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On Stoned Soul Picnic: The Best Of Laura Nyro, a compilation of her twenty-five years with Columbia Records, the innovative artistry of Laura’s singing and songwriting is in full celebration. Contained in this collection are her original songs of spiritual, social and sensual vision. Experimenting with form and feeling, her work shares a connection with modern poetry and art. Her songs have inspired musicians and music lovers for over three decades. “I would go out singing, as a teenager, to a party or out on the street, because there were harmony groups there, and that was one of the joys of my youth,” Laura says of her musical roots. “I mean you could just go out and sing. If I look back now, all these years later, I must have had a spiritual, holistic feeling More... (Submit New Laura Nyro Lyrics) (Submit New Laura Nyro Lyrics) Review about Laura Nyro The Bells, Laura Nyro | Reviewer: combo ------ About the song The Bells performed by Laura Nyro word to the bird reviewer above me. i have a three minute version of Laura Nyro singing "the bells" with a group called LaBelle and it's among the most breathtaking accomplishments of a group of a vocalists on record, ever since before records began. if anyone is a fan of "60s girl groups", "harmonic vocal arrangements", "soul", "the gospel music", "deep song", "singer/songwriters", "jazz", "american songbook", "spirituals" - check this song out, it's none of those things but it's worth hearing for all of those things, as is the whole album Gonna Take a Miracle (they do "Dancing In the Street", "You've Really Got A Hold On Me", "Spanish Harlem", "Up On the Roof", "Ain't Nothin Like the Real Thing", "You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman") save the country | Reviewer: Bill Herzfeld ------ About artist/band Laura Nyro I recently was listening to a 1940's recording by Sister Rosetta Tharp, of "Down by the Riverside". In that amazing recording, the refrain is "I ain't gonna study war no more" (See the link to hear the recording.) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php? storyId=95613983 So, did Laura Nyro hear that recording which later influenced the lyrics of "Save the country"? I have always loved Laura Nyro's music, had the pleasure to see her live twice, and the extreme pleasure to photograph her from backstage during her last performance in Hartford CT. A mixture of passion for her men and her woman | Reviewer: Ralph Bruno ------ About artist/band Laura Nyro Hi RW Donn Upon your request, I listened to “Wedding Bell Blues.” Nothing in the song refutes Laura’s bisexuality. It’s not until four years later, in “American Dove” that she sings of the fulfillment of the love longed for, in “Wedding Bell Blues.” In “Amercian Dove” an original song honoring her fianće, she refrains, several times, “it’s been a long time comin, I mean love.” They marry in late 1971. In her Fillmore East performance of “American Dove” on May 30, 1971, and her recording of “Désiree” in July 1971, she sings heartfully toward both a man and a woman in less than 60 days. This suggests her bisexuality. Nor is this the first time! On March 3, 1968, Laura released Eli and the Thirteenth Confession. In addition to “Eli’s Comin,” in two other songs, she uses candid sexual imagery to describe her men. “Love my lovething. Super ride inside my lovething” (The Confession) and “I take my coffee in the mornin and all your love, a spoonful or so helps us grow”(December’s Boudoir). Another two songs, to her woman, are just as candidly sexual. “oo who stole Mama’s heart and cuddled in her garden? darlin Emmie, la la la, oo la la la…” (Emmie), and “I keep rememberin Indoors that I use to walk thru…I could walk thru them doors onto a pleasure ground, it was sweet and funny a pleasure ground.” (Timer). Ari Fox Lauren is a music theorist who made a study of Laura’s work. A major premise of her thesis is that Laura was heavily influenced by the music of Tin Pan Alley & the other composers of the American Songbook. Cole Porter is a composer in the American Songbook. On May 7, 1953, Porter opened Can-Can on Broadway. The song “C’est Magnifique” was all the rage. Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Della Fitzgerald, et al covered it. Laura’s father played trumpet at the summer resorts of the “Borscht Belt.” She would have been immersed in the song. Some of the lyrics are: “When love comes in and takes you for a spin, oo la la la C’est Magnifique. When every night your love one holds you tight, oo la la la C’est Magnifique.” As with “C’est Magnifique,” ”Emmie” is about love, romance, and sex. However, in 1968, Emmie was “a love that dare not speak its name.” “Emmie’ was Pop’s first lesbian love song.” See LGBT wikia article link Re: “Emmie (Laura Nyro song)” http://lgbt.wikia.com/wiki/Emmie_%28Laura_Nyro_song%29 Argue all you want, you can’t get around "Désiree." In July 1971, she sang a song that she, uniquely, titled "Désiree." Her beloved’s name was DESIRE (Désiree) and Maria’s last name was DESIRE (Desiderio). http://free.napster.com/player/?play_id=10418612&type=track The song documents that in 1971, Laura and Maria were in limerence. Is it such a stretch to go back to 1967, especially, with “Timer” and “Emmie.”? No one seems to know exactly when, where or how Laura first met Maria? Is it so hard to accept that a woman so passionately loved by so many men and women, would herself have loved, passionately, both men and women? Thanks, any feed back is welcome. Désiree - unmistakably a Sapphic Reverie | Reviewer: Ralph Bruno ------ About the song Desiree performed by Laura Nyro Thank you for the feedback. First, there is my gratitude to sing365.com for its generosity to me. As needed, please refer to my comments already posted with sing365.com Let's concede arguendo that you are right. Nevertheless, what is going on with "American Dove" performed live on May 30, 1971 and "Désiree" recorded July 1971? Singing passionately, about both a man and woman, in less than sixty days attests to her bisexuality and not her being a lesbian. I have already made the argument here for Désiree re: Maria Desiderio. “Emmie’ was pop’s first lesbian love song,” a comment posted by Alanna Nash, April 25, 1997, seventeen days after Laura passed away. LGBT wikia article link Re: "Emmie (Laura Nyro song)." http://lgbt.wikia.com/wiki/Emmie_%28Laura_Nyro_song%29 Be sure to use the link to the back cover of ELI. “So let the wind blow Timer…/ I like her song and if the song goes minor - I won’t mind” “And if you love me true - I’ll spend my life with you – you and Timer...carved in a heart on a berry tree.” – Laura n’ Maria ‘67 Talk to the right man | Reviewer: RW Donn ------ About the song Desiree performed by Laura Nyro To: "Ralph Bruno" Regarding all this reconstructionist supposition about Laura Nyro I ask you: has ANYone talked to Laura Nyro's ex-husband? Funny how much an ex-wife can know about her ex- and she gets asked about it over and over. Yet, David Balinchini doesn't seem to field ANY questions from ANYbody about his ex-wife, Laura Nyro. I think there is a guy who would know alot. And, Jackson Browne is still alive and around. Maybe she found her life's partner in a woman. Maybe she just found someone she could live with and deal with the hurt of having lost a man she loved. And, it may be no one we know about. Go listen to Wedding Bell Blues. THAT is also the real Laura Nyro. And, she spoke to millions with that song. It could be the eHarmony theme song. And, we KNOW what chemistry.com thinks of eHarmony's sexual orientation! The Thirteenth Confession | Reviewer: Ralph Bruno ------ About the album Eli and the Thirteenth Confession performed by Laura Nyro THE THIRTEENTH CONFESSION “Eli and the Thirteenth Confession” is a musical tour-de-force. It demonstrates Laura’s superb talent so richly rooted in Tin Pan Alley and the Brill Building. Laura listed herself on the vinyl back cover as "the writer, composer, voices, piano and witness to the confession." It is widely accepted that her earthy musical style and candid sexual imagery are about her men, namely, “Eli's Comin,” “December’s Boudoir," and "The Confession," e.g. “love my lovething – super ride inside my lovething.” This review of ELI will be primarily about two songs “Emmie” and “Timer.” It is undisputed that Laura Nyro and Maria Desiderio were life partners. Laura’s songs: “Emmie” “Timer,” “Désiree,” (“Gonna Take a Miracle” 1971) and “Roadnotes” (“Mother’s Spiritual” 1984) reveal an “on and off” relationship of thirty years, from 1967 to 1997, Laura’s death. EMMIE The inspiration for “Emmie” was Maria. At the time, Maria was thirteen and Laura was nineteen. The two women became enamored of each other, circa 1967. The Italians call it "Flamma" (flames - It describes an intimate friendship between an older and younger woman). Pete Johnson in his June 1968 review of “Eli and the Thirteenth Confession” in COAST FM & FINE ARTS (page 50) commented about the song “Emily.” “There is a momentary shock at hearing a woman romancing another woman...” The lyrics “Time to design a woman” and “Emmie your Mammas been a callin’ you” suggest a younger woman. The lyrics “Who…? Who stole Mammas heart and cuddled in her garden? Darlin’ Emmie” are Laura’s declaration of their intimacy. Havelock Ellis in his “Studies in the Psychology of Sex” Volume 1, Appendix B “The School-Friendships of Girls” pp. 868 et seq., p.870 identified various characters of “flames” different from mere friendships. Some of these aspects are illustrated in “Emmie”: (5) “exaltation of the beloved’s qualities,” e.g. “you ornament the earth for me,” “the natural snow,” “the unstudied sea,” “you’re a cameo,” (7) “absence of envy for the loved one’s qualities,” e.g. “you were born a weaver’s lover” “born for the loom’s desire,” (10) “the consciousness of doing a prohibited thing,” e.g. “Emmie your Mamma's been a callin’ you,” (9) “The vanity with which some respond to ‘flame’ declarations,” e.g. “Who? Who stole Mamma's heart and cuddled in her garden? Darlin’ Emmie,” (6) “the habit of writing the beloved’s name everywhere,” e.g. Emmie and Emily are recited 14 times in the song. The prevalent use (eight times) of the idiom “oo, la, la, la” marks the song as something provocative and sexy. In “Désiree” Laura recited the beloved’s name thirteen times in one minute and 48 seconds. In “Emmie”, the repetition of her beloved’s cryptic name is a “flame.” In “Désiree”, the repetition has evolved to ornament a Sapphic reverie. TIMER It was reported that “Timer” is about the passage of time. The song is more Laura’s feelings about love than the passage of time, e.g., “But now my hand is open and now my hand is ready for my heart.” The song repeatedly identified or was spoken to a lover. Who is “My lady woke up, and she broke down, she got up, she let go”? What is “Baby I’m not trying to talk you down” about? Along with the above lyric, does this suggest a lovers’ falling out? Who is the muse for “So...let the wind blow Timer / I like her song - and if the song goes minor - I won't mind”? Who is being put on notice in this triplet of lyrical ultimatums? “And Timer knows the lady’s Gonna love again - if you don’t love me” and “The lady rambles never more- if you love me true,” (An allusion to the reason for the tiff?), “And if you love me true - I’ll spend my life with you - you and Timer”? Are the lyrics “but I could walk thru them doors onto a pleasure ground. It was sweet and funny a pleasure ground” the same as cuddling in Mamma’s garden? Maria’s age and the number of confessions are both thirteen. Is this mere coincidence or a subterfuge common to “Flames”? Another aspect of “Flames” is the pleasure in preserving trophies, letters, etc. The silhouetted picture on the vinyl back cover of ELI is a trophy. It shows Laura leaning over to kiss a younger woman. Laura being ELI’s “writer, composer, voices, piano” would have felt compelled to have “witnessed the confession” in a graphic way. There are the explanations of the silhouetted picture being a double exposure and/or a three-quarter angle of a young Laura? Brian Van der Horst, in his April 1968 review of ELI in the “New York Free Press, Critique - 4, p. 8,” ingeniously described it, “as representing the parting chrysalis of her old life.” Assuming it true, notwithstanding, the silhouette is a trophy of Laura’s “flame” Maria Desiderio. The picture is worth a thousand confessions. Buy the vinyl. If you wish to see a rendering, Google images Laura Nyro popmatters. ELI is awesome. The songs are a treat, a treasure trove of her musical precocity and lyrical poetry. Even though the silhouetted picture is not on the back of the CD, the re-mastered songs shake the dust off the vinyl. I bought both. bruno.r@sbcglobal.net Four Songs about Maria by Laura | Reviewer: Ralph Bruno ------ About the song Emmie performed by Laura Nyro Laura Nyro and Maria Desiderio were life partners. Maria was born on June 9, 1954. The two women became enamored of each other around 1967. The Italians call it "Flamma" (flames - It describes a relationship between a younger and older woman). Laura's song "Emmie" is about Maria. "Emmie your momma's been a callin’ you. “Whoooo? Who stole momma's heart and cuddled in her garden, darlin’ Emmie?" Also with "Emmie," on the album “Eli & the Thirteenth Confession” is "Timer." This song is also about Maria. "I like her song, and if the song goes minor I won't mind..." In July of 1971, Laura adapted her version of the song "Désiree." The song was the closest she came to coming out about her relationship with Maria. It is more than a remarkable coincidence that Desiderio and Desiree both mean desire. On May 30, 1971, at the Fillmore East, Laura opened the live concert with the debut of "American Dove." This song was to her fiancé, a decorated Vietnam War Veteran. "It's been a long time coming I mean love." At this concert, she sings a redacted version of "Timer." Among other lines referring to Maria, Laura also excised the line "I like her song." Then in July of 1971, in the recording of the album "Gonna Take a Miracle" she sings her heart out to Maria in "Désiree." I believe the reason was that Maria and Laura had a rendezvous, perhaps to celebrate Maria's 17th birthday. The song is unmistakably a Sapphic reverie. Her song "Roadnotes" is also to Maria. By 1984, with the release of the album "Mother's Spiritual" everyone accepts that Laura and Maria were in a committed relationship. Who else would have been the inspiration for the lyrics "that's right lover," “music in my ear,” “a wild dear,” “a magic potion,” "angel of the night"? "Happy birthday thirties" is not reference to Maria turning 30 in 1984? Ralph Bruno A love song to her future husband | Reviewer: Ralph Bruno ------ About the song American Dove performed by Laura Nyro "American Dove" was an origianl work by Laura. She introduced the song in live concert at the Fillmore East on May 30, 1971. According to the liner notes for the CD "SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY," Laura opened the concert with "Amercian Dove" before a capacity house. (Loew's Commodore - seating 2600) Laura made it clear as to what this song was about. "It's been a long time comin' I mean love." It is significant that as she was to marry in late 1971, the song was variously addressed to "Mama" and "Father." In the several verses addressed to her parents, she emphasized to each of them that "it's been a long time comin I mean love." Michele Kort, in her biography, "Soul Picnic" corroborates : that David Bianchini was Laura's fiance'; that he was a decorated Vietnam War Veteran; and that they would marry near the end of 1971. Vicki Wickham, the manager of Labelle verified , that at this time "David was around." The lyric "...but Johnny (ain't) come home from war" identifies her love object as a soldier. The final stanza exhorted the listener to "tell them the young lord's come (gone) to bring liberty to every one..." "American Dove" was a love song honoring her future husband. Apart from the live concert and the 2004, CD "SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY," the song was neither perfomred nor recorded again. see video of Laura Nyro singing this | Reviewer: toby ------ About the song He's a Runner performed by Laura Nyro One of the most beautiful renditions of any pop song I have ever heard and seen - she was sooo young, and looks so shy, sitting there and singing this emotional song - and she gets angry and tough, too. It's on Youtube. One of only two videos I've found of the late great Laura Nyro. Did Not Know About Timer | Reviewer: Ralph Bruno ------ About the song Timer performed by Laura Nyro ELI and the THIRTEENTH CONFESSION is an example of the superb talent Laura Nyro possessed for blending Tin Pan Alley and the Brill Building. Laura listed herself on the vinyl back cover as "the writer, composer, voices, piano and witness to the confession." It is widely accepted that her earthy musical style and candid sexual imagery are about her men, e.g. Eli's Coming,""December's Boudoir," and "The Confession," e.g. “love my lovething – super ride inside my lovething.” Her bi-sensual style in "Emmie" has become accepted as an open expression of same-sex attraction on Laura's part. The actual person, if a particular person, is still an intriguing poser. She was reported to have said at concerts that the song "Timer" was about one of her pets. The opening musical phrasing conjures a pace and the lyrics evoke an imagery of a dog walk. The song is her musings about love, e.g. "you're a fine one Timer you got me walking thru the gates of Space." But, who was "My lady…, she broke down, she got up, she let go."? Who was the muse for "I like her song and if the song goes minor - I won't mind"? Who is being put on notice in “And Timer knows the lady’s gonna love again if you don’t love me” and “The lady rambles never more if you love me true” and “If you love me true - I’ll spend my life with you - you and Timer.”? Any doubt as to the lover being a woman was dispelled by Laura’s redacted version of “Timer” performed on May 30, 1971 in live concert at the Fillmore East. It becomes apparent when viewed in the context of the song “American Dove” which was Laura’s love song to her fiancé, a decorated Vietnam war veteran. Both songs were released on SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY. Is the woman also the inspiration for “Désiree” on the album Gonna take a miracle? Is it the young woman silhouetted with Laura on the back cover of the vinyl album jacket of ELI and the THIRTEENTH CONFESSION? The picture is worth 1,000 confessions and renderings of the image are an easy find on-ine. The songs are a treat, a treasure trove of her musical precocity and lyrical poetry. Even though the silhouetted picture is not on the back of the CD, the re-mastered songs beat the dust off the vinyl. Lyrics are perfect, but did you know? | Reviewer: Ralph bruno ------ About the song Desiree performed by Laura Nyro In 1971, Laura Nyro Came Out On The Down Low, Tucked Under The Covers. This past April marked the Tenth anniversary of the death of Laura Nyro. For more than a decade, beginning in the late sixties, Laura was very popular as a singer/songwriter. Her singing alone rivaled Janis Joplin, Dusty Springfield, Labelle, Grace Slick, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler et al. As a singer/songwriter, she was the equal of Carol King, Joni Mitchell, Janis Ian, Carly Simon, and Stevie Nicks. Laura Nyro's treatment of her song "Desiree" is one of the most undisguised professions of love by a woman singing to another woman ever recorded. In November 1971, at the age of 24, Laura Nyro first came out in her adaptation of a song which she titled "Desiree." I am convinced that the inspiration for that song was her eventual life partner, Maria Desiderio. Ari Fox Lauren, the foremost authority on the music of Laura Nyro, wrote “Emmie’ and ‘Desiree’ are open expressions of same-sex attraction on Laura’s part.” Michele Kort authored the biography Soul Picnic: The Music and Passion of Laura Nyro. In her book, Ms Kort echoed this sentiment. "If you want to know her...go to her music." My request to the reader is that you do just that; listen to the song. The following facts are too numerous and certain to be mere coincidence: Laura Nyro, who was born on October 18, 1947, grew up in the Bronx. Her father was Italian-American and her mother Jewish-American. Laura spent her last 17 years with a life partner, a woman named Maria Antonia Desiderio. Maria who was “…seven years Laura’s junior” was “born in Brooklyn.” In the mid 1960s, Laura performed at the Hungry I. The Hungry I was located in the North Beach section of San Francisco. At that time, North Beach was the hub of the city’s lesbian bars. In the early 70s, Laura's avid fans "...were mainly young girls and gay guys…" Laura was a compendium of doo-wop songs. Her version of “Desiree,” i.e. the musical composition along with the redacted lyrics is considered to be an attribution of a different song. According to Vicki Wickham, the manager of Labelle, Maria was not around at the time of the recording of the album Gonna Take a Miracle which was released on November 17, 1971. Laura “… was the main selector of the material for the album...” The review of Gonna Take a Miracle, found in the Columbia Records Archive, describes both "Desiree" and "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" as "... lesser known covers..." In October 1971, Laura held a party in celebration of her marriage. She divorced in 1974. Unmarried in 1978, Laura gave birth to her only child, a son. Laura died at 49 years old in April 1997. Maria died at the age of 45 in 1999. Both women died of ovarian cancer. Maria’s “…ashes were buried under the Japanese maple alongside Laura’s…” Desiree is a woman's name which is Latin for desire. Maria's last name, Desiderio, is Italian for desire. Maria claimed that she was pursued by “Laura, ‘…who friends say had not previously been with a woman lover…” Some biographical sources speculate that Laura and Maria first met, in the late 1970’s and others say, in the early 1980’s. In fact, no one knows exactly when Laura and Maria first met. "None of Laura's close friends are certain how she met Maria..." And as to how they might have first met, one theory is "...backstage after a concert..." and the other is at or near Maria's bookstore in Newport Beach, Ca. Laura and Maria’s relationship was characterized as having its ups and downs with periods of separation. Throughout her career, Laura resisted sexual orientation labels. During their relationship, she and Maria worked assiduously to maintain the facade of separate lives. My premise is that both theories, as to when and how Laura and Maria first met, each contain a bit of the truth. The first meeting was backstage, but in 1970-71. They also rekindled the relationship in Newport Beach, Ca. in the 1980s. When Laura and Maria first met some time in late 1970 or early 1971, Laura was 23 years old and Maria was 16 or 17 years old. At that time, Maria may have used the nickname, Desiree. If as their friends claim, Maria was Laura’s first same-sex lover, then it can be argued that: Laura’s musical precocity & sophistication; her exposure to the LGBT subculture of the mid 60s & early 70s; and her bi-sensual flirtation with the lyrics in “Emmie” in the late 60’s, make it highly plausible that Laura first met Maria in the early 70s and not in the early 80s. Laura and Maria would have met, before the summer of 1971, i.e. before Laura and Labelle went into the studio to record the album Gonna Take a Miracle. Very likely, the meeting between Laura and Maria led to a brief encounter, but as often happens in a first time same-sex experience, Laura was enchanted. Shortly after, Maria separated from Laura. At sixteen, Maria may have been capricious about her romantic attachments. With the romance now unrequited, but Laura still smitten, she would have had few options in pursuing her forbidden love. In late 1971, Laura celebrated being newly married. Ironically, this fact supports my premise about the time frame of the first meeting with Maria. A woman may seek security in a relationship with a man as a reaction to an unfulfilled experience with another woman. It is also quite common for a woman to be in denial in coping with the emotions that accompany a nascent same–sex love affair. The periods before and after the recording of “Desiree” saw Laura bracketed in a persona of notorious heterosexuality. By late 1970, her affair with Jackson Browne had run its course. By October of 1971, the marriage to her husband was becoming known. This would have served to make her feel secure in her sexual identity. It would have helped to allay any homophobia concerning possible adverse publicity, if “Desiree” generated any talk or gossip. Regardless, Laura would have turned to her music to resolve her feelings. The passion that Laura expressed in "Desiree" made it a paean to the absolute love she felt for Maria. The title cover "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" completed the catharsis. These two lesser known songs were selected because they held a special meaning for Laura and enabled her to endure the loss of Maria. At the end of 1971, her desire for Maria was for now, safely put away. A secret tucked among ten doo-wop covers in the album Gonna Take a Miracle. Nevertheless, even while on the down low, her love for a woman was there for the whole world to hear. Laura then carried the torch for Maria for ten years. But in or around 1980, she successfully renewed her pursuit of Maria. Later in her life, Laura once described Maria as her “soul mate.” This relationship continued on and off for the rest of their lives. As an Italian-American girl from Brooklyn, Maria would have known that her last name, Desiderio, meant desire. As a teenager growing up in the 60s & 70s, the name Desiree would have had an allure about it. It is likely that she would have found her given name, Maria, somewhat ordinary. It would have been easy for her to research nicknames to discover names similar to desire, viz. Desiree. Let’s assume for the sake of argument that Laura and Maria began their relationship in the 1980s. Considering the longevity of that relationship, and the depth of the emotional intimacy, it is obvious that Laura and Maria would have processed every bit of their personal information with each other. It is certain that Laura would have known that Maria’s last name meant desire. It follows that Laura and/or Maria would have made the connection between the song and the similarity in the meaning of the names. If indeed, it was pure chance that both names meant desire, isn’t odd that no one ever pointed this out or even mentioned this otherwise remarkable coincidence? Isn’t it more likely, that if this was merely an interesting curiosity, both Maria and Laura would have shared this coincidence with others? Why, is it that Laura and Maria never told anyone the exact details of how and when they first met? I have interviewed scores of people on this very point. Every one of them knows exactly when and how they first met the love of their life. Every one of them has shared the exact details with others. Phyllis Lyon, co-founder of the Daughters of Bilitis, agreed it was strange that not even their intimate associates knew. If I am right about the time frame of the first meeting, the revelation of the age disparity would have been too provocative. This is underscored by the fact that in the early 1980s, Laura was unmarried with a young son. It also explains their fetish for privacy after the relationship renewed in the 80's and 90s. Speculations, concerning Laura’s sexual orientation and the so-called coming out song, were rife. Some of the songs analyzed were “Emmie,” “The Confession,” “Melody in the Sky,” “Roadnotes,” and “Sweet Dream Fade.” In “Emmie” while the love object is a woman, the love lyrics are ambiguous as to friendship or sensuality or maybe it’s both? As to the “…lustful song ‘Roadnotes,” Michelle Kort described Laura’s vocal style as “…sultrily…singing in a bedroom voice.” But, as a coming out song, the uncertainty of the gender of the lover is problematic. On the other hand, in “Desiree,” the object of Laura’s sultriness is unmistakably female. As coming out songs, these other works are mired in guesswork. Their love lyrics are either vague or ambiguous or gender neutral. On the other hand, the lyrics of “Desiree” are express and obvious in their sensuality, and clear as to the female gender of the love object. Sinead O’Connor in her album Sean-Nós Nua covered a well known, lesbian lament song, “Peggy Gordon.” In her documentary, Song of Hearts Desire, Sinead stated that her inspiration for the song was her friend. That friend was a lesbian who sang the song to lament the loss of her partner of years. In the DVD of the song “Peggy Gordon,” Sinead made it emphatic by her performance, that this was a woman singing to her lost love, another woman. No one seems to have any idea who might have been the inspiration for Laura’s emphatic interpretation of “Desiree”? I believe there is an actual person, because Laura personalized the song. She did this by changing the name, redacting the lyrics and adapting the musical composition from the classic doo-wop to a standard ballad style. Doo-wop is characterized by the harmonies of the small background group. She sings this song almost entirely by herself with the exception of adding Labelle for emphasis in the closing crescendo. “Desiree" is a Torch song. It is raw, sultry, and emphatic. "Desiree" did not exist until Laura adapted it! She derived her version from "Deserie" a classic doo-wop song which, musically, is a different tune. She changed the name of the love object of the song, and in that way, Laura made the song her own. She opens the song with a long voluptuous “Oh”! She then follows with a sensual refrain of her lover's name. The remainder of the song contains unambiguous statements of love with the final refrain of the name, Desiree, being repeated and harmonized as the song builds to and culminates in a crescendo. I am certain that the actual person who provided the inspiration was Maria. Laura's friends were convinced that Maria was her first same-sex lover. It is very likely, knowing Laura and her lifestyle up to that point, that her coming out with Maria would have been in 1971, in her 20s, and not in her 30s. The song is Laura’s way of marking that event in her life and in her music. Back in 1971, the depth of feeling that Laura displayed, coupled with the obvious lyrics, made “Desiree” unique as a woman’s love song. Even today it stands apart. If Laura had not wanted the truth to be known someday, I believe she would not have thrown caution to the wind in 1971, by so emphatically adapting "Desiree." The inspiration for this article came when I first heard the songs “Desiree” and “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle” juxtaposed in the film A Home at the End of the World. It was shown on the LOGO channel. Ultimately, nothing that I can write in support of my beliefs is as compelling as listening to the two songs together. Listen to the songs; then tell me I’m wrong. -Special thanks to: Ari Lauren, Michelle Kort, Vicki Wickham, & the LOGO channel- By “Ralph, let’s call her Ralph.” Laura Nyro | Reviewer: Anonymous ------ About the song He's a Runner performed by Laura Nyro Laura Nyro was a singer songwriter who was very popular in the 60's-70's period.Many of her songs were remade by other singers and it is those versions you hear on the radio today.This is unfortunate,because the remakes sound very much like the originals(with less feeling) ,and as a consequence when they play her music they usually credit some pop group instead of Laura Nyro.Check out her album for the real deal. the meaning of Timer | Reviewer: Anonymous ------ About the song Timer performed by Laura Nyro I think that Laura is speaking of the passage of time and how it changes us, especially with regard to love. She objectifies herself by saying "my lady" but she's talking about herself. She compares time to a jigsaw, a type of saw that cuts curved and rounded shapes. She's saying that time takes our life in many directions. Incidentally, I think that the line might more logically be "sawing with timer" rather than "souling with timer". This completes the metaphor of time taking us in unexpected directions and, indeed, cutting us. The Bells, Laura Nyro | Reviewer: JIm Hosp ------ About the song The Bells performed by Laura Nyro 05/15/07 "The Bells" is simply one of the most moving songs I have ever heard. I am greatful to have first heard Laura Nyro in 1969. To this day Laura Nyro connects with me better than any other singer/song writer. Her songs became the favorites of several of my girlfriends over the years. Her songs were "our songs". I cried when I learned of her passing. Listening to "The Bells" touches my very soul. I hope you get a chance to listen to Laura Nyro music. You will come away a better person. I LOVE LAURA | Reviewer: John Boland ------ About the song Timer performed by Laura Nyro and I love Timer... but what does it mean... I miss you Laura jb www.spladinggray.com Strident, maybe, but funny and seem to look at another side | Reviewer: mianfeinàn ------ About the song The Right to Vote performed by Laura Nyro The second song on her 1984 album "Mother's Spiritual", this is the most stridently feminist song in her canon. The whole song is a fantasy - almost - of an escape from what she sees, in the manner of Elizabeth Gould Davis' "The First Sex", as the constricting nature of patriarchy. She sees that merely giving women the vote is not going to liberate them and that only when they are freed from the judgmental viewpoints of patriarchal religion can women become truly liberated. Yet, Laura fails to succumb to the trap of becoming aggressive and violent in her tone. In the second verse, in particular, she sings "Patriarchal great religions/Full of angels/Forgiving and fair" critics would no doubt say Nyro really does knows how egocentric the views she puts forward are and that the utopia put forward in "The First Sex" etc. really could not exist. Musically, this song has the closest links to Nyro's pre-"Smile" work of any song on "Spiritual", owing to its funky bassline and prominent piano. In places it is very reminiscent of a stripped-down, slowed-down version of very early ("First Songs") Nyro - though with usefully less thin production. Amazing opening to a wonderful album | Reviewer: taite ------ About the song Brown Earth performed by Laura Nyro At a time when the aim of so much rock music was to make it louder and louder, often to the point of being utterly bombastic, Laura Nyro's often overlooked "Christmas and the Beads of Sweat" stands as a wonderful counterpoint. The whole aim of this album seems to be to produce deep emotion whilst achieving extremely soft textures, and "Brown Earth" achieve this in a manner that has always set a standard difficult to achievie in an age of ear-spitting amplification. The song's peace-and-love lyrical theme, moreover, is utterly heartfelt and Laura's vocal delivery never falls flat for a moment from the beautiful opening depiction of a quiet rural marketplace. Even when she almost whispers, there is a ball of energy present, and theelectric guitar, bass and drums fit her mood very well. In contrast, Stu Sharif's dreamy acoustic guitar anticipates Robin Guthrie by almost fifteen years. Moving | Reviewer: doug ------ About the song He's a Runner performed by Laura Nyro From the days of old--performed also by the 5th dimension and also by Blood, sweat and Tears--I believe. Laura sang and played it on her first album. One can only wonder to whom she was referrng. AND when i DIE | Reviewer: Anonymous ------ About the song And When I Die performed by Laura Nyro So I think this song is good. I've never heard it by this person, but I like the one by the original band. I love to listen to the ways people have different views on life, and this is an interesting one. I like. Epitimizes the 60's | Reviewer: Randy Ortega ------ About the song Save the Country performed by Laura Nyro Ms. Nyro had an exceptional talent for choosing lyrics that inspired the listener to act as well as visualize the images she wanted to convey. The Fifth Dimension, with ability to produce great harmonies resonating peace, love, and harmony definately brought Ms. Nyro's words to life. You could review the artist/band Laura Nyro in Biography page You could review Laura Nyro album by visiting Albums page and selecting an album You could review Laura Nyro song by clicking the song which you like  Download "Laura Nyro" Music | |
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