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.
Vertigo
Rachael Sage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time I look away I feel more o' the same
Every time I hold your hand, feels like I'm drowning
Every time I let it go I feel vertigo
And I know what I know and I know it's not right
And I should've run far, ‘fore you held me tight
And I feel what I feel, feel this is wrong
Every time you tell me secrets and I listen hard
I feel like I'm the parchment and you are the bard
Every time you tell me things I'm not sure you should say
I feel like I'm standing still, running away
And I know what I know and I know it's not right
And I should've run far, ‘fore you held me tight
And I feel what I feel, feel this is wrong
And I should've run fast, ‘fore you led me on… on…
And I'm already yours
But you'll never be mine
I should board up these doors
Before I lose my mind…
And I know what I know and I know it's not right
And I should've run far, ‘fore you held me tight
And I feel what I feel, feel this is wrong
And I should've run fast, ‘fore you led me on… on…
The song "Vertigo" by Rachael Sage is a melancholic reflection on the singer's complicated emotions towards someone she knows she should not be with. The song is structured in a way that allows the chorus to make a strong impact, with those four lines summarizing the singer's conflict and confusion. The verses explore the different ways that this person affects her - when she looks at him, she feels pain; when he speaks to her, she feels like she is standing still; and when she touches him, she feels like she is drowning. The lyrics also acknowledge that the singer knows this person is not good for her, but she has already become too involved to easily separate herself from him.
The song's use of repetition effectively emphasizes the singer's emotional struggle. The repeated phrase "and I should've run...", combined with the mention of "vertigo" in the chorus, emphasizes the feeling of being stuck in a dizzying cycle of attraction and regret. The metaphor of the "parchment" and the "bard" in the second verse adds another layer to the song's complexity, depicting the singer as both entranced and wary of the other person's influence.
Overall, "Vertigo" dives deep into the emotional turmoil and confusion that can arise in relationships. Despite knowing that someone is not good for us, it can be hard to let go of the intense feelings that they provoke in us. The chorus resonates with the internal struggle that many can relate to, while the verses paint a picture of how those feelings manifest in different moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I see your face I feel like I'm in pain
Seeing your face brings emotional pain that I cannot seem to escape.
Every time I look away I feel more o' the same
Even when I try to distract myself, the pain persists and remains unchanged.
Every time I hold your hand, feels like I'm drowning
Physical contact with you feels suffocating and overwhelming.
Every time I let it go I feel vertigo
When I distance myself from you, I experience dizzying sensations that leave me disoriented.
And I know what I know and I know it's not right
I am aware of the truth deep down, and I recognize that it's not a healthy situation.
And I should've run far, ‘fore you held me tight
I regret not having left before you had a chance to draw me into a close and potentially damaging relationship.
And I feel what I feel, feel this is wrong
My instincts tell me that something is not right and I shouldn't pursue this any further.
And I should've run fast, ‘fore you led me on… on…
I should have distanced myself immediately before you had a chance to lead me into a more complicated and messy situation.
Every time you tell me secrets and I listen hard
When you confide in me and I pay close attention, I become more involved and invested.
I feel like I'm the parchment and you are the bard
I'm a blank slate waiting for you to write your story onto me, or mold me into whatever you want me to be.
Every time you tell me things I'm not sure you should say
When you reveal sensitive or private information, I become uncertain about how to respond and what the implications might be.
I feel like I'm standing still, running away
I'm frozen with indecision and fear, unable to move forward or find a clear path out of this situation.
And I'm already yours
I'm inextricably tied to you, despite my reservations and concerns.
But you'll never be mine
I understand that our connection is not reciprocal, and I won't be able to have the kind of relationship with you that I want.
I should board up these doors
I need to protect myself and shut off my emotions, to prevent further damage or hurt.
Before I lose my mind…
I'm afraid of losing my grip on reality or becoming consumed by the tumultuous emotions this situation brings up for me.
Contributed by Elena A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@NickyRomanidou
I also came here from Maddie Ziegler's solo! This song is amazing, just like "Happiness" that what written for Maddie, "Frost"," Birthday", "Timeless" and "Bravedancing" ! Congratulations! Keep up, keep making the mind travel far away!!!!
@Annathecommenter
Ok, but can we just talk about how well this music video has aged? This video quality is EXCEPTIONAL for 2008.
@cescamagee
I can't stop listening to this song it's gorgeous! <3
@danceangel5571
This song is fire 🔥
@systolediastole2
I love Rachael! It's great to see that there's new music from her!
@bibliothequeinclusive8255
Weird video but great song, I love it <3
@Esotericanyc
Well done to you, Rachel and the good folks at Perhaps Media. The video looks great!
@FannyGodMother
Lovely song! The Tori Amos influence is all over this song and I’m here for it!!
@aldcbossladies4462
It's ironic that this is from Maddie's solo Vertigo and it's from her album Chandelier and Maddie is well known for dancing in Sia's videos to her song Chandelier.
@djmusicjac
I saw her perform Edinburgh Fringe, i really like her vocals very much, she has beautiful vocals, charisma on stage, awesome songwriter, she will be a huge International pop/dance star!