She is best-remembered for From a Distance, by Julie Gold, although the version that achieved greater commercial success was not Griffith's but Bette Midler's (From a Distance). Similarly, other artists have occasionally achieved greater success with Griffith's songs than did Griffith herself: for example, Kathy Mattea, who had a country music top five hit with a 1986 cover (Love at the Five and Dime) of Love at the Five and Dime.
ADDITIONALLY
In 1994, Griffith teamed up with Jimmy Webb to contribute the song "If These Old Walls Could Speak" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Country produced by the Red Hot Organization. Griffith is a survivor of breast cancer which was diagnosed in 1996, and thyroid cancer in 1998.[2]
Singer-songwriter Christine Lavin remembers the first time she saw Griffith perform:
I was struck by how perfect everything was about her singing, her playing, her talking. I realized from the get-go that this was someone who was a complete professional. Obviously she had worked a long time to get to be that good.
During her career, Griffith toured with many artists, including Buddy Holly's band, The Crickets; John Prine; Iris DeMent; Suzy Bogguss; and Judy Collins. Griffith has recorded duets with many artists, among them Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, John Prine, Don McLean, Jimmy Buffett, Dolores Keane, Willie Nelson, Adam Duritz (singer of Counting Crows), The Chieftains, and Darius Rucker (lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish). She also contributed background vocals on many other recordings.
Griffith suffered from severe 'writers block' for a number of years after 2004, lasting until the 2009 release of her The Loving Kind album, which contained nine selections that she had written and composed either entirely by herself or as collaborations.
After several months of limited touring in 2011, Griffith's bandmates The Kennedys (Pete & Maura Kennedy) packed up their professional Manhattan recording studio and relocated it to Nashville, where they installed it in Griffith's home. There, Griffith and her backing team, including Pete & Maura Kennedy and Pat McInerney, co-produced her album, Intersections over the course of the summer. The album includes several new original songs and was released in April 2012.
In addition to her own songs, Griffith is well known for her versions of other people's material, usually by contemporary singer-songwriters.
Awards
Griffith won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album for Other Voices, Other Rooms. In 2008, the Americana Music Association awarded her its Americana Trailblazer Award; Lyle Lovett, who contributed backing vocals to some of "The Blue Moon Orchestra's" recordings,[which?] had won it before her.
Band (The Blue Moon Orchestra)
Griffith refers to her backing band as "The Blue Moon Orchestra." This reference is believed to have been drawn from both the title of one of her earliest albums, Once in a Very Blue Moon, and its title selection, which reached #85 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in 1986.
Going Back To Georgia
Nanci Griffith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've gotta look real hard to find a reason to cry
New York, New York is a friend of the traveling kind
And I'm coming around from years of hard times
He's chased me down through the towns and the miles
Once stilled by love he was bound to roll on by
And if you feel my love won't leave you
If you are traveling back to Georgia
(oo ooo back to Georgia)
Won't you take me with you there
Well I'm long gone darlin', lonesome blue
I been thinking of leavin', I been thinkin' o you
But that big city singin' man, I like the way that it shines
I was half a mile from Canada waitin' on a train
Wonderin' and wishin' I could disappear again
I been killed by love still it takes me to the end of the line
And if you feel my love won't leave you
And if your sorrow has been your share
If you are traveling back to Georgia
(oo ooo back to Georgia)
Won't you take me with you there
Well, I been troubled by a love untrue
He's a fool who'll drown in his fountain of youth
I can see that now as I'm walkin' and talkin' with you
Well, I been blinded by the sun, washed in the rain
Scattered in America, I'm scatterin' again
But if you're goin' south darlin, I guess I'm travelin' with you
And if you feel my love won't leave you
And if your sorrow has been your share
If you are traveling back to Georgia
(oo ooo back to Georgia)
Won't you take me with you there
And if you feel my love won't leave you
And if your sorrow has been your share
If you are traveling back to Georgia
(oo ooo back to Georgia)
Won't you take me with you there
Take me with you...
Oh....won't you take me home
The lyrics of Nanci Griffith's "Going Back To Georgia" tell the story of a traveler who is returning to Georgia while looking for redemption and hoping to start anew. The song begins with the singer observing the snowy city as a backdrop to her lover's brown eyes. She finds it hard to cry and sees New York as a friend of travelers who are always on the move. Having been through years of hard times, the singer acknowledges that love once stopped her lover from leaving. Yet, despite the pain, he will always roll on by.
Later in the song, the singer expresses her desire to travel back to Georgia with her lover, confessing that she has been "scattered in America," and that she's seen both sunshine and rain. She sees that her previous love was unfaithful and confusing, but with the person she's currently walking and talking with, she now sees the possibility of a brighter future. The lyric is filled with the yearning to return to a simpler time, the feeling of wandering far and then coming back to the familiar, and the hope of finding someone to provide comfort along the way.
Overall, "Going Back To Georgia" is a wistful song that paints a picture of a traveler returning to her roots. The song evokes a sense of longing and nostalgia, with the singer describing her wandering and searching for a place to belong. The theme of the song is ultimately about feeling lost and the comfort of finding one's way home.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh the city snow makes your brown eyes shine
The beauty of the city covered in snow is reflected in your sparkling eyes.
We've gotta look real hard to find a reason to cry
We need to try hard to find something to feel sorry about.
New York, New York is a friend of the traveling kind
The city of New York is hospitable to travelers and wanderers.
And I'm coming around from years of hard times
I'm gradually recovering from many hard and difficult years.
He's chased me down through the towns and the miles
My past love has been following me wherever I go.
Once stilled by love he was bound to roll on by
He was once stopped in his tracks by love, but he couldn't stay for long and had to move on.
And if you feel my love won't leave you
If you believe that my love for you is genuine and everlasting.
And if your sorrow has been your share
If you've been going through a lot of pain and heartache.
If you are traveling back to Georgia
If you're heading back to Georgia where we both come from.
(oo ooo back to Georgia)
Repetition of the chorus.
Well I'm long gone darlin', lonesome blue
I've been gone for a long time, feeling very lonely and sad.
I been thinking of leavin', I been thinkin' o you
I've been considering leaving and going back to Georgia, thinking of you.
But that big city singin' man, I like the way that it shines
I enjoy listening to the music of the big city and the way it glitters and shines.
I was half a mile from Canada waitin' on a train
I was near Canada waiting for a train to take me away.
Wonderin' and wishin' I could disappear again
I was wondering and hoping to vanish without a trace again.
I been killed by love still it takes me to the end of the line
Love has hurt and destroyed me, but I'm still willing to follow it to the end of the line.
Well, I been troubled by a love untrue
I've been having a difficult time with a love that's not genuine or real.
He's a fool who'll drown in his fountain of youth
He's foolish and will lose himself in his quest for eternal youth and vitality.
I can see that now as I'm walkin' and talkin' with you
I realize this now as I'm walking and talking with you.
Well, I been blinded by the sun, washed in the rain
I've been through a lot of ups and downs, good and bad times.
Scattered in America, I'm scatterin' again
I'm lost and without a clear direction in America, and I feel lost again.
But if you're goin' south darlin, I guess I'm travelin' with you
If you're heading south, I'll travel with you, my dear.
Oh....won't you take me home
Repetition of the final plea to be taken home to Georgia.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRIAN CLAFFIN, ADAM DURITZ, NANCI GRIFFITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind