All she needed were some stories to tell. But Pleasantville just didn't provide the proper inspiration. At 21 years old, Laura Dawn packed her bags and moved to New York City Believer is the soundtrack to her roller coaster life of the next few years. "I showed up in New York, straight from Iowa, with almost no money and not knowing a single soul. I started out living at the Lexington Avenue YMCA, and then graduated to a lower East Side squat on 13th St., where I was sleeping on a board on top of my suitcases. And within a couple of years, I'd become the singer in an all-girl art-punk band that ended up being a toast of the town for a while. We were going to all these decadent parties, drinking a lot, doing drugs for the first time. Hell, in Pleasantville, Iowa, the heaviest drug I'd ever seen was Budweiser! And now I'd gotten involved in this crazy scene. It was fun at first, but after a while, I really lost my way. I had to deal with some very intense personal trials--some serious heartbreak, a very close friend dying--and it just threw this life I was living into a new light. By the time that band broke up I felt so far away from the person I was when I came to New York in the first place, the one who wanted to be a real artist. So I just started writing, by myself, for the first time. I wrote so many songs, 50 or so. I had so many stories to tell from all those years of wrong turns and poverty and mayhem, trying to make it in New York City. And writing those songs saved me. I felt like I found myself again. I called my album Believer because I emerged with a faith that there had to be some purpose to my life, that there was some future ahead I couldn't possibly foresee that would explain everything."
Of course, her future was to take those amazing songs and bring them to the world. Laura began playing out with her powerful new material, and record labels immediately took notice. Within a few months of her first solo show, she'd landed a deal with Extasy Records International and began working on the album that was to become Believer—a collection of songs illustrating her early years in New York City. “I was very young, very independent and fearless, and very, very green,” Laura admits. "Let's just say I got into plenty of trouble, and sometimes didn't know how to get myself out it."
From the sexy punk edge of "Delicious," to the timeless, melancholy pop of "Useless in L.A., " to the innovative, gothic hard rock of the title track, Believer is an eclectic musical journey, brought together by Laura Dawn's consummate auteur songwriting and unique, infectious vocals. "People have told me I sound like a cross between Kim Deal and Dusty Springfield," says Laura, of a voice that goes from a breathy purr to a soulful wail. The album's sonic landscape is rich and varied, fusing rock guitar, bass and drum sounds with ethereal effects, drum loops, and textural instruments like electric cello and piano.
"I was inspired, in part, by Moby's Animal Rights," says Laura. "I wanted to make a pop album that was extreme, that could go from the most beautiful, sparse love song to the most solid, traditional pop songwriting, and then on to the most pounding punk rock. In a way, it's kind of a woman's version of emo-core. We worked very hard to keep it intimate and real, yet when it came time to blow your head off-well, I think some tracks rock very, very hard."
Laura enlisted producer Ted Niceley (Fugazi, Shudder to Think, Girls Against Boys), and a varied group of musicians, including legendary Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, drummers Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle, The Vandals), Kevin March (Shudder to Think, Dambuilders), and guitarist Richard Fortus (Psychedelic Furs, BT, Love Spit Love), to work on the LP. Laura also had the chance to work with Yoshiki (Extasy Records CEO and President and former leader of the legendary Japanese rock group, X-Japan), who produced his favorite track "I Would," the album's lead single (written by Laura and Linus of Hollywood).
"In the best of all possible worlds," says Laura, "people will hear this album and realize that a woman can be sexy, smart, funny, vulnerable, foolish and bad-ass - sometimes, all at once. The song "Believer" kind of says it all for me, in a way. Being a believer, keeping the faith that there's purpose to your life, is certainly a double-edged sword. Faith is sexy, it's silly, it's moving and real and elusive. But it can be dangerous and destructive if it's not tempered with some experience and wisdom. I guess the main thing I learned from all my adventures is that sometimes it's important to just keep going on, whether you can find a reason to or not. No matter what life throws you, you gotta stay a believer, you know? We need more of them."
The Last Song
Laura Dawn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know i always say that, but i mean it this time
Let's just say i can no longer invite you
To keep showing up at the scene of the crime
Don't make the same mistakes as me
I'd shout, please God, shut my mouth
Before something ugly comes out
I know i always say that, but i mean it this time
Let's just say i was never really worthy
Of your second hand love or your short-sighted mind
Don't make the same mistakes as me
I'd shout, please God, shut my mouth
Before something ugly comes out
Who am i to let you hurt me?
Who am i ?
Don't make the same mistakes as me
I'd shout (don't you lose me now)
Don't make the same mistakes as me
I'd shout (don't you lose me now)
Don't make the same mistakes as me
I'd shout (don't you lose me now)
Please God, shut my mouth
Before something ugly comes out
The lyrics to Laura Dawn's song "The Last Song" are a declaration of the end of a relationship. The singer is expressing that this is the final song they will write for their partner, and they mean it this time. They can no longer invite their partner to appear at the "scene of the crime," indicating that the relationship has caused pain and hurt. The singer acknowledges that they have made mistakes and wants to prevent themselves from saying something ugly before shutting down communication completely. The song ends with a plea to God to help them keep their mouth shut before any more harm is done.
Line by Line Meaning
This is the last song i'll ever write you
I've given up on writing songs about you
I know i always say that, but i mean it this time
I've said this before, but this time it's for real
Let's just say i can no longer invite you
I don't want you in my life anymore
To keep showing up at the scene of the crime
To keep hurting me like you have in the past
Don't make the same mistakes as me
Learn from my mistakes and don't repeat them
I'd shout, please God, shut my mouth
I need to stop myself from saying something I'll regret
Who am i to let you hurt me?
I shouldn't let you continue to hurt me
Let's just say i was never really worthy
I don't deserve your love or attention
Of your second hand love or your short-sighted mind
Your love was never genuine and you never cared for me like you should have
Who am i ?
I'm questioning my worth and identity
Don't make the same mistakes as me
Learn from my mistakes and don't repeat them
I'd shout (don't you lose me now)
I'm scared of losing myself in this unhealthy relationship
Please God, shut my mouth
I need to stop myself from saying something I'll regret
Before something ugly comes out
Before I say something hurtful or damaging
Contributed by Aria O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
im_fr_
00:01 The Darkest Night
3:24 Until The Sun
8:09 In The Night
12:34 Lighthouse
16:47 London Sky
19:57 Rain
23:56 Camden
29:58 Trouble
33:35 One You Wanted
37:37 For No One
41:16 All That Is
44:37 The Dawn Is Still Dark
48:03 Fly Away
51:52 Electric Bird
im_fr_
00:01 The Darkest Night
3:24 Until The Sun
8:09 In The Night
12:34 Lighthouse
16:47 London Sky
19:57 Rain
23:56 Camden
29:58 Trouble
33:35 One You Wanted
37:37 For No One
41:16 All That Is
44:37 The Dawn Is Still Dark
48:03 Fly Away
51:52 Electric Bird
ChiChiRodriguez
Bless you for this BreHD
KtosoX
Good thing that I am subscribed, otherwise I would miss this amazing ... aaand "for no one" hit as I was writing this comment and now I love this album even more ❤️
De Waal Van Der Colff
I mostly listen to metal, but damn i love every song Laura has ever released. Absolutely amazing ❤
Mr Penguin Ize
Same. I really liked Valkyrie for that reason. Closest she ever got to doing metal. I think she did a collab with a metal band but I can't seem to find it. I'd love to hear more of that stuff from her
Chan Chan
I just think she’ll fit in any genre given her wide range of talents with her vocals.
dh
Same, I love extreme metal and jazz and British folk and classical, grunge, reggae, and Laura
QuetzalTiuh.
all you do is art Laura Brehm musical jewels you bring us, the new dawn is here 🌇♥️
Conrad Shockley
This whole album blows me away, I love it all. Thank you for all the hard work put in for this
Vertez
🔥🔥🔥