He had emerged in New York City's avant-garde club scene in the 1990s as one of the most remarkable musical artists of his generation, acclaimed by audiences, critics, and fellow musicians alike. His first commercial recording, the four-song EP Live At Sin-é, was released in December 1993 on Columbia Records. The EP captured Buckley, accompanying himself on electric guitar, in a tiny coffeehouse in New York's East Village, the neighbourhood he'd made his home.
Buckley made his public singing début at a tribute concert for his father called "Greetings from Tim Buckley". The event, produced by show business veteran Hal Willner, was held at St. Ann's Church in Brooklyn on 26 April 1991.
By the time of the EP's release during the fall of 1993, Buckley had already entered the studio with Mick Grondahl (bass), Matt Johnson (drummer), and producer Andy Wallace and recorded seven original songs (including "Grace" and "Last Goodbye") and three covers (among them Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", Benjamin Britten's "Corpus Christi Carol") that comprised his debut album Grace. Guitarist Michael Tighe became a permanent member of Jeff Buckley's ensemble and went on to co-write and perform on Grace's "So Real" just prior to the release of the album.
In early 1994, not long after Live At Sin-é appeared in stores, Jeff Buckley toured clubs, lounges, and coffeehouses in North America as a solo artist from January 15th to March 5th as well as in Europe from March 11th to 22th. Following extensive rehearsals in April to May of 1994, Buckley's "Peyote Radio Theatre Tour" found him on the road with his band from June 2nd to August 16th. His full-length full-band album, Grace, was released in the United States on August 23rd, 1994, the same day Buckley and band kicked off a European tour in Dublin, Ireland; the 1994 European Tour ran through September 22nd, with Buckley and band performing at the CMJ convention at New York's Supper Club on September 24. The group headed back into America's clublands for a Fall Tour lasting from October 19th until December 18th.
On New Year's Eve 1994-95, Buckley returned to Sin-é to perform a solo set; on New Year's Day, he read an original poem at the annual St. Mark's Church Marathon Poetry Reading. Two weeks later, he and his band were back in Europe for gigs in Dublin, Bristol, and London before launching an extensive tour of Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Belgium, and the United Kingdom which lasted from January 29th to March 5th. On April 13th 1995, it was announced that Jeff Buckley's Grace had earned him France's prestigious "Gran Prix International Du Disque -- Academie Charles CROS -- 1995"; an award given by a jury of producers, journalists, the president of France Culture, and music industry professionals, it had previously been given to Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Yves Montand, Georges Brassens, Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Joni Mitchell, among other musical luminaries. France also awarded Buckley a gold record certification for Grace.
From March 5th through April 20th, Buckley and his band rehearsed for an American spring tour with gigs running from April 22th until June 2nd. From June through August, Jeff and company toured the United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Switzerland. The band took off for Down Under to play six Australian shows between August 28th and September 6th, 1995. In November 1995, Buckley played two unannounced solo shows at Sin-é. He performed songs including the new "Woke Up In A Strange Place" on Vin Scelsa's "Idiot's Delight" show on WXRK-FM on December 17 and celebrated New Year's Eve 1995-96 with performances at New York's Mercury Lounge and Sin-é.
Jeff Buckley and his touring ensemble went back to Australia, where Grace had earned a gold record certification, for the "Hard Luck Tour," which ran from February 9th to March 1st of 1996. Drummer Matt Johnson left the group after the final Australian show. The posthumous album Mystery White Boy brings together some of the high points from Jeff's 1995-1996 live performances. The DVD/home video release Live In Chicago documents, in its entirety, Jeff's concert at The Cabaret Metro in Chicago on May 13th, 1995.
In May of '96, Jeff played four gigs as a bass player with Mind Science of the Mind, a side-project of Buckley's friend, Nathan Larson of Shudder To Think. In September Buckley played another unannounced solo gig at his old favorite haunt Sin-é. December of 1996 found Jeff Buckley embarking on his "phantom solo tour"; designed to experiment with new songs in a live setting (as in his Sin-é days), these unannounced solo gigs throughout the Northeast U.S. were played under a succession of aliases: the Crackrobats, Possessed By Elves, Father Demo, Smackrobiotic, the Halfspeeds, Crit Club, Topless America, Martha & the Nicotines, and A Puppet Show Named Julio.
At midnight on February 9th, 1997, Jeff Buckley debuted his new drummer, Parker Kindred, in a show at Arlene Grocery on New York's Lower East Side. He also played a couple of solo gigs in New York during the first months of 1997: a gig at the Daydream Cafe (featuring band members Mick Grondahl and Michael Tighe as "special guests") and a solo performance February 4th as part of the Knitting Factory's 10-Year Birthday Party.
Buckley and his band had recorded intermittently — with Tom Verlaine as producer — during Summer/Fall 1996 and early winter 1997 in New York and in February 1997 in Memphis. After the conclusion of those sessions, Jeff sent the band back to New York while, during March and April 1997, he remained in Memphis and continued to craft his work-in-progress, making various four-track home recordings of songs to present to his bandmates. Some of these were revisions of the songs recorded with Verlaine, some were brand new compositions, and some were surprising cover versions. The new lineup debuted Buckley's new songs at Barrister's in Memphis on February 12th and 13th. Beginning March 31st, Jeff began a series of regularly scheduled Monday night solo performances at Barrister's. His last show there was on Monday, May 26th, 1997.
Buckley passed away in a drowning accident in the Wolf River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, on May 29th, 1997. The night Buckley died, he was on his way to meet his band to begin three weeks of rehearsals for My Sweetheart, the Drunk; producer Andy Wallace, who'd helmed the boards on Grace, was to join them in Memphis in late June to record his new album.
In addition to his Columbia Records releases, Live At Sin-é and Grace, Jeff Buckley has appeared as a guest artist on several other recordings. He can be heard singing "Jolly Street," a track on the Jazz Passengers 1994 album In Love. He contributed tenor vocals to "Taipan" and "D. Popylepis," two recordings on John Zorn's Cobra Live At The Knitting Factory (1995). On Rebecca Moore's Admiral Charcoal's Song, Buckley plays electric six-string bass on "If You Please Me," "Outdoor Elevator," and "Needle Men" (on which he also plays drums). He both plays guitar and sings backup vocals on Brenda Kahn's "Faith Salons," a key track on her Destination Anywhere album (released 1996). Patti Smith's critically acclaimed Gone Again album features Buckley adding "voice" to the song "Beneath the Southern Cross" and "essrage" (a small fretless Indian stringed instrument) to "Fireflies." On Kerouac: Kicks Joy Darkness, a various artists' spoken word tribute to beat poet Jack Kerouac, Jeff Buckley performed on "Angel Mine"; Jeff plays guitar, sitar, and mouth sax (adding words at the poem's conclusion) on the track. Buckley can be heard reading Edgar Allan Poe's "Ulallume - A Ballad," on Closed on Account of Rabies: Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe (disc 2: The Devil's Brew) (Poems & Tales by Edgar Allan Poe) on Mouth Almighty/Mercury Records. He sang "I Want Someone Badly" (Epic) for Shudder To Think's soundtrack to First Love, Last Rites. Sandy Bell, a friend of Buckley's during his L.A. days, released the resurrected track "Hollywould" in 2000, which she co-wrote and recorded with Buckley.
An ardent enthusiast for a myriad of musical forms, Jeff Buckley was an early champion among young American musicians for the work of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the world's foremost Qawwali (the music of the Sufis) singer. Buckley conducted an extensive interview with Nusrat in Interview magazine (January 1996) and wrote the liner notes Nusrat's The Supreme Collection album, released on Mercator/Caroline records in August 1997. On May 9th, 2000, Columbia Records released Mystery White Boy, an album of live performances, and Live In Chicago, a full-length concert (available on DVD or VHS) recorded live at The Cabaret Metro in Chicago on May 13, 1995, in the middle of Jeff's "Mystery White Boy" tour.
Following the release of Grace on August 23rd, 1994, Jeff and his group spent much of 1994-1996 performing around the world on the Unknown, Mystery White Boy, and Hard Luck tours. Mystery White Boy brings together, for the first time, some of the high points of those shows. Produced by Michael Tighe (guitarist for Jeff's band throughout their international touring and the recording of Grace) and Mary Guibert (Jeff's mother) and Mystery White Boy provides an evocative cross-section of Jeff's repertoire: previously-unreleased Buckley compositions, electrifying live interpretations of songs from Grace, and obscure and marvelous cover choices. The recordings heard on Mystery White Boy have been hand-picked from scores of concert tapes by Mary Guibert and the members of Jeff's band who played such a large role in helping Jeff realize his musical vision.
According to Mary, the tracks on Mystery White Boy are "the individual performances that represented transcendent moments from each of the concerts we'd identified as being in the 'overall outstanding' category."
"It was obvious which performances were contenders for the record," concurs Michael Tighe, "and in some cases a performance would be so supreme and unpredictable that I knew it had to be brought to the public."
The posthumous album Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk was released in 1998 and included songs Buckley was working on while in Memphis for his upcoming release.
Tribute songs:
PJ Harvey - Memphis
Rufus Wainwright- Memphis Skyline
Mark Eitzel - To the Sea
Zita Swoon - Song for a Dead Singer
Amy Correia - Blind River Boy
Duncan Sheik - A Body Goes Down
Chris Cornell - Wave Goodbye
Katatonia - Nightmares by the Sea
Willie Nile - On the Road to Calvary
Rachael Sage - Grace
Aimee Mann - Just Like Anyone
Cocteau Twins - Rilkean Heart
Jim Major - Angels Fall (Song for Jeff Buckley)
A film about Buckley's life, a biopic called "Mystery White Boy", is currently in pre-production. Actors have not yet been cast, according to IMDB.
If You See Her
Jeff Buckley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She left here last early spring, is livin' there I hear
Say for me that I'm all right though new things come and go
She might think that I've forgotten her but don't tell her it isn't so
We had a falling-out, like lovers often will
But to think of how she left that night, still gives me a chill
And though our separation, well it chilled me to the heart
If you're making love to her, kiss her for the [Incomprehensible]
Who always has respected her for doing what she did
For I know it had to be that way, it was written in the cards
But the bitter taste still lingers on, it all came down so hard
Well, I meet a lot of people as I make the rounds
And I hear her name here and there as I go from town to town
And I've never gotten used to it, I've just learned to turn it off
Well, either I'm too sensitive or else I'm just gettin' soft
If you see her
Sundown, yellow moon, I replay the past
I know every scene by heart 'cause they all went by so fast
If she's passin' back this way, I'm not that hard to find
Tell her, she can look me up if she's got the time
Tell her, she can look me up if she's got the time
Jeff Buckley's cover of Bob Dylan's "If You See Her, Say Hello" is a mournful, introspective reflection on a past love. The emotional pain of lost love and the lingering memories of the relationship are central themes of the song. The lyrics describe a sudden separation between two lovers and a subsequent feeling of lost connection. The singer wants his ex-lover to know he still thinks of her and cares for her, even though he knows she might not feel the same way. The singer acknowledges the reality of their separation, but he still longs for the love he once shared with her.
The song's opening lines suggest that the singer is hoping that someone who knows his ex-lover will tell her he is doing okay. He assumes that she has moved to Tangier, and he wants her to know that he is alright and not to think he has forgotten her. The chorus reiterates this point, with the singer imploring the person to "say hello" to his ex-lover if they see her.
The lyrics then move on to the history of the relationship. The two lovers had a falling out, and the singer is still affected by the memory of that night. Despite the separation, the singer suggests the relationship still lives on inside of him. He instructs the listener to kiss her for him and let her know he still respects her for doing what she did. However, the bitterness of the break-up still lingers, and the singer finds himself unable to get used to hearing her name.
The song then shifts to a nostalgic tone, with the singer recalling his past memories with his ex-lover. The yellow moon and the setting sun evoke a feeling of wistfulness as he replays the scenes of their past relationship in his mind. The song ends with the singer asking the listener to tell his ex-lover that she can find him if she wants to reconnect.
Overall, "If You See Her, Say Hello" is a poignant song that explores the emotional complexities of lost love. The lyrics show that the singer still harbors deep emotions for his ex-lover, despite their separation.
Line by Line Meaning
If you see her, say hello, she might be in Tangier
If you come across her, please convey my greetings, she might be in Tangier
She left here last early spring, is livin' there I hear
She departed from here during the last early spring and I heard she's settled there now
Say for me that I'm all right though new things come and go
Please assure her that I'm doing fine even though new experiences are constantly happening in my life
She might think that I've forgotten her but don't tell her it isn't so
She could believe that I've erased her from my memory, but please don't reveal that it's not the case
We had a falling-out, like lovers often will
We had a disagreement and fallout like many couples do
But to think of how she left that night, still gives me a chill
Recalling how she departed that night still sends shivers through my body
And though our separation, well it chilled me to the heart
Our separation affected me greatly, it sent a cold shock through my heart
She still lives on inside of me, we've never been apart
She's still within me, we've never truly been separated
If you're making love to her, kiss her for the [Incomprehensible]
If you're intimately involved with her, please send her a kiss from me
Who always has respected her for doing what she did
I've always admired and respected her for the choices she's made
For I know it had to be that way, it was written in the cards
I understand that things had to happen in that specific way, as it was fate
But the bitter taste still lingers on, it all came down so hard
However, the unpleasant aftertaste still lingers, it was all so difficult to handle
Well, I meet a lot of people as I make the rounds
I encounter numerous individuals as I travel around
And I hear her name here and there as I go from town to town
I catch glimpses of her name here and there as I move from town to town
And I've never gotten used to it, I've just learned to turn it off
I never became accustomed to it, I simply learned how to shut it out
Well, either I'm too sensitive or else I'm just gettin' soft
I'm either excessively sensitive or becoming more tender-hearted
Sundown, yellow moon, I replay the past
At sundown, under the yellow moon, I revisit the past
I know every scene by heart 'cause they all went by so fast
I'm familiar with every single event since they all happened so quickly
If she's passin' back this way, I'm not that hard to find
If she happens to be around, I'm not difficult to locate
Tell her, she can look me up if she's got the time
Inform her that she can contact me if she has the time and desire to do so
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@fred4kevin
If you see her, say hello
She might be in Tangier
She left here last early spring
Is livin' there, I hear
Say for me that I'm all right
Though things get kind of slow
She might think that I've forgotten her
Don't tell her it isn't so
We had a falling-out
Like lovers often will
And to think of how she left that night
It still brings me a chill
And though our separation
It pierced me to the heart
She still lives inside of me
We've never been apart
If you get close to her
Kiss her once for me
I always have respected her
For doin' what she did and gettin' free
Oh, whatever makes her happy
I won't stand in the way
Though the bitter taste still lingers on
From the night I tried to make her stay
I see a lot of people
As I make the rounds
And I hear her name here and there…
@emilypmendez
If you see her, say hello, she might be in Tangier
She left here last early spring, is livin' there I hear
Say for me that I'm all right though new things come and go
She might think that I've forgotten her but don't tell her it isn't so
We had a falling-out, like lovers often will
But to think of how she left that night, still gives me a chill
And though our separation, well it chilled me to the heart
She still lives on inside of me, we've never been apart
If you're making love to her, kiss her for the kid
Who always has respected her for doing what she did
For I know it had to be that way, it was written in the cards
But the bitter taste still lingers on, it all came down so hard
Well, I meet a lot of people as I make the rounds
And I hear her name here and there as I go from town to town
And I've never gotten used to it, I've just learned to turn it off
Well, either I'm too sensitive or else I'm just gettin' soft
If you see her
Sundown, yellow moon, I replay the past
I know every scene by heart 'cause they all went by so fast
If she's passin' back this way, I'm not that hard to find
Tell her, she can look me up if she's got the time
Tell her, she can look me up if she's got the time
@LucasHenrique-gf1kr
Se você a ver, diga-lhe olá, ela pode estar em Tangier
Ela partiu daqui na primavera passada, estava vivendo lá, eu fiquei sabendo
Diga por mim que estou bem, embora as coisas vão meio devagar
Ela pode pensar que eu a esqueci, não diga-lhe que isto não aconteceu
Nós tivemos um desentendimento, como amantes geralmente têm
E ao pensar como ela se foi aquela noite, ainda me traz um arrepio
E embora nossa separação, perfurou meu coração
Ela ainda vive dentro de mim, nunca ficamos tão longe assim
Se você chegar perto dela, beija-lhe uma vez por mim
Eu sempre a respeitei, por sair fora e ficando livre
Oh, o que deixa-la feliz, não ficarei no caminho
Embora um gosto amargo ainda permanece da noite que tentei faze-la ficar.
Eu vejo muitas pessoas quando dou minha volta
E eu ouço seu nome aqui e ali quando eu vou até a cidade
E eu nunca me acostumo com isso apenas aprendi como desligar
Ou sou muito sensível ou estou ficando mole.
O sol se põe, lua amarela, eu reensaio o passado
Conheço cada cena de cor, todas passam tão rápidas
Se ela passar por esse caminho novamente, não sou tão difícil de se achar
Diga-lhe que ela pode me procurar, se ela tiver tempo.
@danielchase3390
The absolute gutwrenching honesty of Dylan's lyrics mixed with the heartbreaking honesty of Buckley's voice and guitar are responsible for this — one of the simplest masterpieces ever captured. Timeless. It will always be beautiful and it will always break the heart of whoever hears it for at least six minutes and forty-four seconds that day.
@jackmeens2758
Well said brother
@Scribble336
Two drops of nectar.
Golden and sweet.
@GothicGhost17
Convinced Jeff Buckley is one of the only people who can truly cover Bob Dylan. Jeff is able to retain the complexity and spirit of Dylan while also adding his own beautiful, melodic, heartbreaking sound.
@ggdk2865
Manfred Mann?
@noellecelnik4347
Odetta?
@michaelsun8804
John Martyn 'Don't think twice it's alright' circa 1963
@Cephalonimbus
Jimi?
@debragordon-hellman3779
I don';t think I can agree he is the only one, but Jeff definitely has phenomenal covers and does "retain the complexity and spirit of Bob while also adding..." Great guitarist!
@izakizakizak1234
This is not a breakup song... 10 years later when you still feel you have love for her, and the memories just get too real, your heart skips a beat, and all you'd ever want to say to her is "Hello"