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...").
Someone to Watch Over Me
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Still were often told, seek and ye shall find
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind
Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet
Hes the big affair I cannot forget
Only man I ever think of with regret
I'd like to add his initial to my monogram
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
I hope that he turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could always be good
Someone who'll watch over me
Although he may not be the man some
Girls think of as handsome
To my heart he carries the key
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me
Rufus Wainwright's "Someone to Watch Over Me" is a song about the search for the perfect partner, the hope for safety, and the comfort of being looked after by someone trustworthy. The lyrics suggest that even though love can be blind, the singer still seeks to find that one person that will provide the safety and security they need. The song's opening verse highlights the difficulty of finding true love while the chorus focuses on the longing for a protector. The verse suggests a search that has been ongoing, without any luck. The singer has always had someone in mind, someone they cannot help but think about, the one that got away.
The chorus expresses a desire for someone to provide safety, someone to be a guardian for the singer's vulnerable heart, and to watch over them. The verses and chorus provide a contrast between the longing for a partner and the yearning for someone to look after them. The repeated reference to the “lost lamb” is indeed a fitting metaphor for the singer’s need for protection. The song suggests that the singer's heart already belongs to someone, someone that they are waiting for, the one that carries the key to their heart. The singer pleads with this person to hurry up and respond, to follow their lead, so that they can finally have the protection they need.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a saying old says that love is blind
Love is illogical and beyond our ability to rationally control it
Still were often told, seek and ye shall find
People are often told to actively search for love in order to find it
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind
The singer has someone specific in mind that they want to find and pursue a relationship with
Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet
Despite actively searching, the singer has not yet found the man they are looking for
He's the big affair I cannot forget
The man the singer is looking for is an important, unforgettable person in their mind
Only man I ever think of with regret
The singer has regrets about not being with this man or not pursuing him earlier
I'd like to add his initial to my monogram
The singer wants to be associated with this man and make their relationship public and permanent
Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?
The singer is feeling lost and vulnerable without this man, and is in need of guidance and support
There's a somebody I'm longing to see
The singer is deeply longing to meet and be with this man
I hope that he turns out to be someone who'll watch over me
The singer wants this man to not only be their partner, but also provide them with love, care, and protection
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
The singer feels vulnerable and in need of guidance and support
I know I could always be good
The singer is willing to do whatever it takes to make the relationship work and be a good partner
Although he may not be the man some girls think of as handsome
The singer acknowledges that this man may not fit conventional beauty standards or societal expectations
To my heart he carries the key
The singer is deeply in love with this man and sees him as the only one who can unlock and enter their heart
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
The singer is eager for this man to hurry up and come to them
Follow my lead, oh, how I need someone to watch over me
The singer is taking the lead in pursuing this man, and wants him to be the one to care for and watch over them
Lyrics © O/B/O CAPASSO, Broma 16, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ira Gershwin, George Gershwin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MrJimbo622
An absolutely superb rendition of this song. So emotional.
Graham Dellow
There is nothing about this performance that isnt perfect!
Bevin Chu
So glad Ms. Wainwright kept relatively close to the original score. So many singers attempt to "improve" this song. They almost never do. On second thought, forget "almost."
Ipano Stim
Yay, it's back up! :0D