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...").
Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart
Rufus Wainwright Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It haunted me from the start
Something inside of me started a symphony
Zing! went the strings of my heart
Was like a breath of spring, I heard a robin sing
About a nest set apart
All nature seemed to be in perfect harmony
Your eyes made skies seem blue again
What else could I do again?
But keep repeating through and through
I love you, love you
I still recall the thrill, I guess I always will
I hope we'll never depart
Dear, with your lips to mine, a rhapsody divine
Zing! went the strings of my heart
Your eyes made the skies seem blue again
What else could I do again?
But keep repeating through and through
I love you, love you
I still recall the thrill, I guess I always will
I hope we'll never depart
Dear, with your lips to mine, a rhapsody divine
Zing! went the strings of my
Zing! went the strings of my
Zing! went the strings of my heart
The lyrics of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" by Rufus Wainwright describe the overwhelming feeling of falling in love. The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song as the singer recalls hearing a melody when their love interest smiles at them. This melody is so haunting that it "started a symphony" within the singer. The phrase "Zing! went the strings of my heart" is repeated throughout the song and serves as a metaphor for the way the singer's heartstrings are being tugged by this newfound love.
The second verse describes how the singer's perception of the world changed once they fell in love. They heard a robin sing and the natural world seemed to be in "perfect harmony." The love interest's eyes are described as making the skies seem blue again, illustrating the way love can bring color and brightness back into a person's life. The singer is so overwhelmed by their love that they can't help but keep repeating "I love you" over and over again.
The final verse again emphasizes the physical and emotional connection between the singer and their love interest. The mention of the love interest's lips creates a sense of intimacy and passion in the listener's mind. The phrase "a rhapsody divine" suggests that their kiss is a beautiful and harmonious expression of their love.
Overall, "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" is a sweet and romantic song that captures the innocence and excitement of falling in love. It demonstrates how love can change a person's entire perception of the world and create a sense of harmony and beauty in even the simplest things.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear, when you smiled at me, I heard a melody
When you smiled at me, I felt a strong sense of pleasure and happiness.
It haunted me from the start
That feeling of pleasure stayed with me from the beginning and affected me deeply.
Something inside of me started a symphony
My emotions started to create a beautiful and harmonious musical composition inside me.
Zing! went the strings of my heart
My heart started beating so fast and loud that it felt like the strings of a musical instrument being played with great excitement.
Was like a breath of spring, I heard a robin sing
The feeling was like the freshness and newness of spring, and I could hear the joyful singing of a robin.
About a nest set apart
The robin was singing about a nest that was special and different from all the others.
All nature seemed to be in perfect harmony
Everything around me felt synchronized and in balance, like a perfect symphony played by the forces of nature.
Your eyes made skies seem blue again
Your eyes had the power to brighten up my day and make it seem like the skies were blue again after a cloudy day.
What else could I do again?
What other choice did I have?
But keep repeating through and through
But I kept saying it again and again.
I love you, love you
I loved you so much that I wanted to express it over and over again.
I still recall the thrill, I guess I always will
The feeling of excitement that I had when I first met you is still with me and probably always will be.
I hope we'll never depart
I wish that we will always be together and never split apart.
Dear, with your lips to mine, a rhapsody divine
When we kissed, it felt like a beautiful and heavenly musical piece, like a rhapsody.
Zing! went the strings of my heart
My heart was beating so fast and loud that it felt like the strings of a musical instrument being played with great excitement.
Zing! went the strings of my heart
My heart was beating so fast and loud that it felt like the strings of a musical instrument being played with great excitement.
Zing! went the strings of my heart
My heart was beating so fast and loud that it felt like the strings of a musical instrument being played with great excitement.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: James F. Hanley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
westl99
This song is fantastic because of the incredible "arrangement" of the brass section! Just listen to those trumpets go!! Its phenomenal. The crowd new it too, listen to the roar, after the bridge. I love Rufus's voice, but this arrangement is a "tour da force". Bravo the MD and arranger!!😀
Lillie Iliff
Yes !!!! Shame he cannot sing it dance ! 😂
Mark Schildberg
A Nelson Riddle arrangement, originally written for the Judy in Love album.
Dinet K
I really really love how he dances. No problem what everybody could possibly think. Love him
telsah1
He is the way we all should be. He is so perfectly special. Brilliant and lovely.
Arfaras Media
Another kicking ass performance!
Chandrabali Sattir
I love this song so much - Rufus does it proud with the Garland touch !! x
Lisa L.
My genius love..Rufus. You could sing the phone book and I would still walk to hear you. im so grateful I'm alive at the same time as you because seeing you live sends me into bliss! Then I go home and I HAVE to hear your voice or I go nuts! I LOVED Kate and Anna And Loudon growing up. Love love love Viva Rufus Wainwright!
Greg Parkinson
I was at Carnegie Hall the first time he did this. What you don't get at all from this video is the huge amount of fun that the whole thing was.
claudette mousseau
I'm a huge Rufus' fan, and I discovered him (and fell for him) with this video. Afterwards I perused all his discography and discovered what a great songwriter he is, but this is where all begun