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
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Laurie Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O judge.
O Mom and Dad.
Mom and Dad.
O Superman.
O judge.
O Mom and Dad.
Mom and Dad.
I'm not home right now.
But if you want to leave a message, just start talking at the sound of the tone.
Hello?
This is your Mother.
Are you there?
Are you coming home?
Hello?
Is anybody home?
Well, you don't know me, but I know you.
And I've got a message to give to you.
Here come the planes.
So you better get ready.
Ready to go.
You can come as you are, but pay as you go.
Pay as you go.
And I said: OK.
Who is this really?
And the voice said: This is the hand, the hand that takes.
This is the hand, the hand that takes.
This is the hand, the hand that takes.
Here come the planes.
They're American planes.
Made in America.
Smoking or non-smoking?
And the voice said: Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice. And when justive is gone, there's always force. And when force is gone, there's always Mom.
Hi Mom!
So hold me, Mom, in your long arms.
So hold me, Mom, in your long arms.
In your automatic arms.
Your electronic arms.
In your arms.
So hold me, Mom, in your long arms.
Your petrochemical arms.
Your military arms.
In your electronic arms.
Laurie Anderson's song "O Superman" is a haunting exploration of power, communication, and the relationship between technology and humanity. The lyrics begin with a repetition of the phrase "O Superman", which can be seen as a call to power, authority, and control. Anderson directs this call towards various figures of authority - a judge, a mother and father - raising questions about the nature of their power and the control they exert over their subjects.
The song then shifts into a recording of an answering machine message, which serves to highlight the ways in which communication technologies have enabled new forms of power and control. As the message plays, Anderson's voice morphs into that of an unidentified caller who insists that "this is the hand that takes", suggesting a sinister force that takes control and dominates others. The phrase "here come the planes" adds to this sense of foreboding, and the repeated invitation to "pay as you go" may be seen as a commentary on the commodification of both technology and human life.
The song ends with a plea to "hold me, Mom, in your long arms", capturing a sense of vulnerability and a longing for connection that underpins much of Anderson's work. The imagery of electronic and military arms underscores the ways in which technologies of power and control can displace human connection and warmth, leaving us longing for the simple comforts of the maternal embrace.
Line by Line Meaning
O Superman.
This is a call that is being made to Superman
O judge.
This is a call that is being made to the judge
O Mom and Dad.
This is a call that is being made to Mom and Dad
Mom and Dad.
Repeating the call made to Mom and Dad
Hi.
A greeting
I'm not home right now.
The singer is not present at the moment
But if you want to leave a message, just start talking at the sound of the tone.
If you want to leave a message, start speaking after you hear the beep
Hello?
The artist is asking if anyone is there
This is your Mother.
The artist is the listener's mother
Are you there?
The artist is asking if the listener is present
Are you coming home?
The singer is enquiring about the listener's plans to return home
Hello?
The artist is repeating the earlier enquiry
Is anybody home?
The singer is asking if anyone is present at home
Well, you don't know me, but I know you.
The singer is unknown to the listener but is aware of the listener's identity
And I've got a message to give to you.
The singer has a message to communicate to the listener
Here come the planes.
Planes are about to arrive
So you better get ready.
The listener is being advised to prepare
Ready to go.
Prepared to leave
You can come as you are, but pay as you go.
The listener can arrive as they are, but they need to pay for using the services
Pay as you go.
Reiteration of the payment expectation
And I said: OK.
The artist agrees with the earlier instruction
Who is this really?
The listener is requesting for the identity of the artist
And the voice said: This is the hand, the hand that takes.
The singer introduces themselves as the one who takes
Here come the planes.
Reinforcement of plane arrival
They're American planes.
The planes are from America
Made in America.
The planes were manufactured in America
Smoking or non-smoking?
The listener is being asked for smoking preferences
And the voice said: Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.
The artist is emphasizing the delivery services' resilience despite challenging weather conditions
'Cause when love is gone, there's always justice. And when justice is gone, there's always force. And when force is gone, there's always Mom.
The artist is reminding the listener that when love, justice, and force fail, Mom can be the fallback.
Hi Mom!
Greeting to Mom
So hold me, Mom, in your long arms.
The singer is requesting to be embraced by Mom's arms
So hold me, Mom, in your long arms.
Repetition of the request to be embraced by Mom's arms.
In your automatic arms.
The artist is describing Mom's embrace as automatic
Your electronic arms.
The artist is describing Mom's embrace as electronic
In your arms.
The singer wants Mom to embrace them
So hold me, Mom, in your long arms.
Repetition of the request to be embraced by Mom's long arms.
Your petrochemical arms.
The singer is describing Mom's embrace as petrochemical
Your military arms.
The singer is describing Mom's embrace as military
In your electronic arms.
Reiteration of the electronic embrace request
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mllerosediamant
O Superman
O judge
O Mom and Dad
Mom and Dad
Hi. I'm not home right now. But if you want to leave a
Message, just start talking at the sound of the tone.
Hello? This is your Mother
Are you there?
Are you coming home?
Hello?
Is anybody home?
Well, you don't know me, but I know you
And I've got a message to give to you
Here come the planes
So you better get ready
Ready to go
You can come as you are, but pay as you go
Pay as you go
And I said: OK. Who is this really? And the voice said:
This is the hand, the hand that takes
This is the hand, the hand that takes
This is the hand, the hand that takes
Here come the planes.
They're American planes
Made in America
Smoking or non-smoking?
And the voice said: Neither snow nor rain nor gloom
Of night shall stay these couriers from the swift
Completion of their appointed rounds.
'Cause when love is gone
There's always justice
And when justive is gone
There's always force
And when force is gone,
There's always Mom.
Hi Mom!
So hold me, Mom, in your long arms
So hold me, Mom, in your long arms
In your automatic arms.
Your electronic arms.
In your arms.
So hold me, Mom, in your long arms
Your petrochemical arms
Your military arms
In your electronic arms
@stevekovalic3546
Thanks for sharing....
Two great performance pieces!
Also love pastoral symphony...so evocative!
Listen to Beethoven piano concerto #5.
Sublime.
Make sure it's a good performance...and pianist.
Grimaud
Andsnes
Uchida
Barenboim
It's just ethereal.
@stxrzrxvzn
For those who are curious about what this song means is that the line, “Hello? This is your mother, Are you there? Are you coming home?” Is from a mother writing to her son in war and the line “Well you don't know me, but I know you” Is the Chief of her son's military team writing a letter back to the mom letting her know that her son has died due to not surviving the war.
@albertogregory9678
Hey sorry to bug you, Ive been looking for the letter and can’t find jack. Do you have a name or a url? Thank you!
@donewhiskey
@@albertogregory9678 You won't because there isn't anything. That's stxrzrxvzn's interpretation. Just search the song meaning online and you will find much better information. For example, Anderson drew from the aria from Jules Massenet's 1885 opera Le Cid. The first lines ("O Superman / O Judge / O Mom and Dad") echo the aria. It is also considered a commentary on the Cold War.
@petepleeb9675
"Died due to not surviving the war"... I mean.. you aren't wrong I guess?
@s1lkwyrm205
I think this song is delightfully surreal and by nature evades this kind of direct interpretation. I think its less about war and more about change, sudden and inevitable. A dialogue between a person and the things about to happen to them. On the one side is a person, a strange one, or perhaps made strange only by the context - and something more, unknowable and eldritch. The person attempts to make sense of what they're being told now, but they don't have the tools to do so. They can only wait and see what the voice was talking about, seek comfort in justice force and mom before the shoe drops. That's how I interpret it
@leahsmith5814
The song is criticizing the use of cold war-era military technology. I think the "parents" are referring to the idea that the military industrial complex keeps citizens safe like parents keep children safe. The synth voice beat is meant to mimic an artificial heartbeat to show how there is an offputting and dark side to this. "so hold me mom, in your long arms, in your petrochemical arms, your military arms"
@lizziethompson6232
this song is the definition of art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable
@chrisjhart
Damn right
@ShakeeSnake
Wow that's such a good quote
@oliviaybarra7888
this is so scary 😢😅