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...").
Medley: "You Made Me Love You" / "For Me & My Gal" / "The Trolley Song"
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't want to do it, I didn't want to do it
You made me love you
And all the time you knew it, I guess you always knew it
You made me happy sometimes, you made me glad
But most of the time, dear, you made me feel so bad
You made me sigh, 'cause
I need some love it's true, yes I do, 'deed I do, you know I do
I can't tell you what I'm feeling
The very mention of your name sends my heart reeling
You know you made me love you
The bells are ringing for me and my gal
The birds are singing for me and my gal
"Sing it with me, please!"
Everybody's been knowing to a wedding they're going
And for weeks they've been sewing, every Susie and Sal
They're congregating for me and my gal
The parson's waiting for me and my gal
And when they build a little home to two
Or three or four or more
In Loveland, for me and my gal
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
Zing, zing, zing went my heart strings
From the moment I saw him, I fell
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
Bump, bump, bump went the brake
Thump, thump, thump went my heart strings
When he smiled, you could feel the car shake
He tipped his hat, and took a seat
He said he hoped he hadn't stepped upon my feet
He asked my name, I held my breath
I couldn't speak because he scared me half to death
Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels
Stop, stop went my heart strings
As he started to leave, I took hold of his sleeve with my hand
And as if it was planned, he stayed on with me
And it was grand just to stand with his hand holding mine
To the end of the line
The lyrics to Rufus Wainwright's song Medley: You Made Me Love You / For Me And My Gal / The Trolley Song are a combination of three different songs from the early 20th century. Each song represents different emotions and aspects of love. The first part of the medley "You Made Me Love You" is about unrequited love. The singer didn't want to fall in love, but the person they loved made it impossible not to. The chorus "You made me happy sometimes, you made me glad, but most of the time, dear, you made me feel so bad," represents the turmoil that comes with unrequited love.
The second part of the medley "For Me And My Gal" is about the joy and excitement of being in love. The lyrics depict a wedding day where everyone is celebrating and happy for the couple. The chorus "In Loveland, for me and my gal" represents the idea of being in a committed relationship and building a home together.
The last part of the medley "The Trolley Song" is about the feeling of falling in love at first sight. The lyrics describe the experience of being on a trolley and seeing someone who makes your heart skip a beat. The chorus "And it was grand just to stand with his hand holding mine, to the end of the line" represents the hope and excitement of a new relationship.
Overall, the medley explores different aspects of love, from unrequited love to the joy and excitement of being in a committed relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You made me love you
I didn't have any intention of falling in love with you, but you somehow make me fall in love with you
I didn't want to do it, I didn't want to do it
I didn't want to fall in love with you, but it just happened
And all the time you knew it, I guess you always knew it
You knew that I was falling in love with you, and you probably knew it all along
You made me happy sometimes, you made me glad
There were times when you made me happy and glad that I fell in love with you
But most of the time, dear, you made me feel so bad
But most of the time, you made me feel bad about falling in love with you
I need some love it's true, yes I do, 'deed I do, you know I do
I need love from you, it's true, and I want to admit it
I can't tell you what I'm feeling
I can't express how I feel about you
The very mention of your name sends my heart reeling
Just hearing your name makes my heart skip a beat
The bells are ringing for me and my gal
We are getting married, and everything is celebrating our love
The birds are singing for me and my gal
Even the birds are singing to celebrate our love and wedding
They're congregating for me and my gal
Everyone is getting together for our wedding
The parson's waiting for me and my gal
The pastor is prepared to marry us
And when they build a little home to two
When we start our home together
Or three or four or more
As we start adding children to our family
In Loveland, for me and my gal
In our love, we will build a happy home together
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
The trolley is making noise as it moves along
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
The bell is ringing as the trolley moves along
Zing, zing, zing went my heart strings
My heart is beating wildly with excitement and love
From the moment I saw him, I fell
I knew I was in love with him as soon as I saw him
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
The motor is working tirelessly to move the trolley along
Bump, bump, bump went the brake
The brakes are making a noise as the trolley stops
Thump, thump, thump went my heart strings
My heart is racing with joy and anticipation
When he smiled, you could feel the car shake
His smile was so powerful that it caused the trolley to shake
He tipped his hat, and took a seat
He greeted me politely and took a seat beside me
He said he hoped he hadn't stepped upon my feet
He apologized in a charming way for possibly stepping on my toes
He asked my name, I held my breath
I was so nervous and excited when he asked my name
I couldn't speak because he scared me half to death
I was so nervous that I couldn't even speak
Buzz, buzz, buzz went the buzzer
The buzzer is making noise to signal the trolley's departure
Plop, plop, plop went the wheels
The wheels are making noise as the trolley starts moving
Stop, stop went my heart strings
My heart is overflowing with love, and I want the moment to last forever
As he started to leave, I took hold of his sleeve with my hand
I didn't want him to leave, so I grabbed his arm
And as if it was planned, he stayed on with me
It seemed like fate that he was meant to stay with me
And it was grand just to stand with his hand holding mine
It was a wonderful feeling to stand together with our hands clasped
To the end of the line
Until the very end, we will always be together
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind