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".
Official website: http://www.vanessacarlton.com
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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.
The One
Vanessa Carlton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I come home
I hope to see this boy I know
I cant wait for us to be alone
Flipping through the radio
We sing along to the indie show
The songs they plague me more than I can say
In the tape I made you
Hope you think of me when it plays through
Feel kind of sad now that its done
And you think my times were free
All the ways you say to me
Sweet versions of lets wait and see
But you're always a golden boy
And I'm the girl that you enjoy
My parents say Is'nt he a gifted son
Time is always passing by
And still I have to wonder why
You cant come to tell me I'm the one
Summer goes and we have grown
We have our friends live on our own
Still I'm not the girl you want me to be
Say gravity can bend the time
Funny I always liked your mind
But this whole thing is crushing me
But you're always a golden boy
In this girls heart that you destroyed
You smile at me then have your fun
Time is always passing by
Still I give you another try
And hope that you will see that I'm the one
Say your scared
Get too close
Come lets see how it goes
See you now at the show
7th in the 7th row
Now when you look at me
You see what I've known for so long
Sad that you can be so lovely and so wrong
Came to say that I've moved
I see your face
You don't approve
I guess you could say that I'm already gone
But your always be my golden boy
I'm the summer girl
That you enjoyed
Some melodies are best left undone
I feel the time pass away
But in my songs you'll always stay
Don't need for you to tell me I'm the one
No, no
I don't need you to tell me I'm the one
You'll never know that I was the one
The song "The One" by Vanessa Carlton is about unrequited love and the feeling of being second-best to someone who you deeply care about but doesn't reciprocate the same feelings. The song tells a story of a girl who comes back home from a holiday and looks forward to meeting a boy. Their relationship is not straightforward, and the boy seems to be playing with the girl's feelings. The lyrics reveal that the boy has a magnetic personality, and everyone thinks he is gifted, but as the girl stands by, she sees what others can't. She goes on to talk about how the boy she likes is always a golden boy, but she's the girl he enjoys. Despite the time that passes by, the girl keeps to hope that the boy will see her as the one.
The song's lyrics are filled with metaphors and similes that help depict the girl's feelings. The girl talks about how the songs on the radio remind her of the boy she likes, and she feels like they plague her. The song goes on to talk about the weight of feelings, how they can crush you, and how gravity can bend time. The girl talks about how she's not the girl the boy wants her to be, and the boy doesn't approve of the changes she's made.
Line by Line Meaning
Holiday
The singer is returning home with the hope of seeing someone special.
And I come home
The statement emphasizes that the singer is back home.
I hope to see this boy I know
The singer is eager to see a guy known to her.
I cant wait for us to be alone
The artist wants to be with the guy without any interference.
Flipping through the radio
The artist is turning through the radio stations.
We sing along to the indie show
The singer and the guy listen to an indie radio show and sing along.
The songs they plague me more than I can say
The songs bother the singer more than she can express.
In the tape I made you
The artist refers to a mixtape she made for the guy.
Hope you think of me when it plays through
The artist wants the guy to think of her when he hears the mixtape.
Feel kind of sad now that its done
The artist is sad that the process of making the mixtape is over.
And you think my times were free
The guy thinks that the singer has extra time.
All the ways you say to me
The guy makes suggestions to the artist.
Sweet versions of lets wait and see
The guy gives positive variations of 'wait and see'.
But you're always a golden boy
The guy is always favored by everyone.
And I'm the girl that you enjoy
The singer is the girl that the guy likes.
My parents say Isn't he a gifted son
The guy is highly regarded by the artist's parents.
Time is always passing by
Time never stops moving forward.
And still I have to wonder why
The singer is still questioning why the guy hasn't picked her yet.
You cant come to tell me I'm the one
The singer is frustrated that the guy hasn't confessed that she is the one for him.
Summer goes and we have grown
Time has passed and both the artist and the guy have grown up.
We have our friends live on our own
Both the artist and the guy have moved on and have their own lives and friends.
Still I'm not the girl you want me to be
The artist is not what the guy wants her to be.
Say gravity can bend the time
Gravity has such a strong pull that it can bend time, just like the singer's love for the guy.
Funny I always liked your mind
The artist mentions that she always found the guy's mentality amusing or appealing.
But this whole thing is crushing me
The fact that the guy hasn't picked her feels like a burden to the singer.
In this girls heart that you destroyed
The singer's heart has been broken by the guy.
You smile at me then have your fun
The guy plays around with the singer's emotions.
Still I give you another try
The artist is giving the guy an another chance to be with her.
And hope that you will see that I'm the one
The artist prays that the guy will finally realize that she is the one for him.
Came to say that I've moved
The singer comes back to inform the guy that she has moved away.
I see your face
The guy's face is noticed by the singer.
You don't approve
The guy doesn't look happy with the artist's news.
I guess you could say that I'm already gone
The artist has moved on from the guy.
I'm the summer girl
The girl is likened to summer, bright and enjoyable.
Some melodies are best left undone
Some things are best left unresolved like melodies left unfinished.
I feel the time pass away
Time keeps ticking no matter what.
But in my songs you'll always stay
The singer will always keep the guy in her memories through her songs.
Don't need for you to tell me I'm the one
The singer doesn't need the guy's confirmation that she is the one for him.
No, no
Extra emphasis is put on the previous line.
You'll never know that I was the one
The guy will never realize that the artist was the one for him.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JASON KEITH PERRY, DANIEL PHILIP CARTER, MARK CHAPMAN, GILES PERRY, ADAM PERRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind