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
Our Love
Sharon Van Etten Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see your backhand again
I'm a sinner, I have sinned
We're a half mast flag in wind
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
At the bottom of a well
I'm reliving my own hell
Someone throws the ladder down
Still don't know what I have found
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
In the song "Our Love," Sharon Van Etten is exploring the complexities of a relationship that is both genuine, and yet, problematic. The opening line, "You say I am genuine," suggests that one of the partners in the relationship is acknowledging the other's authenticity. However, the following line "I see your backhand again" indicates that there is still conflict between the two, especially given that the backhand is typically a reference to a slap or a hit from the back, suggesting that the conflict between the two has turned physical.
The next two lines reveal that the singer is aware of her own flaws, admitting to being a "sinner" who has "sinned." The metaphor of the "half mast flag in wind" illustrates the precariousness of the relationship, which is blowing in the wind, half of it drooping down due to the weight of the issues that the couple is dealing with.
The chorus repeats the phrase "It's our love," over and over again, emphasizing that it is the love that is holding the two together despite the challenges that they are facing. However, the slight changes in the melody each time the line is repeated signify a certain sense of unease and uncertainty in the relationship.
The next verse describes the singer as being at the "bottom of a well," a space that is dark and isolated, symbolizing the singer's feelings of isolation and loneliness within the relationship. The line "I'm reliving my own hell" suggests that the singer is going through some sort of a personal crisis, which is also affecting the relationship.
The following line, "Someone throws the ladder down," indicates that there is a glimmer of hope, an attempt by the other partner to reach out and help the singer out of her metaphorical well. However, the singer admits that she still doesn't know what she has found, suggesting that the relationship remains confusing and uncertain for her.
Overall, "Our Love" is a song that captures the complexity of a relationship that is failing, yet is still being held together by love. It portrays the struggles of the two partners trying to make things work, despite their issues.
Line by Line Meaning
You say I am genuine
You acknowledge my authenticity
I see your backhand again
I recognize your subtle insult
I'm a sinner, I have sinned
I am guilty of wrongdoing
We're a half mast flag in wind
We are struggling to stay afloat
It's our love
Our relationship is the source of these emotions
At the bottom of a well
I am in a dark place
I'm reliving my own hell
I am haunted by past trauma
Someone throws the ladder down
Someone is trying to help me escape
Still don't know what I have found
I am unsure if I want to be saved
It's all love
In the end, all that matters is love
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Sharon Van Etten
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@normupipita1217
Dices que soy genuino
Veo tu espalda otra vez
Soy un pecador. He pecado
Somos una bandera de medio mástil en el viento
Es nuestro amor
Es nuestro amor, es nuestro amor
Es nuestro amor, es nuestro amor
Es nuestro amor, es nuestro amor
Es nuestro amor, es nuestro amor
En el fondo de un pozo
Estoy reviviendo mi propio infierno
Alguien tira la escalera hacia abajo
Todavía no sé lo que he encontrado
En nuestro amor
En nuestro amor, en nuestro amor, en nuestro amor, en nuestro amor
En nuestro amor, en nuestro amor, en nuestro amor, en nuestro amor
Es todo amor, es todo amor, es todo amor, es todo amor
Es todo amor, es todo amor, es todo amor, es todo amor
@hennylaundry4912
You say I am genuine
I see your backhand again
I'm a sinner, I have sinned
We're a half mast flag in wind
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
It's our love
At the bottom of a well
I'm reliving my own hell
Someone throws the ladder down
Still don't know what I have found
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
In our love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
It's all love
@battlepapaya
blows my mind to go from her song "seventeen" to this. what an artist! I appreciate a voice with rangeeeeee
@TTryyan
seventeen came after ləv
@pukakeneki905
I’d play this in my wedding to myself
@kilderkin13
simple, hauntingly beautiful and mesmerizing. excellent production, sounds almost uplifting with subtle and thoughtful layers to perfectly capture Sharon's mood (love the switching from electric beats to a live sound w/ rich snare.)
@Gammaflaj
I just realized that she keeps her eyes close almost the entirety of this video. The video is made so specifically for the song, most ppl don't even get that.
@carlyhayes2816
I had never heard of her.........now she's all I want to hear, back to the video marathon!
@JordanWilhelmi
One of my favorites off the album - but who am I kidding...they're all great!
@T0mat0S0up
I never knew this song existed 20 minutes ago and my faith is restored in modern music that it can still move me.
@P9_STUDIO
That means nuttin from someone that likes Alanis Morrisette and Simply Red. #imjustsaying
You are so far of beeing "modern".
(Excuse my english)
@breed3011
Albert Zaera a real mensch