Laura Phillips Anderson was born June 5, 1947, in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, United States. She attended Mills College in California, and eventually graduated from Barnard College magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, studying art history. In 1972, she obtained an MFA in sculpture from Columbia University.
She performed in New York through the 1970s. Two early pieces, "New York Social Life" and "Time to Go," were included in the 1977 compilation New Music for Electronic and Recorded Media, along with works by Pauline Oliveros and others.
She became more widely known in 1982 with the single "O Superman," originally released in a limited quantity by One Ten Records; a sudden influx of orders from the U.K. (prompted by British DJ John Peel playing the record) led to Anderson signing with the Warner Brothers label, which re-released the single. "O Superman" reached number two on the national pop charts in Britain.
"O Superman" was part of a larger stage work entitled United States and was included on her following album, Big Science. Her more recent stage work includes a multimedia presentation inspired by Moby Dick. She starred in and directed the 1986 concert film, Home of the Brave, and also composed the soundtracks for the Spalding Gray films Swimming to Cambodia and Monster in a Box. All of Anderson's albums from the 1980s sold very well despite being labeled "avant garde". Her varied career has even included voice-acting in the animated film The Rugrats Movie. In 1994 she created a CD-ROM entitled Puppet Motel.
She wrote a supplemental article on the cultural character of New York City for the Encyclopædia Britannica and in the late 1980s hosted the PBS series, Alive from Off Center, for which she produced the short film, What You Mean We?.
One of the central themes in Anderson's work is exploring the effects of technology on human interrelationships and communication.
Anderson has collaborated with William Burroughs, Mitchell Froom, Arto Lindsay, Peter Gabriel, Perry Hoberman, David Sylvian, Jean Michel Jarre, Hector Zazou, Nona Hendryx, David Van Tieghem, and husband Lou Reed. She also worked with comedian Andy Kaufman in the late 1970s (with a romantic involvement hinted at in some of her spoken word performances about him).
Anderson, who rarely revisits older work (though themes and lyrics occasionally reappear) went on tour performing a selection of her best-known musical pieces in 2001. One of these performances was recorded in New York City only a week after the September 11, 2001 attacks, and included a performance of "O Superman". This concert was released in early 2002 as the double CD, Live in New York, which remains her most recent album release.
In 2003, Anderson became NASA's first and so far only artist-in-residence, which inspired her most recent performance piece, The End of the Moon.
Rumors emerged of a possible new album release in the fall of 2004, but this turned out to be false as Anderson seems too busy mounting a succession of themed shows, as well as composing a piece for Expo 2005 in Japan.
In February 2010, Laurie Anderson premiered a new theatrical work, entitled Delusion, at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. This piece was commissioned by the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad and the Barbican Centre, London.
In May/June 2010, Anderson curated the Vivid Sydney festival in Sydney, Australia together with Lou Reed
In late June 2010, with the production assistance of husband Lou Reed, as well as Roma Baran. Laurie Anderson released her first full length studio album in near a decade with that of: "Homeland" on Nonesuch Records. Receiving much critical acclaim, "Homeland" has been lauded by many as Anderson's crowning auditory achievement. A conglomerated assimilation of her many persona's, characters and decades work exploring and experimenting in a multitude of artistic mediums.
Also featured on the "Homeland" album are a number of famed collaborators, including John Zorn (saxophone on tracks 8 & 11), Kieran Hebden of "Four Tet" fame (keyboards on track 5), Antony Hegarty (vocals on track 4), Husband Lou Reed himself on some guitar, and Tuvan throat singers. At 66 minutes, it is also Anderson's longest studio album.
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Gravity's Angel
Laurie Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ne thing. you always know just what to say. and when to go. but I've got one thing. you can see in the dark. but I've got one thing: I loved you better. last night I woke up. saw this angel. he
In my window. and he said: girl, pretty proud of yourself, huh? and I looked around and said: who me? and he said: the higher you fly, the faster you fall. he said: send it up. watch it rise. se
Fall. gravity's rainbow. send it up. watch it rise. see it fall. gravity's angel. why these mountains? why this sky? this long road. this ugly train. well he was an ugly guy. with an ugly face.
