Growing up in a family of seven children in Torquay, Victoria (Australia), near the famous surfing location Bells Beach, Rudd showed a keen interest in music. While primary school-aged, Rudd used his mother's vacuum cleaner as a makeshift didgeridoo and he began playing his brother's guitar. He also played saxophone and clarinet as a child.
Before launching his solo career, Rudd began playing music as part of the band 'Xavier and the Hum'. In 2004, Rudd released Solace, his first album to be distributed by a major label.
Rudd's music is compassionate and always manages to render emotion in his fans. His songs include stories of the mistreatment of the indigenous people of his homeland; they tell of humanity, spirituality or the environment. The songs are written and sung with compassion and they urge the celebration of life.
Rudd is skilled with a variety of instruments, include guitar, shaker, didgeridoo, Weissenborn slide guitar, Tongue drum, stomp boxe, djembe, harmonica, ankle bells, and slide banjo. It's an experience to watch him perform his songs live, as he plays the guitar, digeridoo and various percussion instruments simultaneously, using a unique stage setup. But the real magic comes when he opens his mouth and his soulful voice spills upon his audience.
Rudd recalls that when he was 10, his dad took him to see Paul Simon’s Graceland tour. “I remember seeing it and knowing that that was what I was gonna do,” he says. “I had no doubt. It sort of made sense, because I’d always lived in my head, in this world of song that was my own little secret. But to see that show and that whole thing happening, I sort of felt comfortable as a human, and thought.” He learned to play the digeridoo, the 50,000-year-old wooden trumpet of the Aboriginal people, by practising on a vacuum cleaner pipe.
As a teenager, Rudd really got into songwriting. He started performing at his school, with solo gigs following. He drew inspiration from artists such as Leo Kottke, Ben Harper, Natalie Merchant and multi-instrumentalist David Lindley, as well as music from diverse sources, such as Hawaii and Native American music.
As with most solo artists, Rudd has experimented playing in a band. Though it was a short- lived experiment, as Rudd quickly found that it wasn't the right way to go for him. “What I do now is just more me,” he says. “And it sounds full.”
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“It’s all about peace and happiness,” he says of his performances. “That’s sort of the blanket that seems to sort of settle in the room, or on the venue when I play, but I sort of feel not solely responsible. I don’t really feel like it’s me and the audience. I feel like it’s all of us, one big connection and I just happen to be channeling the energy through music. It comes from the audience and channels through me and I put it back in the audience.”
“My music is about good spirit. I’m so lucky to be able to do what I do. I’m so blessed to be able to be able to travel around and play music and connect with so many people in so many places in so many cultures. It’s a gift of life as a musician.”
After the failure of his marriage in 2009, Rudd was supported in his grief and recovery by new South African bandmates, bassist Tio Moloantoa and percussionist Andile Nqubezelo. Rudd had met Moloantoa and Nqubezelo performing at the 2008 Wiesen Nuke Festival in Austria. Rudd described his connection with Moloantoa and Nqubezelo as musical, spiritual and emotional—"I feel like they were sent to me," he said.
In 2010 Rudd bought 20 hectares of property at Koonyum Range, Mullumbimby, the location was the inspiration for the name of the album Rudd would release with Moloantoa and Nqubezelo, titled "Koonyum Sun", as Xavier Rudd & Izintaba. The album moved away from the heavier sound of Rudd's 2008 album "Dark Shades of Blue" to a more up-beat style.
"Nanna", the 2015 album Rudd released as Xavier Rudd & the United Nations champions cultural understanding and condemns racism and intolerance. It features a diverse group of musicians from Australia, South Africa, Samoa, Germany, Ireland, and Papua New Guinea.
In 2018, Rudd released "Storm Boy".
Green Spandex
Xavier Rudd Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I thought would never come
The woman who lit the light
For a family in the dark
Starring at the mirror
I see your smile through my own
Your spark embedded deep inside
Will give me strength
And I'll never lose your touch
No I'll never lose touch
This will take me a while
Because I miss your smile
I guess I new your time would come
But for now I miss your smile
It's gonna take me a while
Thank you for your loyal stance
Green spandex and crazy style
Thank you for the happiness
That you gave to our lives
Although now our hearts are cracked
And our tears are slow to dry
We must count ourselves
The lucky ones
For we were with you in your prime
And I'll never lose your touch
No I'll never lose touch
Please stay in touch
Because I need you in my heart
Please stay in touch
I need your touch
Xavier Rudd's song "Green Spandex" is a touching and emotional tribute to a loved one who has passed away. The lyrics express the pain and sorrow felt by the singer as he says goodbye to someone who was the light in his family's life. The woman is described as a source of strength and hope, with her spark deeply embedded within those she left behind. Even though she is gone, the singer will never lose her touch and will never forget the happiness she brought to their lives.
The lyrics are filled with gratitude for the time spent with this amazing woman, despite the sorrow that accompanies her loss. The singer thanks her for the happiness she brought to their lives and her loyalty and unique personality, reflected in her green spandex and crazy style. The song is a reminder to cherish the memories of those we have lost and to never forget their impact on our lives.
Overall, "Green Spandex" is a poignant and heartfelt tribute to a loved one who has passed away. It encourages us to appreciate the time we have with the people we love and to hold onto their memories even when they are gone.
Line by Line Meaning
I guess this is the rushed goodbye
The singer is saying farewell hastily and he never thought it would happen so soon.
That I thought would never come
He never imagined that the time to say goodbye would be so near.
The woman who lit the light
The woman in question provided hope and guidance for the singer's family.
For a family in the dark
The family was going through a difficult time and the woman brought light to it.
Starring at the mirror
The artist is looking at himself in the mirror.
I see your smile through my own
He can see the woman's smile reflected in his own.
Your spark embedded deep inside
The woman had a special energy and that lives on in the singer.
Will give me strength
The artist will be able to find strength in the woman's memory.
Will give us hope
The artist and his family will be able to find hope in her memory.
And I'll never lose your touch
The artist will always have the woman's influence with him.
No I'll never lose touch
He will never forget her or her impact on his life.
This will take me a while
The artist knows that it will take time to come to terms with the woman's passing.
Because I miss your smile
The singer misses the woman's presence and the happiness it brought.
I guess I new your time would come
The singer was aware that the woman's life would eventually end.
But for now I miss your smile
The singer is currently missing the woman's smile.
It's gonna take me a while
The process of grieving will take time and the artist understands that.
Thank you for your loyal stance
The artist is thankful for the woman's unwavering support and loyalty.
Green spandex and crazy style
The woman had an eccentric sense of fashion and style.
Thank you for the happiness
The singer is expressing gratitude for the joy the woman brought to his life.
That you gave to our lives
The woman brought joy not just to the artist but to those around him.
Although now our hearts are cracked
The artist and those who knew the woman are currently grieving and heartbroken.
And our tears are slow to dry
The grief is difficult and takes time to process.
We must count ourselves
The singer is saying that they should be grateful despite the sadness.
The lucky ones
The artist considers himself and those who knew the woman to be fortunate to have had her in their lives.
Please stay in touch
The singer is asking the woman's memory to stay with him.
Because I need you in my heart
The singer wants the woman's influence to always be with him.
I need your touch
He needs the woman's memory and the impact she had on his life.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: XAVIER RUDD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind