Rachael Yamagata (born on September 23, 1977 in Arlington, Virginia) is a s… Read Full Bio ↴Rachael Yamagata (born on September 23, 1977 in Arlington, Virginia) is a singer-songwriter. She plays piano and acoustic guitar, and her dark, smokey alto garners frequent comparisons to Fiona Apple. Her first full-length album, Happenstance, was released on June 8, 2004.

Yamagata became the vocalist for the Chicago funk-fusion band Bumpus, spending six years with them while writing and recording three albums and touring the country. However, she began to write songs which took on a style that conflicted with the funk vision of the band. In 2001, Yamagata decided to take those songs and pursue a solo career. In September 2002, she landed a two-record deal with Arista's Private Music label, and her EP was released in October.

She also made an appearance in Jason Mraz's second album, singing a song with him called Did You Get My Message?

She also teamed with with Toots & the Maytals to sing Blame On Me.

She also worked with Ryan Adams & The Cardinals on their first album Cold Roses. On that album, where she is credited as: "Our little sis", she did some vocals and played "listenable" piano on the tracks 'Let It Ride', 'Cold Roses' and 'Friends'.

Yamagata sang with Rhett Miller on Fireflies from his 2006 release The Believer.

Her songs have featured on several TV shows, including How I Met Your Mother, ER , Nip/Tuck, Men in Trees, Alias, One Tree Hill, Brothers & Sisters and The O.C., to which she made a guest performance in season 2. Yamagata also contributed a song to Mandy Moore's 2007 album, Wild Hope. She also toured with Moore, opening many of her shows around the country.

Yamagata's second studio album is Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart. That album was released on October 7, 2008.

On October 9th, 2008, a two-song live acoustic video performance premiered on LiveDaily Sessions, featuring the songs "Faster" and "Sunday Afternoon".

Her highly acclaimed CD Chesapeake premiered on October 11, 2011, and was followed by an extensive tour.

On April 23, 2016, Yamagata released an acoustic version of Happenstance, Acoustic Happenstance. Later that year, she released her fourth studio album, Tightrope Walker on September 23.

1963
Rachael Yamagata Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Baby, I'm stuck in the middle, and I don't know why
Find the words you sing to be
Sweeter than the words of the bird in the sky
Oh, the days you came around
I feel so good for me
I can take most anything
Cause what you bring

I find it to be magical
I feel like I'm loving you in 1963
Flowers in my hair
Little bitty hearts upon my cheek
Baby, you'll be on my mind
'Til I kiss you next time

Baby, come on, take a ride in my little blue bug
Keep the windows down
Don't forget to celebrate the radio's up
Oh, the way you hold my hand
There is no other way
We could take a thousand walks
And laugh all day

I find it to be magical
I feel like I'm loving you in 1963
Flowers in my hair now
Little bitty hearts upon my cheek

Baby, you'll be on my mind
'Til I kiss you next time

Overall Meaning

The song "1963" by Rachael Yamagata appears to be about falling deeply in love and feeling like one is stuck in the middle of it. The opening line, "Baby, I'm stuck in the middle, and I don't know why," suggests a sense of confusion and maybe even vulnerability. However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is enamored with the person they are addressing. The line "Find the words you sing to be sweeter than the words of the bird in the sky" suggests that the person's singing voice is incredibly precious to the singer, perhaps even more so than anything else they experience in nature. The song goes on to explain that the days that the person being addressed came around were incredibly good for the singer, and that they could take most anything because of this. The love feels magical, as though the singer is transported back to 1963, and there are "flowers in my hair" and "little bitty hearts upon my cheek." The song ends with the singer declaring that they will be thinking about their beloved until they can kiss them again.

Overall, the song is a stunningly beautiful portrayal of deep love and adoration. The singer appears to be infatuated with the person they are addressing and feels as though they are constantly in a state of romantic enchantment. The song's 1960s references suggest a sense of nostalgia, which serves to evoke a further sense of romanticism.

Line by Line Meaning

Baby, I'm stuck in the middle, and I don't know why
I am unsure about my current situation with you.

Find the words you sing to be
I really enjoy the way you speak to me and the things you tell me.

Sweeter than the words of the bird in the sky
I find your words to be more pleasing than the bird's.

Oh, the days you came around
I am extremely happy every time you visit me.

I feel so good for me
Being with you brings me great happiness.

I can take most anything
I feel like I can handle anything as long as you are with me.

Cause what you bring
You bring me love, happiness and joy.

I find it to be magical
Being with you feels like something out of a fairytale.

I feel like I'm loving you in 1963
I feel like I am loving you in simpler, happier times like the 1960s.

Flowers in my hair
I feel like I should adorn myself with flowers to match the happiness I feel when I am with you.

Little bitty hearts upon my cheek
I feel like I should draw little hearts on my cheek to express my love for you.

Baby, you'll be on my mind
I will constantly think about you and cherish the time we spent together.

'Til I kiss you next time
I will look forward to the next time I will see you in person and be able to express my love through a kiss.

Baby, come on, take a ride in my little blue bug
Let's go on a fun adventure together in my car.

Keep the windows down
We will let the wind blow through our hair during our adventure.

Don't forget to celebrate the radio's up
Let's turn the radio up and sing and dance together on this adventure.

Oh, the way you hold my hand
I love the feeling of safety and security when you hold my hand.

There is no other way
I cannot imagine going on adventures with anyone else but you.

We could take a thousand walks
We have many more adventures waiting for us in the future.

And laugh all day
We will have a fun and joyous time together during our adventures.

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MARK CHRISTOPHER BATSON, RACHAEL AMANDA YAMAGATA

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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