Clark joined Sufjan Stevens' touring band in 2006, bringing with her a tour EP entitled Paris Is Burning. It contains three tracks, including a cover version of Jackson Browne's These Days.
Clark released her début album, Marry Me, 10 July 2007 on Beggars Banquet Records. Named after a line from the cult-hit television show Arrested Development, the LP features appearances from drummer Brian Teasley (Man or Astro-man?, The Polyphonic Spree), Mike Garson (David Bowie's longtime pianist), and horn player Louis Schwadron (The Polyphonic Spree).
In 2008 Clark was nominated for three PLUG Independent Music Awards: New Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Music Video of the Year, and on 6 March 2008, she won the Female Artist of the Year award.
Her second album for 4AD, entitled Actor, was released on 5 May 2009. It was written entirely by Clark and produced by Clark and John Congleton of The Paper Chase.
The Strange Mercy Songfacts reports that Clark wrote her third album in Seattle. She decamped to the Northwestern city to escape from the information overload she was experiencing at home and recorded Strange Mercy in a studio provided by Death Cab For Cutie drummer Jason McGerr. The album was released by 4AD on September 12, 2011 and peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200, making it her first Top 20 LP.
2) A pseudonym of singer-songwriter Vincent Bernardy, who has written and recorded music since 1980. see also St. Vincent Folk
3) A singer/songwriter from Victoria, Australia.
Just the Same But Brand New
St. Vincent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By the time you rounded Second Avenue
So I walked away
All perfumed
Felt just the same
But brand new
And anything you wrote I checked for codes and clues
The letters stopped unceremoniously in June
So I changed my I's and A's to yours
I'm just the same but brand new
And I do my best impression of weightlessness, now too
And I might be wrong, I might be wrong, I might be wrong
But honey I believed I could
Float away, dangling
I'm just the same but brand new
To you.
St. Vincent's 'Just the Same But Brand New' is a mesmerising song that speaks about a person trying to move forward with life after experiencing emotional turbulence. The opening lines of the song immediately create a sombre tone, as the singer feels left behind as the world moves forward. The vivid image of Second Avenue highlights how busy the outside world has become, leaving the singer isolated and alone. The chorus alludes to the singer trying to pick himself/herself up again, using perfume as a metaphor for change. He/she acknowledges that while the world may remain the same, he/she has started anew, becoming a different person after experiencing a traumatic event.
The second verse shifts towards talking about the recipient of the letter, who is unreachable since June. The singer admits to looking for hidden messages or clues within anything that the recipient may have written. He/she also changed his/her letters, probably in an attempt to appear more relatable to the recipient. The verse again ends with the singer recognising that despite trying to change himself/herself, he/she is still grappling with the same emotions. The next few lines 'doing my best impression of weightlessness' could mean that the person is attempting to lift the emotional baggage that seems to weigh him/her down, but is still struggling.
Overall, 'Just the Same But Brand New' is a heart-wrenching interpretation of complex emotions experienced after an emotional trauma. It speaks about the desire to move forward, the attempt to change oneself, and the inability to completely let go of one's past.
Line by Line Meaning
The people in the street had overtaken you
You were left behind by the progress of others
By the time you rounded Second Avenue
You were already too late to catch up
So I walked away
I decided to leave you behind and move on
All perfumed
With a new scent or aura about me
Felt just the same
Despite the change in my outer appearance, my inner self remained unchanged
But brand new
I was reborn in a way, with a fresh outlook on life
And anything you wrote I checked for codes and clues
I was suspicious of your intentions and closely analyzed everything you said
The letters stopped unceremoniously in June
You abruptly cut off communication without any explanation
So I changed my I's and A's to yours
I tried to assimilate to your way of thinking and speaking
I'm just the same but brand new
I am still fundamentally the same person, but with a renewed sense of purpose
And I do my best impression of weightlessness, now too
I try to appear free and unburdened by my past experiences
And I might be wrong, I might be wrong, I might be wrong
I acknowledge the possibility of my own fallibility
But honey I believed I could
Despite the uncertainty, I still held on to hope
Float away, dangling
To drift off into the unknown, with nothing tying me down
I'm just the same but brand new
I am still the same person inside, but with a new perspective on life
To you.
This transformation is only evident to those who knew me before
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: ANNE ERIN CLARK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind