Biography
Melissa McClelland was born in Chicago, Illinois. She spent her youth in Burlington, Ontario before developing her career in Toronto. McClelland married Luke Doucet on June 24, 2006; the two have played together on numerous stages, including at the 2006 Calgary Folk Music Festival. He has produced three of her records, Stranded in Suburbia, Thumbelina's One Night Stand and Victoria Day.
In 2006 McClelland opened for Matthew Good's solo acoustic tour across Canada. During the tour the two singers closed Matthew Good's set with a duet performance of the Nine Inch Nails song "Hurt".
She also works with Sarah McLachlan, providing backing vocals at her live shows. McLachlan makes a guest appearance on the song "Go Down Matthew" from McClelland's album Thumbelina's One Night Stand.
Performing live.
"Skyway Bridge" (off of Thumbelina's One Night Stand) features Greg Keelor from Blue Rodeo. Additionally, McClelland is the only guest artist on Blue Rodeo's 2008 live album, "Blue Road".
In 2007 McClelland opened a tour with Jesse Cook and sang on his recording of "It Ain't Me Babe" (a Bob Dylan cover) which was released on his 2007 album Frontiers. "It Ain't Me Babe" was released as a single from that album, which spent 3 weeks in the top position on Billboard's world music charts.
Also in 2007, McClelland's "Passenger 24" won in The 6th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Americana Song.
McClelland's song "Rooftop" was featured on the 2005 soundtrack CD of the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation. The song was played on the ending montage of the 2004 episode "Time Stands Still Pt. 2", in which a main character, Jimmy Brooks (Aubrey Graham) was shot by a bullied student, Rick Murray (Ephraim Ellis). She also performed the theme song for the children's reality show This Is Daniel Cook.
Discography
2001: Melissa McClelland (Daddy Warbucks Records/independent)
20 April 2004: Stranded in Suburbia (Orange/Universal)
23 May 2006: Thumbelina's One Night Stand (Orange/Universal)
14 April 2009: Victoria Day (Six Shooter Records)
Stranded in Suburbia
In 2004 McClelland released Stranded in Suburbia on Orange Record Label. In the same year, her side-band Ladybird Sideshow released a live album entitled Ladybird Sideshow Live at the Orange Lounge'.'
Thumbelina's One Night Stand
McClelland's followup album, Thumbelina's One Night Stand was released in 2006. Reviews drew attention to the eclectic nature of the album. Exclaim! Magazine described the album as "impossible to pin down stylistically, as it segues from roots-y rock ("Passenger 24") to country ("Taxi Ride") to chamber pop ("Solitary Life") to folk (a cover of Randy Newman’s "Dayton Ohio") and blues ("Go Down Matthew")."
Victoria Day
In late 2008 Melissa McClelland began work on Victoria Day, her fourth album, and first for Six Shooter Records. Victoria Day was scheduled for release on April 14, 2009. The album was recorded at Canterbury Music by Jeremy Darby, and was produced by Luke Doucet.
Victoria Day has a vintage 1950s sound, combining dixieland with "high lonesome twang". "Seasoned Lovers", from Victoria Day, features vocals from Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith.
Factory
Melissa McClelland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Man rises from bed and puts on his clothes
Man takes his lunch, steps out in the morning light
The working, the working, just the working life
Through the mansions of fear, through the mansions of pain
I see my daddy walking through them factory gates in the rain
Factory takes his hearing and factory gives him life
End of a day, factory whistle cries
Men walk through those gates with death in their eyes
And you better believe it, boy, somebody's gonna get hurt tonight
The working, the working, just the working life
The lyrics of Melissa McClelland's song "Factory" are a commentary on the struggles and sacrifices that working-class people endure. The song's opening lines describe the monotonous routine of a factory worker's life. The early morning whistle signifies the start of another grueling day at the factory, and the man puts on his clothes and takes his lunch before stepping out into the morning light. The repetition of the phrase "the working, the working, just the working life" emphasizes the drudgery and monotony of the worker's existence.
The following lines describe the hardships that the worker's family members also face. The "mansions of fear" and "mansions of pain" are metaphors for the challenges and obstacles that working-class families must overcome, including poverty, discrimination, and limited opportunities. The image of the singer's father walking through the factory gates in the rain is a poignant one, suggesting that he endures these difficulties in order to provide for his family.
The final lines of the song are the most powerful. The factory whistle signaling the end of the day is accompanied by the sense of menace and desperation that permeates the lives of the workers. The men walking through the gates with "death in their eyes" suggests a deep-seated sense of hopelessness and despair, while the warning that "somebody's gonna get hurt tonight" implies that violence is a constant threat in the harsh world of the factory.
Overall, "Factory" is a powerful commentary on the dehumanizing effects of industrialization and the struggles of working-class people to survive and thrive in a challenging environment.
Line by Line Meaning
Early in the morning, factory whistle blows
The start of another day at the factory, marked by the loud sound of a whistle
Man rises from bed and puts on his clothes
The worker gets up and prepares for the day ahead
Man takes his lunch, steps out in the morning light
The worker brings a packed lunch and heads out into the new day
The working, the working, just the working life
The daily routine of working at the factory is all the worker knows
Through the mansions of fear, through the mansions of pain
The worker passes through the difficult emotions of fear and pain each day
I see my daddy walking through them factory gates in the rain
The singer recalls her father going to work at the factory in tough conditions
Factory takes his hearing and factory gives him life
The factory provides work for the worker, but the harsh environment takes a toll on his health
End of a day, factory whistle cries
The sound of the factory whistle marks the end of another long day
Men walk through those gates with death in their eyes
The workers leave the factory exhausted and weary, with no energy for anything else
And you better believe it, boy, somebody's gonna get hurt tonight
The stress and tension of working long hours at the factory can lead to violence or dangerous behavior
Contributed by Caden G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.