She was born Laura Nigro on 18th October 1947 in the Bronx, New York, of Italian-American and Jewish-American parents. As a child, she taught herself piano, read poetry, and listened to her mother's records by Leontyne Price, Billie Holiday and classical composers such as Ravel and Debussy. She composed her first songs at age eight. While in high school, she sang with a group of friends in subway stations and on street corners.
As a teenager she experimented with using different names, and Nyro was the one she was using at the time. She sold her song "And When I Die" to Peter, Paul and Mary for $5,000, and made her first extended professional appearance in 1966, at age 18, singing at the "hungry i" coffeehouse in San Francisco. Mogull negotiated her a recording contract, and she recorded her debut album, More Than a New Discovery, for the Verve Folkways label. The album provided material for other artists, notably the 5th Dimension.
In 1967, Nyro made only her second major live appearance, at the Monterey Pop Festival. Although some accounts described her performance as a fiasco that culminated in her being booed off the stage,[8] recordings later made public contradict this view.[
Nyro was best known by the general public β and had the most commercial success β as a songwriter rather than a performer. Her best-known songs include "And When I Die" (made a hit by Blood, Sweat & Tears), "Stoney End" (covered by Barbra Streisand), "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Sweet Blindness", "Save the Country" (all covered by The 5th Dimension), and "Eli's Coming" (a hit for Three Dog Night). Ironically, Nyro's own best-selling single was "Up on the Roof", a cover of the Carole King-Gerry Goffin hit originally recorded by The Drifters in 1962.
She died on 8th April 1997.
In 2012 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
New York Tendaberry
Laura Nyro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blue berry
A rush on rum
Of brush and drum
And the past is a blue note
Inside me
I ran away in the morning
New York tendaberry
Blue berry
Rugs and drapes and drugs
And capes
Sweet kids in hunger slums
Firecrackers break
And they cross
And they dust
And they skate
And the night comes
I ran away in the morning
Now I'm back
Unpacked
Sidewalk and pigeon
You look like a city
But you feel like a religion
To me
New York tendabery
True berry
I lost my eyes
I east wind skies
Here where I've cried
Where I've tried
Where God and the tendaberry rise
Where quakers and revolutionaries
Join for life
For precious years
Joined for life
Through silver tears
New York tendaberry
The song "New York Tendaberry" by Laura Nyro is a representation of the city of New York and its influence on the artist. The song has a beautiful melody that flows smoothly with Laura Nyro's beautiful voice. The lyrics talk about a rush of emotions that are associated with the city, represented by the blueberry and the rush of rum.
The song mentions how the past is a blue note inside the singer, which indicates that the past experiences in New York have left an indelible mark on her. There are references to rugs, drapes, drugs, and capes that represent the aesthetic of the city, where there are both affluent and impoverished areas. There are also references to how the city is a religious experience for the singer, with the city being described as feeling like a religion to her.
The last stanza is about how the singer has returned to the city after being away and how she still feels a connection to it despite the changes that have happened. The lyrics mention how the singer has lost her eyes, possibly indicating that she has become older and wiser after the passage of time. The tendaberry rises in the song, symbolizing the hope that the singer has for New York and its people, even amidst all the difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
New York tendaberry
A reference to New York City, with tendaberry representing something unique and unexplainable about the city
Blue berry
A metaphor for something sweet and delightful that is found in the city
A rush on rum
A sense of excitement and urgency in the city
Of brush and drum
Artistic expression and musical energy of the city
And the past is a blue note
Memories and nostalgia that are bittersweet like a blue note in music
Inside me
A personal emotional relationship with the past and the city
I ran away in the morning
A reference to a personal experience of leaving the city for a period of time
Rugs and drapes and drugs
The materialism and drug culture of the city, possibly contrasting with the sweet and innocent children in hunger slums in the next line
And capes
Reference to superhero stories, possibly symbolizing the desire to escape from the harsh realities of life in the city
Sweet kids in hunger slums
A contrast between the innocence of impoverished children and the harsh realities of life in the city
Firecrackers break
The energy and noise of the city
And they cross
A reference to people from different backgrounds coming together in the city
And they dust
The constant motion and energy of the city that leads to dust and debris
And they skate
A reference to skating rinks in the city and the freedom and energy of skating
And the night comes
The transformation of the city at night, when the energy and noise becomes more intense
Now I'm back
Returning to the city after a period of absence
Unpacked
Getting settled back into the city and putting away belongings
Sidewalk and pigeon
Symbolizes the everyday experience of the city
You look like a city
The physical appearance of the city
But you feel like a religion
The emotional connection to the city and its culture and traditions
To me
A personal connection to the city
True berry
Reference to something genuine and unique about the city
I lost my eyes
A loss of perspective or clarity after being away from the city and coming back
I east wind skies
A reference to the unique weather patterns of the city, possibly symbolizing the unpredictability of life in the city
Here where I've cried
A personal emotional connection to the places and experiences in the city where the singer has felt sadness and pain
Where I've tried
Personal experiences of struggle and perseverance in the city
Where God and the tendaberry rise
Reference to the spirituality and unique energy of the city
Where quakers and revolutionaries
Different historical and cultural groups that have made New York City their home
Join for life
People coming together to make a life in the city
For precious years
A sense of time and nostalgia for the past in the city
Joined for life
A commitment to the city and its unique culture and history
Through silver tears
A sense of nostalgia and sadness for the past, symbolized by silver tears
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: LAURA NYRO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pierre-yannick leperre
avatar des NYC love think musique et de votre retour
Bonjour madame monsieur mes salutations distinguΓ©es et je suis Γ Paris pour le moment... Bonjour madame
je suis en dΓ©placement Γ Paris
Bonjour madame j'ai reçu un message privé à vous tous pour vos réponses et je suis en vacances et je vous remercie de votre retour et vous souhaite une bonne soirée
Bonjour
Bonjour
Bonjour
Bonjour
Bonjour
je suis en vacances
Γ bientΓ΄t
avatar des NYC Laura nyro
ylp.
Andy Butler
Carole king,Joni Mitchell and Kate bush were cloned and the result is laura,she's beyond comparison, the absolute best
Cher Siegel
Never heard of her. American masters reinventing David geffen brought me here.
Bruce Tucker
More like Laura was cloned and the result was Carole King, Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush (and Tori Amos as well).
June Asiimwe
It's easy to see why Miles Davis was a fan of hers. She's truly brilliant.
Fredrick Urbanelli
She was incomparable. One of our greatest artists.
Andy Butler
True innovation. Imagine Miles, Laura, Bowie,Allan Holdsworth and George Clinton jamming together!
Lupco Kotevski
Yes, so many big names are Laura fans. Yesterday a podcast interview of Stephen Schwarz (Godspell, Pippin, Wicked) had him talk about Laura's influence on his songwriting, as well as Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell.
docsketchy
This is my favorite song, and I believe one of the very best songs I've ever heard. I just had to listen to it again to remind myself that it is just Laura singing and accompanying herself on piano. With such a spare arrangement, she paints a whole world of sound and emotion (as I said below in a forgotten reply, it's like a Symphony for Woman and Piano). She was an amazing talent, and her music should be a lot better known than it is.
Lupco Kotevski
This LP is very stripped back, but her genius makes it sound symphonic.
bunnyman09
This is such a profoundly transcendent song, from probably her most intensely passionate and emotional album. Her music, her soul will never die. I miss her so much, thanks for posting your beautiful work.