Slean recorded her first EP Universe (1997) at the age of nineteen. Since then she has completed a series of albums including: Blue Parade (1998), Night Bugs (2002), and Day One (2004), The Baroness (2008) and the double album Land & Sea (2011).
Night Bugs was her first major label album, co-produced by Slean and Hawksley Workman, and released by WEA in Canada and Atlantic Records in the United States. It was heavily inspired by cabaret music.
In September 2004, Slean released her fourth album, Day One. Here Slean's piano takes a less important spot for the first time in her career. The focus is more on beats, rhythms and guitar, which shines through in the album's first single "Lucky Me". The up-tempo title track "Day One", and "Mary", a song about Slean's grandmother, were released as the second and third singles.
In October 2006, Slean released a mostly-live album, Orphan Music, which consists of songs recorded live at Toronto's Harbourfront Theatre and the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. Other new tracks featuring Slean and the piano were recorded at DNA Recording Facility in Toronto and Kensaltown Studios in the UK.
Also in 2006, she contributed two tracks ("Us and Them" and "Comfortably Numb") to Pink Floyd Redux, a modern 12-track tribute to Pink Floyd.
Her sixth album The Baroness was released March 2008. An EP with outtakes from the album, entitled The Baroness Redecorates, was released in December of the same year.
Another set of B-sides was released in December 2010. For Beauty Lives, fans could vote for their favourite previously unrecorded track. The ten top songs were recorded especially for the collection.
Slean released the double album Land & Sea in September 2011. It is a concept album, where the songs on Land represent grounded topics and are generally more poppy, while the songs on Sea are more ethereal in subject matter and feature classical arrangements.
Slean released Metaphysics in 2017.
For photos and additional information check out Sarah Slean's official website, www.SarahSlean.com.
Angel
Sarah Slean Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I didn't plan it, it just happened that way
I guess faith stepped in the end
'Cause I needed you then
When I bought him they said "Are you sure?
No refunds, returns, or exchanges because once He's yours he's yours for good."
Now you behave like an angel should
'Cause I saw it on TV
They were selling pieces of heaven
And I thought, "Hey what about me?
What am I considered?"
I chained my angel to eaves trough
It was November and I think I pissed him off
He's mad but I don't care
You're my angel so there
I figure its only about 60 more years
So come on angel, stop all the tears
Come sing me a song or two
Or whatever it is you angels do
'Cause I saw it on TV
They were selling pieces of heaven
And I thought, hey what about me
When can I make reservations
My pet angel's got a long lost friend
Who says he's coming back when the world ends
When us humans have lost our touch
God never liked people that much
'Cause he saw it on TV
They were selling pieces of heaven
And he thought, "Well how can this be
What in the Hell are they thinking?"
The Sarah Slean song, "Angel," is a poignant and introspective look into the idea of faith and spirituality through the metaphor of a pet angel. Slean opens with the confession that the angel was a spur of the moment purchase on the fourth of July, but also acknowledges that it was likely fate that brought them together when she needed it most. She wrestles with the concept of ownership of the angel and the way that it ties into commercialized religion. The line "I saw it on TV/they were selling pieces of heaven" is a biting commentary on how easily the sacred can be bought and sold in society. She also explores the idea of what it means to be human and what it means to be loved by an angel. The tender moments between Slean and the angel become strained at times, but she continues to hold onto the idea that their time together is limited and precious. The song ends with the revelation that the angel's true home is in Heaven, and that even God has reservations about humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
I bought my angel on the 4th of July
I got my guardian angel unexpectedly and it was not planned.
I didn't plan it, it just happened that way
I randomly acquired my own protector.
I guess faith stepped in the end
Most likely it was destiny that led me to have my angel.
'Cause I needed you then
I was in dire need of divine assistance and guidance which led me to have an angel.
When I bought him they said 'Are you sure?
The seller warned me of the commitment I'm about to have when I get my angel.
No refunds, returns, or exchanges because once He's yours he's yours for good.'
Once you acquire your angel, it is yours permanently, and it isn't subject to returning or replacement.
Now you behave like an angel should
My angel is displaying the manners, kindness and nobility that we associate with angels.
'Cause I saw it on TV
I have seen ad commercials presenting pieces of heaven for sale on TV.
They were selling pieces of heaven
Advertisements offering access to heaven for a fee were shown on television.
And I thought, 'Hey what about me?, What am I considered?'
I pondered that if heaven was marketed, where do regular people like me stand?
I chained my angel to eaves trough
In an attempt to hold on longer, I tied my angel to a gutter during November.
It was November and I think I pissed him off
It was winter, and my angel might have been annoyed when I chained it to the gutter.
He's mad but I don't care
Although my angel is unhappy, I don't care as it is solely mine to keep.
You're my angel so there
It is my angel, I own it, and I am determined to keep it.
I figure its only about 60 more years
I only expect to live 60 years longer, so I want to make the most out of what I have.
So come on angel, stop all the tears
I want my angel to stop worrying and crying as no harm will come to it.
Come sing me a song or two
I'm asking my angel to sing any number of melodies for me.
Or whatever it is you angels do
I recognize that angels are multi-talented beings that execute different specifications, and I am fine with whatever my angel decides to do.
'Cause my pet angel's got a long lost friend
My angel has a lost companion that disappeared.
Who says he's coming back when the world ends
Whenever the inevitable end of the world happens, the lost friend of my angel assured it that it would be with it once again.
When us humans have lost our touch
The expectation for the lost friend of my angel's return is based on when the populace of humans lose their connection or skill for living.
God never liked people that much
The implication is that people were initially disliked by God.
'Cause he saw it on TV
The lost friend of my angel might have seen the same advertisement where heaven was sold on TV.
They were selling pieces of heaven
The same ad campaign seen by the lost friend of my angel was shown on television.
And he thought, 'Well how can this be, What in the Hell are they thinking?'
The lost friend of my angel's reaction to the TV advertisement was, 'How is this even possible, what were they thinking?'
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LAVINA ROSE WILLIAMS, MAYBELLE CHRISTINE AMITUANAI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
1951nightwish
Only 29 views ? C'mon people this is good stuff, she needs to be more well known.
FireThought
I love this song! I don't exactly know why (prob. the piano, for one), but I do. "...come on angel, stop all the tears, come sing me a song or two, whatever you angels do..."