Jones settled in LA at the age of nineteen, doing the classic waiting tables stuff until she landed a recording contract with Warners. Her self-titled debut album in 1979 was a big success, as was the single, Chuck E.'s in Love, about her musician friend Chuck E. Weiss. At the 1980 Grammy Awards, she won a Grammy for Best New Artist, and also received four more nominations: for Record of the Year; Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female; Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female; and Song of the Year (for "Chuck E.'s in Love"). While none of her subsequent recordings achieved the same level of commercial success, Jones has continued releasing critically acclaimed albums that have explored a variety of sonic terrain from jazz standards to trip hop influenced works.
Jones' pursuit of jazz standards led to the recording of "The Moon Is Made of Gold" and "Autumn Leaves" for Rob Wasserman's album Duets in 1985. The latter track earned her another Grammy nomination. And in 1990, her duet with Dr. John, a cover of "Makin' Whoopee", earned the artist her second Grammy Award, this time in the category of Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group.
At the time of recording her debut album, Jones was in a romantic relationship with Tom Waits; she is the girl draped over the car on the cover of his 1978 album Blue Valentine.
Early in her career, Jones was known for her drinking and substance abuse. She eventually tempered those demons, and came to terms with herself, and her own uncertain spirituality, and has maintained respect of her musical peers.
She's devoted to her talents, beyond music, one of which is raising her teenage daughter, and has even run her own political website and made music critiquing the Bush administration. She is involved in left-wing politics and community activism, partly through her web community, Furniture for the People (http://www.furnitureforthepeople.com/).
A greatest hits collection on Rhino called The Duchess of Coolsville was released in 2005.
In 2007 she signed to New West Records releasing The Sermon On Exposition Blvd, a record exploring lyrical territory inspired by Lee Cantelon's 1991 book The Words, which attempted to translate Christ's teachings into a more accessible contemporary format. Cantelon's friend, Guitarist Peter Atanasoff was instrumental in the creation of the eventual record.
Discography
1979: Rickie Lee Jones – Warner Bros.
1981: Pirates – Warner Bros.
1983: Girl at Her Volcano (EP) – Warner Bros.
1984: The Magazine – Warner Bros.
1989: Flying Cowboys - Geffen
1991: Pop Pop - Geffen
1993: Traffic From Paradise - Geffen
1995: Naked Songs - Reprise
1997: Ghostyhead – Warner Bros.
2000: It's Like This - Artemis
2001: Live at Red Rocks - Artemis
2003: The Evening of My Best Day – V2
2005: Duchess of Coolsville - Rhino
2007: Sermon On Exposition Boulevard - New West
2009: Balm in Gilead
Tried To Be A Man
Rickie Lee Jones Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
Heck, I got a red neck in plaid suit
And he's on TV real late balalaikas tolling
Sheba plays the flute
There's a communist and capitalists
They all think I'm cute
You know, I'm out of rehab
Anyway I think it's time to say
Exactly what I am
Cause I tried to be a man
But that's just not meant to be
You know I
Tried to be a man
That's not what I came to be
Well, there's seven years of famine
And seven years of drought
Seven years of Sam
And you know what I'm talking about
And it won't take very long before its hard to tell
If they're trying to take you back with him
To heaven or to hell
They make her so pretty
She won't be pretty long
She'll be rising out of the sea of planet Babylon
Cause she tried to be a man
That's not what she came to be
She tried to be a man
That's not what she came to be
She's living down on Bronson
She never blinks her eyes
The family in Wisconsin
Look like they're hypnotized
I get a strange sensation
When I lay down in my bed
In fact, if you could drop me on the corner
Here instead on planet Babylon
That's where they wrote the book
Hey there's something here about you
Come on and take a look
It says you tried to be a man
But that's not what you came to be
It says, it says, it says, it says
You tried to be a man
But that's not what you came to be
Came to be
What you came to be
That's not what you came to be
The lyrics to Rickie Lee Jones's song Tried To Be A Man, on the surface, appear to be nonsensical and random. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that the song is about identity and the struggle to find one's true self. The opening line of the song, "Round here we don't need no one trying to set us straight," sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. The singer is rejecting the idea that anyone else can tell them who they are or how they should be living their life.
The next few lines, which describe a red-necked man on TV and the sound of balalaikas and a flute, serve to underscore the idea that the world is a chaotic and confusing place. The reference to communists and capitalists thinking she's cute further highlights the singer's feeling of being lost in a world that doesn't make sense to her.
The chorus of the song, "Cause I tried to be a man / But that's just not meant to be," is a statement of resignation. The singer has tried to fit into the mold that society has set for her, but she realizes that it's not who she is supposed to be. The verses that follow speak to the struggle of living in a world that doesn't understand you, and the desire to find a place where you belong.
Overall, Tried To Be A Man is a lyrically dense song that requires multiple listens to fully comprehend. It's a meditation on identity, the struggle to find oneself in a chaotic world, and the realization that sometimes being true to oneself means rejecting the expectations of others.
Contributed by Sydney R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Felice Marie Berkley
on It Must Be Love
One of my fav. songs..!
Felice Marie Berkley
on Comin' Back To Me
Very pretty song.