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.’”
Oh Raven
Miranda Lee Richards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's so Raven (future)
That′s so Raven (future)
That's so Raven (let's go)
If you could gaze into the future
You might think life would be a breeze (life is a breeze)
Seeing trouble from a distance (yeah, go, Rae)
Take it to the streets, girl
I try to save the situation
Then I end up misbehaving (oh, oh, oh)
Hey, now, say now
′Bout to put it down, yeah
Come on and ride with Rae now
You know the future looks great now
(Come on, come on)
And everything's gonna change now
(Alright, alright, here we go)
Let′s rock
(Let's go) yeah (go Rae) (let′s go)
That's so Raven
It′s the future I can see
That's so Raven
It's so mysterious to me
(I like that)
Yeah!
In Miranda Lee Richards's song Oh Raven, the lyrics "That's so Raven (future)" repeatedly emphasize the idea of looking into the future. The next set of lyrics suggest that if someone had the ability to foresee their future, one might think that their life would be easy, as they could potentially see and avoid any potential problems. Raven then acknowledges that even if someone could do such a thing, it wouldn't necessarily be easy to make the right choices and avoid trouble. These lyrics could indicate that Raven is someone who can see into the future and is realizing that it is not a solution to all of her problems. The repetition of the phrase "let's go" throughout the song, accompanied by energetic guitar riffs, emphasize the idea of taking action and creating one's destiny, rather than allowing the future to dictate one's life. In essence, the song's message could be urging listeners to take control of their own lives and not rely on fate or destiny.
Line by Line Meaning
That′s so Raven (future)
The future is uncertain and mysterious like Raven.
That's so Raven (future)
The future is unpredictable and unknown like Raven.
That′s so Raven (future)
The future is full of surprises and excitement like Raven.
That's so Raven (let's go)
Let's embrace the future with enthusiasm and energy like Raven.
If you could gaze into the future
If only we could see what's coming.
You might think life would be a breeze (life is a breeze)
One may assume that the future would be easy to navigate.
Seeing trouble from a distance (yeah, go, Rae)
It may be possible to anticipate difficulties before they happen.
But it′s not that easy (oh, no)
Navigating the future is not as simple as it seems.
Take it to the streets, girl
Let's tackle the challenges of the future head-on.
I try to save the situation
I attempt to find solutions to the problems that arise.
Then I end up misbehaving (oh, oh, oh)
However, my efforts do not always go as planned, leading to mistakes.
Hey, now, say now
Let's get excited and energized.
′Bout to put it down, yeah
About to show what we're really made of.
Come on and ride with Rae now
Let's join forces and face the future as a team.
You know the future looks great now
Optimism and positivity are essential for facing the future with confidence.
(Come on, come on)
Let's keep the momentum going.
And everything's gonna change now
The future is full of possibilities for growth and progress.
(Alright, alright, here we go)
Let's get ready to take on the challenges of the future.
(Let's go) yeah (go Rae) (let′s go)
Let's move forward with optimism and enthusiasm, like Raven.
That's so Raven
The future is full of possibilities and mysteries, like Raven.
It′s the future I can see
The future is visible to those who are open to its possibilities.
It's so mysterious to me
The future is an enigmatic and fascinating concept.
(I like that)
I'm excited about the adventure that awaits in the future.
Writer(s): Miranda Lee Richards
Contributed by Keira I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
The Gatsbys
beautiful song, great arrangement