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W​̶​a​̶​r​̶​h​̶​o​̶​l​̶​a̶

by Famous Letter Writer

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1.
Andy Warhol, born Warhola Not yet a b-baller, not yet a shot-caller White Iverson, can I be your friend? 1943: them factory kids in Pittsburgh be the death of me We dream like we’re dreamers Mom says a novena, we pray for the scenesters, the boys becomes teamsters We dream like we’re dreamers Refugees like we’re dreamers They build a wall but don’t you know this world’s a hole through which we crawl * Don’t you dare defer to me The world’ll make a mess of me A bullet never takes it back A needle finds on a needle track * Did we get it wrong? We got it all wrong Leave the radio on, just leave the radio on * I was never alone, never naked alone I had the radio on, the radio on, the radio on * Marilyn Monroe, where did your clothes go? Did we get it wrong? I was never alone, never naked alone, I had the radio on * We dream like we’re dreamers Mom says a novena,the boys becomes teamsters, we pray for the scenesters We dream like we’re dreamers
2.
19.99 03:36
Bone-thugs, smokin’ bones Me alone Tawnee Stone AOL the family phone Mom and Dad leave me alone It’s 1999, it’s 1999 Could it get better? Now there’s geeks n’ freaks And killing streaks And blood red streaks On homework sheets But me I try to keep it fleak They cut your teeth like it’s shark week Trenchcoat, Columbine Don’t worry ma, I’m just dyin’ 21st century, we’ll be fine Like George Jetson we’ll be flyin’ in 1999, in 1999 was it all better? in 1999 could it get better? There’ll be flying cars no more scars everyone an avatar No Laramie, Gethsemane, lord, take this cup away from me Blood bath never stops my cup it spilleth (grab a mop) Marx was right, hold on tight exit through the gift shop [instrumental] I had a neon trapper keeper Couldn’t trap her, couldn’t keep her Used my brother’s broken beeper She said kiss me, let’s get deeper I said I like Tori Amos I write letters, I’ll be famous I can’t kiss you, know I’ll miss you What should I do with these tissues? O, don’t cry my Gina something Back in 199-something Do the Humpty Dance was pumping I wasn’t that straight, baby, straight from Compton Real Slim Shady, don’t stand up I see two girls but just one cup Some boys grow hard, some boys grow tough Some boys throw down, I just throw up In 1999, in 1999, in 1999 could it get better? Me I start my daughter’s bath A million birds I hear her laugh God made Adam, Eve made you I said I’m glad, she said me too Is there love in all this pain? Why won’t he make it rain?
3.
Mother’s in the kitchen (don’t know why) Sister’s taking selfies (telling her lies) Brother’s so good looking (he’s never gonna die) Me, I’m in between (staring at the night) Old folks they walk in rings Baby boomers now they just bump into things Sister, one day, teach me to sing Auto-tune: All I do is win Mom says I got a lot of poise I’m not like them other boys Me and sister we watch The Voice I think I could win. I can make a lot of noise. All I do All I do All I do Is win They want to live in a world no one’s made But every cut turns you into a blade I want to live in a world no one’s made But every cut turns you into a blade I wake up and I don’t know how TV used to say can you hear me now? Father’s approaching, the wind begins to howl If I’m ever gonna start, might as well start now All I do All I do All I do Is win And they call me home but I won’t go home No, I won’t go home this way
4.
Cream 04:07
Take me to the woods, dark lovely and deep Give me warm milk, give me Ambien to sleep Let me dream my dream, American dream Sing “Cash rules everything around me” When I was young, American teen There were fast times, slow times in between Let me dream my dream, American dream We sang “Cash rules everything around me” CREAM Gimme yankee dollar, y’all I never will Long Escalade, no coup d ville Don’t flip, trip, I got my Kia whip Livin with my ma, she broke her hip So baby you can’t spend the night Grandma’s singing the kids are alright She asks me what I think she should do with her life Angry Bird, Candy Crush, Second Life When I was young I had a dream I’d grow up I’d become a machine Wouldn’t feel nothing, I’d be clean Cash rules everything around me Cream So gimme yankee dollar, gimme beautiful machines Tell me everything is different from exactly what it seems Gimme yankee dollar, gimme beautiful machines Cash rules everything around me
5.
Get Out 03:35
Streets are red, the market’s black Bump stock, don’t look back We stream while we’re young, we don’t look back Cohen said everything’s gotta crack I thought I heard someone shout (3x) Streets are red, the market’s black Bump stock, don’t look back We dream while we’re young, we don’t look back Tom Petty died of a heart attack I thought I heard someone shout (3x) Get out Get out Get out Get out
6.
Share 03:14
I like to share When no one’s there Would you care If I shared my life with you? I had a brother, sister, mother Even a father But I’d rather share my life with you My father’s wallet I still recall it Pictures in it But now he’s nowhere He’s not here He’s not there He’s nowhere I like to share ** I like to share When no one’s there Would you care If I shared my life with you? I had a lover I recovered I discovered I’d rather share my life with you My father’s wallet I still recall it Pictures in it But now he’s nowhere He’s not here He’s not there He’s nowhere I like to share
7.
7th Grade 03:54
I remember you well in the 7th Grade We were young, no one got saved Everyone looked like the bumble bee girl In the Blind Melon song “No Rain” Life was a bubble on a scantron test We memorized lyrics to A Tribe Called Quest Anita Appelbaum? You gotta give me some Of what we could not guess You sounded like Axl They put you on paxil You sounded like Jay Z Man you ain’t crazy You sounded like Axl They put you on paxil You sounded like Jay Z Man you ain’t crazy And I don’t know where I belong My head is full of all these songs I had a Trapper Keeper (Couldn’t trap or keeper) Used my brother’s beeper I wrote you a letter I wrote you a letter I wrote you a letter
8.
Light’s fading, soon I won’t see to write We won the war without a fight And I see you now with you flower In your famous buttonhole Like an angel at God’s funeral You said there’d be blood Only time’s on my hand We threw so much mud Ain’t no place to stand And I knew we lost the higher ground When I looked down in that hole Like an Angel at God’s funeral (bridge) Why did I betray the one Who could not betray me? I can’t recall Nothing ever changes But why would it after all Thought the angels at God’s funeral You said let the dead bury the dead How you could go on I tried it once, friend It’s easier said than done Now the graveyard shift’s when I bury my stiff You should see how fast the light falls It’s like an angel who missed God’s funeral So I would request your presence at the occasion of my demise But I’m about as low as I can go, otherwise I’d love to see you come and get your kicks With your picks and your shovels Like an angel at God’s funeral
9.
You write in 20 point Helvetica So all the world can see You’re not happy You’re the face of misery I’d take away your sorrow I’d take away your pain But me I’m on my phone Writing more or less the same And a kid just googled Is God really dead? O Siri, can you tell me Is it all in my head? We’re all sharing a google doc, all your friends and me, It’s all about your problems, How you just can’t see You say I got a lot of nerve to say that I’m your friend Well, everyone’s a troll They’re just not pressing send Was it the Sermon on the Mount? Or the breaking of the bread? I want my two dollars, Or was that better off dead? The holy get holier, The humbled get humbled Jesus looking skinny Like teenage girls on tumblr And a kid just googled Is God really dead? O Siri, can you tell me Is it all in my head? Once I was young I was lost O I cried Policeman! Don‘t tell me any lies Will I ever find my parents? He looked at me and sighed I dunno, kid There’s so many places they can hide And a kid just googled Is God really dead? O, Siri, can you tell me Is it all in my head?
10.
Daughter 03:08
My daughter born in October deserves a better man than I could be for her My daughter born in October deserves a better song than Cat Stevens writes for her My daughter born in October deserves a better name than I could hang on her Louise Suzanne Georgia understand Your name Is a love song Sung by a broken man And this is all I give my love And this is all I can give my love this

about

“From front to back, a success in searching out boundaries to cross while also keeping selectively restrained.” — American Songwriter

"a completely different approach to pop music" — MXDWN

“a nostalgic take on new wave and '80s indie with clever nods to '60s bubblegum pop sprinkled throughout. Devine's emphatic inflection heightens his lyrics, throttling meaning out of every syllable. Ru's occasional vocal assists are kitschy, colorful and, at times, otherworldly. But her true gift is how she brings Devine's poetry to life through powerful, imaginative arrangements.” — Seven Days Vermont

“every moment here is expertly crafted to elicit the most amount of intrigue as the Devine’s twist and shape their version of pop in a way that you can’t help but be impressed with.” — Take Effect Reviews

"a beautifully unhinged moment of release... an almost retro-vision of the artistic life, increasingly out of sync with the modern world, and all the more appealing as a result. — For The Rabbits

“jerky, powerful vocals paired with electronic, garage rock music ... all together something the band can call their own” — Austin Town Hall

“Channeling the great geek-rock of the ’90s, masterminds M.I. Devine and Ru Devine take us back” — The Revue

“I remember feeling like this a long time ago when my brain was significantly melted after seeing Elvis Costello on SNL in the late 70's and my musical outlook was changed forever.” — American Pancake

credits

released November 11, 2020

Lyrics: M.I. Devine
Songwriters: M.I. and Ru Devine
Lead Vocals: M.I. Devine
Background Vocals: Ru Devine
Electric Guitar: M.I. Devine
Electric Guitar: Sonny Santos
Keyboards: Ru Devine
Electronic Beats: Ru Devine
Electric Bass Guitar: Ari Folman-Cohen
Drums: Aynsley Powell
Engineering & Mixing: Mike Kutchman
Mastering: Alex Saltz
Produced by Keith Zarriello of The Shivers

Recorded at Greenpoint's Pencil Factory with Look to Listen

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Famous Letter Writer New York

Philly-bred, NY-based Famous Letter Writer is the indie pop music project of award-winning writer and lyricist M.I. Devine and multi-instrumentalist Ru Devine. Full of gritty, witty, combustible pop, their debut, W̶A̶R̶H̶O̶L̶A̶, premiered in American Songwriter, where it was dubbed, "from front to back, a success" with singles featured in places like NPR ("All in my Head"). ... more

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