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...").
San Francisco
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just to think of her, it gives my heart a pang
I never will forget how that brave Jeanette
Just stood there in the ruins and sang, and sang
San Francisco, open your golden gate
You'll let nobody wait outside your door
San Francisco, here comes your wandering one
Other places only make me love you best
Say that you're the one in all the Golden West
San Francisco, here comes your wandering one
Never to roam again, never to roam again
San Francisco
Right when I arrive, I really come alive
And you will laugh to see me perpendicular, hanging on a cable car
San Francisco
Let me beat my feet up and down Market Street
I'm gonna climb Nob Hill, just to watch it get dark from the top of the mark
There's Brooklyn Bridge, London Bridge and the Bridge of San Luis Rey
But the only bridge that's a real 'gone bridge, is the bridge across the bay
San Francisco, I'm coming home again
Never to roam again, by god
San Francisco, I don't mean Frisco
San Francisco, here I come!
The song "San Francisco" by Rufus Wainwright is a tribute to the city that has captured the hearts of so many people. The song mentions several landmarks and places in San Francisco, while incorporating personal and historical references. The song starts off with a reference to Jeanette MacDonald, a famous actress and singer from the Golden Age of Hollywood. The singer talks about the bravery of Jeanette, who stood in the ruins during the 1906 earthquake, singing and giving hope to the people.
The chorus of the song encourages San Francisco to open its golden gate and embrace the wanderer who has arrived at its door, saying that it will never wander again. The singer remarks that San Francisco is the best place in the world, and other places only make him love San Francisco more. The lyrics then go on to describe the various landmarks and streets of San Francisco that the singer plans to explore, including Market Street, Nob Hill, and the Top of the Mark. The song ends with the singer coming home to San Francisco, never to wander again.
Line by Line Meaning
I never will forget Jeanette MacDonald
I will always remember the singer Jeanette MacDonald
Just to think of her, it gives my heart a pang
Remembering her brings me great emotion
I never will forget how that brave Jeanette
I will never forget how brave Jeanette was
Just stood there in the ruins and sang, and sang
She stood tall and sang despite the destruction around her
San Francisco, open your golden gate
San Francisco, welcome people with open arms
You'll let nobody wait outside your door
No one will be left waiting outside
San Francisco, here comes your wandering one
I am coming back to San Francisco after wandering
Saying, "I'll wander no more"
I am done with wandering
Other places only make me love you best
Traveling to other places only makes me realize how much I love San Francisco
Say that you're the one in all the Golden West
San Francisco is the best city in the Golden West
San Francisco, here comes your wandering one
I am returning to San Francisco after traveling
Never to roam again, never to roam again
I am done with wandering and will never leave again
San Francisco
Addressing the city of San Francisco
Right when I arrive, I really come alive
I feel alive when I arrive in San Francisco
And you will laugh to see me perpendicular, hanging on a cable car
People will laugh at me as I hang off a cable car at a perpendicular angle
San Francisco
Addressing the city of San Francisco
Let me beat my feet up and down Market Street
I want to walk up and down Market Street
I'm gonna climb Nob Hill, just to watch it get dark from the top of the mark
I plan to climb Nob Hill to watch the sunset from the top of the Mark Hopkins hotel
There's Brooklyn Bridge, London Bridge and the Bridge of San Luis Rey
There are other famous bridges, such as the Brooklyn Bridge and London Bridge, as well as the Bridge of San Luis Rey
But the only bridge that's a real 'gone bridge, is the bridge across the bay
However, the only bridge worth mentioning is the one across the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco, I'm coming home again
I am returning home to San Francisco
Never to roam again, by god
I will never leave again
San Francisco, I don't mean Frisco
I am addressing the city of San Francisco and not using the nickname Frisco
San Francisco, here I come!
I am excited to return to San Francisco!
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Walter Jurmann, Gus Kahn, Bronislaw Kaper
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind