Lucy was born in London, but was raised in Amsterdam and New York City. She has a very musical background: her British father is a composer and conductor and her New Yorker mother is a musicologist and an opera singer.
Raised on classical and Middle-Eastern music, Lucy studied piano and flute before asking for singing lessons at age 12. She attended a Bronx high school renowned for its music department and made her first recordings singing house music in her friends’ basements. She spent part of each summer in music camp and part in Holland, where she frequently locked herself up in her father’s studio and listened to jazz and old R&B records. At 16 she was accepted into the Manhattan School of Music to study jazz, but after a year decided to learn her songwriting and performing skills on her own. She spent the next few years performing in swing-organ trios, working as a session singer, waiting tables, and singing jazz standards in Greenwich Village restaurants. She started off singing in jazz cafes and singing for tips or dinner. "You sing with a piano player and a tip jar on top of the piano." She said in an interveiw on NZGirl.
In 2003 Lucy signed with Atlantic Records and recorded her debut album While You Can, out of which came the Top 40 hit “Dumb Girls,” produced by Kevin Kadish; other songs on the record were produced by John Shanks at Jim Henson Studios. Although her efforts won her some mainstream notoriety, making slick, radio-ready pop proved artistically unsatisfying for her.
The following year, Lucy was asked by producer friend Jaime Houston to record a version of the big-band tune "It's Oh So Quiet" for the Disney film Ice Princess. The song had originally been recorded by Betty Hutton in 1948 and was subsequently popularized by Björk. Lucy credits it as being a major creative turning point for her, one that inspired much of the writing in her second album.
Lucy began her musical reinvention on her second album, the independently released Lucy Woodward Is... Hot and Bothered (2007), a transitional effort that incorporated R&B grooves and electronic beats, while mining deep-rooted jazz influences. Hot and Bothered was produced by longtime collaborator Itaal Shur and Tim K. . Barnes & Noble named her “Artist of the Month” for August 2008. Released in 2007 on Atlantic, it was initially only available through iTunes, on July 29, 2008 getting a physical release exclusively through Barnes & Noble.
Lucy’s third album, Hooked!, was recorded at Stratosphere Sound in New York and Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood and released on Verve Records in 2010. It was largely produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T-Rex), but included contributions by Justin Stanley (Nikka Costa, Sheryl Crow), Itaal Shur and Tim K. Lucy penned much of the record with songwriters Dan Petty and Michelle Lewis, claiming she had been inspired by the music of Peggy Lee and Django Reinhardt. One song on the album, “Another Woman,” was written for her by longtime inspiration Nellie McKay (also Verve), who is also featured on background vocals.
In 2011, Lucy was asked to tour with Pink Martini after the band’s singer China Forbes had to undergo vocal surgery. Her quick study of Pink Martini’s repertoire of Croatian, Japanese, French, English and Turkish songs did not go unnoticed in the music press. She toured cross-continent with the band for a number of concerts the same year, including performances at the Toronto and Montreal jazz festivals and Ravinia, as well as a three-night stint with the San Francisco Symphony (Donato Cabrera conducting).
http://www.lucywoodward.com
What's Good for Me
Lucy Woodward Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I fall in love then complicate it
Yeah, you know the feeling
Without much hope just blind ambition
Pretending that there's nothing missing
I always kept believing that
More, I thought if I had more I wouldn't get so bored
But everything just left me empty
Wasn't good enough no more
Well I don't trust myself life really sucks and
First time I did it but I didn't do it
Last time, that's when I really blew it
This time I'm gonna do it different 'cause I know, I know, I know
If I put everything I have into it
Eventually I'm gonna get what's good for me
I'm just tryin to be creative
But everyones so oppinionated
Want to tell me what I'm feeling
'Cause one man's junks another's treasure
When its done its hard to measure or keep on believing that
More, if only I had more, I wouldn't get so bored
But I know its gonna leave me empty
Life, walkin in and out of my door wasn't good enough no more
Well I don't trust myself I'm gonna get stuck and
First time I thought it but I didn't do it
Last time, that's when I really blew it
This time I'm gonna do it different 'cause I know, I know, I know
If I put everything I have into it
Eventually I'm gonna get what's good for me
'Cause I don't want to live my life wondering if only I woulda, I shoulda, I coulda
But I didn't 'Cause I only blame myself
Again
First time I thought it but I didn't do it
Last time, that's when I really blew it
So this time, this time, this time...
If I put everything I have into it
Eventually I'm gonna get what's good for me
First time I thought it but I didn't do it
Last time, that's when I really blew it
This time I'm gonna do it different 'cause I know, I know, I know
If I put everything I have into it
Eventually I'm gonna get what's good for me
First time I thought it but I didn't do it
Last time, that's when I really blew it
This time I'm gonna do it different 'cause I know, I know, I know
If I put everything I have into it
Eventually I'm gonna get what's good for me
The lyrics to Lucy Woodward's song What's Good For Me are about the singer's journey of self-discovery and relationships. She acknowledges that she is not perfect in matters of the heart and goes through phases of falling in love and then complicating it. However, she believes in blind ambition and pretends that nothing is missing in her life. She has always believed that having more would solve her problems and that love walking in and out of her door would be enough, but it wasn't. She has come to a point where she no longer trusts herself because she has been stuck in the same cycle.
The lyrics then go on to explain that she is trying to be creative but is faced with a lot of criticism from others who want to tell her how to feel. She believes that each person's perception of things is different and it's challenging to measure emotions. She reiterates that having more does not fill the void and that love walking in and out of her door is no longer good enough. The singer then makes a resolution to do things differently this time and is confident that if she puts everything she has into it, eventually, she will get what's good for her.
Overall, the song sends a message of self-acceptance, self-trust, and determination to break free of unhealthy patterns.
Line by Line Meaning
I ain't no queen of hearts, I go through stages
I am not always consistent in love and relationships
I fall in love then complicate it
I tend to make things more difficult than they need to be when I fall in love
Yeah, you know the feeling
This is a familiar experience for many people
Without much hope just blind ambition
I have a lot of ambition but sometimes lack confidence in achieving my goals
Pretending that there's nothing missing
I try to ignore the feelings of emptiness or something being off in my life
I always kept believing that
Despite setbacks and disappointments, I maintain a sense of optimism
More, I thought if I had more I wouldn't get so bored
I believed that having more material possessions or experiences would make me happier
But everything just left me empty
Despite my efforts to fill a void, I still feel unfulfilled
Love walkin in and out of my door
I have had multiple romantic partners who have come and gone from my life
Wasn't good enough no more
I realized that those previous relationships were not sustainable or fulfilling for me
Well I don't trust myself life really sucks and
I feel uncertain and insecure about my choices in life
First time I did it but I didn't do it
I had an opportunity in the past but did not follow through
Last time, that's when I really blew it
In a previous situation, I made a mistake that had consequences
This time I'm gonna do it different 'cause I know, I know, I know
I am determined to make different choices and approach things in a new way
If I put everything I have into it
With my full effort and dedication
Eventually I'm gonna get what's good for me
I will ultimately achieve what is best for me
I'm just tryin to be creative
I am striving for originality and innovation
But everyones so oppinionated
Others have strong opinions and judgments about my artistic expression
Want to tell me what I'm feeling
People try to impose their own interpretations of my emotions
'Cause one man's junks another's treasure
People have varying opinions on what is valuable or important
When its done its hard to measure or keep on believing that
It is difficult to gauge the success or worth of creative endeavors
Life, walkin in and out of my door wasn't good enough no more
Fleeting or superficial experiences and relationships no longer satisfy me
Well I don't trust myself I'm gonna get stuck and
I lack faith in my ability to make important decisions and worry about getting stuck in my current situation
I don't want to live my life wondering if only I woulda, I shoulda, I coulda
I don't want to have regrets or feel like I missed out on opportunities
But I didn't 'Cause I only blame myself
I take responsibility for my past decisions and actions
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jamie Houston, Lucy Woodward
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind