Spilt Milk was recorded in London with Jimmy Hogarth, the sought-after British producer whose recent credits include Duffy, Corinne Bailey Rae and James Blunt. Powerhouse songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and arranger Eg White – Grammy Awards Record of the Year nominee for Adele’s “Chasing Pavements” – co-wrote most of this material. Singer and pianist Ed Harcourt also co-wrote two, including the climactic “Far From the Country,” an especially poignant and personal conclusion to the disc, about the physical and emotional distances one must bridge to keep love alive
For inspiration, Train turns to Aretha Franklin – “There is not a song that Aretha has sung or will ever sing that doesn’t just melt me” – along with blues/R&B cult figures like former Stax star/Raelette Mable John and Bob Dylan-favorite Karen Dalton. Says Train, “I wanted my album to offer glimpses of my influences, not sound like my influences. Jimmy, Eg and I are of similar backgrounds, we appreciate the same music; we have similar tastes. The arrangements are just what we felt the songs needed, they give the songs flavor but don’t try to steal anybody else’s style. I hope the album is a nod to the music I love, while still being modern.”
Music has been at the center of Train’s world since she was a toddler, when her mother encouraged her to play the violin. Train took to the instrument, but, more importantly, she also discovered an innate aptitude as a singer, with unerring pitch and a preternaturally mature delivery from a very young age. Says Train, “There’s depth to my voice and I think it comes from a lot of different places. But the way I sound today is the way I always sounded -- except in a tinier body.”
As an artist, Train could never simply be described as a product of her times and that has allowed her, on Spilt Milk, to create music that can arguably be called timeless. Her mom, who raised Train alone, fashioned what some might view as a sheltered existence for the young Train, keeping her away from television and pop radio. But what she really did was provide a fertile laboratory for Train to freely grow as a young woman and a singer, apart from the vagaries of trends. Train took music and ballet lessons and listened to classical music and opera, along with jazz and blues. Her violin training definitely came in handy: Train has arranging credits on three of her tracks and overdubbed strings on two of them.
Though born in New York City, Train was raised in Savannah, Georgia, and southern soul and gospel, which she sang in church and school choirs growing up, has had the most profound effect on her work. Almost as significant was the moment when, as a teenager, she unearthed her mom’s tucked-away stash of vinyl albums from the sixties and seventies: Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin. Say Train,” I remember hearing Janis Joplin’s records and thinking, what is that all about? We lived in downtown Savannah, in a house kind of like a New York City brownstone. When we had thunderstorms I would go up to the roof and scream at the top of my lungs because I wanted to make my voice raspier. God only knows what that’s done to me!”
By the time Train was 19, she was already singing professionally, albeit locally. A producer based in the south who’d spotted Train arranged to bring her up to New York City to showcase for Blue Note. The label chiefs offered Train a development deal – but her mom had other ideas. She insisted her daughter go to college first. Many a confident and headstrong young artist would rebel and go it alone, accept the deal and take their chances. But Train – reluctantly, she now admits – listened to her mom. She agreed to attend college in Athens, Ga., keeping her hand in music by joining a band and spending far more time rehearsing and gigging than hitting the books. And when she was ready to return to her career full-time, Blue Note was still waiting.
It was time well-spent, Train now realizes: “I know that at 19, I would not have made this record, which is the record I always wanted to make. This is the album that defines who I am. At 19, I don’t know what I would have put out. I believe everything happened for a reason. It took this amount of time for me to get here and to make this record. I always knew it would happen. “
Train made several trips to London over the course of two years, to write with Hogarth and White, but the actual recording moved quickly. In fact, Train was such a natural that some of the vocal performances they chose came straight from the song demos they’d originally done. Right before they were about to embark on their final sessions, though, a disastrous computer glitch during file back-up resulted in the loss of much of what they’d already completed. As Train recalls, “It was the perfect electronic storm.” Undaunted, she and her cohorts went back in and re-cut the vanished material with even more passion and determination, the setback turning out to be far more inspiration than challenge. Looking back, Train says, “I don’t think anything was lost. I don’t think there was this one magic moment that we could never recapture. I love what it is today.” And the experience provided her with an album title. “Don’t cry over spilt milk.”
Train’s confidence and faith in what she has created is part of what makes Spilt Milk so thrilling: “There’s just this magic thing that happens sometimes and you think, I want to sing this song for the rest of my life – I want to live in it, I want to bury myself in it, I want to wriggle around in it.. Every time I finished one, it was like, I can’t believe that, at this point in my life I finally have a song I would fight for, that I believe in 100% percent. And now I have all these songs together on an entire album that I feel this way about. For me, that’s my college degree.”
You
Kristina Train Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Won't be long until we stir
Reach over to your pillowcase
I only feel the cold empty space
We were hit so hard by the street
Walking in the still summer heat
Faces in an endless sea
I wait for you to ride on with me
Should have seen it coming there were more than warning signs
But I was blind
We could work it out if you would let go of your pride
Make up your mind
You know we always tried
Never seem to get it right
And running out of time
I don't want to lose you tonight
Brushes on the riverside
Swaying in the rising tide
We have only us to give
And I want something more than this
Should have seen it coming there were more than warning signs
But I was blind
We could work it out if you would let go of your pride
Make up your mind
You know we always tried
Never seem to get it right
And running out of time
I don't want to lose you tonight
You know we always tried
Never seem to get it right
And running out of time
I don't want to lose you tonight
You know we always tried
Never seem to get it right
And running out of time
I don't want to lose you tonight
The song "Lose You Tonight" by Kristina Train is about a relationship that is falling apart where the singer is attempting to save it. The song starts off with the singer waking up alone, reaching over to the pillow next to her only to feel emptiness. The reference to the morning bird signifies the start of a new day, which is often seen as a fresh start. However, the singer is touched by the empty space next to her, indicating that there is something missing, and the relationship is gradually deteriorating. As she encounters the world outside with her partner, she is unable to keep a connection with him because of the problems they face in their relationship.
The song is filled with emotion and expresses the sorrow and disappointment of a relationship that is falling apart. The singer acknowledges that there were warning signs, but she was blind to them. She then goes on to plead with her partner to let go of their pride and work it out, but they are running out of time. The verse "I don't want to lose you tonight" is the chorus of the song and reflects the singer's longing to save the relationship.
Overall, the song is about two people who have tried to make it work but continue to struggle to keep their connection alive. The song expresses that the singer is aware of the problems but still wishes to save the relationship, which is a common feeling experienced in relationships that are failing.
Line by Line Meaning
First sound of the morning bird
The start of a new day is upon us, as symbolized by the chirping of birds.
Won't be long until we stir
We will soon wake up and start our day.
Reach over to your pillowcase
I instinctively try to find you beside me as I wake up in the morning.
I only feel the cold empty space
But instead, all I sense is an empty and lonely void where you used to be.
We were hit so hard by the street
We've been dealt a heavy blow by life's challenges and obstacles.
Walking in the still summer heat
We continue to persevere and move forward, even in the heat of the moment.
Faces in an endless sea
Surrounded by a sea of people, we both feel overwhelmed and insignificant.
I wait for you to ride on with me
Despite this, I still eagerly await your presence and support as we face life together.
Should have seen it coming there were more than warning signs
Hindsight is 20/20, and looking back, there were clear indications that our relationship was in trouble.
But I was blind
However, at the time, I was unable or unwilling to acknowledge the truth.
We could work it out if you would let go of your pride
If we could put aside our egos and communicate openly, we might be able to save our relationship.
Make up your mind
It is up to you to decide whether we continue on this path or make a change.
You know we always tried
We have put in effort to make things work in the past.
Never seem to get it right
Despite our best intentions, we always seem to fall short of our goals.
And running out of time
As time passes, our relationship is slipping away from us.
I don't want to lose you tonight
I still love and value you, and I hope that we can salvage our relationship before it is too late.
Brushes on the riverside
The gentle rustling of nearby foliage serves as a peaceful contrast to our inner turmoil.
Swaying in the rising tide
Nature continues to move and change around us, even as we feel stuck and stagnant.
We have only us to give
Despite the many challenges we face, we know that we still have each other's support and love to hold onto.
And I want something more than this
However, I can't help but feel that there must be more to life and love than our current struggles.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JUSTIN PARKER, KRISTINA TRAIN, ED HARCOURT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bruce Hudson
Brilliant, just heard her for the first time on BBC Late Night Live with Jools Holland, what a voice and great skill. She reminded me then of Dusty Springfield. I'll be checking her out!
01 A User
Une des meilleures chanteuse en Anglais, sa voix divine et envoutante. Et les textes superbes.
breffnipark
What an amazing Voice Kristina has ! :)
stimmy66
this is one hell of a classy lady with a voice to match, more please.
itgetseasierlessitry
Its worth trawling through the dirge that passes for talent these days, because once in a very rare while you come across talent like this and with a voice that needs no gimmicks to get the message across. Hope they upload her recent performance on The Abbey Road Sessions- it was an incredible experience.
Ms Oliver
Lovely voiced by
Keenan 1066
great!!
Annie Levan
beauty is as Kristina sings
David Guy
Same again, Jools introduces me to so many great artists, and Kristina is certainly that, I'm smitten, downloading album on the 5th.
eifion hughes
definitly a touch of Dusty in there.A beautiful sensual performance on Later.Check it out.A STAR is born.!