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
Magic Chords
Sharon Van Etten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Won't you walk over, whisper,
Motion hands or bat a lash?
You gotta see there's too many eyes.
You're walking too fast.
Why the hurry? Let me pace myself.
No need to run a lap.
You gotta lead.
You gotta lead.
You got to lose. You got to lose.
You got to lose sometime.
You got to lose. You got to lose.
You got to lose sometime.
Hear what I say
When you waltz over, whistle
And you try to have your way.
You got to see you felt the same.
You come in today with a hop in your step
You kind of marvel at yourself.
You gotta breathe.
You gotta breathe.
You got to lose. You got to lose.
You got to lose sometime.
You got to lose. You got to lose.
You got to lose sometime.
Cowardice.
You felt it yourself.
You're telling lies.
You said too much.
You got nothing to lose, nothing to lose
Nothing to lose this time.
You got nothing to lose, nothing to lose
Nothing to lose this time.
You got nothing to lose, nothing to lose
Nothing to lose
In "Magic Chords," Sharon Van Etten seems to be addressing someone who is going through a difficult time trying to find their path in life. She advises the person to slow down and not to worry about what others think of them. Instead, they should lead and set their own course. The lyrics "you gotta lose sometime" seem to suggest that it's okay to fail and make mistakes because that's how we grow and learn.
Line by Line Meaning
You're talking too loud
You are being too outspoken and it would be better to speak quietly.
Won't you walk over, whisper,
Why don't you come closer and talk softly into my ear?
Motion hands or bat a lash?
Should you gesture with your hands or wink your eye to communicate your message?
You gotta see there's too many eyes.
You should be aware that there are many people around who could be watching and listening.
You're walking too fast.
You are moving too quickly and it would be better to slow down.
Why the hurry? Let me pace myself.
What's the rush? I need to take things at my own speed.
No need to run a lap.
There is no need to rush around unnecessarily.
You gotta lead.
You have to take charge and direct the situation.
You got to lose. You got to lose.
Sometimes you have to accept defeat and be willing to lose.
You got to lose sometime.
Losing is inevitable at times and it's important to be prepared for that.
Hear what I say
Listen to what I am telling you.
When you waltz over, whistle
When you come over here and make a showy entrance.
And you try to have your way.
And try to have things go your way.
You got to see you felt the same.
You need to recognize that you have experienced the same emotions before.
You come in today with a hop in your step
You enter today feeling optimistic or happy.
You kind of marvel at yourself.
You are impressed with yourself in some way.
You gotta breathe.
You need to take a deep breath and relax.
Cowardice.
You are acting in a fearful or cowardly manner.
You felt it yourself.
You are aware that you are feeling cowardly.
You're telling lies.
You are being dishonest.
You said too much.
You have spoken more than you should have.
You got nothing to lose, nothing to lose
There is nothing at stake for you in this situation.
Nothing to lose this time.
You have nothing to lose in this particular moment.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC, BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: AARON BROOKING DESSNER, SHARON KATHARINE VAN ETTEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@hxxvxn6797
You're talking too loud
Won't you walk over, whisper,
Motion hands or bat a lash?
You gotta see there's too many eyes.
You're walking too fast.
Why the hurry? Let me pace myself.
No need to run a lap.
You gotta lead.
You gotta lead.
You got to lose. You got to lose.
You got to lose sometime.
You got to lose. You got to lose.
You got to lose sometime.
Hear what I say
When you waltz over, whistle
And you try to have your way.
You got to see you felt the same.
You come in today with a hop in your step
You kind of marvel at yourself.
You gotta breathe.
You gotta breathe.
You got to lose. You got to lose.
You got to lose sometime.
You got to lose. You got to lose.
You got to lose sometime.
Cowardice.
You felt it yourself.
You're telling lies.
You said too much.
You got nothing to lose, nothing to lose
Nothing to lose this time.
You got nothing to lose, nothing to lose
Nothing to lose this time.
You got nothing to lose, nothing to lose
Nothing to lose
@kennygr8ify
Sharon has such a beautiful voice!
@glennvanetten3614
I am so very proud of you Sharon ! You were Born to become a Musician and Recording Artist Just as Frank and I.were and lets don't forget about Ron of course. Ron looks just like me, he's the same old Ron acting silly now and then, he get's me to laughing so hard sometimes I can hardly catch my breath. Keep up the Excellent work. Love ya. Glenn:
@chelsahbee00
+Glenn Van Etten Holy cow! This is so cool and adorable. I love Sharon's music. :)
@amarcadiacastillo
Beautiful family she has!!!! 💕 💕 💕
@robthorne
This might be the most beautiful comment on YouTube ever x
@ImmortalArts33
Wow I love the history of all of this. Was this is the beginning? So cool!
@serginy9880
Muchas gracias por su música, desde que me topé con Serpents
di con gran parte de las canciones que me acompañaran durante gran parte de mi
vida. Usted a aportado gran parte del entusiasmo que siento por la música, de
tomar una guitarra tratando seguir un tema para tan solo completar la
maravillosa experiencia que es disfrutar de la buena música, algo que muy pocos
logran transmitir. Mucho éxito!
@heyitscaroline
I completely fell head over heels for Sharon when I saw her live at a small bar around two years ago. This video only furthers that feeling. So lovely
@axelegglyfox
Sharon, your voice is magic. Love you guys.
@maha77
this brought tears to my eyes. Visually stunning, provoking, and the music and words perfect. How come I just heard of this artist today? Amazing....