That certain something can be heard on "Keep This Love," the leadoff cut on White's fourth album, One More Time. Capturing a conversation between two lovers, White suddenly interjects, "Yea yea yea yea yea yea" - it's an unexpected blast of feeling that expresses all the pent-up frustration the woman's been holding back. It's not accusatory or personal; it's just a volatile explosion of pure emotion that communicates what the couple's words can't, and it's stunningly effective - just the kind of thing lifts talents like Aretha Franklin or Van Morrison above their peers.
"I try to write songs that have something to say, that have a strong point of view," says White. "I want to feel a clear emotion when I sing. It lets me play that character for a few minutes while drawing on an experience I've had. If it's real for me, then it's going to be more real for whoever's listening."
The Arkansas native, who was raised in Indiana, reveals that special characteristic throughout One More Time. It's there when she's holding a long note on the chorus of "I'm Free," snarling with righteous pride on "Good Rockin' Mama," quietly conveying poignant truths in "Girls with Apartments in Nashville" or bringing layers of complexity to the tough self-examination of the title song.
For another example, check out how she transforms Naomi Neville's classic "Certain Girl," one of two songs on the album White didn't write (the other is a touching cover of Phil Lee's "Just Some Girl.") By changing the gender to make it "A Certain Boy," White becomes the first female to record the cheeky New Orleans classic. The song’s had several famous versions, from early takes by Ernie K-Doe, Fats Domino and Clarence "Frogman" Henry to latter covers by The Yardbirds, Eric Clapton and Warren Zevon. White matches Zevon's swaggering version, singing it with a flinty, flirty sneer that suggests White is southern music's answer to such take-no-guff rockers as Chrissie Hynde and Joan Jett.
That attitude serves White's artistry well - even if it has created some speed bumps in her career path. Nashville early on embraced and encouraged White, although eventually her uncompromising ways and brass-in-pocket style proved too stout for an era that preferred sweet-smiling pop-country divas. Still, White's two '90s albums on Columbia Records remain acclaimed collections, predating the success of similarly bold female artists like the Dixie Chicks (who covered two of White's recordings, "Tonight the Heartache's on Me" and "Cold Day in July") As with many iconoclasts who cast their fate with creative freedom, White found her audience outside strict genre lines, where she can mix-and-match various roots styles into an alchemy all her own.
"I feel like I can be myself when I don't have to fit someone else's idea of what will get me airplay," she says. "I've done that, and while I appreciated the opportunity, I felt constrained by it. It felt a lot more natural to let my songs and my arrangements go where they needed to go without worrying about what box they fit in. I wanted to be able to do what felt right."
She's been welcomed by such well-known outsiders as Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, Dwight Yoakam, Robbie Fulks, Amy Rigby, Iris DeMent and Chip Taylor, all of whom have called on her as a harmony vocalist and opening act. Williams, especially, loves to ask White to join her on tour as a warm-up act. In a special honor, Buddy Miller asked her to fill in for his wife Julie Miller while performing a series of European shows. Her duet with Fulks on "Tupelo County Jail" was a highlight of the Webb Pierce tribute album, Caught in the Webb.
White's previous independent release, 1997's grand The Lucky Few, was produced in Los Angeles by Pete Anderson and became a No. 1 seller on the Americana charts. The acclaimed roots-rock album, full of searing country soul, revealed how much more powerful White's songwriting and voice could be when freed from the formulas of commercial country music.
White was building momentum while touring after the release of The Lucky Few when tragedy struck. A close member of her family had died unexpectedly; the singer put her career on hold to spend time in East Tennessee with her immediate family as they all pulled together after the devastating loss.
Still, she continued to write songs, gaining a long-running song publishing contract with esteemed Welk Music. She eventually returned to touring steadily and contributed vocals to albums by dozens of acclaimed friends. She also took on her first big dramatic role; playing Mother Maybelle Carter in a musical production based the story of The Carter Family. Along the way, she released a web-only album of demo songs, On Her Own, that's now in its third printing.
For her return to recording, she went into the studio at the invitation of Kyle Lehning, the famed producer who collaborated with Randy Travis on his classic debut, Storms of Life, as well as working with George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Tammy Wynette, The Derailers, Dan Seals and others.
"Kyle was a godsend," says White. "He's such a consummate professional, and he loves working with good singers and strong material. I learned a lot co-producing a record with him. He really went to bat for me across the board, and I couldn't have finished this record if it wasn't for how committed he was to getting it done."
The album includes a stellar core band featuring guitarists Duane Jarvis and George Bradfute, bassist Dave Jacques and drummer Paul Griffith, with White on acoustic guitar and Lehning providing R&B-style organ accents.
"I wanted to wait for the right situation before putting together another recording," White says. "Once I started working with Kyle and with this great band, I knew this was the right situation."
The 11 cuts prove worth the wait. Always a critical favorite - reviewer Alanna Nash once described White as "a fiery redhead with a wild-and-wounded delivery and an attitude that says she’s not to be ignored"--One More Time puts White back in the spotlight and as a reminder of her one-of-a-kind talent.
Or, as White might put it, "Yea yea yea yea yea yea."
Wherever You Are
Joy Lynn White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You left me, and I left you
Meetin' in the middle was a little too hard
But I still love you, wherever you are
Reckon we must be two of a kind
Both go a little too far sometimes
The first step back is the hardest part
Chorus
You might be out walkin'
Talkin' yourself out of lovin' me
You might be honky tonkin'
Making eyes at everything you see
And it's killin' me
With every beat of this broken heart
I still love you, wherever you are
Wherever you've gone, whatever you've done
I want you to know, you're the only one
I sure hope you haven't gone too far
'Cause I still love you, wherever you are
Chorus
tag
Ooh, I still love you
Oh, I still love you
Wherever you are
Oh, I still love you
Wherever you are
The lyrics to Joy Lynn White's song "Wherever You Are" tell a story of a failed relationship between two people who just couldn't make it work. The first two lines of the song set the mood with the front and back doors slamming, indicating that both parties have left each other. Despite this, the singer continues to love their former partner, no matter where they are. They acknowledge that they must be similar in the way they "go a little too far sometimes," suggesting that it was probably not just one person's fault that the relationship failed. The chorus continues with the singer's pain at the thought of their former partner moving on, perhaps "talkin' themselves out of lovin' me" or "making eyes at everything they see." What makes this pain all the more impactful is the repeated assertion that the singer still loves their former partner, no matter what has happened between them.
The final verse of the song underlines the depth of feeling the singer has for their former partner, despite the difficulties they faced. The singer states that their former partner is "the only one," despite their failed relationship, and they hope that they haven't gone too far away from them. The chorus repeats a final time before the song concludes with the singer uttering a heartfelt "Oh, I still love you, wherever you are" as if reaching across an enormous gulf between them and the person they love.
Line by Line Meaning
Front door slammed and the back door, too
We both left in a hurry, slamming doors as we went our separate ways.
You left me, and I left you
We both left the relationship, neither of us wanting to stay.
Meetin' in the middle was a little too hard
We couldn't compromise or find a common ground to make the relationship work.
But I still love you, wherever you are
Despite the separation and unresolved issues, I still have feelings for you.
Reckon we must be two of a kind
We share the same flaws and tendencies to take things too far.
Both go a little too far sometimes
We both have made mistakes and taken actions that have caused harm in the relationship.
The first step back is the hardest part
Taking the initial step towards reconciliation can be difficult and daunting.
And I still love you, wherever you are
My love for you remains despite the challenges we've faced.
You might be out walkin'
You could be out and about, enjoying your freedom from the relationship.
Talkin' yourself out of lovin' me
You might be trying to convince yourself that you no longer have feelings for me.
You might be honky tonkin'
You might be out partying and flirting with other people.
Making eyes at everything you see
You could be checking out and showing interest in other potential romantic partners.
And it's killin' me
Knowing that you may be moving on is causing me emotional pain.
With every beat of this broken heart
My heart is hurting and struggling to move past our separation.
Wherever you've gone, whatever you've done
No matter where you are or what you're doing, I still care about you.
I want you to know, you're the only one
Despite any disagreements or time apart, you still hold a special place in my heart.
I sure hope you haven't gone too far
I hope that we can still reconcile and that you haven't moved on to the point of no return.
'Cause I still love you, wherever you are
My feelings for you have not diminished, even if we are physically apart.
Ooh, I still love you
My feelings of love for you remain strong and deep.
Oh, I still love you
Despite everything, my love for you continues to grow and persist.
Wherever you are
No matter where life takes us, my love for you remains unwavering.
Oh, I still love you
My feelings of love for you have not diminished with time.
Wherever you are
No matter where you are in the world, my love for you endures.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MARK IRWIN, MICHAEL JAMES HENDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind