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.
Sites: Wikipedia
Langue d'amour
Laurie Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He island too. and they were not very smart. but they were happy as clams. yes. let's see. uh...then one evening the snake was walking about in the garden and he was talking to himself and he sa
Woman and they started to talk. and they became friends. very good friends. and the woman liked the snake very much. because when he talked, he make little noises with his tongue, and his long
E was lightly licking about his lips. like there was a fire inside his mouth and the flame would come dancing out of his mouth. and this woman liked this very much. and after that, she was bored
The man. because no matter what happened, he was always as happy as a clam. what did the snake say? yes! what was he saying? ok. I will tell you. the snake told her things about the world. he t
Er about the time there was a
Big typhoon on the island and all the sharks came out of the water. yes. they came out of the water and they walked right into your house with their big white teeth. and the woman heard these t
. and she was in love. and the man came out and said: we have to go now! and the woman did not want to go. because she was a hothead. because she was a woman in love. anyway, we got into their be
Yself. and when I do my job, I am thinking about these things. because when I do my job, that is what I think about. oooo la la la. yeah la la la. voici. voila'. here. and there. ooo la la la. o
. voici le langage de l'amour. this is the language of love. oooo la la la. oooo. oh yeah. la la la. la la. voici. voila'. la la. here it is. there it is. la la. voici le langage de l'amour. thi
The language of love. ah! com
Me ci, comme ca. ah! niether here nor there. voila. voila. there. there. voici le langage de l'amour. this is the language of love. voici le langage de l'amour. this is the language of love. att
Attends! attends! wait! wait! wait! attends! attends! attends! wait! wait! wait! ecoute. ecoute. ecoute. listen. listen. listen. ooooo la la la la. ooooo. oh yeah. ooo la la la la. oh yeah. yea
Ici le langage de l'amour. this is the language of love. voici le langage dans mon coeur. this is the language of my heart. oooo la la. oooo. oh yeah. voici le langage de l'amour. this is the la
E of love. voici le langage dans mon coeur. this is the language of my heart. voici le langage dans mon coeur. this is the language of my heart.
The lyrics of Laurie Anderson's song Langue d'amour tell a strange and surreal story of a snake with legs and a man and a woman living on an island. The snake walks all around the island and makes little noises with his tongue, which the woman finds fascinating. They become friends, and the snake starts telling her stories about the world, like the time when there was a big typhoon and all the sharks came out of the water and walked into their house. The woman falls in love with the snake, and the man wants to leave the island, but the woman is too restless and decides to go with the snake. The song ends with the chorus "Voici le langage de l'amour" (This is the language of love).
The lyrics of Langue d'amour are full of surreal and symbolic images that may be interpreted in different ways, but one possible interpretation is that they represent the search for a different kind of love, one that is not constrained by social norms or conventions. The snake, with its legs and its ability to walk on land, may represent a new kind of consciousness, one that is not limited by the traditional boundaries of human experience. The woman, who is drawn to the snake's unique language and stories, may represent the human desire for something new and different, something that is not bound by the limitations of our everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's see. uh, it was on an island. and there was this snake. and the snake had legs. and he could walk all around the island. yes. that's true. a snake with legs. and the man and the woman were
Narrator sets the stage by describing an unbelievable scenario on an exotic island featuring a snake with legs and an unintelligent couple.
He island too. and they were not very smart. but they were happy as clams. yes. let's see. uh...then one evening the snake was walking about in the garden and he was talking to himself and he sa
The couple and the snake lived on the same island, and the couple was content despite their lack of intelligence. The snake begins to talk and think aloud in the garden, eventually sending a message of love to the woman.
Woman and they started to talk. and they became friends. very good friends. and the woman liked the snake very much. because when he talked, he make little noises with his tongue, and his long
The woman and the snake begin a deep friendship due to the snake's charming way of talking and flicking his tongue. His elongated body captures her affection, leading to a love relationship.
E was lightly licking about his lips. like there was a fire inside his mouth and the flame would come dancing out of his mouth. and this woman liked this very much. and after that, she was bored
The woman is smitten with the snake's fiery, tantalizing mannerisms, but begins to become bored with her partner, the man.
The man. because no matter what happened, he was always as happy as a clam. what did the snake say? yes! what was he saying? ok. I will tell you. the snake told her things about the world. he t
The man is always content, and the woman becomes curious about the world after hearing the snake's stories. The artist poses a question about what the snake was saying.
Er about the time there was a
The snake relayed a story about a previous event.
Big typhoon on the island and all the sharks came out of the water. yes. they came out of the water and they walked right into your house with their big white teeth. and the woman heard these t
The snake tells the story of a typhoon that caused sharks to roam the island and attack homes, frightening the woman who becomes more deeply enamored with the snake's tales.
. and she was in love. and the man came out and said: we have to go now! and the woman did not want to go. because she was a hothead. because she was a woman in love. anyway, we got into their be
The woman falls in love with the snake, but the man interrupts their romantic moment, causing the woman to become upset because of her passionate feelings. The trio leaves in a car, but the woman remains restless and driven by her emotions.
Nd left the island. but they never stayed anywhere very long. because the woman was restless. she was a hothead. she was a woman in love. and this is not a story people tell. it is something I k
The woman and the couple leave the island but never stayed in any one place for long due to the woman's passionate energy. The artist alludes to the story being personal and not often told.
Yself. and when I do my job, I am thinking about these things. because when I do my job, that is what I think about. oooo la la la. yeah la la la. voici. voila'. here. and there. ooo la la la. o
The artist reflects on the personal story when crafting their art as it sticks with them. They utter the French phrase 'voici, voila' repeatedly, emphasizing the concept of here and there.
. voici le langage de l'amour. this is the language of love. oooo la la la. oooo. oh yeah. la la la. la la. voici. voila'. la la. here it is. there it is. la la. voici le langage de l'amour. thi
The singer announces that the story is an example of the language of love, repeatedly exclaiming 'ooo la la la.' They emphasize the idea of here and there, connecting it back to the concept of the language of love.
The language of love. ah! com
Reiteration of the concept of language of love.
Me ci, comme ca. ah! niether here nor there. voila. voila. there. there. voici le langage de l'amour. this is the language of love. voici le langage de l'amour. this is the language of love. att
The singer speaks French, saying 'me ci, comme ca' which means 'neither here nor there,' further emphasizing the concept of here and there and the fluidity of love. The phrase 'voila' is repeated multiple times, which means 'there it is' in French, connecting back to the idea of the language of love.
Attends! attends! wait! wait! wait! attends! attends! attends! wait! wait! wait! ecoute. ecoute. ecoute. listen. listen. listen. ooooo la la la la. ooooo. oh yeah. ooo la la la la. oh yeah. yea
The singer gives commands in both French and English, frequently using the phrase 'ooo la la la.' They urge listeners to wait and listen, further emphasizing the importance of the story and the language of love.
Ici le langage de l'amour. this is the language of love. voici le langage dans mon coeur. this is the language of my heart. oooo la la. oooo. oh yeah. voici le langage de l'amour. this is the la
The singer introduces the idea of the language of love in French, stating that it is the language spoken in their heart. They continue to use 'ooo la la la' to convey the concept of love and passion.
E of love. voici le langage dans mon coeur. this is the language of my heart. voici le langage dans mon coeur. this is the language of my heart.
The artist repeats the idea that the language of love is the language of their heart, emphasizing its importance and impact on their art.
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: LAURIE ANDERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
johnkipling1
I first heard this on BBC Radio 3, in my late teens. It blew my mind! And it remains one of the most beautiful pieces I listen to. More recently I saw 'Home of the Brave'. The beautiful visuals were almost the third part of the jigsaw. Kokoku can make me cry.
hughcdavies
It's almost more a poem or story set to a musical sound track rather than a song. Hypnotic and ground breaking in it's way.
DBenX
beautiful wintermusic that takes you on a wonderful trip while its freezing outside
agecanonix bedard
still LOVE this album, I do have the vinyl but dont anything to listen it
Elaine And John
“Because when I do my job, that is what I think about.”
zavinullava
Even better than Paradise Lost
Wrathberries
Oh, mood.
Matias Bidart
Can someone recomend me artist like she?
Miranda Shapiro
Try Grace Jones and Meredith Monk
Athina Pliatsika
Lena Platonos