Miranda Lee Richards (born April 4, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter.… Read Full Bio ↴Miranda Lee Richards (born April 4, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter. Her 2001 release "The Herethereafter" included original compositions such as "The Beginner" as well as a cover of The Rolling Stones' 1967 single "Dandelion". Her single "The Long Goodbye" reached into the top five in Japan, and the music video for this song was in heavy rotation on MTV Japan. Her album "Echoes of the Dreamtime" was released worldwide on 29 January 2016 on London based record label Invisible Hands Music. "Existential Beast" was released on 16 June 2017, also on Invisible Hands.

Richards grew up in San Francisco, the daughter of Ted and Teresa Richards, stars of the underground comics revolution. Her father created The 40 Year Old Hippie; her mother was one of the founding editors and contributors of Wimmin’s Comix in the 1970’s. “Growing up, I got the message that if you do what you love to do, money will follow, just not a lot of it.” It was a very Bohemian upbringing to put it lightly.

Richards played in school bands, but never considered music as a profession until her senior year of high school, when fate offered a unique hand. Her best friend began dating Kirk Hammett of Metallica, and Hammett taught Richards a few songs on guitar. “As soon as I knew how to play, I started writing and everything just clicked. Eventually I got a piano to expand my musical repertoire.”

Richards recorded her first demo in Hammett’s basement studio. Dave Deresinski, the then manager of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, passed the recording along to singer Anton Newcombe, who asked Richards to sing with the group. Shortly thereafter, Ondi Timoner began filming the BJM for her seminal documentary DIG! (2004). In one scene, a hiker observed the all white-clad members of The Brian Jonestown Massacre and friends gathered on a mountain top location. “Excuse me,” he asked, “is this a cult or a photo shoot?” Miranda ------then candidly replied, “Honestly sir, I don’t know the answer to that question.”

Richards had since moved down the coast to LA to further pursue a music career. “I played clubs and open mics while I worked odd jobs and made demos. A mutual friend introduced me to Rick Parker (producer/musician who went on to work with BRMC and The Von Bondies), and we’ve been working together ever since.” After recording a few sets of demos, she signed with Virgin, and began tracking her debut, The Herethereafter.

The Herethereafter (credits include Jon Brion and David Campbell) enjoyed critical acclaim, and over 40 film and TV licenses that allowed her to continue playing music full time. Since it’s release, Miranda has collaborated in the studio with Tricky, Tim Burgess (Charlatans), Neil Halstead (Mojave Three), Joe Firstman, and The Shore. She joined The Jesus and Mary Chain for the West Coast leg of their 2007 tour, singing duets with Jim Reid on “Sometimes Always” and “Just like Honey.” In the fall of 2007, she toured the UK in support of a vinyl single called “Life Boat” on Sonic Cathedral; in early 2008, she supported Tim Finn (Crowded House), and in late August she supported Neil Halstead, both on solo acoustic tours. The Early November EP was released digitally November 4, 2008 on Nettwerk Records; the full-length sophomore effort, Light of X, is due for worldwide release February 10, 2009.

Light of X is moody and introspective, the kind of music to play while you’re getting dressed up at night, sitting by the phone, and waiting for it to ring. The album fairly shimmers with folk, country, psychedelic, and even classical influences. Richards and Parker assembled a top-notch group of players including Eva Gardner (Mars Volta, Tim Burgess) on bass; main drummer Keith Mitchell (Mazzy Star); Ben Peeler (Wallflowers, Shelby Lynne) on pedal steel, and Josh Schwartz (Beachwood Sparks) on guitar. Rick Parker produced, engineered, mixed the record, and played guitar; Richards composed the material including string arrangements, and played acoustic guitar, piano, and organ.

As a songwriter, Richards has an uncanny knack of finding the diamonds in the dust of every day life and the relationships within. She’s able to look at an average moment and describe it in a way that transforms it into something much more powerful, a talent evident on every tack of Light of X. The album balances Richards’ beautiful, close to the heart vocals, with music that has the wide open, spacious feel of a desert sky or an empty church. Call it Ambient Americana, or Richards’ self coined term ‘Psychedelic Chamber Folk Rock’ if you like, Light of X is an album full of love and loss, desolation and salvation, both moody and comforting.

“Courtney Taylor from the Dandy Warhols calls my genre ‘Pixie Fairy Dust Chick Music,’” Miranda Lee Richards laughs, from her home in Los Angeles. “But I think another fitting description for Light of X might be ‘Psychedelic Chamber Folk Rock.’”

7th Ray
Miranda Lee Richards Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You came in
On the seventh ray
Of the seventh day of the year

Born with feathers
In your hair
Marching everywhere to the beat of your own drum

Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, ah
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh

There was a club
That you heard of
But you couldn't figure out how to get in

Once inside
It wasn't very nice
And you spent a lot of time chasing the night

Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, ah
Whoa, oh, oh
Whoa, oh, oh

Try to make this a habit
Moving slower than the rabbit
How will you ever make it there?

I had a bone
But I let it go
A faithless existence is a hard road

But you found a new way…
You found a new way home

Overall Meaning

Miranda Lee Richards's song 7th Ray begins by stating that the person being addressed has an extraordinary entry into the world. The lyrics state that they were born on the seventh ray of the seventh day of the year, with feathers in their hair. This is a metaphorical representation of the spiritual realm and is a symbol of the person's deep connection to the spiritual world, which is often thought to be more relevant on the seventh day. The lyrics go on to describe the person's independence and personal preferences which set them apart from the crowd, as they march to the beat of their own drum.

The second verse mentions a club that the person had heard of but had trouble getting into. This possibly represents a state of the material world, where individuals may not be able to access certain forums or activities, and the person's search for personal fulfillment or happiness. Once they managed to get in, the scene inside was not what they expected, and they ended up wasting a lot of time searching for satisfaction. The chorus repeats the melody, reaffirming the idea of marching to the beat of your own drum.

The last lines of the final verse point out that the person being addressed may have taken an alternative route to their ultimate destination, but it's okay to find a new way home. It represents the idea of breaking free of conventional norms, taking a detour to forge their own path, and finding peace in that choice. In summary, the song 7th Ray signifies the struggle of an individualistic person navigating their way through an environment where everyone's expected to follow convention and conformity, and the eventual realization of their inherent spiritual self.

Line by Line Meaning

You came in
You arrived

On the seventh ray
On a spiritual wavelength

Of the seventh day of the year
On a special day

Born with feathers
Born with unusual features

In your hair
On your head

Marching everywhere to the beat of your own drum
Living your life unconventionally

Whoa, oh, oh
Expressing an emotive sound

Whoa, oh, ah
Expressing an emotive sound

There was a club
A place to go

That you heard of
That you were aware of

But you couldn't figure out how to get in
You were unable to gain access