Vanessa's sixth studio album, Love Is An Art, releases on March 27th, 2020 through Dine Alone Records.
Vanessa's fifth studio album, Liberman, was released on October 23 2015, through Dine Alone Records. It marks her first release since signing with Dine Alone Records. The title of the album comes from an oil painting made by Carlton's late maternal grandfather, whose given surname was "Liberman".
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Vanessa Carlton first began playing the piano as a toddler, continuing on an artistic road with her attendance at the School of American Ballet in New York, a path she would eventually abandon in favor of songwriting. She re-embraced the piano and began performing in bars and clubs across Manhattan. While studying at Columbia University, Carlton was signed to Interscope Records, but made her formal debut on A&M under veteran producer Ron Fair.
Her debut album in April 2002, Be Not Nobody, resonated with audiences of all ages world-wide, especially the hit piano single “A Thousand Miles,” which reached the Top 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart, #1 in Australia, and Top 10 in the UK. Carlton went on to earn 2003 Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist (“A Thousand Miles”). The album witnessed global success, reaching Gold status in over 10 countries, and Platinum status in Asian territories, such as Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Taiwan.
Her second album Harmonium (2004), which yielded the single “White Houses,” continued to inspire an increasingly loyal global fan base and garnered some the best reviews of her career.
Her record release in 2007, Heroes & Thieves “might be my first thematic record,” Carlton says, adding that the songs reveal themselves like chapters in a book, one that fans can crack open (Vanessa has often explained during her live shows that the second single from "Heroes & Thieves" entitled "Hands On Me" is the second chapter to the album). Paying homage to the area of Manhattan where most of its songs were written, the first single off of the 2007 record, appropriately dubbed “Nolita Fairytale,” is a syncopated, upbeat piece that paints a dramatic musical landscape. “ That song is really about finding joy in unexpected environments. How sometimes losing things makes you realize what you have, which is like a quasi fairytale,” says Carlton. Heroes & Thieves was recorded in the San Francisco studio of Third Eye Blind founder Stephan Jenkins and the Los Angeles studio of producer/songwriter Linda Perry.
Vanessa's fourth studio album, "Rabbits On The Run" was released on July 26th, 2011. Material for this album was produced by Steve Osborne (U2, B-52’s, KT Tunstall), and was recorded in the UK at Peter Gabriel's well-renowned Real World Studios.
Speaking with Songfacts about the lead single Carousel in a 2011 interview, Carlton explained that she wrote the song in a dream where the "da na na na na" tune was floating around.
Other facts:
Vanessa's uncle is jazz musician Larry Carlton.
In 2003, Vanessa portrayed Dusty Springfield on the television show "American Dreams" on Heartache (episode #1.14) and performed a cover of the song "Wishin' And Hopin'".
One of Vanessa's touring guitarists, Ari Ingber, (other than being credited as a group vocalist on "More Than This) is the lead vocalist/guitarist for the band The Upwelling. Ari also co-wrote the song "About to Break" from Third Eye Blind's "Ursa Major".
One of Vanessa's touring bassists, Jon Evans, (other than being credited as bassist on Heroes & Thieves and bass guitarist on Third Eye Blind's "Ursa Major") is part of the band Redfish, Bluefish and has also performed with Tori Amos.
One of Vanessa's touring guitarists, Mark Beauchemin, (other than performing with Vanessa on the song "More Than This (Campfire Take)" for the album "Songs For Tibet - The Art of Peace") used to be part of the band SR-71 and currently has his own band.
Besides having Stevie Nicks do backing vocals on her song "The One" and Stephan Jenkins (of Third Eye Blind) do backing vocals on select songs on Heroes & Thieves, Vanessa has made several contributions to works of other artists and bands including: Vocals on the song Big Yellow Taxi with Counting Crows; backing vocals on the song Moving On by Kimya Dawson; piano on the song Everybody's Got To Learn Sometime by Zucchero; vocals on the song M A K E L O V E T O M E with 7 Aurelius; co-writing 3 songs with The Matrix; Providing vocals on the various artist compilation song "Put A Little Love", created for a Gap clothing company campaign which also featured Al Green, Melissa Etheridge, Kelly Rowland, Stephan Jenkins, Ginuwine, Musiq, Heather Headley and Gavin DeGraw; Providing vocals and piano on the various artist compilation song "Love Revolution", a cover of Lenny Kravitz's song, created for a Kohl's clothing company campaign which also featured Avril Lavigne, Lenny Kravitz, Plain White T's and The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus; Performing live with artists/bands including a cover of Elton John's song "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" with Elton John's band, duets with Shlomo, Shlomo and the Vocal Orchestra, Stevie Nicks, Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows and backing vocals on select songs with Counting Crows.
Vanessa is credited with providing piano on the track "Company" and backing vocals on "Faster" from Third Eye Blind's album "Out of the Vein".
Vanessa is also credited as being a performer on The Upwelling's debut album "An American Stranger" which Stephan Jenkins also produced.
C'est La Vie
Vanessa Carlton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now I'm thinkin' I've been livin'
The fantasy of your sweet smile.
Sad as blue and blue as only,
You could cast the color on me.
Can you see my fire red?
See'est la vie, see'est la vie, here in my lonely.
Without him.
Boy, you swallow truth like honey,
As you spew your lies upon me.
Sweet and smooth as it goes down.
See'est la vie, see'est la vie, here in my lonely.
See'est la vie, see'est la vie, here in my lonely
Without him.
Oh, say you, say me, say always, and forever more I'll be your perfect little sugarbride.
Oh, if you could see the strength within a perfect harmony.
Your melody is bringin' me down.
See'est la vie, see'est la vie, here in my lonely.
See'est la vie, see'est la vie, here in my lonely
Without him.
Boy, you swallow truth like honey.
The lyrics of Vanessa Carlton's song "C'est La Vie" are open to interpretation, as many songs are. At its surface, the song is about a woman who has been taking what someone else has been offering, and now she's realizing that she's been living a fantasy. This person's sweet smile has cast a blue as only they could on her. She's left to lament in her loneliness without this person. The lyrics speak to the power someone can hold over us when we're enamored with them.
Throughout the song, there is a recurring refrain of "see'est la vie," which is French for "such is life." The French phrase adds a layer of complexity to the song's meaning - it acknowledges that things aren't always perfect, and sometimes we have to accept that we can't change our circumstances. In the context of the song, it's clear that the woman singing is stuck in a situation she can't change.
The lyrics also highlight the idea of truth vs. lies. The person she's singing about "swallows truth like honey," but at the same time, they "spew their lies" onto her. This line speaks to the idea of gaslighting and how someone can make you doubt your reality.
Overall, "C'est La Vie" is a song about longing, loss, and the acceptance that sometimes people just aren't good for us. The French phrase peppers the lyrics with a melancholy acknowledgement that life isn't always fair, but we have to keep moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Boy, you swallow truth like honey.
You easily accept false promises and lies as true because of their sweet, appealing nature.
As you spew your lies upon me.
You talk falsehoods, insincerity and deceit to me.
Sweet and smooth as it goes down.
The lies and false promises have an easy, comfortable effect on you, making them easy to believe.
I've been takin' what you're giving.
You have been accepting and allowing what the other person has offered.
Now I'm thinkin' I've been livin'
The fantasy of your sweet smile.
You just realized that you have been living in the illusion created by the other person's charming facade.
Sad as blue and blue as only,
You could cast the color on me.
The other person made you as sad as possible, with a sadness that only they could produce.
Can you see my fire red?
Asking if anyone can see the fire and intensity of the pain and anger you're feeling.
See'est la vie, see'est la vie, here in my lonely.
This is life, this is life, I'm here by myself.
Without him.
The artist is without the person who caused them pain and sadness.
Oh, say you, say me, say always, and forever more
I'll be your perfect little sugarbride.
The artist is asking the other person to confirm that they will always be their ideal partner, regardless of anything.
Oh, if you could see the strength within a perfect harmony.
If the other person could only see how much they could accomplish together if they could just make things right.
Your melody is bringin' me down.
The other person's actions, words and behavior are affecting the artist in a very negative way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: VANESSA CARLTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind