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...").
The Maker Makes {As Used in the Film Brokeback Mountain}
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One more chain does the maker make, to keep me from bustin' through
One more notch I scratch, to keep me thinkin' of you
One more notch does the maker make, upon my face so blue
Get along little doggies, get along little doggies
One more smile I fake, 'n try my best to be glad
Oh Lord, how I know,
Oh Lord, how I see, that only can the maker make a happy man of me
Get along little doggies, get along little doggies, get along
The lyrics to Rufus Wainwright's song "The Maker Makes" in the film Brokeback Mountain expresses the inner turmoil and longing of the singer, Ennis Del Mar. Throughout the song, the singer speaks of breaking chains and scratching notches, which can be interpreted as the difficult choices and sacrifices he has had to make to keep himself from fully expressing his feelings for Jack Twist. The phrase, "One more chain does the maker make, to keep me from bustin' through," can be seen as the societal and internal forces that prevent Ennis from fully embracing his love for Jack Twist.
The repetition of the phrase "Get along little doggies" throughout the song is symbolic of the cattle drive in the film and the western landscape. This phrase is used to encourage the cows to keep moving, which can also be seen as a metaphor for Ennis's own journey towards self-discovery and acceptance of his sexuality. The phrase "Oh Lord, how I know, Oh Lord, how I see, that only can the maker make a happy man of me" suggests that Ennis believes that only divine intervention can bring him happiness and acceptance of his innermost feelings.
Overall, "The Maker Makes" is a powerfully moving song that expresses the inner struggles and desires of the singer in Brokeback Mountain. The raw honesty and vulnerability of the lyrics, combined with the western-inspired melody, creates a haunting and unforgettable piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
One more chain I break, to get me closer to you
I am willing to keep breaking free from the chains that keep me away from you
One more chain does the maker make, to keep me from bustin' through
The maker creates obstacles to prevent me from getting too close to you
One more notch I scratch, to keep me thinkin' of you
I try to remind myself of you by adding another notch to my memory
One more notch does the maker make, upon my face so blue
The maker reminds me of you by etching yet another memory on my sad face
Get along little doggies, get along little doggies
I must keep moving forward, despite the challenges that come my way
One more smile I fake, 'n try my best to be glad
I force a smile and pretend to be happy to hide the pain of not being with you
One more smile does the maker make, because he knows I'm sad
The maker sees through my facade and adds one more smile to cover up the sadness
Oh Lord, how I know
I am aware of the struggles I face to be with you
Oh Lord, how I see, that only can the maker make a happy man of me
I acknowledge that only the maker can create circumstances that will make me happy and allow me to be with you
Get along little doggies, get along little doggies, get along
I must keep pushing forward, hoping that one day I will be with you
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind