Ryan Adams (born David Ryan Adams on November 5, 1974) is an alt-country an… Read Full Bio ↴Ryan Adams (born David Ryan Adams on November 5, 1974) is an alt-country and rock and roll songwriter and singer from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, which was at the time considered one of the leaders of the alt-country genre, Adams left the band and released his first solo album, Heartbreaker, in 2000 (which was subsequently nominated for the Shortlist Music Prize). As well as his solo albums, Adams has released five albums as Ryan Adams & the Cardinals.

Adams dropped out of high school at age 16 to work in a shoe shop and make music. He formed a band named Whiskeytown in 1994; they disbanded in 1999 having released two full albums, Faithless Street and Strangers Almanac. Adams went on to put out his first solo record, Heartbreaker, in 2000. After a long delay, in 2001 Whiskeytown's third album Pneumonia was finally issued.

In 2002, Ryan contributed backing vocals on Butterfly in Reverse, from the Counting Crows album, Hard Candy; after Adam Duritz (Counting Crows lead singer) appeared on the album Gold.

Ryan is highly prolific, and in 2005 released one double album and two regular albums: Cold Roses, Jacksonville City Nights and 29, respectively. His album, 29, was produced by friend Ethan Johns (who also produced his first two albums, Heartbreaker and Gold). In between those two releases and his 2005 triple-header, Ryan released Demolition (a collection of out-takes), Love Is Hell and Rock N Roll. Unreleased studio albums include 48 Hours, Exile On Franklin Street and Suicide Handbook.

In addition, Adams worked with Jesse Malin to form the punk-rock group The Finger (under the pseudonyms, "Warren Peace" and "Irving Plaza" respectively), who released two E.P.s which were collected together to form We Are Fuck You, released on One Little Indian Records in 2003.

In 2006 Ryan went on a minor UK-tour and a minor US-tour along the west-coast and has streamed 11+ mini albums on his website, under numerous jokey pseudonyms (DJ Reggie, Werewolph, The Shit, Rhoda Ro, Ghetto Birds).

The following solo record, entitled Easy Tiger, was released on June 26, 2007. The newest and last record with his backing band The Cardinals, Cardinology, was released in October 2008 and followed by extensive touring through the UK, US and Australia.

In January 2009 he announced that he would be going on an indefinite hiatus from music. The Kindness Songfacts reports that the major reason for Adams’ temporary retirement was his struggles with Ménière’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that wrecks havoc on hearing and balance. Adams resumed performing in October 2010, and released his thirteenth studio album, Ashes & Fire, on October 11, 2011. His now ex-wife, pop singer and actress Mandy Moore, contributed some backing vocals.

Lovely and Blue
Ryan Adams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So glad that you found someone
Someone and so fast
It's time to let go of someone
And put it to rest
But I don't feel sorry for you
Not sorry at all
No I don't feel sorry for him or for her
My world is gonna revolve

It's gonna keep spinning around me, doll
The world where no one belongs to her
And you're the one she thinks she wants
It's true, she's lovely and blue

So now that it's underground
And they're talking too fast
Whatever that they're talking about, it's not me,
It's all in the past
And I don't feel sorry for you
I'm not sorry at all
No I don't feel sorry, in fact just the opposite
My world is gonna revolve
It's gonna keep spinning around me
The world where no one belongs to her
And you're the one she wants

My world
My world is gonna revolve
It's gonna to keep spinning round me, doll
The world where no one belongs to her
And you're the one she thinks she wants
She thinks, she wants, the world
The world she thinks she wants
It's hers and you'll never get through
Oh god it's so true

It's true,
It's true, she so lovely and blue

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ryan Adams's song Lovely and Blue seem to be about moving on from a past relationship and not feeling sorry for someone who has moved on quickly. The singer acknowledges that it's time to let go of someone and put it to rest, but still feels a sense of ownership over their world that won't include anyone else. The person their ex-partner has found may seem lovely and blue, but the singer doesn't feel sorry for either of them.

The first verse begins with the singer expressing their lack of sympathy for their ex-partner, who has quickly found someone else. They state that they don't feel sorry for the new person either, and that their world is going to continue revolving around them. They seem to feel a sense of possessiveness over their world and don't want anyone else to belong to it. The singer establishes that the new person their ex-partner has found seems lovely and blue.

In the second verse, the singer acknowledges that their past relationship is now underground and that people are talking about it too fast. They're not interested in what other people are saying about them, but instead are focusing on their world continuing to revolve around them. They reiterate that their world is a place where no one belongs to their ex-partner's new partner, who they still believe to be lovely and blue.

Overall, the song seems to be about the difficulty of moving on from a past relationship and the sense of possessiveness that can come with it. The singer wants their world to continue revolving around them and doesn't want anyone else to belong to it. They also seem to hold some resentment towards their ex-partner for moving on so quickly.

Line by Line Meaning

So glad that you found someone
I am happy that you found someone else

Someone and so fast
You found someone else quickly

It's time to let go of someone
It's time to move on from someone

And put it to rest
And end it for good

But I don't feel sorry for you
I do not sympathize with you

Not sorry at all
Not even a little bit sorry

No I don't feel sorry for him or for her
I do not feel sympathy for either of you

My world is gonna revolve
My life will continue

It's gonna keep spinning around me, doll
It will keep going around me, dear

The world where no one belongs to her
A world where no one is hers

And you're the one she thinks she wants
And you are the one she believes she desires