April Fools - Music
April Fools by Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Artist Biography For Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright Born 22 July 1973 Is A Canadian-American Singer And Songwriter. Wainwright Was Born In Rhinebeck New York USA To Folk Singers Loudon Wainwright III And Kate McGarrigle They Divorced While He Was A Child . He Began To Play The Piano At Age Six And By Age Thirteen He Was Touring With His Sister Martha Wainwright Mother Kate And Aunt Anna As The McGarrigle Sisters And Family. His Song I'm A-Runnin' Which He Performed In The Movie Tommy Tricker And The Stamp Traveller In Which He Also Played A Minor Character Was Nominated For The 1989 Genie Award For Best Original Song And Earned Him A Nomination For The 1990 Juno Award For Most Promising Male Vocalist. He Lived In Montreal With His Mother For Most Of His Childhood And Briefly Attended McGill University Where He Studied Both Classical And 'rock' Piano. Some Of His Songs Feature His Mastery Of French. Wainwright Still Maintains A Residence In Canada. He Came Out As Gay While Still A Teen. Wainwright Became Interested In Opera Throughout His Adolescent Years For Instance His Track Barcelona Features Lyrics Of Giuseppe Verdi . He Also Became An Enthusiast Of Such Performers As Édith Piaf Al Jolson And Judy Garland. After Having Been A Fixture On The Montreal Club Circuit Wainwright Cut A Series Of Demo Tapes One Of Which Found Itself In The Hands Of DreamWorks Executive Lenny Waronker. The Label Signed Him And He Released The Self-Titled Rufus Wainwright Album In The Spring Of 1998. This Album Received Much Critical Acclaim In Canada And Was Recognized By Rolling Stone Magazine As One Of The Best Albums Of The Year. Wainwright's Second Album Poses 2001 Brought Similar Acclaim. Wainwright's First Main Exposure To The American Public Came As An Opener To Singer Tori Amos In 2001 And 2002. He Garnered Praise For His Performance And Began Touring As A Main Act Shortly Afterwards. He Has Frequently Toured As The Opener For Sting And Co-Headlined With Ben Folds And Guster In The Summer Of 2004. He Still Often Performs With His Sister Martha Wainwright Now Herself An Emerging Artist On Backup Vocals. Despite A Growing Cult Following And Critical Acclaim Wainwright Has Experienced Only Marginal Commercial Success In The United States. In Addition To Being A Pianist Wainwright Is A Guitarist Often Switching Between The Two Instruments When Performing Live However His Mastery Of The Guitar Does Not Approach His Talent With The Piano Within The Piano Rock Genre. While Some Of His Most Moving Songs Feature Just Wainwright With His Piano Many Of His Songs Display Complex Layering And Harmonies Occasionally Comprising Hundreds Of Individual Parts. Wainwright Is An Avid Opera Fan And The Influences On His Music Are Evident As Well As His Love Of Schubert 'Lieder' His Music Has Been Described As "Popera" Pop Opera Or "Baroque Pop." His Lyrics Are Filled With Allusions To Opera Literature Pop Culture And More Recently Politics In Songs Such As Gay Messiah And Waiting For A Dream . Wainwright Is A Recovering Crystal Meth Addict And A Rape Survivor He Uses The Press To Bring Awareness To These Societal Problems. His Talent Has Been Widely Recognized And Praised By Such Artists As Elton John Morrissey John Mayer And Sting And He Continues To Influence Artists Like Keane Alanis Morissette Scissor Sisters And Ben Folds. Wainwright's Want Two From Which Four Songs Were Released As The EP Waiting For A Want Was Released By DreamWorks/Geffen On November 16 2004. It Is A Companion To The 2003 Release Want One. His Latest A Live ITunes Sessions EP Entitled Alright Already Was Released March 15 2005. A DVD Entitled All I Want Featuring A Biographical Documentary Music Videos And Live Performances Was Released On Both Sides Of The Atlantic In Summer 2005. The Same Year Was Also Notable For Two Major Contributions As Solo Vocalist To A Pair Of Important Records The Mercury Prize Winning I Am A Bird Now And At This Time. The Pair Of Want Albums Was Repackaged As Want For A Late November 2005 Release To Coincide With The Start Of A British Tour. The Version Of Want One Is That Which Contains The Two Extra Songs Es Mus Sein And Velvet Curtain Rag. The Want Want One And Want Two Combined Package In The UK Has Two New Extra Tracks Chelsea Hotel No. 2 And In With The Ladies Which Replace Coeur De Parisienne — Reprise D'Arletty And Quand Vous Mourez De Nos Amours From 2004's Augmented Edition. Rufus' Fifth Studio Album Release The Stars Was Released By Geffen On May 15 2007. The Album Was Executive Produced By Neil Tennant Of The Pet Shop Boys And Featured Richard Thompson Teddy Thompson Martha Wainwright Kate McGarrigle Neil Tennant Joan Wasser Julianna Raye Larry Mullins - Pka Toby Dammit And Sian Phillips. 14 . It Reached Number 2 In The UK And Debuted At Number 23 In The USA. The First Single Of The Album "Going To A Town" Was Released On April 3 2007 On The ITunes Music Store. Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall Is His Sixth Album. It Is A Live Recording Of His June 2006 Tribute Concert To Judy Garland. Backed By A 36-Piece Orchestra Under The Conduction Of Stephen Oremus Wainwright Recreated Garland's April 23 1961 Concert Often Considered "the Greatest Night In Show Business History." After Overcoming Many Personal Problems Her Comeback Performance Of 25 American Standards Spawned The Double Album "Judy At Carnegie Hall." As Well As Tommy Tricker And The Stamp Traveller Wainwright Has Appeared In The Films The Aviator And Heights. Rufus Has Music In The Film Brokeback Mountain For Which He Recorded The Maker Makes And King Of The Road As Well As A Minor Cameo As A Guitar Player. Wainwright Released His Sixth Studio Album All Days Are Nights Songs For Lulu In March 2010. In Stark Contrast To The Lush Ornamentation Of Release The Stars The Album Is A Simple Voice And Piano Rendition Of A Song Cycle That Includes Versions Of Three Shakespeare Sonnets And An Excerpt From His 2009 Opera Prima Donna. The Lulu Figure Of The Title Is Said By Wainwright To Be "the Dark Brooding Dangerous Woman That Lives Within All Of Us" Similar To The Dark Lady Character In Shakespeare's Sonnets. The First Part Of The Title Comes From The Final Couplet Of William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 43" "All Days Are Nights To See Till I See Thee..." .
Frogtoon Music - Song Info: April Fools
Rufus-Wainwright - Rufus Wainwright
For Many April Fools' Day Is A More Appropriate Holiday Than Valentine's Day When It Comes To Love. In This Song Rufus Wainwright Is Struck By Cupid's Arrow On February 14 Only To Be Struck Down Six Weeks Later. In A Songfacts Interview With Wainwright He Talked About The Song's Meaning And How It Came To Him. "I Remember When That Chorus Came Into My Mind " He Said. "I Was In The Bath Kind Of Humming Along To Myself And Not Really Thinking About It And 'you Will Believe In Love And All It's Supposed To Be' Just Kind Of Shot Into My Brain. I Remember Standing Up Naked In The Bathtub And Singing It Out Then Writing The Song Afterwards. Hopefully I Dried Off A Bit! It's About This Concept Almost Like Murphy's Law If Something's Going To Go Wrong It Will. I Felt Like In My Early Years Everything Was Always Thwarted For Me. Whether It Was Love School Or Friendship There Was Always This Sort Of Negative Slant That Would Occur. Little Did I Know That Years Later I Would Learn That Life Is Just Full Of Different Types Of Experiences And Sadness And Failure Is Just One Of Them. And Everybody Goes Through It Occasionally." Rufus Was In The Sweet Spot In Terms Of Musical Pedigree. His Parents The Singer-Songwriters Kate McGarrigle And Loudon Wainwright III Passed On Their Genetic Gifts Without Saddling Him With The Expectations Of A Lennon Or Dylan. Loudon Also Passed Along His Demo Tape Which Got Rufus Signed To DreamWorks A New Label With Deep Pockets Founded By David Geffen Steven Spielberg And Jeffrey Katzenberg. "April Fools" Is One Of The Most Popular Tracks On His Self-Titled Debut Album Which Wasn't A Huge Seller But Earned Lots Of Critical Acclaim And Set The Stage For His Adventurous Music Career. After Recording The Album In Los Angeles He Moved To New York City Where He Recorded His Second Album Poses Released In 2001. Rufus' Sister Martha Wainwright Is The Female Backing Vocalist On This Track. Rufus Played Piano On Several Other Songs From The Album But On This One He Played Acoustic Guitar And Left The Piano To Benmont Tench Of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers. Session Legend Jim Keltner Played Drums And Producer Jon Brion Handled The Other Instruments Where Are Listed As Electric Guitar Baritone Acoustic Guitar Hammond S-6 Organ And Percussion. In A 2010 Interview With The Daily Telegraph Wainwright Discussed His Writing Process. He Revealed That Though He Reads And Writes Music He Tends To Transfer A Tune In His Head Straight On To The Keyboard Rather Than Onto A Sheet Of Paper. Said Wainwright "Then I Go Back With My Assistant And Work Out The Proper Value Of The Notes And The Time Signatures. 'April Fools' Came To Me When I Was In The Bath. I Stood Up Naked And Sang It. Songs Come To Me At Odd Times. The Only Thing They Have In Common Is That When They Do Come The Moment Has To Be Theatrical." Directed By Sophie Muller The Music Video Follows Wainwright's Fruitless Attempts To Prevent The Suicides Of Well-Known Operatic Characters Like Madame Butterfly. Gwen Stefani Who Worked With Muller On Several No Doubt Videos Makes A Cameo Appearance In The Clip Which Was Partly Shot At Stefani's House. Hole Bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur A Friend Of Wainwright's Also Appears.
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Biography - Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright Born 22 July 1973 Is A Canadian-American Singer And Songwriter. Wainwright Was Born In Rhinebeck New York USA To Folk Singers Loudon Wainwright III And Kate McGarrigle They Divorced While He Was A Child . He Began To Play The Piano At Age Six And By Age Thirteen He Was Touring With His Sister Martha Wainwright Mother Kate And Aunt Anna As The McGarrigle Sisters And Family. His Song I'm A-Runnin' Which He Performed In The Movie Tommy Tricker And The Stamp Traveller In Which He Also Played A Minor Character Was Nominated For The 1989 Genie Award For Best Original Song And Earned Him A Nomination For The 1990 Juno Award For Most Promising Male Vocalist. He Lived In Montreal With His Mother For Most Of His Childhood And Briefly Attended McGill University Where He Studied Both Classical And 'rock' Piano. Some Of His Songs Feature His Mastery Of French. Wainwright Still Maintains A Residence In Canada. He Came Out As Gay While Still A Teen. Wainwright Became Interested In Opera Throughout His Adolescent Years For Instance His Track Barcelona Features Lyrics Of Giuseppe Verdi . He Also Became An Enthusiast Of Such Performers As Édith Piaf Al Jolson And Judy Garland. After Having Been A Fixture On The Montreal Club Circuit Wainwright Cut A Series Of Demo Tapes One Of Which Found Itself In The Hands Of DreamWorks Executive Lenny Waronker. The Label Signed Him And He Released The Self-Titled Rufus Wainwright Album In The Spring Of 1998. This Album Received Much Critical Acclaim In Canada And Was Recognized By Rolling Stone Magazine As One Of The Best Albums Of The Year. Wainwright's Second Album Poses 2001 Brought Similar Acclaim. Wainwright's First Main Exposure To The American Public Came As An Opener To Singer Tori Amos In 2001 And 2002. He Garnered Praise For His Performance And Began Touring As A Main Act Shortly Afterwards. He Has Frequently Toured As The Opener For Sting And Co-Headlined With Ben Folds And Guster In The Summer Of 2004. He Still Often Performs With His Sister Martha Wainwright Now Herself An Emerging Artist On Backup Vocals. Despite A Growing Cult Following And Critical Acclaim Wainwright Has Experienced Only Marginal Commercial Success In The United States. In Addition To Being A Pianist Wainwright Is A Guitarist Often Switching Between The Two Instruments When Performing Live However His Mastery Of The Guitar Does Not Approach His Talent With The Piano Within The Piano Rock Genre. While Some Of His Most Moving Songs Feature Just Wainwright With His Piano Many Of His Songs Display Complex Layering And Harmonies Occasionally Comprising Hundreds Of Individual Parts. Wainwright Is An Avid Opera Fan And The Influences On His Music Are Evident As Well As His Love Of Schubert 'Lieder' His Music Has Been Described As "Popera" Pop Opera Or "Baroque Pop." His Lyrics Are Filled With Allusions To Opera Literature Pop Culture And More Recently Politics In Songs Such As Gay Messiah And Waiting For A Dream . Wainwright Is A Recovering Crystal Meth Addict And A Rape Survivor He Uses The Press To Bring Awareness To These Societal Problems. His Talent Has Been Widely Recognized And Praised By Such Artists As Elton John Morrissey John Mayer And Sting And He Continues To Influence Artists Like Keane Alanis Morissette Scissor Sisters And Ben Folds. Wainwright's Want Two From Which Four Songs Were Released As The EP Waiting For A Want Was Released By DreamWorks/Geffen On November 16 2004. It Is A Companion To The 2003 Release Want One. His Latest A Live ITunes Sessions EP Entitled Alright Already Was Released March 15 2005. A DVD Entitled All I Want Featuring A Biographical Documentary Music Videos And Live Performances Was Released On Both Sides Of The Atlantic In Summer 2005. The Same Year Was Also Notable For Two Major Contributions As Solo Vocalist To A Pair Of Important Records The Mercury Prize Winning I Am A Bird Now And At This Time. The Pair Of Want Albums Was Repackaged As Want For A Late November 2005 Release To Coincide With The Start Of A British Tour. The Version Of Want One Is That Which Contains The Two Extra Songs Es Mus Sein And Velvet Curtain Rag. The Want Want One And Want Two Combined Package In The UK Has Two New Extra Tracks Chelsea Hotel No. 2 And In With The Ladies Which Replace Coeur De Parisienne — Reprise D'Arletty And Quand Vous Mourez De Nos Amours From 2004's Augmented Edition. Rufus' Fifth Studio Album Release The Stars Was Released By Geffen On May 15 2007. The Album Was Executive Produced By Neil Tennant Of The Pet Shop Boys And Featured Richard Thompson Teddy Thompson Martha Wainwright Kate McGarrigle Neil Tennant Joan Wasser Julianna Raye Larry Mullins - Pka Toby Dammit And Sian Phillips. 14 . It Reached Number 2 In The UK And Debuted At Number 23 In The USA. The First Single Of The Album "Going To A Town" Was Released On April 3 2007 On The ITunes Music Store. Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall Is His Sixth Album. It Is A Live Recording Of His June 2006 Tribute Concert To Judy Garland. Backed By A 36-Piece Orchestra Under The Conduction Of Stephen Oremus Wainwright Recreated Garland's April 23 1961 Concert Often Considered "the Greatest Night In Show Business History." After Overcoming Many Personal Problems Her Comeback Performance Of 25 American Standards Spawned The Double Album "Judy At Carnegie Hall." As Well As Tommy Tricker And The Stamp Traveller Wainwright Has Appeared In The Films The Aviator And Heights. Rufus Has Music In The Film Brokeback Mountain For Which He Recorded The Maker Makes And King Of The Road As Well As A Minor Cameo As A Guitar Player. Wainwright Released His Sixth Studio Album All Days Are Nights Songs For Lulu In March 2010. In Stark Contrast To The Lush Ornamentation Of Release The Stars The Album Is A Simple Voice And Piano Rendition Of A Song Cycle That Includes Versions Of Three Shakespeare Sonnets And An Excerpt From His 2009 Opera Prima Donna. The Lulu Figure Of The Title Is Said By Wainwright To Be "the Dark Brooding Dangerous Woman That Lives Within All Of Us" Similar To The Dark Lady Character In Shakespeare's Sonnets. The First Part Of The Title Comes From The Final Couplet Of William Shakespeare's "Sonnet 43" "All Days Are Nights To See Till I See Thee..." .
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16 Similar Artists To Rufus Wainwright - Frogtoon Music
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For many, April Fools' Day is a more appropriate holiday than Valentine's Day when it comes to love. In this song, Rufus Wainwright is struck by Cupid's arrow on February 14, only to be struck down six weeks later.
In a Songfacts interview with Wainwright, he talked about the song's meaning and how it came to him. "I remember when that chorus came into my mind," he said. "I was in the bath, kind of humming along to myself and not really thinking about it, and 'you will believe in love, and all it's supposed to be' just kind of shot into my brain. I remember standing up naked in the bathtub and singing it out, then writing the song afterwards. Hopefully, I dried off a bit!
It's about this concept almost like Murphy's Law: If something's going to go wrong, it will. I felt like in my early years, everything was always thwarted for me. Whether it was love, school, or friendship, there was always this sort of negative slant that would occur. Little did I know that years later, I would learn that life is just full of different types of experiences, and sadness and failure is just one of them. And everybody goes through it occasionally."
Rufus was in the sweet spot in terms of musical pedigree. His parents, the singer-songwriters Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III, passed on their genetic gifts without saddling him with the expectations of a Lennon or Dylan. Loudon also passed along his demo tape, which got Rufus signed to DreamWorks, a new label with deep pockets founded by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg. "April Fools" is one of the most popular tracks on his self-titled debut album, which wasn't a huge seller but earned lots of critical acclaim and set the stage for his adventurous music career. After recording the album in Los Angeles, he moved to New York City, where he recorded his second album, Poses, released in 2001.
Rufus' sister, Martha Wainwright, is the female backing vocalist on this track. Rufus played piano on several other songs from the album, but on this one he played acoustic guitar and left the piano to Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Session legend Jim Keltner played drums and producer Jon Brion handled the other instruments, where are listed as electric guitar, baritone acoustic guitar, Hammond S-6 organ, and percussion.
In a 2010 interview with The Daily Telegraph, Wainwright discussed his writing process. He revealed that though he reads and writes music, he tends to transfer a tune in his head straight on to the keyboard, rather than onto a sheet of paper. Said Wainwright: "Then I go back with my assistant and work out the proper value of the notes and the time signatures. 'April Fools' came to me when I was in the bath. I stood up naked and sang it. Songs come to me at odd times. The only thing they have in common is that, when they do come, the moment has to be theatrical."
Directed by Sophie Muller, the music video follows Wainwright's fruitless attempts to prevent the suicides of well-known operatic characters, like Madame Butterfly. Gwen Stefani, who worked with Muller on several No Doubt videos, makes a cameo appearance in the clip, which was partly shot at Stefani's house. Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur, a friend of Wainwright's, also appears. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.