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.
Over And Over
Rachael Yamagata Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were dangerous
But I let you in I played alone
Coming together
Such a sweet mistake
And I'm ready for the fall
No one can break through
I'll never win the game of your heart
Of your heart
And now it's over
This game is over
Who will be the loser
When I'm gone gone gone
Remember the first time
When you were mine
It was beautiful at it's start
The future was open
Wild and innocent
But we tore it all apart
I wanted to save you
From all that you'd been through
I was just a victim of your crime
And now it's over
This game is over
Who will be the loser
When I'm gone gone gone
Ooh hoo hoo hoo
And now it's over
This game is over
Who will be the loser
When I'm gone gone gone
And now it's over
This game is over
Who will be the loser
When I'm gone gone gone
Who will be the loser
When I'm gone gone gone
And now it's over
This game is over
Who will be the loser
When I'm gone gone gone
The lyrics of the song Over and Over by Rachael Yamagata are deeply emotive and speak about the struggles of moving on after a break-up. The song highlights the internal turmoil of the singer who thought that they were okay but keep waking up with the person they miss on their mind. The lyrics in the first verse of the song present the confusion and pain of the singer. They are coming to terms with the fact that they are not okay, and they remain haunted by the person they miss, and there is nothing to take off their mind.
The chorus of the song is repetitive, and this serves to reinforce the message of the song. The singer keeps repeating the words, "let it rain, let it rain," as if to indicate that they want to drown in their thoughts and memories of the person they miss. It shows that the singer is struggling to move on and wants to feel something, even if that feeling is pain. They want to wallow in their feelings and want things to rain down on them, unlike the happy ending they wished for.
The second verse of the song is somewhat introspective, and it portrays the singer's feeling of helplessness. They want to hide within a storm, a metaphor for their pain and find peace in it. The lyrics speak to the idea that they want the storm to take them over and hold them in a standstill ground. The lyrics in the bridge speak to the idea of wanting to forget and move on from the pain. The line, "raise the rivers high, just help me drown" talks about the singer's desire to be swept away by the tide of their emotions and leave the pain behind.
Line by Line Meaning
I really thought I was okay
At a previous moment, I believed that I was emotionally stable
I really thought I was just fine
At a previous moment, I believed that I was mentally well
But when I woke this time
However, when I became conscious on this occasion
There was nothing to take me back to sleep
There were no distractions to lull me back into sleep
To take you off my mind
To remove thoughts of you from my consciousness
And I keep saying over and over and over and over again
I repeat incessantly
Let it rain, let it rain
I desire heavy rainfall
I need to hide within a storm
I long to find refuge within a tempestuous weather event
So happy ending come
I hope for a positive resolution
And bring the winds that scream
I want to experience deafening gusts of wind
And spill the fog all over time
I wish for the mist to cloak everything around me
And hold me in your standstill ground
I yearn for the stability of being with you
And I will sit down
I will remain stationary, feeling paralyzed
And you'll be washed away
You will be removed and dismissed, like dirt and debris in a flood
And I keep saying over and over and over and over again
I continue with my repetitive speech
Let it rain, let it rain
I persist in requesting heavy rainfall
And break through every door
I aim for a breakthrough regardless of obstacles
And strip away between
I wish to eliminate everything that separates us
And raise the rivers high
I desire for waterways to surge to extreme heights
Just help me drown
I plead to be submerged in water (a metaphor for emotions)
And hold me in your standstill ground
I continue to desire the steadiness of being with you
I will sit down
I am resigned to sitting, feeling stagnant and motionless
And you'll be washed away
You will be completly removed like dirt and debris in a flood
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: RACHAEL YAMAGATA, SIN SINGULAR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind