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.’”

Breathless
Miranda Lee Richards Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Breathless, your hands are tired
Sleepless, the battle wages higher
"All aboard!" you hear the captain say
Take what's yours, only what you can carry in your arms

Before I met you, my life was a series of chances
Before I met you, my mind, it was racing all of the time
Bye, bye, bye, bye [to illusions I behold]

Bye, bye, bye, bye

Dodging arrows, the ones that strike you down
They hit the walls behind us without a sound
Elevate yourself to the higher plane
And don't look down; you will only scare yourself

Before I met you, my life was a series of chances
Before I met you, my mind, it was racing all of the time
Bye, bye, bye, bye [to illusions I behold]
Bye, bye, bye, bye

Lay down on a sandy beach
It's a bad world, no place for us to be
So hold the ones you love dear and closest to your heart
Tell them how you feel; they might not know it 'cause you
Never show them

Before I met you, my life was a series of chances
Before I met you, my mind, it was racing all of the time

Bye, bye, bye, bye...
Bye, bye, bye, bye

Overall Meaning

In Miranda Lee Richards's song Breathless, the lyrics portray a sense of exhaustion and weariness, both physical and emotional. Lines like "Breathless, your hands are tired" and "Sleepless, the battle wages higher" suggest a constant struggle, perhaps with life or with personal demons. The idea of limited resources is also present in the line "Take what's yours, only what you can carry in your arms." The song seems to suggest that the world is a tough and often cruel place, shown in lines such as "Dodging arrows, the ones that strike you down" and "It's a bad world, no place for us to be."

However, there is also a sense of hope and love in the lyrics. The lines "Lay down on a sandy beach" and "Tell them how you feel; they might not know it 'cause you never show them" suggest a need for rest and connection with others. The chorus of "Before I met you, my life was a series of chances / Before I met you, my mind, it was racing all of the time / Bye, bye, bye, bye [to illusions I behold]" shows that meeting someone special has made a significant positive impact on the singer's life.

Overall, Breathless is a song about the highs and lows of life, the struggles we face, the need for rest and love, and the power of connections with others to improve our lives.

Line by Line Meaning

Breathless, your hands are tired
You are out of breath and exhausted, possibly from the hardships you've faced and your hands reflect the same. The weight of the world has been carried by your hands.

Sleepless, the battle wages higher
The battle or struggle in your life has escalated to an intensity that doesn't allow you to rest.

"All aboard!" you hear the captain say
The leader, wherever they might be, is calling you to join them on this journey.

Take what's yours, only what you can carry in your arms
Take with you only what you can, no more than you can bear.

Dodging arrows, the ones that strike you down
In life, you are dodging negativity and pain directed your way by others. And the ones that do hit, you can barely manage to pick yourself up.

They hit the walls behind us without a sound
The negativity aimed at you disappears without a trace, making no sound in your mind.

Elevate yourself to the higher plane
Ascend from this present place to a higher, more peaceful mindset.

And don't look down; you will only scare yourself
By looking down upon your life, you might get frightened and not able to gain the same confidence to soar high once again.

Lay down on a sandy beach
Lie down and take a break at a beach.

It's a bad world, no place for us to be
The world can be a cruel and heartless place that has no room for you and people you love.

So hold the ones you love dear and closest to your heart
Embrace and hold dear with all the strength, those whom you love most.

Tell them how you feel; they might not know it 'cause you Never show them
It's important to tell people all the things that mean the most to you, even when you might not show them usually.

Before I met you, my life was a series of chances
Prior to meeting someone special, life seemed like it was all about taking chances.

Before I met you, my mind, it was racing all of the time
Prior to meeting someone special, the mind seemed to race endlessly without any calm.

Bye, bye, bye, bye...
Saying goodbye to the way things were handled and done previously.

Bye, bye, bye, bye
Saying goodbye to the way things were handled and done previously.

Contributed by Levi R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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