Vanessa Carlton
Encyclopedia
Vanessa Lee Carlton is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Upon completion of her education at the School of American Ballet
, Carlton chose to pursue singing instead, performing in New York bars and clubs while attending university. Three months after recording a demo with producer Peter Zizzo
, she signed with A&M Records
. She began recording her album, which was initially unsuccessful until Ron Fair
took over. Her debut single, "A Thousand Miles
", reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100
in 2002. Her debut album, Be Not Nobody
, followed and received platinum certification
in the United States. Her subsequent albums, Harmonium
(2004) and Heroes & Thieves
(2007), failed to exceed the commercial success of the first. She produced a fourth album, Rabbits on the Run
(2011) independently before sourcing for a record label to release it.
to Ed Carlton, a pilot, and Heidi, a pianist and school music teacher. She has two younger siblings, a sister, Gwen, and a brother, Edmund. Her uncle, Larry Carlton
, is a jazz guitarist. Her mother is of Russian Jewish
descent and her father is of Scandinavian
ancestry. Her interest in music began at an early age: after returning from Disneyland
at the age of two, she played "It's a Small World" on the piano. Her mother then began to tutor her. Carlton's mother exposed her to the works of various classical composers such as W.A. Mozart
and Erik Satie
. Through her father, she was exposed to classic-rock artists such as Pink Floyd
and Led Zeppelin
. She developed an interest in ballet at the age of nine; she was accepted at the School of American Ballet
at age 14 while attending high school at the Professional Children's School
. At age 18, she decided to devote her time to piano-playing and songwriting, choosing not to become a dancer on graduation. Instead, she attended Columbia University
and performed in bars and clubs in Manhattan
, New York, while waitressing in Hell's Kitchen
.
at a singer-songwriter circle. A few months later, Zizzo invited Carlton to his studio to record a demo. Three months after recording the demo, Carlton was signed by Jimmy Iovine
and began to record the album, Rinse. It was never released, but a few tracks were reworked for Be Not Nobody
. One song, "Carnival", was re-recorded as "Dark Carnival" for the Spy Hunter 2 video game. Other tracks included in Rinse are "Interlude" (later known as A Thousand Miles
), "Rinse", "Ordinary Days" (later known as "Ordinary Day
"), "Twilight", "Pretty Baby", "All I Ask" and "Superhero". Of these, only the first five are included in her first album, Be Not Nobody. Other unreleased tracks from her early demo tapes include "Faces", "Meggy Sue", "Little Mary", "Burden", "Wonder", "Devil Dance" and "Last Fall".
With her previous unsuccessful recording efforts, Carlton felt there was a lack of direction at her label. However, A&M
president Ron Fair
upon hearing her demo to "A Thousand Miles
", began organizing recording sessions for the song, producing and arranging the song himself. It became a hit, peaking inside the top five on the Billboard Hot 100
and went on to become the sixth-most-played song of the year, as well as garnering Grammy Award
nominations for "Record of the Year
", "Song of the Year
", and "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)". Fair would produce the rest of the album. Be Not Nobody was subsequently released in April 2002 and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200
albums chart with 102,000 units sold. It went on to sell more than two million copies worldwide. Two more singles, "Ordinary Day
" and "Pretty Baby" were released. Carlton began touring in support of her debut album, opening for the Goo Goo Dolls
and Third Eye Blind
, before headlining her own tour at the end of 2002. She later toured Europe in 2003.
Carlton had collaborated with other artists before the release of her second album. She provided the descant
vocals for the Counting Crows
song "Big Yellow Taxi
", played piano for Italian singer Zucchero
, along with Haylie Ecker
on violin, for the song "Indaco Dagli Occhi Del Cielo" and provided backing vocals for "Moving On" by Kimya Dawson
for her album Hidden Vagenda
.
was released in November 2004. Harmonium debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200 and descended quickly after; selling less than 150,000 copies as of February 2006, which was considered a disappointment after her successful debut. It was produced by Stephan Jenkins
from Third Eye Blind, and included darker themes than those on her debut. Carlton and Jenkins met and began a relationship in mid-2002, when she and rock
band Third Eye Blind
, of which Jenkins is lead singer, were on tour together. After seeing Carlton perform live, Jenkins entered her dressing room and expressed interest in producing her music, and according to Carlton they "decided very quickly, that we had the same vision for the album". Carlton credited Jenkins with helping her to withstand and protect herself from pressures the record label executives, who wanted to influence the recording process, placed on her. According to Carlton, her label "wasn't very happy" about the decisions she made during the making of the album. Carlton stated that the album contained more of her own aesthetic as opposed to Be Not Nobody which was more influenced by Ron Fair. A single, "White Houses", released to radio in late-August 2004, peaking at number 86 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. MTV
censored and later banned the single's music video because of a controversial lyric in the song that refers to sexual intercourse. Carlton attributed the censoring of the song to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
involving Janet Jackson
which had occurred earlier that year. The second single, "Who's to Say", was issued following the surprise success of "White Houses" and became another hit, peaking at number six in the U.S. Other singles include "Private Radio" (number seven) and "Afterglow" (number ten).
To support the album, Carlton embarked on a North American concert tour, which began on October 21, and concluded on November 21; her opening act was Low Millions
. A second tour, with Cary Brothers
and Ari Hest
as supporting acts, ran from March 9 to April 30. Carlton left A&M Records in mid-2005 as she felt that her nonconformist attitude would have created problems for her at the label in the future. A&M Records had sent Carlton into the recording studio because they wanted to re-release Harmonium, whereas Carlton felt the album should be celebrated as it was. During her studio time, in which she wrote songs with Linda Perry
and The Matrix
, she had what she called a "revelation" about leaving the label to find another record deal once promotion for Harmonium had ended.
. It made for better music."
Heroes & Thieves
was released and greeted with generally positive reviews. It debuted at number 44 on the U.S. Billboard 200
, "Nolita Fairytale
" was the first single and peaked at number 26 adult. As of December 2009, the album had sold 200,000 copies in the U.S. To promote the album, Carlton embarked on the Haunted Club Tour, from November 2 to November 24, 2007. Second single "Hands on Me" was sent out to radios in February 2008 and reached number nine. Carlton parted amicably with The Inc. once her promotional commitments to Heroes & Thieves had passed.
She contributed a stripped version of the song "More Than This" to Songs for Tibet, in support of Tibet
to underline its human rights situation. On September 25, 2008, Carlton and several other musicians and scientists, departed on a nine-day trip to the Arctic Circle
. On behalf of the charity Cape Farewell
, they worked alongside researchers for the purpose of studying climate change. On June 19, 2010, Carlton came out as bisexual while headlining Nashville Pride
. Carlton had also been a part for PETA
's Animal Birth Control Campaign, she owns a long haired dachshund
named Lord Victor.
was released on July 26, 2011 under Razor & Tie
, the third record label she signed with. Before recording the album, Carlton was unsure whether she wanted to make another record or pursue film scoring instead. After deciding to try again, she decided that she needed to record in the ideal environment, choosing to record at Real World Studios
Box, England. She chose the title for the symbolism often depicted by rabbit
s – 'time slipping, mind floating' – which is something she has been relating to for the past few years. The album was further inspired by Stephen Hawking
's A Brief History of Time
, and Richard Adams
's Watership Down
. The dreamy, fantastical sound of the album was achieved by recording direct to tape and features production by Steve Osborne
. First single, "Carousel" was released on May 3. On September 19, a tweet in Carlton's account made by her management stated that "I Don't Want To Be A Bride" would be the next single off the record.
On November 10, a tweet made by Carlton's management announced the upcoming release of her holiday EP
entitled Hear The Bells on November 21. The EP is consisted of four tracks, two of which are acoustic versions of Carlton's songs Hear The Bells and A Thousand Miles.
and donated the pledge money she collected to Musicians on Call, a nonprofit organization that brings live and recorded music to patients' bedsides.
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
, Carlton chose to pursue singing instead, performing in New York bars and clubs while attending university. Three months after recording a demo with producer Peter Zizzo
Peter Zizzo
Peter Eric Zizzo is a music producer, musician and BMI award-winning songwriter. Zizzo has authored hits for artists such as Celine Dion,, Jennifer Lopez, Marit Larsen, O.A.R, Jason Mraz, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, M2M , Sir Cliff Richard, Clay Aiken, and Howie Day...
, she signed with A&M Records
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
. She began recording her album, which was initially unsuccessful until Ron Fair
Ron Fair
Ron Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
took over. Her debut single, "A Thousand Miles
A Thousand Miles
"A Thousand Miles", originally titled "Interlude", is a pop song written by American singer Vanessa Carlton and recorded for her 2002 debut album Be Not Nobody. It was co-produced and co-arranged by Carlton and Ron Fair, and was released as the album's first single in 2002. Her signature song, it...
", reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 2002. Her debut album, Be Not Nobody
Be Not Nobody
Be Not Nobody is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released in 2002 on A&M Records."A Thousand Miles" was the first single from the album. It reached the top five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number one in Australia and the top ten in the United Kingdom...
, followed and received platinum certification
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in the United States. Her subsequent albums, Harmonium
Harmonium (Vanessa Carlton album)
Harmonium is the second album by American pop singer-pianist Vanessa Carlton, released by A&M Records in the United States on November 9, 2004 . Carlton co-wrote some of the album with Stephan Jenkins, her then-boyfriend and the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, who produced the album. Harmonium...
(2004) and Heroes & Thieves
Heroes & Thieves
Heroes & Thieves is the third album by Vanessa Carlton, released by The Inc. Records on October 9, 2007 . It is co-produced by Irv Gotti, Linda Perry and Third Eye Blind lead singer Stephan Jenkins, who produced Carlton's second album, Harmonium , and Carlton co-wrote the tracks with Perry and...
(2007), failed to exceed the commercial success of the first. She produced a fourth album, Rabbits on the Run
Rabbits on the Run
Rabbits on the Run is the fourth studio album from Vanessa Carlton, which was released on July 26, 2011 under the label Razor & Tie.- Background :...
(2011) independently before sourcing for a record label to release it.
Childhood and youth
Carlton was born in Milford, PennsylvaniaMilford, Pennsylvania
Milford is a borough in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat. Its population was 1,021 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1796 by Judge John Biddis, one of the state's first four circuit judges, who named the settlement after his ancestral home in Wales.Milford has a...
to Ed Carlton, a pilot, and Heidi, a pianist and school music teacher. She has two younger siblings, a sister, Gwen, and a brother, Edmund. Her uncle, Larry Carlton
Larry Carlton
Larry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
, is a jazz guitarist. Her mother is of Russian Jewish
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
descent and her father is of Scandinavian
Scandinavians
Scandinavians are a group of Germanic peoples, inhabiting Scandinavia and to a lesser extent countries associated with Scandinavia, and speaking Scandinavian languages. The group includes Danes, Norwegians and Swedes, and additionally the descendants of Scandinavian settlers such as the Icelandic...
ancestry. Her interest in music began at an early age: after returning from Disneyland
Disneyland Park (Anaheim)
Disneyland Park is a theme park located in Anaheim, California, owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division of the Walt Disney Company. Known as Disneyland when it opened on July 18, 1955, and still almost universally referred to by that name, it is the only theme park to be...
at the age of two, she played "It's a Small World" on the piano. Her mother then began to tutor her. Carlton's mother exposed her to the works of various classical composers such as W.A. Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
and Erik Satie
Erik Satie
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and pianist. Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde...
. Through her father, she was exposed to classic-rock artists such as Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
. She developed an interest in ballet at the age of nine; she was accepted at the School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
at age 14 while attending high school at the Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School is a not for profit, college preparatory school that was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an education to young people working on the New York stage, in Vaudeville, or "on the road."-History:...
. At age 18, she decided to devote her time to piano-playing and songwriting, choosing not to become a dancer on graduation. Instead, she attended Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and performed in bars and clubs in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York, while waitressing in Hell's Kitchen
Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan
Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
.
2002–2003: Be Not Nobody
Carlton first met songwriter/producer Peter ZizzoPeter Zizzo
Peter Eric Zizzo is a music producer, musician and BMI award-winning songwriter. Zizzo has authored hits for artists such as Celine Dion,, Jennifer Lopez, Marit Larsen, O.A.R, Jason Mraz, Donna Summer, Diana Ross, M2M , Sir Cliff Richard, Clay Aiken, and Howie Day...
at a singer-songwriter circle. A few months later, Zizzo invited Carlton to his studio to record a demo. Three months after recording the demo, Carlton was signed by Jimmy Iovine
Jimmy Iovine
James "Jimmy" Iovine is an American music producer, entrepreneur and chairman of Interscope-Geffen-A&M.-Biography:...
and began to record the album, Rinse. It was never released, but a few tracks were reworked for Be Not Nobody
Be Not Nobody
Be Not Nobody is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released in 2002 on A&M Records."A Thousand Miles" was the first single from the album. It reached the top five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number one in Australia and the top ten in the United Kingdom...
. One song, "Carnival", was re-recorded as "Dark Carnival" for the Spy Hunter 2 video game. Other tracks included in Rinse are "Interlude" (later known as A Thousand Miles
A Thousand Miles
"A Thousand Miles", originally titled "Interlude", is a pop song written by American singer Vanessa Carlton and recorded for her 2002 debut album Be Not Nobody. It was co-produced and co-arranged by Carlton and Ron Fair, and was released as the album's first single in 2002. Her signature song, it...
), "Rinse", "Ordinary Days" (later known as "Ordinary Day
Ordinary Day (Vanessa Carlton song)
"Ordinary Day", originally called Ordinary Days, is a song written and performed by Vanessa Carlton from her album Be Not Nobody. The single peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Carlton wrote the song when she was 17...
"), "Twilight", "Pretty Baby", "All I Ask" and "Superhero". Of these, only the first five are included in her first album, Be Not Nobody. Other unreleased tracks from her early demo tapes include "Faces", "Meggy Sue", "Little Mary", "Burden", "Wonder", "Devil Dance" and "Last Fall".
With her previous unsuccessful recording efforts, Carlton felt there was a lack of direction at her label. However, A&M
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...
president Ron Fair
Ron Fair
Ron Fair is a veteran A&R executive, record producer arranger, recording engineer and songwriter. In a career that has spanned over 30 years at major record labels he has produced and arranged hits for several artists, but he is best known as a "guru/mentor", guiding the careers of unknown artists...
upon hearing her demo to "A Thousand Miles
A Thousand Miles
"A Thousand Miles", originally titled "Interlude", is a pop song written by American singer Vanessa Carlton and recorded for her 2002 debut album Be Not Nobody. It was co-produced and co-arranged by Carlton and Ron Fair, and was released as the album's first single in 2002. Her signature song, it...
", began organizing recording sessions for the song, producing and arranging the song himself. It became a hit, peaking inside the top five on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and went on to become the sixth-most-played song of the year, as well as garnering Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations for "Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
", "Song of the Year
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
", and "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)". Fair would produce the rest of the album. Be Not Nobody was subsequently released in April 2002 and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart with 102,000 units sold. It went on to sell more than two million copies worldwide. Two more singles, "Ordinary Day
Ordinary Day (Vanessa Carlton song)
"Ordinary Day", originally called Ordinary Days, is a song written and performed by Vanessa Carlton from her album Be Not Nobody. The single peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Carlton wrote the song when she was 17...
" and "Pretty Baby" were released. Carlton began touring in support of her debut album, opening for the Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
and Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...
, before headlining her own tour at the end of 2002. She later toured Europe in 2003.
Carlton had collaborated with other artists before the release of her second album. She provided the descant
Descant
Descant or discant can refer to several different things in music, depending on the period in question; etymologically, the word means a voice above or removed from others....
vocals for the Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
song "Big Yellow Taxi
Big Yellow Taxi
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written and originally performed by Joni Mitchell in 1970. It was a big hit in her native Canada as well as Australia and the UK...
", played piano for Italian singer Zucchero
Zucchero
Adelmo Fornaciari, Commander , more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.Zucchero is the...
, along with Haylie Ecker
Haylie Ecker
Haylie Ecker is a founding member and the former first violinist of the multi-platinum selling classical crossover string quartet Bond. She left Bond in 2008 to become a mother. She plays a 1751 J.B. Guadagnini.- Biography :...
on violin, for the song "Indaco Dagli Occhi Del Cielo" and provided backing vocals for "Moving On" by Kimya Dawson
Kimya Dawson
Kimya Dawson is an American singer-songwriter, best known as a solo performer and as one half of The Moldy Peaches. In Swahili, "Kimya" means "silence" or "silent".-Career:...
for her album Hidden Vagenda
Hidden Vagenda
Hidden Vagenda is the fourth solo album by Kimya Dawson, and the first to be released by K Records. The album was widely critically acclaimed upon its release, and contains songs about her pain from the deaths of loved ones, the then-upcoming 2004 election, and a power ballad version of a song from...
.
2004–2005: Harmonium
Carlton's second album, HarmoniumHarmonium (Vanessa Carlton album)
Harmonium is the second album by American pop singer-pianist Vanessa Carlton, released by A&M Records in the United States on November 9, 2004 . Carlton co-wrote some of the album with Stephan Jenkins, her then-boyfriend and the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, who produced the album. Harmonium...
was released in November 2004. Harmonium debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200 and descended quickly after; selling less than 150,000 copies as of February 2006, which was considered a disappointment after her successful debut. It was produced by Stephan Jenkins
Stephan Jenkins
Stephan Douglas Jenkins , is an American musician best known as the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist for Third Eye Blind. Under Jenkins's leadership, Third Eye Blind has sold over eight million copies of four albums: Third Eye Blind , Blue , Out of the Vein , and Ursa Major...
from Third Eye Blind, and included darker themes than those on her debut. Carlton and Jenkins met and began a relationship in mid-2002, when she and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...
, of which Jenkins is lead singer, were on tour together. After seeing Carlton perform live, Jenkins entered her dressing room and expressed interest in producing her music, and according to Carlton they "decided very quickly, that we had the same vision for the album". Carlton credited Jenkins with helping her to withstand and protect herself from pressures the record label executives, who wanted to influence the recording process, placed on her. According to Carlton, her label "wasn't very happy" about the decisions she made during the making of the album. Carlton stated that the album contained more of her own aesthetic as opposed to Be Not Nobody which was more influenced by Ron Fair. A single, "White Houses", released to radio in late-August 2004, peaking at number 86 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
censored and later banned the single's music video because of a controversial lyric in the song that refers to sexual intercourse. Carlton attributed the censoring of the song to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was broadcast live on February 1, 2004 from Houston, Texas on the CBS television network in the United States, was noted for a controversial halftime show in which Janet Jackson's breast, adorned with a nipple shield, was exposed by Justin Timberlake for about half a...
involving Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
which had occurred earlier that year. The second single, "Who's to Say", was issued following the surprise success of "White Houses" and became another hit, peaking at number six in the U.S. Other singles include "Private Radio" (number seven) and "Afterglow" (number ten).
To support the album, Carlton embarked on a North American concert tour, which began on October 21, and concluded on November 21; her opening act was Low Millions
Low Millions
The Low Millions are a pop-rock band from California. They launched their debut album, Ex-Girlfriends in 2004, under the recording label Manhattan Records. Shortly after their debut release, Adam Cohen explained the meaning of the band's name:...
. A second tour, with Cary Brothers
Cary Brothers
Cary Brothers is an American indie rock singer-songwriter originally from Nashville, Tennessee. After moving to Los Angeles and becoming a regular performer at the influential Hotel Cafe venue, Brothers first gained national attention with his song "Blue Eyes" on the Platinum-selling,...
and Ari Hest
Ari Hest
Ari Hest is an American singer-songwriter and a native of Riverdale in the Bronx borough of New York.-Early life:Ari took piano lessons as a child and later, as a teenager, taught himself to play his mother's nylon string guitar by ear with influences from both his parents' record collection and...
as supporting acts, ran from March 9 to April 30. Carlton left A&M Records in mid-2005 as she felt that her nonconformist attitude would have created problems for her at the label in the future. A&M Records had sent Carlton into the recording studio because they wanted to re-release Harmonium, whereas Carlton felt the album should be celebrated as it was. During her studio time, in which she wrote songs with Linda Perry
Linda Perry
Linda Perry is an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer. Once best known as the lead singer and primary songwriter of 4 Non Blondes, Perry has founded two record labels and has become a major songwriter and producer...
and The Matrix
The Matrix (music producer)
The Matrix is an American pop music writing and production team, consisting of Lauren Christy, Graham Edwards and Scott Spock.-Background:Before her involvement in The Matrix, Lauren Christy had moderate success as a singer-songwriter, releasing two albums under Mercury Records in the mid-1990s,...
, she had what she called a "revelation" about leaving the label to find another record deal once promotion for Harmonium had ended.
2006–2008: Heroes & Thieves
In August 2005, Carlton said she was to enter the recording studio the following month with producer Linda Perry, with whom she had previously collaborated after executives at A&M Records sent her into the studio to record a re-release single for Harmonium. The album was influenced by Carlton's breakup with its co-producer, Stephan Jenkins, and Carlton said that one of the reasons they remained friends was that "nothing took precedence over the music ... No matter what was going on in the emotional realm, all we cared about was the album. It created this kinetic environment that was kind of like Fleetwood MacFleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
. It made for better music."
Heroes & Thieves
Heroes & Thieves
Heroes & Thieves is the third album by Vanessa Carlton, released by The Inc. Records on October 9, 2007 . It is co-produced by Irv Gotti, Linda Perry and Third Eye Blind lead singer Stephan Jenkins, who produced Carlton's second album, Harmonium , and Carlton co-wrote the tracks with Perry and...
was released and greeted with generally positive reviews. It debuted at number 44 on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, "Nolita Fairytale
Nolita Fairytale
"Nolita Fairytale" is a song by Vanessa Carlton, and is the first single from her third album, Heroes & Thieves. The single was released as a digital download at the U.S. iTunes Store and to U.S...
" was the first single and peaked at number 26 adult. As of December 2009, the album had sold 200,000 copies in the U.S. To promote the album, Carlton embarked on the Haunted Club Tour, from November 2 to November 24, 2007. Second single "Hands on Me" was sent out to radios in February 2008 and reached number nine. Carlton parted amicably with The Inc. once her promotional commitments to Heroes & Thieves had passed.
She contributed a stripped version of the song "More Than This" to Songs for Tibet, in support of Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
to underline its human rights situation. On September 25, 2008, Carlton and several other musicians and scientists, departed on a nine-day trip to the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....
. On behalf of the charity Cape Farewell
Cape Farewell, UK
Cape Farewell brings artists, scientists and communicators together to bring about long-term change in cultural attitudes towards climate change....
, they worked alongside researchers for the purpose of studying climate change. On June 19, 2010, Carlton came out as bisexual while headlining Nashville Pride
Nashville Pride
Nashville Pride is a non-profit based in Nashville, Tennessee that produces a yearly LGBT Pride Festival. Nashville Pride's mission is to educate and maintain a sense of pride, community, and awareness of, about, and for GLBT people and culture in Middle Tennessee.- History :From the tapping of a...
. Carlton had also been a part for PETA
Peta
Peta can refer to:* peta-, an SI prefix denoting a factor of 1015* Peta, Greece, a town in Greece* Peta, the Pāli word for a Preta, or hungry ghost in Buddhism* Peta Wilson, an Australian actress and model* Peta Todd, English glamour model...
's Animal Birth Control Campaign, she owns a long haired dachshund
Dachshund
The dachshund is a short-legged, long-bodied dog breed belonging to the hound family. The standard size dachshund was bred to scent, chase, and flush out badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature dachshund was developed to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits...
named Lord Victor.
2011: Rabbits on the Run
Carlton's fourth studio album, Rabbits on the RunRabbits on the Run
Rabbits on the Run is the fourth studio album from Vanessa Carlton, which was released on July 26, 2011 under the label Razor & Tie.- Background :...
was released on July 26, 2011 under Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie
Razor & Tie is a New York-based corporation founded in 1990 by Cliff Chenfeld and Craig Balsam. The company encompasses a record label with major label distribution , a home video company, a media buying company, a music publishing business, a marketing, promotion and sales team, and a direct...
, the third record label she signed with. Before recording the album, Carlton was unsure whether she wanted to make another record or pursue film scoring instead. After deciding to try again, she decided that she needed to record in the ideal environment, choosing to record at Real World Studios
Real World Studios
Real World Studios is a residential recording studio in Box, Wiltshire, England associated with the Real World Records Ltd. record label founded by rock musician Peter Gabriel...
Box, England. She chose the title for the symbolism often depicted by rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s – 'time slipping, mind floating' – which is something she has been relating to for the past few years. The album was further inspired by Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity...
's A Brief History of Time
A Brief History of Time
A Brief History of Time is a popular science book written by renown physicist Stephen Hawking and first published by the Bantam Dell Publishing Group in 1988. It became a best-seller and has sold more than 10 million copies...
, and Richard Adams
Richard Adams
Richard Adams was a non-conforming English Presbyterian divine, known as author of sermons and other theological writings.-Life:...
's Watership Down
Watership Down
Watership Down is a classic heroic fantasy novel, written by English author Richard Adams, about a small group of rabbits. Although the animals in the story live in their natural environment, they are anthropomorphised, possessing their own culture, language , proverbs, poetry, and mythology...
. The dreamy, fantastical sound of the album was achieved by recording direct to tape and features production by Steve Osborne
Steve Osborne
Steve Osborne is a multi-platinum selling British record producer. He has worked with a wide variety of musicians, such as New Order, Doves, U2 and KT Tunstall. During the 1990s, Osborne was half of the Perfecto Records team, a production and remix collaboration with Paul Oakenfold; the artists...
. First single, "Carousel" was released on May 3. On September 19, a tweet in Carlton's account made by her management stated that "I Don't Want To Be A Bride" would be the next single off the record.
On November 10, a tweet made by Carlton's management announced the upcoming release of her holiday EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
entitled Hear The Bells on November 21. The EP is consisted of four tracks, two of which are acoustic versions of Carlton's songs Hear The Bells and A Thousand Miles.
Charity work
In 2005, Carlton completed the New York City MarathonNew York City Marathon
The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...
and donated the pledge money she collected to Musicians on Call, a nonprofit organization that brings live and recorded music to patients' bedsides.
Studio albums
- 2002: Be Not NobodyBe Not NobodyBe Not Nobody is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton, released in 2002 on A&M Records."A Thousand Miles" was the first single from the album. It reached the top five on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number one in Australia and the top ten in the United Kingdom...
- 2004: HarmoniumHarmonium (Vanessa Carlton album)Harmonium is the second album by American pop singer-pianist Vanessa Carlton, released by A&M Records in the United States on November 9, 2004 . Carlton co-wrote some of the album with Stephan Jenkins, her then-boyfriend and the lead singer of Third Eye Blind, who produced the album. Harmonium...
- 2007: Heroes & ThievesHeroes & ThievesHeroes & Thieves is the third album by Vanessa Carlton, released by The Inc. Records on October 9, 2007 . It is co-produced by Irv Gotti, Linda Perry and Third Eye Blind lead singer Stephan Jenkins, who produced Carlton's second album, Harmonium , and Carlton co-wrote the tracks with Perry and...
- 2011: Rabbits on the RunRabbits on the RunRabbits on the Run is the fourth studio album from Vanessa Carlton, which was released on July 26, 2011 under the label Razor & Tie.- Background :...
Awards
Nominations- 2002 - Billboard Music Award for New Artist of the Year
- 2003 - American Music Award for Favorite Adult Contemporary ArtistAmerican Music Awards-Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC...
- Grammy Award for Record of the YearGrammy Award for Record of the YearThe Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
; "A Thousand MilesA Thousand Miles"A Thousand Miles", originally titled "Interlude", is a pop song written by American singer Vanessa Carlton and recorded for her 2002 debut album Be Not Nobody. It was co-produced and co-arranged by Carlton and Ron Fair, and was released as the album's first single in 2002. Her signature song, it...
" - 2003 - Grammy Award for Song of the YearGrammy Award for Song of the YearThe Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
; "A Thousand Miles" - 2003 - Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)The Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist has been awarded since 1963. The award is presented to the arranger of the music.There have been several minor changes to the name of the award:...
; "A Thousand Miles"