Wainwright was born in Rhinebeck, New York, USA, to folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle (they divorced while he was a child). He began to play the piano at age six, and by age thirteen he was touring with his sister Martha Wainwright, mother Kate, and aunt Anna as the McGarrigle Sisters and Family.
His song I'm A-Runnin', which he performed in the movie Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (in which he also played a minor character), was nominated for the 1989 Genie Award for Best Original Song and earned him a nomination for the 1990 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist.
He lived in Montreal with his mother for most of his childhood and briefly attended McGill University, where he studied both classical and 'rock' piano. Some of his songs feature his mastery of French. Wainwright still maintains a residence in Canada.
He came out as gay while still a teen.
Wainwright became interested in opera throughout his adolescent years (for instance, his track Barcelona features lyrics of Giuseppe Verdi). He also became an enthusiast of such performers as Édith Piaf, Al Jolson and Judy Garland.
After having been a fixture on the Montreal club circuit, Wainwright cut a series of demo tapes, one of which found itself in the hands of DreamWorks executive Lenny Waronker. The label signed him and he released the self-titled Rufus Wainwright album in the spring of 1998. This album received much critical acclaim in Canada, and was recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the best albums of the year. Wainwright's second album, Poses (2001), brought similar acclaim.
Wainwright's first main exposure to the American public came as an opener to singer Tori Amos in 2001 and 2002. He garnered praise for his performance and began touring as a main act shortly afterwards. He has frequently toured as the opener for Sting and co-headlined with Ben Folds and Guster in the summer of 2004. He still often performs with his sister Martha Wainwright (now herself an emerging artist) on backup vocals. Despite a growing cult following and critical acclaim, Wainwright has experienced only marginal commercial success in the United States.
In addition to being a pianist, Wainwright is a guitarist, often switching between the two instruments when performing live; however, his mastery of the guitar does not approach his talent with the piano within the Piano rock genre. While some of his most moving songs feature just Wainwright with his piano, many of his songs display complex layering and harmonies, occasionally comprising hundreds of individual parts. Wainwright is an avid opera fan, and the influences on his music are evident, as well as his love of Schubert 'Lieder'; his music has been described as "Popera" (Pop Opera) or "Baroque Pop." His lyrics are filled with allusions to opera, literature, pop culture, and, more recently, politics (in songs such as Gay Messiah and Waiting for a Dream). Wainwright is a recovering crystal meth addict and a rape survivor; he uses the press to bring awareness to these societal problems.
His talent has been widely recognized and praised by such artists as Elton John, Morrissey, John Mayer, and Sting, and he continues to influence artists like Keane, Alanis Morissette, Scissor Sisters, and Ben Folds.
Wainwright's Want Two, from which four songs were released as the EP Waiting for a Want, was released by DreamWorks/Geffen on November 16, 2004. It is a companion to the 2003 release Want One. His latest, a live iTunes Sessions EP entitled Alright Already, was released March 15, 2005. A DVD entitled All I Want, featuring a biographical documentary, music videos, and live performances, was released on both sides of the Atlantic in summer 2005. The same year was also notable for two major contributions as solo vocalist to a pair of important records: the Mercury Prize winning I am a Bird Now and At This Time.
The pair of Want albums was repackaged as Want for a late November 2005 release to coincide with the start of a British tour. The version of Want One is that which contains the two extra songs Es Mus Sein and Velvet Curtain Rag. The Want (Want One and Want Two combined) package in the UK has two new extra tracks: Chelsea Hotel No. 2 and In with the Ladies, which replace Coeur de Parisienne — Reprise d'Arletty and Quand Vous Mourez de Nos Amours from 2004's augmented edition.
Rufus' fifth studio album Release the Stars was released by Geffen on May 15, 2007. The album was executive produced by Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys and featured Richard Thompson, Teddy Thompson, Martha Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle, Neil Tennant, Joan Wasser, Julianna Raye, Larry Mullins - pka Toby Dammit and Sian Phillips.[14]. It reached number 2 in the UK and debuted at number 23 in the USA. The first single of the album, "Going To A Town" was released on April 3, 2007 on the iTunes music store.
Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall is his sixth album. It is a live recording of his June 2006 tribute concert to Judy Garland. Backed by a 36-piece orchestra under the conduction of Stephen Oremus, Wainwright recreated Garland's April 23, 1961 concert, often considered "the greatest night in show business history." After overcoming many personal problems, her comeback performance of 25+ American standards spawned the double album, "Judy at Carnegie Hall."
As well as Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller, Wainwright has appeared in the films The Aviator and Heights. Rufus has music in the film Brokeback Mountain, for which he recorded The Maker Makes and King of the Road, as well as a minor cameo as a guitar player.
Wainwright released his sixth studio album All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu in March 2010. In stark contrast to the lush ornamentation of Release The Stars, the album is a simple voice and piano rendition of a song cycle that includes versions of three Shakespeare sonnets, and an excerpt from his 2009 opera Prima Donna.
The Lulu figure of the title is said by Wainwright to be "the dark, brooding, dangerous woman that lives within all of us", similar to the Dark Lady character in Shakespeare's sonnets. The first part of the title comes from the final couplet of William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 43" ("All days are nights to see till I see thee...").
14th Street
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My dear mother's eyes
A brown horse's mane
And my uncle's name
You walked me down 14th Street
For the doctor to meet after thoughts of the grave
In the home of the brave and of the weak
Couldn't you have saved a little bit of it?
Why'd you have to break all my heart?
Couldn't you have saved a minor part?
I could have clipped and saved and planted in the garden
Damn you guess I'll have to get a new one
I'd love to sit and watch you drink
With the reins to the world, gripping a smoke
Vaguely missing link
Don't ever change you hungry little bashful hound
I got the sheep, poor little Bo Peep
Has lost and filed for grounds.
But why'd you have to break all my heart
I could have ripped apart and thrown into the river
Wonder if there's hearts that will deliver
Don't ever change, don't ever worry
Because I'm coming back home tomorrow
To 14th Street where I won't hurry
And where I'll learn how to save, not just borrow
And they'll be rainbows and we will finally know
In Rufus Wainwright's song "14th Street," the lyrics begin by stating "You've got my lost brother's soul, my dear mother's eyes." The singer is describing the person he is addressing as possessing certain traits from people he has lost. He then goes on to mention a brown horse's mane and his uncle's name, which suggests that the person has perhaps inherited other characteristics and traits from people close to the singer. The verse continues with the person walking the singer down 14th Street to meet a doctor after some morbid thoughts, which hints at a close relationship and trust between the two.
The chorus of the song takes a turn as the singer asks why the person had to break his heart and couldn't have saved just a little bit of it. This suggests that there was perhaps a romantic relationship between the two or a deep connection that has been broken. The singer then reflects on the possibility of having been able to save a minor part of his heart if the person hadn't broken it entirely but mourns that it's too late to do anything about it now. He longs to replant his heart in the garden to grow anew but acknowledges that he'll have to find a new one.
The second verse describes the person drinking with the reins to the world in their hands, missing like a link, as the singer watches on. He admires the person's hunger and bashfulness but reveals that he's holding the sheep while little Bo Peep has lost and filed for grounds. Again, the chorus repeats with the singer asking why the person had to break his heart and laments that perhaps there are hearts out there that will deliver. The song's final lines offer hope as the singer tells the person not to ever change or worry because he's coming back home tomorrow to 14th Street, where he won't hurry and will learn how to save, not just borrow. The lyrics conclude with the promise of rainbows and finally knowing.
Line by Line Meaning
You've got my lost brother's soul
You possess the same essence as my lost brother.
My dear mother's eyes
Your gaze reminds me of my dear mother.
A brown horse's mane
Your hair flows like a horse's mane.
And my uncle's name
Your name is the same as my uncle's.
You walked me down 14th Street
You guided me down a significant street.
For the doctor to meet after thoughts of the grave
We went to meet a doctor after contemplating death.
In the home of the brave and of the weak
In a place that is both strong and vulnerable.
But why'd you have to break all my heart
Why did you have to hurt me so deeply?
Couldn't you have saved a little bit of it?
Couldn't you have left me with some love?
I could have clipped and saved and planted in the garden
I could have saved and nurtured the love you gave me.
Damn you guess I'll have to get a new one
I will have to find new love to replace what you took.
I'd love to sit and watch you drink
I enjoy seeing you enjoy yourself.
With the reins to the world, gripping a smoke
With control over your life, holding a cigarette.
Vaguely missing link
Something is not quite right.
Don't ever change you hungry little bashful hound
Stay the same, you eager but shy person.
I got the sheep, poor little Bo Peep
I have what you want, like Bo Peep's lost sheep.
Has lost and filed for grounds.
You cannot have it.
But why'd you have to break all my heart
Why did you have to hurt me so deeply?
I could have ripped apart and thrown into the river
I could have destroyed the love you gave me.
Wonder if there's hearts that will deliver
I wonder if there are hearts that can truly love.
Don't ever change, don't ever worry
Stay the same, don't fret.
Because I'm coming back home tomorrow
I will return home soon.
To 14th Street where I won't hurry
To that significant street where I will take my time.
And where I'll learn how to save, not just borrow
And where I will learn to save love rather than just borrow it.
And they'll be rainbows and we will finally know
And everything will be good and clear.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LayItPlayItDown
The full end??? usually they leave the stage one by one to the sound of clap, clap, clap... Take the info away, you made me really glad at first, cause i haven't found a single clip yet, of this song in it's entirity...But i still put 5 stars on it, cause it's a great, great clip!