Little Black Dress and Other Stories

by Anny Celsi

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
We have a limited number of the original CD packaging for 'Little Black Dress,' complete with the booklet of short stories that accompany the songs. Produced by Kevin Jarvis, Anny Celsi and Marvin Etzioni. Artwork by David Chelsea.

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All physical CD/album orders of 2 or more ship with BONUS Anny Celsi Live EP - a selection of solo and group performances from The Alberta Rose Theater (Portland, OR, 2013), Vestzak Theater (Enschede, The Netherlands, 2011) and The Stables (Boskoop, The Netherlands,2014). Featuring Tish Hinojosa, Marvin Duykhuis, Nelson Bragg and Roland Wolff. Limited edition, while supplies last!

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Full Digital Discography

5

releases

Get all 5 Anny Celsi releases available on Bandcamp and save 20%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Kaleidoscope Heart: 12 Golden Hits, January, Tangle-Free World, Little Black Dress and Other Stories, and She Walks In. , and , .

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1.	'Twas Her Hunger Brought Me Down 04:31	lyrics	buy track
No it ain’t the fall that kills you, it’s your meeting with the ground Twas her beauty that bewitched me - twas her hunger brought me down I had money and position, silver watch to keep my time Trusting wife and pretty children. When I met her I was fine Twas her engine that propelled me and soon we were city bound Twas her beauty that derailed me Twas her hunger brought me down, down down Twas her hunger brought me down I took twenty thousand dollars, where it went I can’t explain I’d be richer had I thrown it from the window of the train Beauty needs so much attention, hunger does not compromise Soon the city was our prison, I fell further in her eyes No it ain’t the fall that kills you, it’s your meeting with the ground Twas her beauty that bewitched me Twas her hunger brought me down. down down Twas her hunger brought me down Carrie, come look out the window, someone’s fallen in the square Men can look so foolish, can’t they? How do you guess he got there? Roses waiting at the stage door, carriage waiting in the snow Bowl of soup down at the mission but I’ve lost the heart to go Just a quarter for the room, sir, and a nickel for the gas Just a place to disappear, all good men must come to pass No it ain’t the fall that kills you, it’s your meeting with the ground If it’s beauty that compels you, then it’s hunger brings you No it ain’t the fall that kills you, it’s your meeting with the ground Twas her beauty that befell me Twas her hunger brought me down
2.	Little Black Dress 02:43	lyrics	buy track
You’re never gonna find me, I swear You’ll never recognize me when I wear You’re gonna see how little I care When I wear my little black dress You can wear the face of innocence well I’ve been under that particular spell But the lies that kept me going before Now seem to be so hard to ignore You’re never gonna find me, I swear You’ll never recognize me when I wear You’re gonna see how little I care When I wear my little black dress Oh I could make it through the evening As long as my stockings are straight And you’re never gonna see me leaving But you might catch the scent of fresh paint You’re never gonna find me, I swear You’ll never recognize me when I I’ve sorted out the fiction from the fact I’ve given you my everything and now I want it back You’re never gonna find me, I swear You’ll never recognize me when I wear You’re gonna see how little I care When I wear my little black dress
3.	Summer Fling 03:40	lyrics	buy track
I see you walkin to me across the sand The sun is high up above I know the season is showing her hand Everyone’s dreaming of love The water’s warm and the beaches are gold It should be all that we need But August nights just leave me cold Summer is over for me It’s a bad year for a summer fling It’s a bad time for this kind of thing I’d be a bad date I’ve got nothing to bring to a summer fling I hear your car comin down my street And now you’re here at my door Your kiss is soft and your promises sweet But somewhere I’ve heard them before It’s a bad year for a summer fling It’s a bad time for this kind of thing I’d be a bad date I’ve got nothing to bring to a summer fling I lost my heart to that summer romance That comes along every June Now every day feels as long as a year Every night fills my heart up with tears I just pray that September comes soon It’s a bad year for a summer fling It’s a bad time for this kind of thing I’d be a bad date I’ve got nothing to bring to a summer fling
4.	The Day After Tomorrow 03:30	lyrics	buy track
I can set my watch just by your comin and your goin All this time I’ve never failed to leave my window open Cause you keep on returning like a Capistrano swallow Only to be gone again The day after tomorrow You call me your baby, and my wishing makes it sweet Now I find your kisses have been flavored with deceit But if you put some sugar on those lies you make me swallow Maybe they’ll taste better on The day after tomorrow Something’s gonna happen on that day The tide will turn, wash me away I can’t wait to wake up to a season that is new I can’t wait to close my eyes to you Dealer, you can cash me in, my chips are getting low I’d rather cut my losses while I’ve got something left to show I’d have better luck with any shark in Monte Carlo So maybe I will see you there The day after tomorrow Something’s gonna happen on that day The tide will turn, wash me away Like a shell upon your beach these waves have left me hollow So you and I will watch love die The day after tomorrow You and I will watch love die The day after tomorrow
5.	It Hurts/My Heart/To Hear/Your Voice 03:24	lyrics	buy track
Every word in your sermon told me You were never gonna stick around Still I guess I shoulda listened harder Shoulda seen it when the tent came down Now it hurts my heart to hear your voice So why do I listen to you? I could never be a part of your life I was just another plate to spin Still I thought I found a new religion When you opened up and let me in Now it hurts my heart to hear your voice So why do I listen to you? And tomorrow when the curtain goes up in a brand new town I’ll be standing with the true believers My ears still ringing and my heart still glory bound Coulda given you a love so easy The kind of love that wouldn’t do no harm Coulda made you a beautiful shirt If you had only let me measure your arm Now it hurts my heart to hear your voice So why do I listen to you?
6.	All I'm Gonna Say 03:16	lyrics	buy track
How bout all those black-jeaned heroes of my sleepless nights How bout the ones who dropped in, then dropped out of sight How bout those sweet butcher boys down on Produce Row? What else do you want to know How bout that Joe College party that just went all wrong One red-haired jock too drunk, and me way too young How bout just the first mistake of my entire career What else do you want to hear How bout lucky Sailor Jim Home on leave and high on gin What else do you want to know about him? What else do you want to know? It’s a nice girl keeps things under her hat This song is all I’m gonna say All I’m gonna say about that How bout the ways that I’ve fallen, the wages of sin Things that I wrote down and burned and then wrote down again How bout the pictures I’d paint that you don’t want to see What else do you want from me? Don’t go looking through my purse Don’t come in without knocking first Whatever you think you know, it’s worse Whatever you think you know It’s a nice girl keeps things under her hat This song is all I’m gonna say All I’m gonna say about that
7.	Empty Hangers 03:03	lyrics	buy track
Every girl deserves a nervous breakdown Don’t you think that she’s got what it takes Would you listen if she told you she was just about to fold From holding that basket of snakes Any clock can lose a couple seconds No her timing’s never good enough If you want exact amounts, someone else will have to count Cause she can’t keep track of that stuff Sometimes she feels like A closet full of empty hangers A nest of black and twisted wire At any moment tied and tangled She’ll come crashing to the floor Every rookie feels a little awkward Would you say she catches like a girl Round her head the pitches fly, she just lets them all go by She can’t keep up in this world Sometimes she feels like A closet full of empty hangers A nest of black and twisted wire At any moment tied and tangled She’ll come crashing to the floor She hides a heart as soft as motel soap She glides through hands as rough as hangman’s rope She slides forever further down the slope Sometimes she feels like A closet full of empty hangers With all her finery on the floor A crash of color round her ankles She can’t wear those things no more Every girl deserves a nervous breakdown…
8.	Can't Win 'Em All 03:10	lyrics	buy track
I think I saw him first at the table by the door And he seemed so unrehearsed – just the type that I go for Spilled coffee on his shirt Well that’s the way I flirt And nobody gets hurt Oh, where you gonna land – you can’t win ‘em all Into his hands I plan to fall I’ll take that chance – I’ll make that call I understand You can’t win ‘em all His place was kinda sweet in a boho sort of way Just a mattress and a sheet and martinis on a tray And the day was kind of cold The night was colder still A girl can get a chill Oh, where you gonna land – you can’t win ‘em all Into his hands I plan to fall I’ll take that chance – I’ll make that call I understand You can’t win ‘em all But there’s something about those boys in black They buy their ticket – then they want their money back I shoulda seen the writing on the wall You hear one bass solo, you’ve heard them all And that’s all there is to say as far as he’s concerned I spill coffee every day, sometimes I get burned But with tips I do okay And that’s the way I cope A girl can always hope…
9.	So Many Bad Dreams 04:06	lyrics	buy track
Some nights make you feel like the devil’s own punching bag Everything that you touch falls apart at the seams Every day you wake up on the edge of a crying jag How can one girl have so many bad dreams Once I felt like a queen with the whole world in front of me Every night I sat down to strawberries and cream But now the servants have fled and there’s rats in the scullery How can one girl have so many bad dreams So many bad dreams How can one girl have so many bad dreams I woke up on the beach, I was still in my party dress It was too late to cry, I was too tired to scream The ship was on fire – the captain went down I guess How can one girl have so many bad dreams There’s a hole in my heart where there used to be confidence What if everyone knows that I’m not what I seem? I can step on the stage, but I can’t fool the audience How can one girl have so many bad dreams Just when you thought you could go back to sleep These are the days when your nights should be sweet But you’re all tangled up in the sheets Now I’m hitchhiking west and the cars are like lightning bolts Every truck disappears in a curtain of steam And the highway is littered with blankets and overcoats How can one girl have so many bad dreams So many bad dreams How can one girl have so many bad dreams
10.	He's Always Looking at the Sky 02:46	lyrics	buy track
He’s an important man He’s always looking at the sky He doesn’t see the things that keep us tangled in this earth His eyes are always on the stars, you’ve no idea what that’s worth He’s an important man He’s always looking at the sky No you can’t talk to him - you’ll just distract him from his thoughts We all want greatness in our lives, he’s all the greatness that I’ve got He’s an important man He’s always looking at the sky Don’t play your music late at night, don’t park your car so close outside Don’t leave your trashcans in his sight, don’t try to drag him out in the light He’s an important man He’s always looking at the sky I come down in the morning, he hasn’t moved the whole night long He says, “Don’t touch my papers - I had the answer, now it’s gone” He’s an important man Yes those rooms are dusty, I don’t go in there any more Yes those birds are noisy, so I just shut the bedroom door He’s an important man He’s always looking at the sky Why’d you come here knocking? Why don’t you leave us both alone? He’s got a purpose, so do I. I’m always looking out for him He’s always looking at the sky
11.	Wicked Little Heart 03:17	lyrics	buy track
Gonna carve a little piece inside you You’re never gonna be the same You could dig yourself a hole to China And still you’re gonna hear my name Oh, you better know what’s comin Oh, you better know your woman Oh, you’re gonna learn to love these chains My wicked little heart / Is gonna walk along with you My wicked little heart / Is gonna keep you true When the fear of standing still Is greater than the fear of change You’re gonna break every door and window Just to feel a blast of rain Oh, but every time you wander Oh, I know the spell you’re under Oh, you’re gonna learn to love these chains My wicked little heart / Is gonna walk along with you My wicked little heart / Is gonna keep you true It’s gonna whisper in your ear It’s gonna tell you what to do My wicked little Oh, you better know what’s comin Oh, you better know your woman Oh, you’re gonna learn to love these chains My wicked little…
12.	Shut Out the Shine 03:26	lyrics	buy track
So what if it’s morning wherever we are? I don’t agree with the sun anymore Call down to room service, tell them I’m sad I want some oranges, I want em bad Sure you’ve been traveling longer than me Distance is something you no longer see And maybe the sheets are the same everywhere Or maybe they’re filtering more than the air All last night all I could see was the moon thru the blinds And nothing I took could shut off my mind Lately I don’t get along with the daylight I find So cover me baby, and shut out the shine Cover me baby, and shut out the shine I know what’s behind the face of the moon I know what’s behind the mirror in this room But I don’t know where they hid the cameras this time Come over here, darlin, and shut out the shine Come over here, darlin, and shut out the shine Come over here, darlin...
13.	No Time Like Now 03:53	info	buy track

about

A collection of musical tales from the pop noir song rack that combines the intrigue and mystery of dime-novel culture with pop-rock sensibility and pulls you into its world - hook, line and melody...

Anny Celsi...nominated for L.A. Weekly Annual Music Award for 2003,in the category of Best Rock/Pop Songwriter/Composer...."Little Black Dress & Other Stories" made these "Best of 2003" lists:

LA Weekly: "Most promising signs of life"
FAR BEST OF 2003 - KTRU Houston: "Best Debut"
Entertainment Today: "Best of Music 2003"
San Gabriel Valley Newspapers: "one of the most literate, appealing indie albums of 2003 - a superlative set of song novellas that demand you hit the repeat button."
WXXE, Syracuse, NY: "Empty Hangers" #2 on their year's best list...

WHAT OTHER ARTISTS SAY:

"Anny's music might make a person look in the mirror and wonder if they themselves are the subject of her songs. The writing is that strong. "It Hurts My Heart" in particular makes me feel guilty when I listen to it. How often does a song do that?"
(Ben Vaughn)

"I'm loving this album! The artwork/concept, songs, production, everything. Great job, I can't stop listening!" (Amy Rigby)

"Anny Celsi has an outstanding record here. She has no problem painting pictures with vivid, colorful lyrical images, and sugarcoated melodies. An ace job of producing by Kevin Jarvis as well." (Randy Weeks)

"We only cover kick-ass songwriters like Anny Celsi!"
-- Grey De Lisle & Murry Hammond(Old 97's)

WHAT THE REVIEWERS SAY:

"Affecting, pop-smart tunes" -- Chris Morris, Billboard

THREE STARS "clever...and the music is consistently strong to boot" -- Ken Barnes, USA TODAY

"An ultra-cool, ultra-hip album that is one of the best new releases I've heard in a long time. Check it out." -- Ed Kociela, Utah Daily News

"A musical journey in the best sense, "Little Black Dress" unfolds like a tightly written script." -- Mark Spangler, The Oregonian

"A hell of an impressive debut, Anny Celsi is a talent to watch." -- Michael Toland, www.highbias.com

"Hit material folk pop" -- Tom "Tearaway" Schulte, Outsight Communications

"Anny Celsi is a Cali girl with plenty of sass...There isn't a weak track in the set, which is no small achievement." -- Adrian Zupp, HARP

"In the classic singer-songwriter mode, Anny's sunny/dark folky-rock took me to a "Raymond Chandler-esqe" Los Angeles of hard lessons learned and the high cost of love. Dig it! It's black and white 50's film-noir in color." - Two Louies Magazine

"...a beatnik-cool performer who veers from poppy, bouncy beats to jazzy piano bar riffs and sexy come-ons...she's sensitive but no wimp and a fellow traveler to Aimee Mann and Sheryl Crow. The "pop-noir" soundtrack of her solo debut, "Little Black Dress," wears a veneer of L.A. Confidential style." -- Bob Ruggiero, Houston Press

"Think of Victoria Williams, Aimee Mann, Suzanne Vega and Sheryl Crow mixed together and you begin to get the picture. Anny is pretty much their equal as a songwriter." -- S.P. Clarke, Two Louies

"Anny Celsi possesses such a radiantly reassuring voice that it almost doesn't matter what she's singing about..." -- Falling James, LA Weekly

"It's not often that listening to a record evokes the same buzz of satisfaction that one gets upon finishing a particularly ripping book. Seldom does an album sustain an arc of characters and situations that is consistently surprising, amusing and touching. "Little Black Dress and Other Stories" is all this and more... whether you're following her written words or bouncing a foot to the surplus of winning melodies, "Little Black Dress" is a perfect fit." - John Chandler, Portland Tribune

"When she starts to sing she's got something to say, and she says it in this way designed to separate the boys from the men, if you know what I mean and I think you do." -- ink19.com

"Anny Celsi has a knack for selecting telling symbols that illuminate the interior lives of characters inhabiting her songs....using seemingly mundane objects to dissect relationship politics with sometimes acidic precision." -- Pasadena Weekly

credits

released January 1, 2003

"Little Black Dress & Other Stories" started out as a two-song project to help home-town friend Kevin Jarvis try out his new recording studio. As the months went on and the song list continued to grow, Jarvis, a sought-after drummer who has toured and recorded with Steve Wynn, John Wesley Harding, Grant Lee Phillips, Lucinda Williams, Shawn Mullins and Ben Vaughn, turned out to be a tasteful and inspired producer/engineer as well. He was also instrumental in bringing some premier musical talent to the table, including Randy Weeks (Lonesome Strangers), Phil Parlapiano (John Prine, Rod Stewart, Tracy Chapman), Robert Lloyd (Steve Wynn, Victoria Williams, John Wesley Harding), Bill Bonk (Aimee Mann, Grant Lee Buffalo) and Hank Van Sickle (John Mayall). Along with contributions from Steve Barton (Translator) and Adam Pike (The Syrups), who regularly play in Anny's Black Dress Band, the CD was nearly complete. Two songs previously recorded with Marvin Etzioni were included, one of which, "Little Black Dress," expresses the spirit of the entire album: "No matter what life throws at you, you've got to put on your little black dress and keep going. The woman in these songs can change a tire in that dress if she has to. And she'll still look good, and she won't spill her martini, either."

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