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.
The American War
Simone White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It wasn't that long ago, it was fought on every shore
Are you trying to tell me that you didn't know
I saw you reading the paper at the corner store
(Yes I know, that's a joke)
Did you ever think you lived inside the belly of the beast
Are you giving it something nice to eat
We like to live on easy street
Do you remember the people we bombed
All the homes that were there that are now gone
Well whoever told you that life is fair
People have to die - over there
Did you ever think this was the greatest country in the world
With freedom and democracy and SUV's called "Liberty" for every boy and girl
The oyster chokes on its own pearl
"We know you can't help where you're born
It's not that you're foreign
It's what you stand for
We know it's hard to start reform
The revolution's born
But no one claims it" (winning ticket)
Do you remember the American War
We thought it was fun, but it was a bore
Do you remember the American War
We forgot what we were fighting for
Do you remember the American War
We forgot what we were fighting for...
Simone White's song, The American War, is a thought-provoking commentary on American foreign policy and the country's history of war. The opening lyrics ask if the listeners remember the American War, which was fought on every shore and wasn't that long ago. The reference to the American War could be referring to multiple conflicts, including the Vietnam War or the ongoing War on Terror. The song then questions whether the listeners are aware of the extent of the destruction caused by the war and whether they cognize that they reside within the "belly of the beast."
The lyrics then delve deeper into the notion that America is considered to be the greatest country globally, with freedom and democracy as key characteristics. However, this concept is rebuked by the following lyrics, making it very clear that the American War's human cost outweighs freedom and democracy's supposed principles. These concepts are juxtaposed by references to SUVs named "Liberty" for every boy and girl, which questions American's manufacturing priorities that devote time, energy, and resources to making cars but ignore people's well-being globally.
In the song, Simone White also raises some intriguing solutions to resolving the issues arising from America's hubris: starting reforms and revolution. However, these solutions are brushed aside by the winning ticket, which could be interpreted as either politicians or society's collective consciousness. The song's ultimate question is whether we remember the American War and concludes with a crucial point that everyone needs to remember what we are fighting for, highlighting the dangers brought by selective amnesia.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember the American War
Asking if the listener remembers the war America fought
It wasn't that long ago, it was fought on every shore
The war was fought not so long ago and extended to various places
Are you trying to tell me that you didn't know
Expressing incredulity at the listener's supposed ignorance of the war
I saw you reading the paper at the corner store (Yes I know, that's a joke)
Making a sarcastic observation about the listener seen reading newspaper while claiming ignorance of the war
Did you ever think you lived inside the belly of the beast
Asking if the listener ever realized they were living in a place that caused destruction and oppression
Are you giving it something nice to eat
Asking if the listener is contributing to the system's oppression
Or are you waiting for your very own special treat
Asking if the listener is waiting to receive benefits from the system
We like to live on easy street
Hinting that the listener is perhaps living comfortably and not willing to change
Do you remember the people we bombed
Asking if the listener remembers the innocent people who were killed due to the war
All the homes that were there that are now gone
Remembering the destroyed homes of the people that were bombed
Well whoever told you that life is fair
Sarcastically saying that whoever told the listener that life is fair is wrong
People have to die - over there
Stating the harsh reality that people in war-torn countries are dying
Did you ever think this was the greatest country in the world
Asking if the listener ever believed that their country was the best
With freedom and democracy and SUV's called "Liberty" for every boy and girl
Describing the superficial aspects of living in a supposedly free country
The oyster chokes on its own pearl
Making a metaphorical observation that a person or a country might fail due to its own wealth or success
"We know you can't help where you're born
Stating that people can't choose where they are born
It's not that you're foreign
Saying that people from different countries are not the actual issue
It's what you stand for
Saying that people's beliefs and actions are what define them, regardless of their origin
We know it's hard to start reform
Acknowledging that it's difficult to bring about change
The revolution's born but no one claims it" (winning ticket)
Stating that the revolution might have started but no one is taking ownership or responsibility
Do you remember the American War
Repeating the question if the listener remembers the war
We thought it was fun, but it was a bore
Reflecting on how people might have found the war exciting at first but later on it became uninteresting
We forgot what we were fighting for
Acknowledging that people might have lost sight of why they were fighting in the war
We forgot what we were fighting for...
Further emphasizing that people forgot the reason why they fought the war
Contributed by Skyler A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.