Now Los Angeles-based, Ahn joined the Fall 2008 Hotel Café Tour, and subsequently toured with Meiko, Erin McCarley, Laura Jansen, and Ingrid Michaelson. In live performance she plays acoustic guitar, harmonica, and kazoo. Although atypical instruments, her talented use of the harmonica and kazoo add a beautiful quality to her songs She – like many other performers – will occasionally use a loop pedal to record and play background vocals in real time. Even being the only artist on stage, Ahn is able to bring a richly layered and complex sound to her shows.
Before the Hotel Café Tour Ahn toured with artist such as Joshua Radin, Meiko, and Cary Brothers. Her music has also been featured on The Tonight Show, Grey’s Anatomy, Knight Rider, Men in Trees, The Late Late Show, and the movie Disturbia.
Influences - Ani DiFranco, Pink Floyd, Jack Kerouac, Neil Young, Syd Barrett, Jeff Buckley, the color yellow, Radiohead, Nick Drake, Sufjan Stevens, Andrew Bird, Ayrton Senna, Pinback, The Kinks, Sparklehorse, Juana Molina, love lost-love found.
Singer-songwriter Priscilla Ahn embarked upon a career the old-fashioned way: she packed her belongings in a car—“two guitars, clothes, and some other junk I really didn't need to bring”—and left her Pennsylvania home for L.A. That she found steady gigs, a supportive circle of fellow artists and a record deal in a relatively short period of time—give or take several months of bad waitressing jobs—will come as no surprise after a single listen to “Dream,” the lilting opening track of A Good Day, her full-length debut on Blue Note Records. Ahn artfully balances youthful whimsy and grown-up sophistication, playing guitar and singing in a warm, welcoming, and stunningly self-assured voice.
See current news, music releases and tour information at Ahn's website:
www.priscillaahn.com
Astronaut
Priscilla Ahn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That us down below are living on a little rock with no place to go
So much that they'll never know (ohhh, boy)
They just want to be back at home
The elephant sees the dangers of the jungle
The birds and the bees only know which way to fly
If only I knew how to fly
The fish in the sea have many things to tell me
Well what could they be? I'll never know
I had to go because I don't associate with fish
So I continue to roam (ohhh boy)
Looking to find me a home
Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh.
Priscilla Ahn's song "Astronaut" explores the feeling of being lost and alienated in a world where one is uncertain about their place. The song begins with a reference to the discovery made by astronauts, that we down below are living on a little rock with no place to go. This references the idea that we are all stuck on one planet with limited resources, and there are limited options for us to explore or find new homes. The line "so much that they'll never know (ohhh, boy)" suggests that despite having traveled to outer space and discovered new frontiers, there is still so much about life and existence that we will never understand.
The lyrics continue with a reference to the elephant seeing the dangers of the jungle and the birds and bees knowing which way to fly. This is juxtaposed with the line "if only I knew how to fly", highlighting the singer's desire to have a clear direction in life. The line "the moment they got me to try (ah, ah, ahhh)" suggests that the singer may have attempted to find a sense of direction or purpose, but perhaps failed or gave up.
The final stanza refers to the fish in the sea having many things to tell the singer, but they will never know because they do not associate with fish. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the idea that there are countless perspectives and experiences in the world that we may never understand because of our own limited perspectives. The song ends with the singer still searching for a home, still trying to find their place in a world where everything seems so vast and unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
Not long ago when the astronauts discovered
Recently, the astronauts found out
That us down below are living on a little rock with no place to go
We humans reside on a tiny planet with nowhere to move
So much that they'll never know (ohhh, boy)
There are numerous things that they will never comprehend
They just want to be back at home
They crave to return to their residence
The elephant sees the dangers of the jungle
Elephant can identify the hazards in the forest
The birds and the bees only know which way to fly
Birds and bees have knowledge of their directional flight
If only I knew how to fly
I wish I could fly
The moment they got me to try (ah, ah, ahhh)
But the time when they encouraged me to attempt was fleeting
The fish in the sea have many things to tell me
There are numerous things that the fish in the ocean could inform me about
Well what could they be? I'll never know
But I'll never be aware of what those could be
I had to go because I don't associate with fish
I had to depart because I don't relate to fish
So I continue to roam (ohhh boy)
So I drift about
Looking to find me a home
Seeking a place to call my own
Ahhhh, ahhhh, ahhhh.
A sound that emphasizes the feeling
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: GUS SEYFFERT, PRICILLA HARTRANFT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind