Joan Osborne (born Joan Elizabeth Osborne in Anchorage, Kentucky, on 8 July… Read Full Bio ↴Joan Osborne (born Joan Elizabeth Osborne in Anchorage, Kentucky, on 8 July 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best known for her recording of the Eric Bazilian-penned song "One of Us", from her debut album Relish (1995) - with the single and the album garnering a combined seven Grammy award nominations. Osborne was a member of Trigger Hippy from 2012 to 2018.

It was after relocating to New York City in the early '90s (to study at N.Y.U.'s film school) that Osborne began to take a singing career seriously after singing Billie Holiday's classic "God Bless the Child" at a local bar's "open mic night." In addition to Holiday, Osborne looked to such legendary vocalists as Etta James and Ray Charles as role models, as the up-and-coming singer decided not to cater to major record companies and formed her own label, Womanly Hips, which resulted in such releases as 1992's in-concert Soul Show, among others. But eventually, Osborne decided to sign on with a major label, Mercury, which in turn issued the singer's next release, 'Relish,' in March 1995. The album eventually racked up sales of three million copies and proved to have a long life, as almost a year after its initial release the track "One of Us" became a massive MTV and radio smash, camping out at the number-one spot on the U.S. singles chart for 2 weeks. Other tracks ("Right Hand Man" and "St. Teresa") failed to match the success of Osborne's first hit, but the singer still managed to connect with a large and appreciative audience, especially while touring as part of the 1997 edition of Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour. Osborne received numerous Grammy nominations in both 1996 and 1997.

Producing a worthy followup to Relish proved to be a time-consuming challenge for Osborne. Mercury tried to buy her some time by issuing a compilation release, 'Early Recordings' (which collected the early releases 'Live at Delta '88' and 'Blue Million Miles'). In the meantime, Osborne focused on supporting a few groups/causes she felt strongly about, such as Rock the Vote and Planned Parenthood (eventually being named an honorary member of Planned Parenthood's Board of Advocates), besides covering "I'm Just a Bill" as a duet with Isaac Hayes on the 1998 'Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote' benefit album. Osborne also studied briefly with the late Qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and performed alongside such notables as Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge, Taj Mahal, Luciano Pavarotti, Spearhead, Bob Dylan, and the Chieftains.

September 2000 finally saw the release of Osborne's second all-new studio album, titled 'Righteous Love'; but it failed to match its predecessor's commercial success and sank from sight shortly after its release. In 2002, Osborne bounced back with 'How Sweet It Is,' a collection of covers that leaned heavily on classic soul and R&B tunes from the 1960s and '70s. A career retrospective, 'One of Us,' came out in 2005.

Osborne played a prominent role in the 2002 film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," performing with the legendary Motown house band the Funk Brothers in a concert performance segment, and appearing with several members of the group in an interview segment. She and her band accompanied the Dixie Chicks for a national tour in the summer of 2003, during which time she also joined veteran San Francisco jam-rockers the Dead as a vocalist, and released her fourth album, titled 'How Sweet It Is,' a collection of classic rock and soul covers.

During 2005 and 2006, she performed on numerous occasions with Phil Lesh and Friends. In February 2007, she appeared at the Grand Ole Opry.

In November 2006, Osborne released 'Pretty Little Stranger,' her self-described "Nashville album."

In May 2007, Osborne issued 'Breakfast in Bed,' a return to the soul music that she had covered on 'How Sweet It Is'. 'Breakfast in Bed' also featured the two songs ("Heatwave" and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted") that she had covered for the film Standing in the Shadows of Motown.

She sings lead vocals on the cover of "Spoonful" on Vivian Campbell's solo album 'Two Sides Of If'.' Osborne also provided some vocals for "Wayfaring Stranger" on Spearhead's 1997 album 'Chocolate Supa Highway.' Joan is featured on The Holmes Brothers 2007 collection 'State of Grace' performing "Those Memories of You," an old Allan O'Bryant and Bill Monroe bluegrass tune.

Her album Bring It On Home was released on March 27, 2012. It is a collection of vintage blues and soul covers, and it received a 2013 Grammy Awards nomination for Best Blues Album.

Osborne was a member of Trigger Hippy from 2012 to 2018.

Osborne released the original album Love and Hate in 2014, and in 2017 the album Songs of Bob Dylan. A new album of original songs, Trouble and Strife, is due in September 2020.

War
Joan Osborne Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh no-there's got to be a better way
Say it again
There's got to be a better way-yeah
What is it good for? (war)

Man has a sense for the discovery of beauty
How rich is the world for one who makes you for us to show
Beauty must have power over man, war

After the end of the war I want to devote myself
To my thoughts for five to ten years and to writing them down
War has caused unrest among the younger generation
Induction then destruction, who wants to die?
Wars come and go what remains are only the values of culture

Then of course there is revolutionary love
Love of comrades fighting for the people and love of people
Not an abstract people but people one meets and works with
When Che Guevara taught of love being
At the center of revolutionary endeavor, he meant both

For people like Che or George Jackson or Malcolm X
Love was the prime mover of their struggle
That love cost them their lives, love coupled with a man's pride
Love coupled with a man's pride
Give it to you on top, now

War, I despise 'cause it means destruction of innocent lives
War, means tears to thousands of mothers how
When their sons go off to fight and lose their lives

I said, war, good god, now, what is it good for?
Absolutely, nothing
Say it again, war, what is it good for?
Absolutely, nothing, listen to me
War, it ain't nothing but a heart breaker
War, friend only to the undertaker, war

(War, war, war, war)
War, what is it good for?
Absolutely nothing
Say it, war, good god now, what is it good for?
Absolutely nothing, say it, (war)

Oh no, there's got to be a better way
Say it again, there's got to be a better way

Yeah, what is it good for?
War, what is it good for?

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Joan Osborne's song "War" express a clear anti-war sentiment by questioning the purpose and benefits of war as well as its negative effects. The first part of the song repeats the phrase "there's got to be a better way" in order to convey the frustration of the singer with the idea of war being the only solution to conflicts. The second verse introduces the concept of beauty as something that should have power over man instead of war. This implies that there are better solutions to conflicts that can be found through art, culture, and diplomacy rather than violence. The bridge of the song references the aftermath of war and how it affects people's lives.

The third part of the song introduces the idea of revolutionary love as a possible solution to conflicts. The lyrics mention several activists who fought for their beliefs and how their love for people and comrades was the driving force of their struggle. This echoes the sentiment of non-violent resistance and the idea that love can be a powerful weapon in fighting injustices. The final verses of the song reiterate the main message of the song, that war only brings destruction and loss of innocent lives.

Overall, the lyrics of "War" convey a strong anti-war message and encourage listeners to seek alternative solutions based on love, diplomacy, and cultural exchange.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh no-there's got to be a better way
There must be a better solution to our problems

Say it again
Repeat that statement

There's got to be a better way-yeah
We must find a better way - indeed

What is it good for? (war)
What is the purpose of war?

Man has a sense for the discovery of beauty
Humans have an innate ability to recognize beauty in the world.

How rich is the world for one who makes you for us to show
The world is a richer place when we can share and display the beauty we have found.

Beauty must have power over man, war
Beauty should be a more powerful force in our lives than war.

After the end of the war I want to devote myself
I plan to dedicate myself to a new pursuit when the war concludes

To my thoughts for five to ten years and to writing them down
I will spend time reflecting and documenting my ideas for an extended period

War has caused unrest among the younger generation
Younger people are experiencing unease due to the effects of the war.

Induction then destruction, who wants to die?
Being drafted into the military and placed in harm's way is not desirable.

Wars come and go what remains are only the values of culture
Even though wars occur and disappear, cultural values continue to shape human experience.

Then of course there is revolutionary love
There is also love that fuels revolutionary movements and ideas.

Love of comrades fighting for the people and love of people
Love for one's fellow fighters and love for the people they are fighting for.

Not an abstract people but people one meets and works with
Not an imaginary mass of people, but real people who you encounter and collaborate with.

When Che Guevara taught of love being
Che Guevara spoke about the importance of love in

At the center of revolutionary endeavor, he meant both
Love was central to the work of revolutionaries

For people like Che or George Jackson or Malcolm X
Revolutionaries like Che Guevara, George Jackson, and Malcolm X

Love was the prime mover of their struggle
Love was the motivating force behind their social and political struggles

That love cost them their lives, love coupled with a man's pride
Their love for their cause ultimately led to their deaths, driven by their pride as individuals.

Give it to you on top, now
I am emphasizing my point now.

War, I despise 'cause it means destruction of innocent lives
I dislike war because it results in the death of innocent people.

War, means tears to thousands of mothers how
War causes widespread grief and pain to mothers and their families.

When their sons go off to fight and lose their lives
The death of soldiers in war causes immense sorrow for their parents.

I said, war, good god, now, what is it good for?
I am questioning the point of war.

Absolutely, nothing
War serves no purpose.

Say it again, war, what is it good for?
I repeat the question, what use is war?

War, it ain't nothing but a heart breaker
War only causes emotional pain and breaking of hearts.

War, friend only to the undertaker, war
War benefits only those who bury the dead - the undertakers.

(War, war, war, war)
Repetition of the word war

War, what is it good for?
What positive impact does war have?

Absolutely nothing
It has no positive effects.