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...").
California
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
Big time rollers, part time models
So much to plunder
That I think I'll sleep instead
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand surfers, whiffs of freon
California please
There's a moment
I've been saving
A kind of crucifix around this munchkin land
Up north freezing, little me drooling
'That's Entertainment's' on at eight
Come on Ginger slam
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand suffers, whiffs of freon
And my new grandma Bea Arthur
Come on over
Ain't it a shame that at the top
Peanut butter and jam they served you
Ain't it a shame that at the top
Still those soft skin boys can bruise you
Yes I fell for a streaker
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand surfers, whiffs of freon
Ain't it a shame
That all the world can't enjoy your mad traditions
Ain't it a shame that all the world
Don't got keys to their own ignitions
Life is the longest death in California
California
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
So much to plunder that I think I'll sleep instead
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
So much to plunder that I think I'll sleep instead
In Rufus Wainwright's song "California," he sings about his experience in California, the land of big time rollers and part-time models. The song's lyrics explore Wainwright's love-hate relationship with California. Despite being such a fascinating place, California's neon lights, thousands of surfers, and whiffs of freon often leave him feeling disconnected.
Wainwright sings about a moment he's been saving, a kind of crucifix around this munchkin land. The lyrics express his desire to find something meaningful in California's craziness, yet he's left drooling over "That's Entertainment" on TV. He mentions his new grandma Bea Arthur, who he wants to come over.
The lyrics further express Wainwright's frustration with a system where even at the top, people still get bruised. He mentions his falling for a streaker, indicating an element of risk-taking that he's encountered in California. The song ends with Wainwright's realization that life is the longest death in California. Despite its wonders and opportunities, California exhausts him, and he would instead stay in bed than partake in the race.
Line by Line Meaning
California, California
Addressing the state of California twice
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
California is so amazing and bewitching that the singer wants to stay in bed and marvel at it instead of going outside to experience it
Big time rollers, part time models
The people in California include powerful and successful individuals as well as fashion industry people who are not quite at the top of their game
So much to plunder
That I think I'll sleep instead
There is so much to explore and experience in California that the artist is overwhelmed and would rather sleep than go out and engage with it
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand surfers, whiffs of freon
And big nights back east with Rhoda
California please
The artist feels disoriented and unfamiliar with the bright lights and surf culture of California, and longs for the familiarity of home
There's a moment
I've been saving
A kind of crucifix around this munchkin land
There is a special moment the singer has been looking forward to, and it holds a great significance to them
Up north freezing, little me drooling
'That's Entertainment's' on at eight
Come on Ginger slam
The singer reminisces about their childhood in the colder regions of the state, watching TV shows and eating ginger snaps
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand suffers, whiffs of freon
And my new grandma Bea Arthur
Come on over
The artist still feels out of their element in California and misses the comfort of their own family, wishing their new acquaintance Bea Arthur would visit
Ain't it a shame that at the top
Peanut butter and jam they served you
Ain't it a shame that at the top
Still those soft skin boys can bruise you
Yes I fell for a streaker
Even at the top echelons of society in California, there are still people who can hurt you and bring you down. The artist fell for someone who exposed themselves in public
Ain't it a shame
That all the world can't enjoy your mad traditions
Ain't it a shame that all the world
Don't got keys to their own ignitions
The artist laments that the unique and wild culture of California is not accessible to everyone in the world, and that not everyone has the freedom to control their own lives
Life is the longest death in California
Life in California is so intense and full of extremes that it almost feels like a never-ending demise
California
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
So much to plunder that I think I'll sleep instead
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
So much to plunder that I think I'll sleep instead
The artist is so awed by California that they want to indulge in it from a distance, taking it all in while remaining in bed
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN PARKER COMPTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Thelonious Coltrane
"California"
California, California
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
Big time rollers, part time models
So much to plunder
That I think I'll sleep instead
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand surfers, whiffs of freon
And big nights back east with Rhoda
California please
There's a moment
I've been saving
A kind of crucifix around this munchkin land
Up north freezing, little me drooling
That's Entertainment's on at eight
Come on Ginger slam
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand surfers, whiffs of freon
And my new grandma Bea Arthur
Come on over
Ain't it a shame that at the top
Peanut butter and jam they served you
Ain't it a shame that at the top
Still those soft skin boys can bruise you
Yes I fell for a streaker
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand surfers, whiffs of freon
Ain't it a shame
That all the world can't enjoy your mad traditions
Ain't it a shame that all the world
Don't got keys to their own ignitions
Life is the longest death in California
California
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
So much to plunder that I think I'll sleep instead
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
So much to plunder that I think I'll sleep instead
Robespierrey
California, California
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
Big time rollers, part time models
So much to plunder
That I think I'll sleep instead
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand surfers, whiffs of freon
And big nights back east with Rhoda
California please
There's a moment
I've been saving
A kind of crucifix around this munchkin land
Up north freezing, little me drooling
'That's Entertainment's' on at eight
Come on Ginger slam
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand suffers, whiffs of freon
And my new grandma Bea Arthur
Come on over
Ain't it a shame that at the top
Peanut butter and jam they served you
Ain't it a shame that at the top
Still those soft skin boys can bruise you
Yes I fell for a streaker
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousand surfers, whiffs of freon
Ain't it a shame
That all the world can't enjoy your mad traditions
Ain't it a shame that all the world
Don't got keys to their own ignitions
Life is the longest death in California
California
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
So much to plunder that I think I'll sleep instead
You're such a wonder that I think I'll stay in bed
So much to plunder that I think I'll sleep instead
A A
California california
You"re such a wonder that i think i'll stay in bed
Big time rollers part time models
So much to plunder that i think i'll sleep instead.
I don't know this sea of neon
Thousands suffer
Whiffs of freon
And big nights back east with rhoda
California please
There's a moment i've been saving
A kind of crucifix around this munchkin land
Up north freezing little me drooling
That's entertainment on at eight come on ginger
Slam.
I don't know this sea of neon thousands suffer
Whiffs of freon
And my new grandma be arthur
Come on over
Ain't it a shame that at the top peanut butter and jam
They served you
Ain't it a shame that at the top still those
Soft skinned boys can bruise you yes i fell
For a streaker
I don't know this sea of neon thousands suffer
Whiffs of freon
Ain't it a shame that all the world can't enjoy your mad traditions
Ain't it a shame that all the world don't get keys to their own
ignition
Life is the longest death in California
You're such a wonder that i think i'll stay in bed
So much to plunder that i think i'll sleep instead
You're such a wonder that i think i'll stay in bed
So much to plunder that i think i'll sleep instead
curtandoscar
I can't figure that this didn't become a smash hit. It has everything including this fabulous video featuring THREE Rufuses!
Aspiring Elephant
You’re an artist, Rufus. A true artist.
thedt
This video cracks me up every time I watch it. The awkwardness of karaoke-ing is captured so well by Mr. Wainwright. Love it.
Chloe Fletcher
He has such odd lyrics. But such a unique voice
Ayawoke
I think this guy's amazing, very creative. Always picks me up.
Steph Dixon
I cannot believe i only discovered his music 3 months ago :O but now i can't stop listening to him
JON SECADA
Thank you very much my beloved fan, it's a great pleasure for me to have such a nice and beautiful fan like you, thank you very much for all the love and support, I hope you enjoyed listening to my songs?
Macronomicus
So many great memories, thanks Rufus for being a sonic treat along the journey in this beautiful world.
BilisNegra
What a joy of a tune!
Luke Petersen
nobody knows about this brilliant guy... i'm spreading the gospel according to rufus