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 Tower of Learning
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm looking for the copious prize
I saw it in your eyes, what I'm looking for
I saw it in your eyes, what I'm looking for
I really do, fear that I'm dying
I really do, fear that I'm dead
I saw it in your eyes, what I'm looking for
All the sights of Paris
Pale inside your iris
Tip the Eiffel Tower with one glance
Stained glass cathedrals with one glint
You smashed it with your eyes
What I'm looking for
One blink and then my heart wasn't there no more
I'm looking for the tower of learning
I'm looking for the copious prize.
The Tower of Learning is a song by Rufus Wainwright about the search for knowledge and understanding of one's own mortality. The singer is in search of the "tower of learning" and the "copious prize", both of which symbolize the answers and knowledge he is seeking. He believes he has found what he is looking for when he looks into the eyes of his subject. He realizes that what he has been looking for is not physical but an understanding of life and spirituality.
The second stanza talks about the singer's fear of the unknown. He is afraid of dying and being dead. However, he believes he has found what he's looking for, which will make him live. The singer sees all the sights of Paris in the subject's eyes, and they pale in comparison to what he sees. The singer also says that one glance from the subject can tip the Eiffel Tower and one glint can stain glass cathedrals. This line shows the power and intensity of the subject's gaze, which seems to hold all the answers that the singer has been searching for.
The final stanza again reiterates the singer's desire for the "tower of learning" and the "copious prize". The line "You smashed it with your eyes" shows the subject's influence over the singer and how their eyes hold all the knowledge and answers for him. The final line of the song brings the song full circle, with the singer still searching for answers and understanding.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm looking for the tower of learning
I am searching for knowledge and understanding in life.
I'm looking for the copious prize
I am seeking a great reward for my efforts in life.
I saw it in your eyes, what I'm looking for
I saw the fulfillment of my desires or hopes in your eyes.
I saw it in your eyes, what I'm looking for
I saw the fulfillment of my desires or hopes in your eyes.
I really do, fear that I'm dying
I truly have a fear or concern about my own mortality.
I really do, fear that I'm dead
I am very afraid that I may have already passed away.
I saw it in your eyes, what I'm looking for
I saw what will give me a reason to keep living in your eyes.
I saw it in your eyes, what will make me live
I saw what will give me a reason to keep living in your eyes.
All the sights of Paris
The beautiful sights and wonders of Paris.
Pale inside your iris
Seem less significant compared to the depth of your eyes.
Tip the Eiffel Tower with one glance
You have the ability to make even the greatest landmarks seem small with just one look.
Stained glass cathedrals with one glint
You have the power to make the most beautiful and sacred sites seem small with just one sparkle in your eye.
You smashed it with your eyes
You completely shattered or destroyed something with just a look or glance.
What I'm looking for
The thing I desire or seek.
One blink and then my heart wasn't there no more
With one blink or look from you, my heart skipped a beat or stopped entirely.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Rufus Wainwright
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind