Born in Northampton, Massachusetts, her mother was a piano teacher and her father was a construction worker. Her family soon relocated to Connecticut, where Kacy remained until graduating from high school. Her parent's passion for music influenced her from an early age. She started playing the guitar soon after seeing John Denver in concert at age 5. She also began taking piano lessons around that time. After graduating high school, she attended the University of Massachusetts for one semester before dropping out. At 19, she moved out Los Angeles to try and jumpstart her music career. She played in coffeehouses in and around the Los Angeles area. After two years in Los Angeles, she was struggling with a drug habit and moved back into her parent's house in Connecticut.
With her life back together, she started a band, Tragic Sam, and produced a few sessions with Billy Rush, the former guitarist for Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. She moved to New York City around 1992 and tried forming a few ensemble groups, without much success. She began waiting tables, while living with then-boyfriend Karl Anderson in one bedroom apartment (the two were later married, and have since divorced). She devoted whatever free time she had to her music.
Realizing New York City was taking its toll on her, she and Anderson opted to move to Texas, hoping for a fresh start. Once in Austin, she played many open mic nights and would often busk on Sixth Street. She signed a deal with the Dallas-based indie label, Carpe Diem and began recording her debut album Anchorless. The album, which was produced by Dave McNair, was recorded with several local musicians.
After performing at South By Southwest, Kacy signed a deal with Atlantic Records, which brought her music to a wider audience. The label released Anchorless in 1997, including two new tracks on this release. The album received some critical praise from publications such as Billboard, Vanity Fair and USA Today, but many of the critics had a lukewarm response to the record. Despite the response from critics, her songs were featured in films such as Anywhere But Here and Three to Tango. She went out on tour in support of the record, playing at Lilith Fair and the H.O.R.D.E. festival and opening for artists Chantal Kreviazuk and Marc Cohn. She went into the studio in 2001 and recorded her second album Boys in the Attic which was shelved by Atlantic.
Kacy eventually parted ways with Atlantic. She spent the next few years writing and found time to record her third album Moodswing. Released in 2003, the album quickly became a favorite in the Austin area. She released an acoustic album entitled Tramps Like Us in 2004. In 2008, she collaborated with singer-songwriter Billy Harvey to produce her most recent album, Cave.
VERTIGO
Kacy Crowley Lyrics
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They got caught up in little puddle upstreams
Melting down to the very cold
Just thank God there's always a little more
We moved to cities to separate
We end up smashed together anyways
And every color and every shape
Hate
And you can say that things that change
But in the mirror I 'ways look the same
In between high and low
Takes the few things that we know
Just to balance where to go
We stand on platforms and wait for trains
Some double doger will have worldly pains
We are never sure which one of us is moving now ahead
You can say that things that change
But in the mirror I always look the same
In between the high and low
Takes the few things that we know
Just to balance where to go
My eyes close with my place wide open
My breath it stops on a dime
I call my mother though we don't go along
Because when I was there she was cold and furious
One last thing I need to get a handle of
People can love you, still do you wrong
You can say that things that change
But in the mirror I always look the same
In between the high and low
Takes the few things that we know
Just to balance where to go
Baby, just to balance
where to go...
The song "Vertigo" by Kacy Crowley speaks about various aspects of life and emotions that people go through daily. The first verse emphasizes creating dreams and aspirations, but they often come to a standstill and fail to take shape. The line "Melting down to the very cold, just thank God there's always a little more" suggests that even as things fall apart, there's always a small window of opportunity, a little more of something to grab onto or cherish.
The second verse talks about the idea of moving away or separating from people, but somehow life keeps on joining us together. The line "We're all mixed up just like Lauren" simply means that everyone is confused and unsure of what their life journey brings, and some people may be worse than others. The word "hate" in the same sentence accentuates the difficulty in life when we hold onto negative emotions. Sometimes, we may end up loathing the ones we love, and we might experience situations that make us feel trapped and unable to move forward.
The chorus contains a simple message of accepting that change is inevitable, but regardless of that transformation, the person staring back in the mirror will always be the same one staring back. In essence, the person you are at your core will always be there, no matter what changes you may encounter in your lifetime. The line "Takes the few things that we know just to balance where to go" suggests that sometimes, we have to hold on to the few things that are consistent in our lives to make wise choices.
Line by Line Meaning
Across the river we all had dreams
We all had aspirations for our lives
They got caught up in little puddle upstreams
We got stuck in small, insignificant obstacles
Melting down to the very cold
Our dreams slowly fade away into nothingness
Just thank God there's always a little more
Thankfully, there is always something to hope for or aim towards
We moved to cities to separate
We go to new places thinking it will distance us from certain things, but it doesn't always work
We end up smashed together anyways
Regardless, we all end up mixed together in the same place
And every color and every shape
Every type of person is present
We're all mixed up just like Lauren
We are all confused or disoriented in some way
And you can say that things that change
People may claim that things change
But in the mirror I 'ways look the same
Despite external changes, one's true self doesn't change
In between high and low
In between the good and the bad
Takes the few things that we know
We rely on the few things we can count on to navigate through life
Just to balance where to go
We need to maintain balance in order to move forward
We stand on platforms and wait for trains
We wait for opportunities that may or may not come
Some double doger will have worldly pains
Some people have more obstacles to overcome in order to achieve their goals
We are never sure which one of us is moving now ahead
It's hard to tell who is succeeding and who isn't
My eyes close with my place wide open
One can feel mentally and emotionally overwhelmed even when they appear collected
My breath it stops on a dime
Anxiety can cause someone to lose their breath suddenly
I call my mother though we don't go along
Despite conflicts, one may still reach out to family in times of distress
Because when I was there she was cold and furious
Past experiences with family members can make it hard to reach out for help
One last thing I need to get a handle of
There is still one unresolved issue that needs to be dealt with
People can love you, still do you wrong
Love doesn't necessarily mean someone will treat you the way you deserve
Baby, just to balance
It's important to maintain balance in order to navigate through life
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DAN HARTMAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind