Vanessa Carlton
Vanessa Carlton is an American singer-songwriter known for her piano-driven pop music and evocative lyrics. Born and raised in Milford, Pennsylvania, Carlton was influenced musically by her parents and began playing the piano at a young age. She initially pursued ballet but shifted her focus to songwriting after experiencing the pressures of professional dance. Carlton gained widespread recognition with her debut album, *Be Not Nobody*, released in 2002, which featured the hit single "A Thousand Miles." This song became a significant cultural phenomenon and earned multiple Grammy nominations.
Despite challenges in replicating her early success, Carlton evolved artistically through her subsequent albums, including *Heroes and Thieves* and *Liberman*, which showcased her mature themes and musical growth. In addition to her music career, Carlton publicly announced her bisexuality in 2010 and is married to musician John McCauley, with whom she has a daughter. Known for her loyal fan base and critical acclaim, Carlton continues to impact the music scene while exploring new creative avenues.
Subject Terms
Vanessa Carlton
Musician
- Born: August 16, 1980
- Birthplace: Milford, Pennsylvania
Contribution: Vanessa Carlton is an American musician. Her 2002 single “A Thousand Miles” was nominated for three Grammy Awards, including song of the year.
Background
Vanessa Carlton was born and raised in the eastern Pennsylvania borough of Milford, the daughter of Ed and Heidi Carlton. Carlton’s parents were among her initial musical influences. Her father Ed, a pilot, was a fiddle player, while her mother Heidi, a teacher, was a pianist. Carlton was exposed to classical composers as early as age two, when she began to develop an affinity for the piano.
As a teenager, Carlton developed a passion for ballet, complementing her rigorous piano study with dance instruction. At fourteen, she was accepted at the Professional Children’s School of American Ballet in New York City. Carlton, exhausted by intense training, struggled with the rigors and competitive nature of professional dance and began to seek solace in songwriting, often writing songs on a piano located in a dorm kitchen.
After her high school graduation from the School of American Ballet, Carlton eschewed a career in dance to focus on songwriting. During this time she supported herself in New York City as a waitress. After a year of performances in New York bars, Carlton met music producer Peter Zizzo at a songwriter group at the New York club A Bitter End. Zizzo introduced Carlton to his colleague, longtime music producer Jimmy Iovine, who signed her to Interscope Geffen A&M Records.
Career
Be Not Nobody was released on April 20, 2002, to largely favorable reviews. The release was propelled by the single “A Thousand Miles,” an orchestral, piano-based pop song inspired by both the death of Carlton’s grandfather and a lost love. Carlton first wrote the song in 1998, but the track took on several different arrangements before its major-label debut. The song was originally entitled “Interlude,” but Carlton’s label persuaded her to choose a listener-friendly title for the song prior to the album’s release.
The popularity of “A Thousand Miles” was enhanced by a successful music video, shot before the completion of the record, which featured Carlton performing the song on a grand piano traveling through varying scenes. The track was rare pop-culture phenomenon, as few piano-based pop tracks had been embraced by a wide range of listening audiences since the 1980s.
In 2002, “A Thousand Miles” earned three Grammy Award nominations: best instrumental arrangement accompanying a vocalist, record of the year, and song of the year. Carlton was also nominated for a 2003 American Music Award in the category of favorite adult contemporary artist. She toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe in support of the record through the end of 2003.
Carlton struggled to match the critical praise and commercial success of her debut with her follow-up album, 2004’s Harmonium. The record was written in collaboration with Stephan Jenkins, her boyfriend at the time, of the American rock band Third Eye Blind, whom Carlton met on tour while supporting the band. Despite the album’s mixed reviews, its single, “White Houses,” was a Top 40 hit.
Carlton’s 2007 album Heroes and Thieves became her most critically acclaimed. On a new label, The Inc., Carlton was finally able to shed the pop-centric, bubbly persona established by the success of her major-label debut. Critics praised the album for its adult themes and elaborate melodies.
Carlton’s 2011 release Rabbits on the Run was recorded at Peter Gabriel’s studios in Wiltshire, England. Inspired by texts such as Stephen Hawking’sA Brief History of Time (1988) and Richard Adams’s Watership Down (1972), Carlton aimed to record an ethereal, dreamlike collection of songs. Production of the record was done with analog tape-to-tape recording, harking back to Carlton’s early days when she recorded demos on audio cassette.
Carlton continued touring and creating new music, with the exception of a brief period after having surgery in 2013. In 2015 she released Liberman, a ten-song concept album inspired by her grandfather's artwork, and a live version followed the next year. Liberman was generally well received by critics. She went on to put out a six-track live EP, Earlier Things Live, in 2017. For ten weeks in the summer of 2019, Carlton starred as Carole King in the Broadway production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
Impact
Though she did not immediately top the commercial success of her triumphant debut, Carlton has a loyal following and continues to garner critical praise for her songwriting. While she is rarely mentioned with fellow pianists who have become critical and commercial forces in the alternative genre, such as Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, Carlton continues to push artistic boundaries while growing her catalog of music. "A Thousand Miles," meanwhile, has been used in numerous files and television shows in the years since its initial release.
Personal Life
In June of 2010, while onstage headlining the Nashville Pride festival, Carlton publicly announced her bisexuality. She married singer-songwriter John McCauley, with whom she has a daughter, Sidney (b. 2015). The family live in Nashville, Tennessee.
Principal Works
Be Not Nobody, 2002
Harmonium, 2004
Heroes and Thieves, 2007
Rabbits on the Run, 2011
Liberman, 2015
Bibliography
Bendiz, Trish. “Vanessa Carlton Comes Out as Bisexual.” After Ellen. Logo Online, 19 June 2010. Web. 28 July 2013.
Carlton, Vanessa. Interview by Sal Cinquemani. “Vanessa Carlton: A Rent Controlled Life.” Slant. Slant Magazine, 4 Oct. 2007. Web. 28 Jul. 2013.
“A Few of Vanessa Carlton’s Favorite Things.” Narr. Linda Weirtheimer. Weekend Edition Sunday. NPR. 24 July 2011. Web. Transcript.
Gallant, Michael. “Vanessa Carlton: On Analog Tape and Upright Pianos.” Keyboard Jan. 2012: 28–30. Print.
Leahey, Andrew. “Vanessa Carlton Artist Biography.” AllMusic. Rovi Corp, 2013. Web. 2 Aug. 2013.
Moss, Corey. “Road to the Grammys: The Making of Vanessa Carlton’s ‘A Thousand Miles’” MTV.com. MTV, 14 Feb. 2003. Web. 28 July 2013.
Nguyen, Chris. “‘Rabbits on the Run’ Showcases More Mature Vanessa Carlton.” Daily Texan. University of Texas at Austin, 25 July 2011. Web. 2 Aug. 2013.