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
Leonard
Sharon Van Etten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He finally closed the door
I turn the lock feeling more
Confused than before
What gives?
I thought that you would love more
Now you're a coward, sure
Then he rings
He loves you
Well, well
I am bad
Well, well, hell
I am bad
He's smart
He leaves me wanting more
Knowing that I gave less
And knowing why
Time, time is what I would need
Full of myself, indeed
Just walk away
Surprised
He loved you
Well, well
I am bad
Well, well, hell
I am bad at loving
Trust, you know that I trusted you
But I could not let you do
To just fall in
Try, I wanted to try for you
Wanted to die for you
Dramatic things
The lies
I loved you
Well, well
I am bad
Well, well, hell
I am bad at loving you
Surprised
Just look in my eyes
The lyrics of "Leonard" by Sharon Van Etten tell a story of a complicated romantic relationship. The singer of the song is expressing her confusion and frustration as her lover, Leonard, leaves her. She felt they had a loving relationship, but instead, he chose to close the door on her. She describes her feelings of being betrayed by his actions, yet when he returns, she still feels his love for her. The song suggests that their relationship is stuck in a cycle of love and betrayal, making the singer feel like she is bad at loving.
The song's lyrics are very introspective, and the singer seems to question herself as much as she does Leonard's actions. She wonders if she could have done more to make their relationship work, and if she needs to change herself in some way. She points out that she was "full of herself," indicating some self-absorption, and that she wanted to try harder for Leonard but ultimately failed. The singer tries to reconcile her trust in Leonard with her confusion at his actions, singing, "Trust, you know that I trusted you, but I could not let you do/To just fall in." The chorus that repeats several times, "Well, well, I am bad, well, well, hell, I am bad at loving you" can be interpreted in different ways. It could be meant either to express her self-blame for the relationship's downfall or to explain that she is incapable of giving love the way that the other person needs.
Line by Line Meaning
There he goes
He's leaving
He finally closed the door
He's gone for good
I turn the lock feeling more
She's feeling conflicted
Confused than before
She doesn't understand why he left
What gives?
What happened?
I thought that you would love more
She had higher expectations
Now you're a coward, sure
She's blaming him for leaving
Then he rings
He calls
Look in his eyes
She sees love
He loves you
He still loves her
Well, well
Acknowledgement
I am bad
She takes responsibility for her shortcomings
Well, well, hell
A realization of the situation
He's smart
He understands her weaknesses
He leaves me wanting more
He's still on her mind
Knowing that I gave less
She didn't fully invest in the relationship
And knowing why
She recognizes her fault
Time, time is what I would need
She knows what she needs to improve
Full of myself, indeed
She had an inflated ego
Just walk away
She knows what she needs to do
Surprised
She didn't expect him to love her still
He loved you
He still loves her
I am bad at loving
She knows she's not great at being in a relationship
Trust, you know that I trusted you
She trusted him
But I could not let you do
She had to end the relationship
To just fall in
She couldn't let herself be vulnerable
Try, I wanted to try for you
She tried to make things work
Wanted to die for you
She was willing to make sacrifices for him
Dramatic things
She was willing to do anything for him
The lies
She recognizes the lies in the relationship
I loved you
She still loves him
Just look in my eyes
She wants him to see her love for him
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, 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.