Since her career began in 1981, Gerrard has been involved in a wide range of projects. She received a Golden Globe Award for the music score to the film Gladiator, on which she collaborated with Hans Zimmer.
Lisa Gerrard was born on 12 April 1961 in Melbourne, and grew up in the suburb of Prahran with her Irish immigrant parents. She has said that she grew up with "Mediterranean music blaring out of the houses" and that this influenced her music, particularly on later Dead Can Dance albums and in her solo and collaborative works.
Gerrard's first foray into forming bands and creative music-making was in Melbourne's little band scene, an experimental post-punk scene which flourished from 1978 until 1981. It was at one of these little band events that she first met Dead Can Dance co-founder Brendan Perry. Perry recalls, "It never occurred to me that we would one day collaborate musically together because at the time I thought her music was too avant garde. I particularly remember one song that she sang about finding a man in the park and asking her mother if she could bring him home to keep in her wardrobe as she attacked this chinese dulcimer with two bamboo sticks".
Dead Can Dance originally formed as a quartet in 1981 in Melbourne, but in 1982 moved to London with members Gerrard, Brendan Perry and bass player Paul Erikson. Shortly after coming to England, Erikson flew back to Australia, leaving the band as a duo. Dead Can Dance recorded eight albums on the 4AD Records recording label beginning with the self-titled Dead Can Dance LP in 1984. In 2005, the song "Nierika" became part of the opening titles for Mexican television station TV Azteca's soap opera "La Chacala". The band split in 1998, but reunited in 2005 for a world tour. In 2012, the band announced a new world tour to coincide with the release of their new album, Anastasis.
Gerrard possesses the vocal range of a contralto but can also reach upward into the mezzo-soprano range. Her voice has been described as rich, deep, dark, mournful and unique.
Examples of Gerrard's mezzo-soprano range include the songs "The Host of Seraphim", "Elegy", "Space Weaver", "Come This Way" and "One Perfect Sunrise". Gerrard however performs more predominantly in the dramatic contralto range in her other songs, "Sanvean", "Sacrifice", "Largo", "Lament" and "Not Yet".
Gerrard sings many of her songs, such as "Now We Are Free", "Come Tenderness", "Serenity", "The Valley of the Moon", "Tempest", "Pilgrimage of Lost Children", "Coming Home" and "Sanvean" in idioglossia. With respect to such work she has said, "I sing in the language of the Heart. It's an invented language that I've had for a very long time. I believe I started singing in it when I was about 12. Roughly that time. And I believed that I was speaking to God when I sang in that language."
Gerrard was married to Polish graphic design artist and music producer Jacek Tuschewski, with whom she has a daughter (born 1992).
Her nephew Jack Gerrard plays for Cairns post-hardcore act Almost a Square as the drummer and back-up vocalist.
Elegy
Lisa Gerrard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I feel like howlin' at the moon
Then sometimes it feels so easy
Like I was born with a silver spoon
Other times you just can't reach me
Seem like I've got a heart of stone
Guess I need my solitude
And I have to make it on my own
Well, I guess I'm going A.W.O.L
Disconnect my telephone
Just like Greta Garbo
I want to be alone
Need to make some real connection
Baby, something's just got to give
'Cause I've been too long in exile
I've been grindin' at the mill
Too long to decode all the secrets
Have to get some elbow room
Most people think that everything
Is just what they assume
Well, I know I'm going A.W.O.L
Just like Greta Garbo
I just want to be alone
Well, I'm goin' out to L.A.
I wanna get my business done
Then I'm goin' on to Vegas
Then I'm goin' on the run
If anybody asked you have you seen me
Please just tell them, "No"
'Cause I'm livin' on the outside
And I have nowhere to go
Well, I guess I'm goin' A.W.O.L
Oh, disconnect my telephone
Just like Greta Garbo
I just want to be alone
Alright
I just want to be alone
Disconnect my telephone
Just like Greta Garbo
I just want to be alone
The lyrics to "Elegy" by Lisa Gerrard and Patrick Cassidy depict the singer's desire for solitude and the difficulties that come with feeling disconnected from others. The opening lines capture the emotional rollercoaster of life, with some days feeling completely crazy and others feeling easy. Throughout the song, the singer describes feeling like they have a heart of stone, needing solitude to make it on their own, and feeling like they have been in exile for too long. The chorus reinforces the singer's desire for isolation, saying that they want to go A.W.O.L and be alone like Greta Garbo.
The final verse explains that the singer is leaving for Los Angeles and then Las Vegas, but they don't want anybody to find them. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus, solidifying the message that the singer just wants to be left alone.
One possible interpretation of these lyrics is that they represent the frustration and loneliness of modern life. With technology making it easier than ever to connect with others, it can paradoxically become harder to develop real connections. The singer may be feeling overwhelmed by this constant stream of stimulation and a desire to escape from it all.
Overall, "Elegy" is a haunting and poignant song about the complexities of human emotion and the search for inner peace.
Line by Line Meaning
Some days it gets completely crazy
There are some days when everything goes out of control.
And I feel like howlin' at the moon
At times, I feel like releasing all my frustration and anger.
Then sometimes it feels so easy
At other times, everything seems to be falling in place.
Like I was born with a silver spoon
It feels like I have everything at my disposal without having to struggle for it.
Other times you just can't reach me
Sometimes, I become completely unapproachable.
Seem like I've got a heart of stone
My emotionless behavior might lead others to believe that I don't have feelings.
Guess I need my solitude
I feel the need to be alone sometimes.
And I have to make it on my own
I prefer to achieve things without any help from others.
Well, I guess I'm going A.W.O.L
I have decided to disappear for a while.
Disconnect my telephone
I want to cut off from the rest of the world.
Just like Greta Garbo
I want to be alone, just like the famous actress Greta Garbo.
Need to make some real connection
I feel the need for genuine human interaction.
Baby, something's just got to give
I know that something has to change for me to feel better.
'Cause I've been too long in exile
I have been disconnected from the world for too long.
I've been grindin' at the mill
I have been working hard for a long time.
Too long to decode all the secrets
I have been trying to uncover the truth for too long.
Have to get some elbow room
I need some space to clear my head.
Most people think that everything
Majority of the people believe that everything is as simple as it seems.
Is just what they assume
They often take things for granted without questioning them.
Well, I know I'm going A.W.O.L
I am aware that I have decided to disappear for a while.
Just like Greta Garbo
I want to be alone, just like Greta Garbo.
Well, I'm goin' out to L.A.
I am going to Los Angeles for some work.
I wanna get my business done
I have a specific purpose in Los Angeles which I want to finish.
Then I'm goin' on to Vegas
After Los Angeles, I am heading to Las Vegas.
Then I'm goin' on the run
After Las Vegas, I will be on the run again.
If anybody asked you have you seen me
If anyone asks, please say that you haven't seen me.
Please just tell them, "No"
Kindly lie to protect my privacy.
'Cause I'm livin' on the outside
I am living life disconnected from others.
And I have nowhere to go
I don't have any direction or goal in life.
Alright
Indicates the end of the song or the end of a thought.
I just want to be alone
I am longing for some time away from the world.
Disconnect my telephone
I want to cut off from the rest of the world.
Just like Greta Garbo
I want to be alone just like Greta Garbo.
I just want to be alone
I have a strong desire to be alone.
Writer(s): GERRARD LISA GERMAINE, CASSIDY PATRICK CARMEL THOMAS
Contributed by Hunter D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tammy Baker Samuelson
on Mirror Medusa
Does anyone know what she's saying in the song Mirror Medusa?
Becky Evans Davis
on Sleep
so deep in slumber that you shan't know you're wanderin'.
sleep
Becky Evans Davis
on Sleep
my ear attends to you