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.
Something About What Happens When We Talk
Lucinda Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I might not stay but at least I would've been around
Cause there's something about what happens when we talk
Something about what happens when we talk
Does this make sense It doesn't matter anyway
Is it coincidence or was it meant to be
Cause there's something about what happens when we talk
Something about what happens when we talk
It wasn't your face so much as it was your words
Cause there's something about what happens when we talk
Something about what happens when we talk
Well I can't stay round cause I'm going back south
But all I regret now is I never kissed your mouth
Cause there's something about what happens when we talk
Something about what happens when we talk
Cause there's something about what happens when we talk
Something about what happens when we talk
In Lucinda Williams's Something About What Happens When We Talk, the singer is expressing their longing to be with someone they have a deep connection with, even if it's only temporary. The lyrics indicate that the relationship is intense and significant, as the singer describes their conversation as a drug, suggesting that it provides an emotional high. The lyrics also suggest an element of regret, as the singer laments that they didn't kiss the person they were talking to. Through this song, Lucinda Williams is able to capture the complex and often contradictory emotions that come with falling for someone.
The repeated line "something about what happens when we talk" acts as the song's refrain, emphasizing the importance of communication in any relationship. The singer finds their connection with the other person so profound that being in their town, even if only for a short time, would be worth it. They mull over whether the relationship is coincidence or destiny, suggesting that they are questioning the significance of their connection.
Overall, Lucinda Williams's Something About What Happens When We Talk is a powerful meditation on love, connection, and communication. Through Williams's evocative lyrics and stripped-down instrumentation, the song captures the intensity and complexity of human relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
If I had my way I'd be in your town
If I could do what I want, I would be in your town
I might not stay but at least I would've been around
I may not stay long, but at least I would have been there for a while
Cause there's something about what happens when we talk
There is something special that happens when we have a conversation
Does this make sense It doesn't matter anyway
Does this make sense? It doesn't matter either way
Is it coincidence or was it meant to be
Was it by chance or was it fate?
Conversation with you was like a drug
Talking with you was addictive
It wasn't your face so much as it was your words
It wasn't your appearance, but your words that I was drawn to
Well I can't stay round cause I'm going back south
I can't stick around because I am heading south
But all I regret now is I never kissed your mouth
My only regret is that I never kissed you
Cause there's something about what happens when we talk
There is something special that happens when we have a conversation
Cause there's something about what happens when we talk
There is something special that happens when we have a conversation
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lucinda Williams
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind