Williams has garnered considerable critical acclaim but her commercial success has been moderate. She has a reputation as a perfectionist and as a slow worker when it comes to recording; six years passed between the release of her second and third albums. However, she frequently makes guest appearances on other artists' albums and contributes to compilations and soundtracks. She has recorded with Elvis Costello, Nanci Griffith, John Prine, Leftover Salmon, and Steve Earle, among others. She has also opened concerts for artists such as Neil Young.
Early life
Williams was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the daughter of poet and literature professor Miller Williams. Her father worked as a visiting professor in Mexico and Chile as well as different parts of the American South, before settling at the University of Arkansas. His daughter showed an affinity for music at an early age, and was playing guitar at 12.
Career
By her early 20s, Williams was playing publicly in Austin, Texas and Houston, Texas, concentrating on a folk-rock-country blend. She moved to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1978 to record her first album, for Smithsonian/Folkways Records. Titled Ramblin', it was a collection of country and blues covers. She followed it up in 1980 with Happy Woman Blues, which consisted of her own material. Neither album received much attention.
In the 1980s Williams moved to Los Angeles, California (before finally settling in Nashville, TN), where -- performing both backed by a rock band and in acoustic settings -- she developed a following and a critical reputation. Nevertheless, it was not until 1988 that Rough Trade Records released the self-titled Lucinda Williams. The single "Changed the Locks", about a broken relationship, received radio play around the country and gained fans among music insiders, including Tom Petty, who would later cover the song.
Its follow-up, Sweet Old World (Chameleon, 1992), was a melancholy album dealing with themes of suicide and death. Williams's biggest success during the early '90s was as a songwriter. Mary Chapin Carpenter recorded a cover of "Passionate Kisses" (from Lucinda Williams) in 1992, and the song became a smash country hit for which Williams received the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1994.
Williams had garnered considerable critical acclaim, but her commercial success was moderate. Emmylou Harris said of Williams, "She is an example of the best of what country at least says it is. But, for some reason, she's completely out of the loop. And I feel strongly that that's country music's loss."
Williams also gained a reputation as a perfectionist and slow worker when it came to recording; six years would pass before her next album release, though she appeared as a guest on other artists' albums and contributed to several tribute compilations during this period.
The long-awaited release, 1998's Car Wheels on a Gravel Road was Williams' breakthrough to the mainstream. Containing the single "Still I Long for Your Kiss" from the Robert Redford film The Horse Whisperer, the album received wide critical notice and soon went gold. It received a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. She toured with Bob Dylan and on her own in support of the album.
Williams followed up the success of Car Wheels with Essence (2001). This release featured a less produced, more stripped-down approach both musically and lyrically, and moved Williams further from the country music establishment while winning fans in the alternative music world. She won the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Female Rock performance for the single "Get Right With God", an atypically uptempo gospel-rock tune from the otherwise rather low-key release. The title track was co-written and co-recorded with alternative country musician Ryan Adams.
Her seventh album, World Without Tears, was released in 2003. A musically adventurous though lyrically downbeat album, this release found Williams experimenting with talking blues stylings and electric blues.
In 2006, Lucinda recorded a version of the John Hartford classic "Gentle On My Mind," which played over the closing credits of the Will Ferrell filmTalladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
Williams was a guest vocalist on the song "Factory Girls" from Irish punk-folk band Flogging Molly's 2004 album, "Within a Mile of Home", and appeared on Elvis Costello's The Delivery Man. She duetted with Steve Earle on the song "You're Still Standin' There" from his album I Feel Alright from 1996.
Williams released the album "West" on February 13, 2007, to mostly good reviews. The material is highly personal, chronicling the death of her mother and the breakup of a turbulent relationship.
Lucinda released her ninth studio album, "Little Honey", on October 14th.
It's Gonna Rain
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm so tired of the love and the pain from people eyes
I can't wait til I can go away
And it's gonna rain again today
Don't know why I'm still in pain
All these night only get me down
And this is forever my town
It's gonna rain
It's gonna rain
It's gonna rain again today
? darkness
I can see black clouds over head
This time is never gonna change
And it's gonna rain again today
You wanna know why I dn't hang out
You wanna know why this [?] out
There's nothing much but you pull me a side
Said it's gonna rain again today
It's gonna rain
It's gonna rain
It's gonna rain
It's gonna rain
It's gonna rain again today
It's gonna rain
It's gonna rain
It's gonna rain
It's gonna rain
It's gonna rain again today
It's gonna rain again today
In Lucinda Williams's song "It's Gonna Rain," the singer sounds completely deflated and beaten down by life. The first verse suggests that the singer is tired of being disappointed by people, and simply wants to get away from everything. The second verse has the same sense of dissatisfaction, but this time the singer's emotions seem to be directed inward. She doesn't know why she's in pain, and everything around her is just making her even more depressed. The chorus underscores this sense of depression, as the singer repeats over and over that it's going to rain again today. Rain, of course, can be seen as symbolic of sadness, and so the phrase is a way of saying that sadness will never leave her.
The third verse has a hint of anger to it, as the singer seems to lash out at someone who wants to know why she's so distant. The singer's reply is that there's nothing worth sticking around for -- in fact, it's going to rain again today. The final repetition of the chorus reinforces the idea that the singer has no hope for things to get better.
Overall, "It's Gonna Rain" paints a portrait of someone who's feeling stuck in a rut and overwhelmed by her emotions. The constantly repeating chorus reinforces the idea that there's no escape from her sadness: it's raining today, it's going to rain tomorrow, and it will rain again after that.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so tired of these broken skies
I'm exhausted with life's constant disappointments and setbacks
I'm so tired of the love and the pain from people eyes
I'm weary of the emotional toll that comes from interacting with others
I can't wait til I can go away
I yearn for a change of scenery and a break from the monotony of my current situation
And it's gonna rain again today
Today will bring more hardships and struggles
Don't know why I'm still in pain
I can't understand why I continue to suffer
All these night only get me down
The long, lonely nights bring me nothing but sadness and despair
And this is forever my town
I feel trapped and stuck in this place
And it's gonna rain again today
Once again, the day will bring nothing but difficulty
I can see black clouds over head
I have a sense of impending doom and negativity
This time is never gonna change
Things will always be this difficult and bleak
You wanna know why I dn't hang out
You're curious why I don't socialize more
You wanna know why this [?] out
You're wondering why I seem distant and isolated
There's nothing much but you pull me a side
You want to have a private conversation with me
Said it's gonna rain again today
You're warning me that today won't be any easier than the last
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: LUCINDA GAYL WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@carloslowie1366
Beautiful Lucinda Williams, great performance on KEXP!
@tinker3330
Awesome! Lucinda always has the best backing musicians. Bass, guitar, drums and Lu!! Doesn't get any better!!
@DylanLopez-INNO
What a great soulful voice!
@delewan
Goosebumps. Great music.
@tangobango9653
Really just discovered this lady...a different soulful sound that you can feel deep inside.
@margaretdennis3025
she's is the best of the best. you have a lot of catching up to do
@kadematthias2528
i realize Im pretty off topic but do anyone know of a good place to stream newly released tv shows online ?
@emilioangelo4753
@Kade Matthias i watch on FlixZone. You can find it on google :)
@conradezequiel5851
@Emilio Angelo Definitely, I have been using FlixZone for since march myself :D
@kadematthias2528
@Emilio Angelo thank you, signed up and it seems like a nice service :D Appreciate it !