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
In Line
Sharon Van Etten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tempted in dark, waiting for love.
I was late, don't let love wait,
And don't let love weigh anything.
When you were on my side,
The world was shitty then.
All gray, to my right I look to you,
Telling me what to do.
Tumbling right into ghosts,
It's not such a sin, thought you should know.
I was just a child then,
Standing in my own line.
In line, in line, in line.
In line, in line, in line.
See the light in line.
Distant light in line.
And now it's coming through, it's coming through,
It's coming through, it's coming through.
Even in line I wait for another, don't you?
The lyrics of Sharon Van Etten's "In Line" depict a person looking back at their childhood and reflecting on their experiences with love and the guidance of another person. The singer looks back at a time when they were a child and felt tempted by dark forces while waiting for love. However, they were ultimately late and didn't want love to weigh them down. They then acknowledge that when the person they love was on their side, the world looked less bleak and they received guidance from them. Despite their struggles with ghosts, the singer acknowledges that it's not a sin and that they were just a child at the time, standing in their own line. The song ends with the repeated phrase "even in line I wait for another, don't you?", suggesting that the singer is still waiting for someone else, even as they reflect on their past experiences with love and guidance.
Line by Line Meaning
I was a child. I wasn't worried.
As a child, I did not have any worries.
Tempted in dark, waiting for love.
I was drawn in by the mysterious aspects of love, waiting for it to come my way.
I was late, don't let love wait,
I was running out of time, hoping that love would not leave me behind.
And don't let love weigh anything.
Love should not be something that brings you down or holds you back.
When you were on my side,
Having you on my side was a great support.
The world was shitty then.
The world seemed like a bleak place without you by my side.
All gray, to my right I look to you,
Everything seemed colorless, but I could always count on you.
Telling me what to do.
You were my guide, directing me in the right path.
Tumbling right into ghosts,
I fall into past memories and regrets.
It's not such a sin, thought you should know.
I do not think it is necessarily a bad thing.
I was just a child then,
I was young and innocent at that time.
Standing in my own line.
I had my own unique perspective and beliefs.
In line, in line, in line.
Going through life, following the crowd.
See the light in line.
There are moments where things seem brighter, even while following the crowd.
Distant light in line.
Despite following the crowd, there is still a distant hope for something greater.
And now it's coming through, it's coming through,
There is hope for something good. It is finally coming towards me.
It's coming through, it's coming through.
I cannot wait for it to arrive.
Even in line I wait for another, don't you?
Even in the mundane moments of life, we are still searching for connection and companionship.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Hipgnosis Songs Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AARON BROOKING DESSNER, SHARON KATHARINE VAN ETTEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anika says "hi"
on A Crime
Sharon, if you ever read this ... thank you.