of the city had come to an end, something still didn't feel quite right. Despite this, they continued through the night, retracing their steps from the beginning until they vanished into thin air as they tried to understand how their lives led them there. Looking into his lover's eyes, he felt an emptiness, an unexpected surprise that made him feel more alone than ever before. The singer laments that words are not enough and longs for the deep intimacy available only in the touch of a lover. As his lover sleeps through the night, he contemplates how long they've been drifting, alone and running, knowing that they may be too Late for the Sky, too late to reconcile their relationship and gain the closeness they once had.
The song is a meditation on emotional distance and the search for true intimacy between individuals. Through the singer's interior monologue, Browne explores the universality of human relationships and the pain of loss, all conveyed in his signature, introspective tone.
Line by Line Meaning
All the words had all been spoken
We have exhausted all that we could say, but it still wasn't enough to make the situation right.
And somehow the feeling still wasn't right
Despite our efforts, something still felt off.
And still we continued on through the night
We persisted and went through the night despite everything.
Tracing our steps from the beginning
We tried to remember how we got here in the first place.
Until they vanished into the air
But our memories just faded away into nothingness.
Trying to understand how our lives has led us there
We attempted to comprehend how we ended up where we were.
Looking hard into your eyes
When I gazed into your eyes, I saw no recognition.
There was nobody I'd ever known
You were a stranger to me, despite everything we had been through.
Such an empty surprise to feel so alone
It was a shocking realization to feel so abandoned in the presence of someone who used to mean so much to me.
Now for me some words come easy
I have no trouble speaking my mind, sometimes with thoughtless or trivial words.
But I know that they don't mean that much
I am aware that these words bear little significance.
Compared with the things that
In comparison to the emotions conveyed through physical touch.
Are said when lovers touch
The things we say are often overshadowed by what we feel when engaged in physical intimacy.
You never knew what I loved in you
You were unaware of what about you I appreciated and cherished.
I don't know what you loved in me
I was uncertain of what it was about me that had attracted you at first.
Maybe the picture of somebody
Perhaps the idea of someone who I wasn't really was what drew you to me.
You were hoping I might be
And you held onto that hope for far too long.
Awake again I can't pretend and I know I'm alone
Now, I'm wide awake and I can't keep pretending anymore, I'm all alone.
And close to the end of the feeling we've known
Our relationship is coming to its conclusion.
How long you have been sleeping
I wonder how long you have been neglecting us.
How long you have been drifting
How long have you been allowing us to drift apart?
Alone through the night
By yourself through the night, when we should have been together.
How long have I been dreaming
I've been fantasizing and hoping for too long.
I could make it right
I could fix our relationship if only given the chance.
If I closed my eyes
If I shut everything out for a moment.
And tried with all my might
And gave it my all and complete attention.
To be the one you need
So that I can give you what you really need and make this work.
How long have I been running
I've been avoiding confronting our issues for a long while now.
For that morning flight
I've been putting it off for so long that it's now time to escape.
Through the whispered promises
And despite the empty promises we've made to each other.
And the changing light
Even if things change for the better, it may not last.
Of the bed where we both lie
We share the same bed, but we may as well be worlds apart.
Late for the sky
And now it's too late to salvage what we once had.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Jackson Browne
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind