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Meaning of Mother of Pearl?
Dear Ladies
Without giving 'too' much away and still remaining buoyantly mysterious - can you let slip the idea/influence behind Mother of Pearl? I'd always wondered how you could write in the sky with it too....does it not generally compose underwater?
June 18th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Well, it's about Pearl's mother, Maya Rudolph.
I kid...i kid...
Speaking of, did anyone else watch the excellent Unsung on Minnie Riperton? Maya gave some beautiful testimonials of her mum. It's on youtube if you missed it.
September 25th, 2010 at 11:06 am
Minnie Ripperton was on of the earliest influences on my voice,u may be able 2 hear It on my R & B material
http://apps.facebook.com/ilike/artist/Evin-I
August 31st, 2009 at 6:40 pm
I too have wonder this question for many years...I am suspecting it's about a book.. just a hunch.
November 28th, 2009 at 2:22 am
hi suejester, i did read a book called Mother of Pearl after we wrote the song and i enjoyed it very much. there could have been some connections there...... i'm not above the concept of collective consciousness and a creativity stratosphere that we may all be drawing from and contributing to metaphysically....or.... like...
at the bank of arts and crafts? high fidelity bank of rack mounts?
the repository repertoire reserve bank!?!
;)
Staring at the Sun was another good book that many people assumed I wrote the song about IT, but again i read it after someone gave it to me in regards to the song. great book. . by Julian Barnes.
x
November 28th, 2009 at 2:13 am
THANK YOU FOR THIS QUESTION!
...and Yes, SOS... you must have been at LARGO when Maya had her baby (we called her in the hospital from the stage and dedicated the song to her because she named her baby PEARL!...so she was PEARL's Mom!) ok..
The story is this....... we wrote the music way before the lyrics and got stuck on the lyrics. SO... we asked Michael Penn if he would help and write the song with us. We had been working with him and just finished his album i think...... anyway....... Michael graciously accepted and went away for a while to ponder and produce the poetical prolifica or preludenous prosaic phonetical phantasmagoria of SONG WORDs for our consumption and performance. WELLLLLLLLLL........ thing is...... we were in need of meeting a deadline with the album and Michaels muse was just not gettin the lead out for the grand PRIX of POP......so...... we took what he had written , which were the brilliant lines.....
" I'll be so nonchalant
You can call me, cold if you want
I know you've thought of this
Down the hammer, case dismissed"
Awesome, right? obviously... this guy was in a fight with his girlfriend?!? or... judge judy!
but... this was not enough to fill the song.
He had various loose lines that he couldn't quite fit into the brilliant cadence he is used to producing, but we forced him to let go of that crumpled piece of paper and let US have a go at it.
he agreed.
THEN......... we went to Factor's Deli on Pico.
Me, Wendy, and Tony Berg.
We had Michaels poetic scribbles and we each brought pencils and paper and wrote whatever we each thought could compliment or expound on the thoughts Mr. Penn had proposed.
With each of our personal struggles, inner demons of sexuality/infidelity/and-or self searching states of confusion of guilt and acceptance ..... we poured our thoughts onto paper over pots of coffee and hot pastrami.
it was a mess...... and about thirteen verses too long.
the album was all but finished and we had only a couple of days to wrap things up.
We all felt strongly that this song, if done properly could be one of the best tracks on the record.
so............. ME........ with my BIG EGO and confidence that I could see a thread of commonality in our spewing, declared i could have it finished my the next day to record the vocals!
HAZAH!
ANDSO....i am not surprised that many have been perhaps a little confused about it's meaning.
To me...... it is about Judgement between people who love each other. Lovers, Parents and children....etc.
It is about being gay and wanting to let go of the shame and fear of losing friends and family over it. It is about having an affair and wanting to confess and let go of the guilt and shame of the lies and betrayal that ultimately eats away at a true love. It is about mistrusting someone when trust has been tried or broken.
You astutely observed in your question that Mother of Pearl is created underwater, and that writing in the sky would be a far stretch.... wellll.......... there you go.
not easy to get something , even so beautiful, to shine up high where everyone could see it. something so deep like a burried treasure...... thrown into the wind llike it is light and free...............
so that is about as close as i can get to an answer right now.
Anything specific that you wonder about?
i can try to dig deeeeeeeeeper if you have something bugging you!
sorry to make you wait for so long.
i want you to feel like you DO have access to us.
Thank you for waiting and not giving up.
truly.....
thanks.
xlisa
November 28th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
Wow, I think I now know what it's like to do heroine. Wow. Wow.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:26 pm
WOW! That was an amazingly thorough answer Lisa!!! Thank you so much for your honesty! You always give great answers. You should write a book! Not necessarily a 'tell all' book... but that would be GREAT ;) You would totally rock at writing a children's book!
Now, if we could just get to the bottom of what 'Fruit At The Bottom' means :)
December 5th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
oooooh...good call mikdev on the FATB....
December 1st, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Wow,
Lisa, that was awesome, for such a busy genius to have spared the time to pour out the meaning, its so unreal.... i was always drawn to this record and knew it had to have something to do with searching your heart, finding strength, yes sexuality... always loved kds vocals too, plus wendys, just brilliant.....
xxxx :) xxxx
December 3rd, 2009 at 6:20 am
"oh wow" [if i may quote you there Lisa :-) ]
Thanks so much for sharing! I am relieved to hear what the lyrics meant to you all matches my own take on it. I sang it during our wedding party (with the wonderful James Ewers from My Luminaries on guitar) as it has always meant a LOT to me over the years so am pleased to hear its not about something totally different after all...
x
December 5th, 2009 at 9:02 pm
TOTALLY AMAZING!!! You never cease to amaze me with your level of creativity!!! Thank you so much for answering a question that has left many of us very intriqued. Your response was excellent, and I really can't think of additional digging which is needed from me.
The other thing that is even more moving, is how accessible you are to us. You are so generous with your time and openess. I would have never dreamed in thousand years, that I would ever be able to speak with you, let alone at a level that feels more friend like then you are a goddess like.
I really look forward to the day when I am able to meet you in person. I am interested to know how I will respond if that would happen. Would I become star struck or would I feel completely comfortable and natural...mmmm...I wonder....
Wow I really digressed...again thank you for being you!!!
till the day when I can finally meet you..always in my dreams....suejester
December 8th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
I'm with everybody on the "wow" :)
I just loved reading this explanation!
Thank you so much Lisa.
June 28th, 2010 at 11:57 am
Oh lisa I am touched and amazed and so much more sparkling by your very full and perfect reply. Thank you.
I was just singing the song at the top of my lungs, sitting amidst a pile of wild reeds, alone, staring at the flowing river. Funnily enough when I returned I did an internet search for the 'life is my favourite nursery rhyme' part of staring at the sun - and it brought me directly here. Serendpity.
Hurrah for Michael Penn, Hurrah for deli's and hurrah for such an insight (and your managing to compile such great lyrics from such dischord)
So pleased you answered. So pleased x
November 30th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Wow! I have always been crazy fascinated with how a song is created.....I love, love, love, love, (did I say love?) love this story! Thank you Lisa! Getting this kind of background for a song reminds me of high school Shakespeare or poetry class. How you get the assignment to read a particular piece, think you have a terrific grasp on its meaning..it moves you..you read it over and over again letting it fill you up, only to have the teacher/professor give another take on it. Now the piece strikes a different chord inside....ahhhhh...
Now...I'm with Mikki....can someone please explain Fruit at the Bottom? :)
xoxo
CanDgirl
December 3rd, 2009 at 6:22 am
Hey CanDGirl & Mikki, i remember W & L talking about FATB in an interview in the 80's...
:-)
December 9th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Hey Trip! I remember hearing them talk about FATB in the 80's too but they were coy & never would say what it meant! If you can remember... let me know! ;)
BTW, 1) I had no IDEA you could sing, & 2) You were comfortable enough in your marriage to sing a 'break up' song (which Mother of Pearl kinda is) at your Wedding Party! Awesome! WOW! That is definitely an interesting song to sing at your wedding. Maybe for your anniversary, you can belt out 'Sweet Suite' just to prove how strong your love is :) Joking of course! <3
December 10th, 2009 at 12:57 am
Yes Trip...please tell us! I have a feeling it is something naughty..makes it all the more intriguing!! :)
CanD
December 19th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
1) I cant very well which is why only photographic not audio evidence exists LOL.
2) I always found it a song about loss not just in terms of romance. For me its also a song of empowerment and overcoming life's hurdles and trials. It was to celebrate the joy of that day but also pay tribute to those people I lost and battles lost. Maybe only makes sense to me but we'll get drunk some day and I'll fill you in on the details
July 23rd, 2010 at 4:13 pm
Wow that was a great reply to the meaning of Mother of Pearl.
If I'm in a bad mood,I listen to your music and Iautomatically feel better.