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...").
Want
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I just want to make it simple
I don't want to see the light
I just want to see the flashlight
I don't want to know the answers
To any of your questions
I don't want, no I really don't want
I just want to be my Dad
With a slight sprinkling of my mother
And work at the family store
And take orders from the counter
I don't want to know the answers
To any of your question
I don't want, no I really don't want
To be John Lithgow or Jane Curtin
But I'll settle for love
Yeah I'll settle for love
Before I reached the gate
I realized I had packed my passport
Before security I realized
I had one more bag left
I just want to know
If something's coming for to get me
Tell me, will you make me sad or happy
And will you settle for love
Will you settle for love
The lyrics to Rufus Wainwright's song Want are deeply personal and introspective, with the artist expressing his desire for simplicity and contentment in a world that seems to value fame, success, and material possessions. Throughout the song, Wainwright rejects the notion of seeking answers to life's unanswerable questions or aspiring to be like iconic figures such as John Lennon or Leonard Cohen. Instead, he longs to be like his dad, blending in with his surroundings and finding purpose and fulfillment in the small things, such as working at the family store and taking orders from the counter.
The theme of settling for love is also prevalent in the song, with Wainwright concluding that he would rather have a life full of love and companionship than anything else. The use of the phrase "settle for love" suggests that love is often seen as a consolation prize or a secondary priority, but Wainwright asserts that it is in fact the most important thing in life. The final lines of the song express a sense of uncertainty and vulnerability, with Wainwright asking if something is coming for him and wondering whether it will make him happy or sad.
Overall, Want is a poignant reflection on the often-elusive nature of happiness and the importance of finding contentment in the simple things in life. It is a unique and highly personal take on the age-old theme of the search for meaning and purpose, and it showcases Wainwright's talent for crafting deeply emotional and introspective lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want to make it rain
I don't want to overcomplicate things
I just want to make it simple
I want everything to be easy and straightforward
I don't want to see the light
I'm not interested in fame or success
I just want to see the flashlight
I want to focus on the little things in life
I don't want to know the answers
To any of your questions
I don't have all the answers and I don't want to pretend I do
I don't want, no I really don't want
To be John Lennon or Leonard Cohen
I don't want to be a famous musician, even if it means being as great as John Lennon or Leonard Cohen
I just want to be my Dad
With a slight sprinkling of my mother
And work at the family store
And take orders from the counter
I want to follow in my dad's footsteps and work in the family business
I don't want, no I really don't want
To be John Lithgow or Jane Curtin
I don't want to be a famous actor, even if it means being as talented as John Lithgow or Jane Curtin
But I'll settle for love
Yeah I'll settle for love
I'm content with finding love and living a simple life
Before I reached the gate
I realized I had packed my passport
Before security I realized
I had one more bag left
I'm not perfect and I make mistakes
I just want to know
If something's coming for to get me
Tell me, will you make me sad or happy
And will you settle for love
Will you settle for love
I'm curious about what the future holds and if love is in the cards for me
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind