Currently based in Brooklyn, NY, USA, van Etten débuted with single Much More Than That (2007, Abaton Book Company). Her album Are We There was released on 14 May 2014 on Jagjaguwar).
van Etten moved to Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University, where she discovered a variety of influential music. After moving back home to New Jersey, she was encouraged by Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio to pursue a career in music.
van Etten undertook her first UK tour with Meg Baird in Jan 2008. She toured with Great Lake Swimmers on their European tour in May 2009, kicking it off with a show in London with Beirut and Shearwater. She again toured with them in September/October 2009.
On May 26th, 2009, she released her "Because I Was in Love" single on 12" vinyl, CD and MP3 on Language of Stone.
She was the first artist to record in 2010 for the Weathervane Music's Shaking Through video series.
On September 21, 2010, her sophomore album, "Epic" was released on Ba Da Bing. The powerful 7-track album featured much more instrumentation than her first, primarily-acoustic affair. The evolution of her sound proved that she is much more than a traditional folk singer-songwriter.
The release of Epic coincided with a difficult break-up of a relationship. She busied herself with touring for the record, but when the singer completed her schedule a year later, she found herself homeless in New York. After a period of sleeping on friends' couches, recovering from her heavy touring schedule, she hooked up the National's guitarist Aaron Dessner to record her third album, Tramp, which was released on February 7th, 2012.
May 2014 brought about the release of Van Etten's fourth record, Are We There, on Jagjaguwar. Van Etten self-produced the record with Stewart Lerman, with the guidance of bandmate and manager Zeke Hutchins. Most of the recording was done at Hobo Sound Studios in Weehawken, New Jersey, with piano tracks being recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The record features musicians Zeke Hutchins, Doug Keith, Heather Woods Broderick, Dave Hartley, Adam Granduciel, Marisa Anderson, Stuart D. Bogie, Mickey Free, Mary Lattimore, Little Isidor, Jacob Morris, Torres' Mackenzie Scott, Shearwater's Jonathan Meiburg, Lower Dens' Jana Hunter, and Efterklang touring member Peter Broderick.
In 2015, the EP I Don't Want to Let You Down was released on Jagjaguwar. It is composed of the songs that did not make it onto Are We There.
On October 2, 2018, Van Etten released a new track entitled "Comeback Kid" and announced her next album Remind Me Tomorrow, which was released on January 18, 2019. On February 28, 2019, Van Etten appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to perform the single "Seventeen".
Sites: MySpace
I Wish I Knew
Sharon Van Etten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the truth is I ain't got a clue,
Do you? Do You?
I wish I had an idea of what I need,
But we, oh we, can't know and that's okay,
That's okay.
I wish that I could know,
The truth is I have no idea.
I wish we could just run around
And only worry about right now,
I hate to admit it but I don't know shit
And neither do you, do you, do you,
And that is good enough
For me, for you, for now,
As long as we can talk about it.
Sharon Van Etten's "I Wish I Knew" is a song about the uncertainty that comes with not knowing what to do with someone you care for. The song's narrator wishes that she had some sort of idea of what she should do with this person, but she doesn't have a clue. She then wishes that she knew what she needs, but she understands that sometimes we just can't know what we need. The singer also wishes that the person she cares for understands her, but she realizes that she has no idea what the truth is. The song's chorus reflects the singer's feelings of uncertainty as she wishes that they could both just live in the moment and not worry about what comes next.
The lyrics of "I Wish I Knew" have a powerful truth that can resonate with many people. It speaks to the uncertainty and confusion that often comes with trying to navigate a relationship or a connection with someone else. The song highlights the idea that sometimes not knowing can be good enough, as long as you can communicate and talk about it. Ultimately, the song is about finding comfort in the uncertainty and the unknown and the power of having someone you can talk to and share your feelings with.
Overall, "I Wish I Knew" is a beautiful and introspective song about uncertainty and the power of communication in relationships. It's a song that speaks to the vulnerabilities and complexities of human connections and the power of embracing the unknown.
Line by Line Meaning
I wish I knew what to do with you,
I desire to know how to handle you,
But the truth is I ain't got a clue,
However, I actually have no idea.
Do you? Do You?
Do you have a plan?
I wish I had an idea of what I need,
I would like to know what I require.
But we, oh we, can't know and that's okay,
But we cannot identify, and that is fine.
That's okay.
It is not a problem.
I wish you'd understand,
I desire for you to comprehend,
I wish that I could know,
I hope that I can know,
The truth is I have no idea.
But in reality, I am not certain.
I wish we could just run around
I want to be able to move around freely
And only worry about right now,
And not think about the future.
I hate to admit it but I don't know shit
I dislike confessing, but I do not know anything.
And neither do you, do you, do you,
And neither do you, correct?
And that is good enough
And that is satisfactory
For me, for you, for now,
For me, for you, for the moment,
As long as we can talk about it.
As long as we can discuss it.
Contributed by Layla R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@cyu4513
I wish I knew what to do with you,
But the truth is I ain't got a clue,
Do you? Do You?
I wish I had an idea of what I need,
But we, oh we, can't know and that's okay,
That's okay.
I wish you'd understand,
I wish that I could know,
The truth is I have no idea.
I wish we could just run around
And only worry about right now,
I hate to admit it but I don't know shit
And neither do you, do you, do you,
And that is good enough
For me, for you, for now,
As long as we can talk about it.
@alexandria3583
paused my marathon of The OA to hear everything i can of this artist. truly an angel.
@angelt2017
Same
@siddharthjadhav1852
Same here
@Ezylrybs
I listen to her songs every day on my way to work, but it's a secret and no one will ever know
@TarunSharma-ll8ge
Ezylrybs Me too 🤫
@luxesmith77
Thank you.
@mrhappy7390
This is beautiful beyond words, it touches soul, I was so surprised to see her on The OA, she can also act!
@fclavijo
i'm so glad you're a songwriter Sharon Van Etten, it makes the world easier for the rest of us, it helps really. thanks
@raw.potato
fclavijo I can't relate cause I'm a come & go listener of hers but this is such a beautiful comment. The power of music in a nutshell
@RC-ix6vd
When I met her I wanted to thank her, but I was too shy. She’s authentic.