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.
Out Of Touch
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
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We nod and we smile and we shuffle our feet
Making small talk standing face to face
Hands in our pockets 'cause we feel so out of place
We have been so out of touch
We have been so out of touch
The broken sentences, we try to piece together
I ask you if you ever see an old friend
You say that you used to
It's been a long time since then
We have been so out of touch
We have been so out of touch
Our paths may cross again in some crowded bar
We feel a little lost 'cause we've drifted away so far
Hoping to find the right words to say
We joke a little and then go on our way
We have been so out of touch
We have been so out of touch
We have been so out of touch
The lyrics of Lucinda Williams's song "Out Of Touch" are about the awkwardness that comes with reconnecting with someone after a long period of estrangement. While they happen to pass each other on the street, they barely know what to say to each other. They try to make small talk but their hands are in their pockets because neither of them knows what to do with themselves. They then reminisce about the past and the weather, trying to piece together their conversations in broken sentences. They ask each other about their old friends, but both of them realize that it's been too long to even remember them properly.
The song's chorus is "We have been so out of touch" which is repeated multiple times to emphasize the distance between the two individuals. They both feel lost in a crowded bar but hope to find the right words to say. They joke around a little but then go their separate ways feeling just as out of touch as before. The song's simplicity belies the depth of emotion conveyed through its lyrics: regret, longing, and a sense of missed opportunities.
Overall, "Out Of Touch" is a poignant reminder of how time and distance can make it hard to reconnect with people we used to know well. The song's lyrics are relatable to anyone who has experienced this kind of awkwardness, making it a universal and heartfelt ballad.
Line by Line Meaning
Once in awhile we might pass on the street
Occasionally we may cross paths whilst walking
We nod and we smile and we shuffle our feet
We make polite gestures and avoid prolonged interaction
Making small talk standing face to face
Having conversation where we stand close by
Hands in our pockets 'cause we feel so out of place
We carry our hands in pockets because we are disconnected from each other
We have been so out of touch
Our communication has deteriorated due to our lack of contact
We speak in the past tense to talk about the weather
We speak of weather events in past tense as they had occurred long ago
The broken sentences, we try to piece together
Our conversation is fragmented and we struggle to make sense of it
I ask you if you ever see an old friend
I inquire if you have seen anyone familiar to us
You say that you used to
You acknowledge that you had seen them before but not recently
It's been a long time since then
It has been a significant duration since we last had contact with that person
Our paths may cross again in some crowded bar
There is potential for us to meet again in a crowded social setting
We feel a little lost 'cause we've drifted away so far
We experience disorientation and detachment due to our long-term separation
Hoping to find the right words to say
We aspire to communicate accurately and concisely
We joke a little and then go on our way
We alleviate the tension by making light of the situation, then part ways
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lucinda Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind