www.justinrutledge.com
Rutledge has released three albums, No Never Alone, The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park and Man Descending. His fourth album, entitled, "The Early Widows" was released in May 2010 on Six Shooter Records.
Rutledge's musical style is often compared to that of American alt-country singer Ryan Adams. His influences, both of the literary and music world, include Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Richard Brautigan and E.E. Cummings.
In 2006, Justin Rutledge was named Toronto singer-songwriter of the year by NOW magazine.
Rutledge has toured Canada, the UK, the United States and Europe, and has played shows with Kathleen Edwards, Jim Cuddy, Blue Rodeo, Hawksley Workman, Luke Doucet and Dolly Parton.
His critically acclaimed lyrics are sometimes linked by music writers to his time as a university English major; he was editor-in-chief of a University of Toronto literary journal.
History
Early life
Justin Rutledge was born and grew up in the Junction neighbourhood in Toronto, a working class community centered around an intersection of four railway lines. He was raised in an Irish-Catholic family and grew up with aspirations of becoming a writer. To that end he studied English literature, with a major in modern poetry, at the University of Toronto. He dropped out after three years of school as his musical career got in the way. Rutledge told Macleans in an interview that his backup plan would be to finish his university studies in English "if this music thing doesn't work."
No Never Alone (2004-2005)
No Never Alone is Justin Rutledge's first album. In order to pay for the recording he worked as a bartender. Rutledge has remarked, "I would often do a studio session during the day, and then head straight to work until 4 or 5 in the morning"
The album earned Rutledge considerable praise, particularly in the UK, where he was compared to Ryan Adams by Comes With a Smile, who also proclaimed that "A major new talent has landed". Additional UK praise came from Uncut magazine who referred to Rutledge as “a master of gothic understatement” and NME describing the album as "an incredible breakthrough".
It was only receiving this attention in the UK that 'No Never Alone' was released in Rutledge's native Canada.
The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park (2006-2007)
Rutledge's second album, "The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park" was released through Six Shooter Records on October 6, 2006. "Devil on a Bench" is actually Rutledge's second attempt at a sophomore album - He spent a year recording his first attempt, tentatively titled In the Fall, before he scrapped it. He was unsatisfied with the album, and has explained, “I thought a sophomore album should have just a bit more of an assured sense about it. A second step forward should be a step up the ladder as opposed to just asserting your presence. You’re not just saying, ‘hey, I’m still here. You’re saying, ‘hey I’m here and I’ve challenged myself and I’ve hopefully done something that I haven’t done already. In order to challenge himself and create the album he wanted, Rutledge wrote a new batch of songs and recorded them in eight days with his band - opting for a more live recording style.
"The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park" was nominated for a Juno award in the category "Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo" and received the Galaxie Rising Star Award at the Edmonton Folk Festival.
[edit] Man Descending (2008)
Man Descending
Justin Rutledge's third album, "Man Descending" was released on April 8, 2008 through Six Shooter Records. The album is named after a 1982 collection of short stories by Guy Vanderhaeghe, also called "Man Descending". Rutledge was inspired by a line from Vanderhaeghe's book, "A man descending is propelled by inertia; the only initiative left him is whether or not he decides to enjoy the passing scene." He says of the line, "It really resonated with me. As I continued to read the stories, I realized that all these characters in the book were dealing with the same kind of static or inertia in their lives. I kind of took little threads and wove them into songs."
The album features Ron Sexsmith, Jenn Grant, Catherine MacLellan, Hawksley Workman, Melissa McClelland, Joey Wright, Jim Bryson as well as "What Rutledge calls the best band in town; David Baxter, Bazil Donovan and Blake Manning; Burke Carroll and Bob Packwood."
"Man Descending" was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize.[17] Other praise for "Man Descending" in 2008 included the #5 spot on Exclaim's Wood, Wires & Whiskey top 10 and a nomination for Contemporary Album of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
According to an interview, "Compared to 2006’s The Devil On A Bench In Stanley Park, Rutledge feels Man Descending is a much more patient, intimate and mature album, despite recording it in just three days."
The songs "Alberta Breeze" and "San Sebastian" were written for "In The Fall:" - the album that Rutledge scrapped in 2006, and were rerecorded for Man Descending.
In 2009 Justin Rutledge took part in an interactive documentary series called City Sonic. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had him reflecting on his time performing at the Cameron House.
The Early Widows (2010)
The Early Widows is Justin Rutledge's fourth album, released in May 2010 on Six Shooter Records. Justin wrote several songs with a single character in mind from author Michael Ondaatje's Novel Divisadero after collaborating with Ondaatje on a theatrical adaptation of the novel. Michael Onjaatje also co-wrote several of the songs receiving official credit for the single Be A Man.
The album is produced by Canadian singer-songwriter Hawksley Workman (also credited as a musician on the album) and also features Canadian singer-songwriter Oh Susanna.
Too Sober to Sleep
Justin Rutledge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
who smell of roses and cocaine
I hope they know their parents miss them
So do them sunny shores of Spain
I miss them dancing in the kitchen
Miss that long, stoned goodbye
I'm too sober to sleep
God bless that famous painter's daughter
The girl I loved so long ago
Man, I'm so sorry about her mother
I know she loved her mother so
I miss her downtown, walking backwards
Miss those snowbanks in her eyes
I'm too sober to sleep
But I'm too drunk to cry
God bless garage bands in the basement
God bless garage bands on the stage
And God bless them bones of Mick McCann
Those Irish Catholics, they never age
God damn my liver when it's thirsty
God damn my wallet when it's dry
I'm too sober to sleep
But I'm too drunk to cry
I'm too sober to sleep
But I'm too drunk to cry
I'm too sober to sleep,
but honey, I'm too drunk to cry
The lyrics of Justin Rutledge’s “Too Sober to Sleep” offer a poignant and bittersweet reflection on missed connections, lost love, and the ups and downs of life in general. The opening lines reference “those girls from Barcelona,” who are characterized as smelling of “roses and cocaine,” a potent combination that suggests a certain level of mystery and allure. While the singer muses on the absence of these girls, he also acknowledges their parents’ longing for them and the beauty of their homeland. This sets the tone for the rest of the song, which balances reminiscences of the past with present struggles to come to terms with life’s uncertainties.
The song takes on a more personal note with the second verse, which focuses on the singer’s lost love, the daughter of a famous painter. He expresses regret over her mother’s death and nostalgia for their past together, including memories of her walking backwards downtown and the “snowbanks” in her eyes. These lyrics evoke a sense of wistful yearning and suggest that the singer is struggling to move past a relationship that meant a lot to him.
The final verse broadens the song’s perspective to include other “garage bands” and even the bones of Mick McCann, a reference to the resilience of Irish Catholics. The theme of excess, highlighted by the lines “God damn my liver when it’s thirsty / God damn my wallet when it’s dry,” serves as a kind of coping mechanism for the singer, who seems to be caught between being “too sober to sleep” and “too drunk to cry.” Overall, the lyrics suggest a complex emotional landscape that is both universal and specific to the singer’s experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
God bless those girls from Barcelona
May those girls from Barcelona be safe and happy
who smell of roses and cocaine
Who may have a glamorous lifestyle, but one that is not without its drawbacks
I hope they know their parents miss them
I hope they are aware that their absence is felt by their loved ones
So do them sunny shores of Spain
The beautiful beaches of Spain miss them too
I miss them dancing in the kitchen
I miss the joyous moments we shared together in the past
Miss that long, stoned goodbye
I miss the extended, emotion-filled farewell we had
God bless that famous painter's daughter
May that daughter of the renowned painter be blessed in life
The girl I loved so long ago
A girl that I had feelings for in the past
Man, I'm so sorry about her mother
I express deep regret regarding the girl's mother's passing
I know she loved her mother so
I understand how much the girl loved her mother
I miss her downtown, walking backwards
I miss the way she used to walk in the city - backwards
Miss those snowbanks in her eyes
I miss the whiteness in her eyes, which I liken to snowbanks
God bless garage bands in the basement
May the garage bands that play music in their basements find success
God bless garage bands on the stage
May the garage bands that perform on stage find success
And God bless them bones of Mick McCann
May the remains of Mick McCann, the Irishman, rest in peace
Those Irish Catholics, they never age
An Irish stereotype that implies Irish Catholics have a long, healthy life
God damn my liver when it's thirsty
May I curse my liver when I am in need of a drink
God damn my wallet when it's dry
May I curse my empty wallet when I am low on money
I'm too sober to sleep
I'm not inebriated enough to sleep
But I'm too drunk to cry
I'm numb to emotion due to my level of intoxication
I'm too sober to sleep
I'm not inebriated enough to sleep
But honey, I'm too drunk to cry
Honey, I'm numb to emotion due to my level of intoxication
Contributed by Liliana H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.