Born into a family of artists, White spent her early years moving from town to town. Her mother was a folksinger, her father a sculptor, grandma was a burlesque performer and auntie was a pop song writer. Grandfather was a poet who favored the sonnet. Drawn to the arts, Simone acted in plays and films, made photographs and wrote. Needing an instrument for the songs she wrote a cappella, Simone taught herself to play guitar.
Moving to NYC from London in 2000, White began to play music onstage. She recorded her first album with producer David Domanich and musician and friend Frank Bango. White released the album, The Sincere Recording Company Presents, in 2003 on Bango's label The Sincere Recording Company.
I Am The Man, her second album, was recorded with producer Mark Nevers, (Lambchop/Calexico/Will Oldham/Silver Jews), in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2006 she was signed to the UK label Honest Jons. I Am The Man was released by Honest Jons/EMI in the UK, Japan, Italy and Holland in 2007 and released in France, Germany and the United States in 2008 through distributors Indigo and Forced Exposure. The album was a favourite with critics from MOJO and Q Magazine to the Daily Mail.
The Beep Beep Song, one of the songs from White's second album I Am The Man was used in an Audi R8 advert in the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, South Africa, Sweden and was shown in the half time ad break of the Rugby World Cup Final of 2007.
In 2007 and 2008 White toured in the United Kingdom and Europe headlining and supporting various bands: Nouvelle Vague, Alela Diane, Teitur, Stephen Fretwell and Little Dragon. In 2008 she played at the festivals Greenman and WOMAD in the UK.
White was a part of Damon Albarn's critically acclaimed "Honest Jons Revue" which toured in July 2008 to the Barbican Center in London, Les Nuits Fourviere Festival in Lyon, and the Lincoln Center Festival in New York City. The Honest Jons Revue included the artists Tony Allen, The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Damon Albarn, Kokanko Sata Doumbia, Lobi Traore, Afel Bocoum, Candi Staton, Simone White and Victoria Williams.
On 12 June 2009, White's third album, Yakiimo was released digitally, with a physical release following on 22 June 2009. This album was again released through Honest Jons in the UK.
White's albums frequently include covers of songs originally recorded by her friend and collaborator Frank Bango. Such recordings include Roses Are Not Red, Wrong About You, Worm Was Wood and Bunny In A Bunnysuit.
White currently lives in Venice, California.
White's album, Silver Silver, was released in 2012.
She released "Genuine Fake", a collection of acoustic recordings, on 8 September 2017.
Olivia 101
Simone White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
each scribble it got more exciting
from pencil to paper
I love and erase her
again and again til I can't even read my own writing
I study her all day long
I memorize every word that she speaks
and chronicle hours into days into weeks
olivia 101
I learn by the light of the moon that she's hung
I've done all the work now I long for the fun part
I add and subtract all the days of the year
and divide them by weekends without her
carry the seven the answer is heaven
there's safety in numbers
and something about her
I study her all day long
I memorize every color she wears
I measure the passing of time
by the style of her clothes
and the length of her hair
olivia 101
I learn by the light of the moon that she's hung
I've done all the work now I long for the fun part
october orange and chimney red
I zip up my jacket and hang down my head
I rake up the leaves thil they spell out her name
the wind blows them into my arms
and I wish that she would do the same
olivia 101
I learn by the light of the moon that she's hung
I've done all the work now I long for the fun part
olivia 101
olivia 101
olivia 101
The song "Olivia 101" by Simone White is about a person who is infatuated with a woman named Olivia, to the point where they study and analyze every single detail about her. The singer draws pictures of Olivia, studies her habits and mannerisms, the colors she wears, and the passing of time in relation to her. The singer's obsession is shown through lines such as "I love and erase her/ again and again til I can't even read my own writing" and "I add and subtract all the days of the year/ and divide them by weekends without her/ carry the seven the answer is heaven/ there's safety in numbers and something about her." Despite all the work and effort put into studying Olivia, the singer is still longing for the "fun part", which shows that despite the singer's fixation, they may not have actually pursued a relationship with Olivia.
The lyrics have a playful tone to them, with lines such as "I rake up the leaves til they spell out her name/ the wind blows them into my arms/ and I wish that she would do the same" adding a whimsical and even whimsical element to the song. Overall, the song touches on the intense emotions one goes through when infatuated with someone and the desire to know everything about them before pursuing a relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
I drew a picture of her in my notebook
I tried to capture her beauty in my drawings by making each scribble more exciting than the previous scribble. But, my obsession led me to erase and redraw her again and again, until I couldn't even decipher my writing.
I study her all day long
I spend my entire day in studying every word she speaks and every action she takes, memorizing them to relive the moments later.
olivia 101
This is my course of study where Olivia is the main subject, and I keep learning about her every day.
I add and subtract all the days of the year
I measure the passing of time by adding and subtracting each day that I don't spend with her. Counting the days is my way of keeping track of my feelings.
carry the seven the answer is heaven
My arithmetic calculation always ends up in a divine answer, indicating that spending time with her is like heaven to me.
I measure the passing of time
I can judge the duration in time since I saw her last or the time remaining until I see her again, based on the color she wears that day or the style of clothes.
october orange and chimney red
These are the colors of the fall season that remind me of her whenever I see them.
I rake up the leaves thil they spell out her name
I even rake the leaves, which are like her and spell out her name. I collect them in my arms when the wind brings them to me and wish that she would fall into my arms the same way.
olivia 101
This phrase is used again to highlight the fact that she is my constant focus of learning and affection.
Contributed by David H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.