For Sage, who is also a poet, actor and visual artist as well as a longtime record label owner (she founded MPress Records in 1996), music has always been her primary form of self-expression. By the age of three she had taught herself to play the piano, and by her teens, she’d won the ASCAP Pop Songwriting Contest. Upon hearing Sage’s winning entry, legendary producer Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T. Rex) told her she was “extremely talented” and offered to produce her demo. While her parents pressed her to go to Stanford University instead, it was an encouraging moment that gave her the confidence to self-produce her first record, MORBID ROMANTIC.
On the milestone of her tenth album, Sage admits, “I started writing songs to make sense of being bullied in school. I never envisioned music taking me around the world, or that one day I’d play the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Being part of the indie community is humbling though…it keeps you grounded.” Sage, who has collaborated with Phil Ramone and shared stages with Judy Collins, Marc Cohn, The Animals, Shawn Colvin and Sarah McLachlan, has had a prolific career both as a musician and entrepreneur. This year Sage produced the fourth volume of MPress' annual charity compilation series, NEW ARRIVALS, benefiting homeless youth, while her label had its first Billboard charting and Grammy® nominated releases.
HAUNTED BY YOU was tracked with members of Sage’s touring band The Sequins: Quinn (drums), Dave Eggar (cello), Russ Johnson (trumpet), and also features guitarists James Mastro (Patti Smith), Mark Bosch (Ian Hunter) and Jack Petruzelli (Rufus Wainwright); bassists Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco) and Mike Visceglia (Suzanne Vega); mandolin player David Immergluck (Counting Crows); and drummer Doug Yowell (Duncan Sheik). Singer-songwriters Dar Williams, Lucy Woodward, Katie Costello, Ryan Hommel and Seth Glier – as well as actor/director Joshua Leonard – also make guest appearances; John Shyloski (Johnny Winter) and Kevin Killen (Elvis Costello) engineered.
Unlike Sage’s previous albums, including 2009’s critically acclaimed DELANCEY STREET, much of HAUNTED BY YOU was composed on guitar. “I pushed myself to pick up guitar to write this record because I was scared of it and took that as a cue.” The title track, along with “Abby Would You Wait”, “Invisible Light”, “Hey Nah” and “Everything”, were all penned by Sage on a 1966 Martin acoustic inherited from an ex. “I gave myself a pass to try something brand new, and to make mistakes that would hopefully yield something more visceral.”
Sage wrote the dozen songs on the album after separating from her boyfriend of four years, whom she describes as “the kindest, most balanced person I’ve ever dated. He was much more traditional than me though…touring slowly took its toll." Alone, reflecting on her breakup, the 3-time Independent Music Award winner found herself suddenly prolific. “California”, “The Sequin Song” and “Confession” show a more vulnerable, raw side of the singer, reckoning with her newfound freedom, as well as inevitable loneliness.
“After my breakup I had an intense affair with someone I met overseas. I was swept off my feet…but it was an impossible situation.” Strained by long-distance, Sage eventually felt pressured to break off what had become a tumultuous wave of cross-continental phone calls and emails. “Soulstice”, featuring Counting Crows’ David Immergluck on mandolin, “captures that moment where I was as happy as I’ve ever been, even though it was fleeting.”
The concept of soul-mates reappears throughout the record. Sage wrote the Americana-inspired “Abby Would You Wait” about someone with whom she shared one long conversation after a gig, but with whom she “connected so strongly that I saw an entire future.” Likewise, the lush, acoustic guitar-based “Everything” celebrates the shameless joy of a new attraction, “when all you can see is shimmering possibility.”
“Invisible Light”, which both opens and closes the album in two very different musical arrangements (one featuring Dar Williams on guest vocals), is Sage’s favorite song on the record. “I wrote ‘Invisible Light’ while fantasizing about someone who just effortlessly ‘gets’ me and lets me in completely. I’m definitely ready to have my mind blown by that kind of love.”
Upcoming tour highlights include official showcases at SXSW (Austin, TX), Hotel Café (Los Angeles, CA), Joe’s Pub (New York, NY) and Lincoln Center’s ‘Meet The Artist’ series (New York, NY). In addition, Think Coffee will be presenting Sage’s first art show in a decade at their Bowery & Bleecker location, from May 6-June 3rd. HAUNTED BY YOU is due out in the U.S. in May 2012.
Sacrifice
Rachael Sage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were the only one who'd paved my way
You were the one who'd helped me overcome
All of the demons inside my skin
But it's been a long time since you've held this hand
And since then I've grown from a boy to a man
I know that if you fall I will stand
Know that these are my own two arms
Know that these are my own two eyes
Know that these are my own true words
Even if your approval is my sacrifice
I know that I have not fulfilled your plans
But I am starting to resent this guilt
Hanging over me like a weeping willow tree
There's no fire can deface self-acceptance
Know that these are my own two arms
Know that these are my own two eyes
Know that these are my own true words
Even if your approval is my sacrifice
I was broken and I wanted too much
Expected you to be so brave, but people don't change
I was frozen and I wanted your touch
Expected you to be so brave, but people don't change, don't change
There was a time when I can honestly say
You were the only one who'd paved my way
You were the one who'd helped me overcome
All of the demons inside my skin
But it's been a long time since you've held this hand
And since then I've grown from a boy to a grown man
I know that if you fall I will still stand
You can never shake this confidence
Know that these are my, know that these are my, know that these are my own two arms
Know that these are my, know that these are
Even if your approval is my sacrifice
Even if your approval is my sacrifice
I was broken and I wanted too much
Expected you to be so brave, but people don't, but people don't change
I was frozen and I wanted your touch
Expected you to be so brave, but people don't, but people don't change, people don't change
Sacrifice
by Rachael Sage is a song that showcases the struggle between a young man's desire for self-autonomy against familial obligations and expectations. The lyrics are imbued with emotions that come from a place of intense vulnerability but also of deep conviction. The song is written in the first person, and the singer is trying to convey a message of self-acceptance to someone who has played a critical role in her/his life but is no longer supportive of her/his choices.
The opening verses are a recollection of the past when the singer was dependent on the person she/he is addressing. The singer acknowledges that the individual helped her/him overcome inner demons, but she/he has grown past that stage. The singer now has confidence in her/his abilities, and if the person falls, she/he will stand. However, the individual's approval is still something the singer desires, even if she/he has to make sacrifices. The chorus reinforces this idea by repeating that the singer's arms, eyes, and words belong to her/him, but she/he still wants the person's approval for validation.
The third verse introduces conflict in the relationship between the two individuals, as the singer admits to not fulfilling the person's plans. Still, the guilt is weighing her/him down, but she/he acknowledges that self-acceptance is crucial. The bridge could be interpreted as the singer trying to come to terms with the fact that the person did not meet her/his expectations, and people don't change. The final verses reiterate the singer's growth from a boy to a man, and the confidence she/he possesses, even without the individual's support.
Line by Line Meaning
There was a time when I can honestly say
In the past, I was able to sincerely claim
You were the only one who'd paved my way
You were the sole person who had helped me achieve my goals
You were the one who'd helped me overcome
You had aided me in conquering
All of the demons inside my skin
All of the inner struggles I faced
But it's been a long time since you've held this hand
However, it has been quite some time since you have shown me support
And since then I've grown from a boy to a man
Since then, I have matured into an adult
I know that if you fall I will stand
I am aware that if you fail, I will remain strong
You can never shake this confidence
My self-assurance cannot be disturbed by you
Know that these are my own two arms
Please recognize that these arms belong only to me
Know that these are my own two eyes
Please acknowledge that these eyes are exclusively mine
Know that these are my own true words
Please understand that these words I speak are authentic to me
Even if your approval is my sacrifice
Even if I have to give up your approval to stay true to myself
I know that I have not fulfilled your plans
I understand that I have not met your expectations
But I am starting to resent this guilt
However, I am beginning to hold negative feelings about this remorse I feel
Hanging over me like a weeping willow tree
Lingering over me like a sad, drooping willow tree
There's no fire can deface self-acceptance
There is no external force that can damage my self-love and self-acceptance
I was broken and I wanted too much
I was once damaged and desired too greatly
Expected you to be so brave, but people don't change
I anticipated you to be courageous, but humans are not capable of change
I was frozen and I wanted your touch
I was once immobilized and yearned for your physical connection
Even if your approval is my sacrifice
Even if I have to relinquish your endorsement to stay true to myself
Even if your approval is my sacrifice
Even if I have to forfeit your approval to stay true to myself
I know that these are my own two arms
I know with certainty that these arms belong solely to me
Even if your approval is my sacrifice
Even if giving up your endorsement is the cost of being genuine to myself
I was broken and I wanted too much
I was once damaged and craved too greatly
Expected you to be so brave, but people don't, but people don't change
I hoped you would be incredibly courageous, but people are not capable of altering themselves
I was frozen and I wanted your touch
I was previously numb and wanted your physical touch
Expected you to be so brave, but people don't, but people don't change, people don't change
I believed you could be utterly fearless, but humans do not transform, they remain the same
Contributed by Adalyn H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.