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.
Half a Week Before the Winter
Vanessa Carlton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The chill bites before it comes
And I'm a child of the pleasure
Daddy brings before he runs
He sits behind a desk of mahogany
He whispers dreams into my ear
And though I've givin' him his empire
The unicorns are riding high
Powerful in coats of white
I turn to look and burn my eyes
I carry on, I carry all the weight of empty promise
As I stand swallowed by the light
Flickering above the highway
I hold my head and know the streets are mine tonight
The vampires are growing tired
The coats of white all turn to red
My heart burns with desire
I carry on, I carry on
The unicorns are riding high
Powerful in coats of white
We turn to look and burn our eyes
I carry on, I carry
The vampires are growing tired
The coats of white all turn to red
My heart burns with desire
I carry on, I carry on
I carry on
I carry on
We carry on
The lyrics of Vanessa Carlton's song "Half a Week Before the Winter" can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the individual listener's experiences and emotions. One possible interpretation is that the song depicts the struggle of the singer to overcome fear and emptiness brought about by her relationship with her father. The first verse illustrates this by describing the father as a source of comfort and excitement, but also implying that he abandons the singer when he leaves her with her fear. The second verse continues this theme, with the description of unicorns and vampires suggesting a world of fantasy and fear that the singer must navigate alone. The repetition of the lines "I carry on" reinforces the idea of the singer's determination to persevere despite the difficult circumstances.
Another possible interpretation of the song is that it reflects on the passage of time and mortality. The beginning of the song with the mention of the winter coming and the chill biting suggests a sense of time passing quickly and the inevitability of change. The description of unicorns and vampires suggests a world of myth and imagination that may disappear or change as time moves on. This interpretation emphasizes the importance of personal strength and resilience in the face of life's challenges.
Overall, "Half a Week Before the Winter" is a lyrical and emotional song that speaks to the complexities of human experience and the struggle to find meaning and purpose in a changing world.
Line by Line Meaning
Half a week before the winter
It's a few days before winter and everything is turning cold
The chill bites before it comes
It's colder now than it will be in winter because of the anticipation of the season coming
And I'm a child of the pleasure
I enjoy the feeling of anticipation and the pleasure that comes with winter's arrival
Daddy brings before he runs
My father gives me happiness before he leaves me alone to face the cold season
He sits behind a desk of mahogany
My father is powerful and wealthy
He whispers dreams into my ear
My father fills my head with exciting thoughts and ideas
And though I've givin' him his empire
I've helped my father attain his success
He delivers me my fear
But despite his success, my father still leaves me with fear and uncertainty
The unicorns are riding high
Fanciful, magical beings are enjoying the season's arrival
Powerful in coats of white
These creatures are impressive and imposing in their winter coats
I turn to look and burn my eyes
I'm blinded and overwhelmed by the beauty of these mythical beings
I carry on, I carry all the weight of empty promise
Despite being dazzled, I still carry the burden of unfulfilled expectations
As I stand swallowed by the light
I am enveloped in the overwhelming brightness of it all
Flickering above the highway
The light is coming from overhead, probably street lamps
I hold my head and know the streets are mine tonight
I feel confident and empowered walking the streets at night
The vampires are growing tired
The mythical creatures are losing their appeal and novelty
The coats of white all turn to red
The purity and innocence of the season are giving way to more adult themes and ideas
My heart burns with desire
I feel passion and longing for something more
I carry on, I carry on
Despite it all, I keep going and don't give up
We turn to look and burn our eyes
Others are also captivated by the beauty of the season and its creatures
I carry on, I carry
I maintain my pursuit of something better
I carry on, I carry on
I persist, constantly moving forward
I carry on
I never give up
We carry on
We all keep moving forward together
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: VANESSA CARLTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind