She is also a former child actress.
Music
In 1995, she formed the indie rock band Rilo Kiley along with her friends Pierre De Reeder, Blake Sennett and Dave Rock (later replaced by Jason Boesel). Beginning with a country sound, Rilo Kiley gravitated toward a downbeat indie rock sound, and with their 2004 album More Adventurous found widespread success. Critics such as Pitchforkmedia attributed this to the "wise" decision to front Lewis on most of the songs (on earlier albums, Sennett contributed about half the vocals). The song "Portions for Foxes" was a hit, and in 2005 the band was picked up by Warner Bros., putting them on a major label for the first time. They opened for Coldplay on their U.S. tour in 2005.
In 2002, Lewis was asked to contribute some female vocals for The Postal Service, whose album Give Up was an international success. Lewis performed in the video for the hit "We Will Become Silhouettes", and toured with the band in 2003. Lewis also contributed vocals to several tracks on the 2004 Cursive album The Ugly Organ.
In 2004, Conor Oberst invited Lewis to record a solo record for record label Team Love. Described by Lewis as "a kind of soul record," Rabbit Fur Coat, released in January 2006, features contributions from musicians Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, M. Ward, Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine, and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie on a cover of The Traveling Wilburys song "Handle With Care". The Watson Twins provide accompaniment and the album is billed as Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins. Lewis toured with the Watson Twins in support of the album in early 2006.
September 2008 sees the relase of a second solo album, titled Acid Tongue.
She has also provided vocals on tracks for The Elected and Johnathan Rice.
Infamous for her quirky clothing and ever constant red hairstyle, Lewis has become a fashion icon in the indie music world.
Lewis was given an "Esky" for Best Temperature Raiser in Esquire's 2006 Esky Music Awards in the April issue.
Influences
In the April 2006 issue of Spin Magazine, Lewis lists the "Music That Changed My Life" in a full page article, noting predominately late 1980s and early 1990s hip-hop as an important influences on her musical development. Albums such as N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton, De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising and Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique are listed in the article, as well music by Too Short, Jungle Brothers, Black Sheep, Souls of Mischief and Freestyle Fellowship. In the same article, she is quoted as saying "I'm an Easy-E girl" showing her adoration for the deceased hip-hop producer and former member of the group N.W.A.. She remembers an encounter with Freestyle Fellowship member Aceyalone, "I actually saw them in the early '90s at a Hollywood Club. I went by myself, and Aceyalone picked me out and freestyled about me. Maybe it was part of his shtick - to dis the enthusiastic but lonely white girl. I must've looked like such a poser."
Acting
She made her debut in a Jell-O commercial, then starred as a child in a number of films during the 1980s. Jenny was featured in the 1996 made-for-TV movie Talk To Me with Yasmine Bleeth. Three of her more notable screen credits were Troop Beverly Hills, The Wizard, and Pleasantville. She also had small roles on such TV shows as Baywatch, Golden Girls, Growing Pains, Roseanne, Mr. Belvedere, and Brooklyn Bridge. She continued acting until 2001.
Must visit links:
Official Site
Best Fan Site
Best Rilo Kiley Site
Carpetbaggers
Jenny Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dirty boots in the middle of the night
Trolling the bars, hitting on the soldiers
Boys give it up without a fight
They say, ?Hey, boy, how about your place?
I know you really want to take me home?
Drop the bags off on the bedroom floor
They make love with the lights on, saying
?I?m a carpetbagger, baby
I?m coming to your town
I?m going to treat you kind (woo-hoo)
I?m going to rob you blind (woo-hoo)
I?ll smile all the time
Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah
Sally could have had any one of the boys
But she couldn?t love no one she could not control
Friend of mine and her got married
I don?t hear too much from them anymore
Last I heard, he had a rope around his neck
Dragging around the grocery store
Carrying her bags and pushing down the aisles
Saying, ?I ain?t got no home in this world anymore?
?I?m a carpetbagger, baby
I?m coming to your town
I?m going to treat you kind (woo-hoo)
I?m going to rob you blind (woo-hoo)
I?ll smile all the time
Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah
They come to town when the party?s over
Books been written and truths been tried
They?ll take it all if the door?s left open
Steal the nose right from under your eyes
Singing, ?I?m a carpetbagger, baby
I?m coming to your town
I?m going to treat you kind (woo-hoo)
I?m going to rob you blind (woo-hoo)
I?ll smile all the time
Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah
Whoa, yeah
The song "Carpetbaggers" by Jenny Lewis tells a story of opportunistic people who come to town after the war is over, who seize the chance to pillage and plunder. The song's title refers to the term "carpetbaggers" used to describe Northern opportunists who moved to the South to take advantage of the chaos and rebuild the region for their own benefit after the Civil War.
The lyrics describe the carpetbaggers trolling the bars and hitting on the soldiers, who readily give themselves up to the siren call of temptation. They make love with the lights on, with the carpetbagger boasting about how they are going to treat their partner well, but also how they are going to rob them blind. The second verse of the song tells the story of a woman named Sally who cannot love anyone she cannot control. Her husband is seen dragging around the grocery store and carrying her bags, and saying that he has no home in this world anymore.
In the chorus, the carpetbagger sings triumphantly, proclaiming that they are coming to town and going to treat everyone they come across kindly. But the subtext of the lyrics portrays a darker theme of how easy it is to manipulate people and how people often fall victim to smooth talkers with ulterior motives.
Line by Line Meaning
They come to town when the war is over
These people wait until a conflict has ended before arriving in town
Dirty boots in the middle of the night
They are not concerned about keeping themselves or their surroundings clean
Trolling the bars, hitting on the soldiers
They are looking for individuals who are vulnerable and possibly easily controlled
Boys give it up without a fight
Men are often quick to give in to their advances
They say, ?Hey, boy, how about your place?
The individuals commonly proposition prospective partners for sex
I know you really want to take me home?
They insist that their target desires to sleep with them
Drop the bags off on the bedroom floor
They abandon their luggage in the bedroom, showing no regard for the host's living space
They make love with the lights on, saying
Sex is not an intimate experience for them
I?m a carpetbagger, baby
The artist asserts herself as one who takes advantage of others
I?m coming to your town
She deliberately seeks out new opportunities, specifically in unfamiliar locations
I?m going to treat you kind (woo-hoo)
She promises to put up a friendly facade, almost deceivingly so
I?m going to rob you blind (woo-hoo)
She intends to take advantage of the host when given the chance
I?ll smile all the time
She will present herself as extremely friendly, still masking her true intentions
Whoa, yeah
An interjection to emphasize the preceding line
Sally could have had any one of the boys
Sally has no shortage of suitors
But she couldn?t love no one she could not control
Sally desires a partner who will not challenge her authority
Friend of mine and her got married
A friend of the artist and Sally ultimately got hitched
I don?t hear too much from them anymore
The singer and Sally have lost touch with their mutual friend and their partner
Last I heard, he had a rope around his neck
The husband appears to be going through a tough time
Dragging around the grocery store
He is seen going about his daily routine in a rather downtrodden manner
Carrying her bags and pushing down the aisles
He is carrying Sally's bags and essentially serving her needs
Saying, ?I ain?t got no home in this world anymore?
The husband feels lost and directionless
They come to town when the party?s over
These individuals arrive when things have already wound down
Books been written and truths been tried
The artist suggests that society has already moved on from certain issues
They?ll take it all if the door?s left open
The carpetbaggers will not hesitate to seize an opportunity to exploit others
Steal the nose right from under your eyes
They will be sly and cunning in their efforts to take what they want
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Johnathan Rice
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jake Young
She's so amazing live.
jake b
Such a great album.
Scott Stalcup
1:21 WHY can't we have more moments like this on EC's albums proper?
Alan Geoghegan
just amazing!!!
Sarah Burton
wahhhhht!?!?!? Jenny Lewis and Elvis Costello together at last? This is my dream.
Stephanie Tusques
Why do you say waht
Mike Thuss
... !!! ...
tulllguy
meh