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.
Lilac Wine Live
Jeff Buckley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gave myself in that misty light
Was hypnotized by a strange delight
Under a lilac tree
I made wine from the lilac tree
Put my heart in its recipe
It makes me see what I want to see
When I think more than I want to think
I do things I never should do
I drink much more that I ought to drink
Because it brings me back you
Lilac wine is sweet and heady, like my love
Lilac wine, I feel unsteady, like my love
Listen to me, I cannot see clearly
Isn't that she, coming to me nearly here?
Lilac wine is sweet and heady where's my love?
Lilac wine, I feel unsteady, where's my love?
Listen to me, why is everything so hazy?
Isn't that she, or am I just going crazy, dear?
Lilac wine, I feel unready for my love
Feel unready for my love
The song Lilac Wine Live by Jeff Buckley has much to unpack when it comes to its meaning. At its core, the song is one that is deeply personal and reflective. The lyrics speak of losing oneself in the misty light of a cool, damp night under a lilac tree. The singer is hypnotized by a strange delight and goes on to make wine from the tree itself.
The song's central metaphor is the wine that the singer makes from the lilac tree's flowers. The wine is said to contain the singer's heart, and it allows him to see and be what he wants. The Lilac Wine is not just any alcohol, but more of an elixir of life, able to morph the subject's state of mind, and helps the singer find peace with himself. The wine is described as being sweet and heady, much like the singer's love.
The song goes on to hint at the singer's tendency to drink, stating that when he thinks more than he wants to, he does things he never should do. He drinks much more than he ought to drink because it brings him back to his love. The singer's love is shrouded in mystery, and it's unclear who this person is. The song ends with the singer feeling unready for his love, much like with the first verse, where the hypnotic effect of the lilac wine has now faded, and the singer must face reality as it is.
Line by Line Meaning
I lost myself on a cool damp night
I felt disoriented and disconnected from who I am on a chilly, wet evening
I gave myself in that misty light
I surrendered to the atmosphere created by the obscurity of the surroundings
Was hypnotized by a strange delight
I was mesmerized by a peculiar pleasure
Under a lilac tree
I was in the presence of a beautiful lilac tree
I made wine from the lilac tree
I turned the lilac flowers into a beverage
Put my heart in its recipe
I infused my emotions into the concoction
It makes me see what I want to see
The drink alters my perception according to my desires
And be what I want to be
The drink allows me to embody the character that I want to be
When I think more than I want to think
Excessive contemplation leads me to unwanted results
I do things I never should do
I act in ways that contradict my values
I drink much more that I ought to drink
I consume an excessive amount of the lilac wine
Because it brings me back you
The drink reminds me of my lost love
Lilac wine is sweet and heady, like my love
The aroma and flavor of the lilac wine resembles the essence of my beloved
Lilac wine, I feel unsteady, like my love
The drink leaves me feeling dizzy, just like my love does to me
Listen to me, I cannot see clearly
I'm having trouble discerning reality from illusion
Isn't that she, coming to me nearly here?
I hallucinate the appearance of my lost love
Lilac wine is sweet and heady where's my love?
The lilac wine is tantalizing, but I yearn for the presence of my love
Lilac wine, I feel unsteady, where's my love?
The drink is disorienting me because I desire my love's company
Listen to me, why is everything so hazy?
I'm perplexed by the opaqueness of my surroundings
Isn't that she, or am I just going crazy, dear?
I perceive my lost love's likeness again and wonder if I'm losing my mind
Lilac wine, I feel unready for my love
The drink makes me feel unworthy and unprepared to pursue my love
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES H. SHELTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MojoPin1983
Jeff Buckley and his band performing the song, Lilac Wine, Live aus dem Südbahnhof in Frankfurt, Germany on 24 February 1995.
Full broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHqfMvrmPE8&t
Show info: http://flowersintime.org/show.php?gigid=244
Jeff Buckley - Lilac Wine | Eurockéennes, Belfort, France, 7/9/1995: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk2apX74lQc
Jeff Beck on Jeff Buckley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXu6G3cb5Ho
"Jeff Buckley's Lilac Wine is the most beautiful thing ever recorded..."
― Adam Levine, Singer from Maroon 5: https://twitter.com/adamlevine/status/390971104111517696
NS TCG
Lyrics. _
I lost myself on a cool damp night
I gave myself in that misty light
Was hypnotized by a strange delight
Under a lilac tree
I made wine from the lilac tree
Put my heart in its recipe
It makes me see what I want to see
And be what I want to be
When I think more than I want to think
I do things I never should do
I drink much more that I ought to drink
Because it brings me back you
Lilac wine is sweet and heady, like my love
Lilac wine, I feel unsteady, like my love
Listen to me, I cannot see clearly
Isn't that she, coming to me nearly here?
Lilac wine is sweet and heady where's my love?
Lilac wine, I feel unsteady, where's my love?
Listen to me, why is everything so hazy?
Isn't that she, or am I just going crazy, dear?
MojoPin1983
Jeff Buckley and his band performing the song, Lilac Wine, Live aus dem Südbahnhof in Frankfurt, Germany on 24 February 1995.
Full broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHqfMvrmPE8&t
Show info: http://flowersintime.org/show.php?gigid=244
Jeff Buckley - Lilac Wine | Eurockéennes, Belfort, France, 7/9/1995: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk2apX74lQc
Jeff Beck on Jeff Buckley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXu6G3cb5Ho
"Jeff Buckley's Lilac Wine is the most beautiful thing ever recorded..."
― Adam Levine, Singer from Maroon 5: https://twitter.com/adamlevine/status/390971104111517696
흐으으
What a fantic nick name 👏
J. K
I can't believe how quiet the crowd was. Seems like that could never happen today.
sommerseeflimmern
It isn't. They are clapping in between
tina lovell
@bremex I know if I were seeing him live and anyone tried to talk to me they would be shushed. I am new to his music. Just started listening to his songs today and his version of this song, left me in tears. His voice is absolutely mesmerizing.
Christine De Nuzzio
That was the power of Jeff’s vocals and presence. Such a singular talent, gone far too soon.
bremex
I actually think that was all Jeff and not just the 90's necessarily. That was his super power, to shut a whole audience with his presence and his voice.
Andy Mejia
@Niall Noonan yea it still happens today. especially in small venues like this one.
Georgie Thumbs
One album and he dies, unreal. It's like God said, oops an angel slipped off of a cloud of heaven, gotta bring him back.
1chipchap
@adonai yah the amount of thumbs up his comment got doesn’t suggest what you are saying and atleast m has the balls to say what they feel . Many question the validity of a god that would allow such disgusting crimes against innocent beings . Always the reply from likes of you is “god has a greater plan” ..::.:: insane