So ran in the human race. and even God got sad just looking at him. and at his funeral all his friends stood around looking said. but they were really thinking of all the ham and cheese sandwich
The next room. and everybody
Used to hang around him. and I know why. they said: there but for the grace of the angels go i. why these mountains? why this sky? send it up. watch it rise. see it fall. gravity's rainbow. sen
Up. watch it rise. and fall. gravity's angel. well, we were just laying there. and this ghost of your other lover walked in. and stood there. made of thin air. full of desire. look. look. look.
Long road. this empty room.
The lyrics to Laurie Anderson's song Gravity's Angel speak of an individual who possesses an array of talents, including singing, charm, and diplomacy. However, the singer of the song holds onto one thing that this person does not possess - the ability to love or care deeply for them. The song also mentions an encounter with an angel who reflects on the dangers of being too confident, warning that the higher one flies, the faster they can fall. The lyrics also touch on the concept of mortality, as seen in the funeral of an unattractive man, where people gather out of fear of potentially ending up in a similar situation. The song ends with an ambiguous scene of a ghostly presence in a room, with objects that may belong to a lover left behind.
The lyrics to Gravity's Angel have been interpreted in various ways. Some believe that it is an allegory for the potential dangers of fame and success, while others see it as a commentary on the complexity of relationships and the fear of vulnerability. Interestingly, the song also references Thomas Pynchon's novel, "Gravity's Rainbow," which explores themes of war, power, and authority.
Line by Line Meaning
You can dance. you can make me laugh. you've got x-ray eyes. you know how to sing. you're a diplomat. you've got it all. everybody loves you. you can charm the birds out of the sky.
You possess multiple skills and qualities that are highly appreciated by everyone around you. You have the ability to dance, make people laugh, have a great singing voice, and possess intelligence as a diplomat. You are highly loved and regarded by all, and can even influence the sky with your charming nature.
but I, I've the one thing. you always know just what to say. and when to go. but I've got one thing. you can see in the dark. but I've got one thing: I loved you better.
Although you have many admirable qualities, I have something that surpasses that – my love for you. You may possess the ability to communicate effectively and have exceptional vision, but my love for you is stronger and deeper than all these. Even in the dark, my love shines brighter than anything else.
last night I woke up. saw this angel. he was in my window. and he said: girl, pretty proud of yourself, huh? and I looked around and said: who me? and he said: the higher you fly, the faster you fall.
I woke up last night to see a divine messenger by my window, criticizing my pride. The angel mocked my self-confidence, saying that as high as I could fly, it would lead to a fearsome downfall of a proportionate degree.
he said: send it up. watch it rise. see it fall. gravity's rainbow. send it up. watch it rise. see it fall. gravity's angel. why these mountains? why this sky? this long road. this ugly train.
The celestial messenger reminded me of the consequences of being too overzealous and said to watch my endeavors soar up and crash down, similar to the pattern of gravity. He made me ponder the insignificance of human ambitions like these mountains, sky, long road, and ugly train, in the grand scheme of the universe.
well, he was an ugly guy. with an ugly face. so ran in the human race. and even God got sad just looking at him. and at his funeral all his friends stood around looking said. but they were really thinking of all the ham and cheese sandwiches in the next room. and everybody used to hang around him. and I know why. they said: there but for the grace of the angels go i.
The angel's face was abhorrent and looked upon with contempt by humans and irked God himself. At his farewell, the mourners feigned sorrow while covertly thinking of the next meal and gathering. His peers surrounded him as he possessed something they did not, the grace of divinity.
well, we were just laying there. and this ghost of your other lover walked in. and stood there. made of thin air. full of desire. look. look. look. you forgot to take your shirt. and there's your book. and there's your pen, sitting on the table.
The singer and her lover laid together when a specter of the lover's previous paramour appeared, composed of nothing but air and lust. The apparition urged the lover to look upon the things he forgot- his shirt, book, and pen, still sitting on the table.
why these mountains? why this sky? this ong road? this empty room? why these mountains? why this sky? this long road? this empty room.
The singer queried the purpose of everything that surrounded her- the mountains, sky, road, and even the emptiness of the room. These objects are inconsequential to the vastness of the universe, yet their significance is known only to the individual beholding them.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: LAURIE ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind