History Music / RufusWainwright

* HasTwoMommies: "Montauk" addressed to his daughter Viva[[note]]whose mother is Lorca Cohen, Music/LeonardCohen's daughter[[/note]] talks about how one day she will visit "your dad" (presumably Rufus himself) and "your other dad" (presumably Jorn).

%%* ADateWithRosiePalms: "One Man Guy"
%%** Which becomes even funnier (or disturbing) when you remember the song was actually written by ''his father'' Loudon.

* RefrainFromAssuming: "Greek Song" is sometimes referred to as "You Turn Me On" after the phrase repeated seven times in the first verse.

* {{Bishonen}}

--> [[TearJerker Neither of us is really that much older than each other anymore. [...] There's not much time for us to really be that angry at each other anymore.]]

** Just look at the quote on top!
* CanadaEh: He was born in the U.S. but grew up in Montreal.

* ADateWithRosiePalms: "One Man Guy"
** Which becomes even funnier (or disturbing) when you remember the song was actually written by ''his father'' Loudon.
* DeadpanSnarker
* DoubleEntendre: "Gay Messiah"

* GodIsLoveSongs: {{Inverted|Trope}} with "Gay Messiah."

* LastChorusSlowDown: He loves this trope.

* MeaningfulName: Rufus (Latin for "red") tended to wear a lot of red early in his career.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Rufus has some well-publicized issues with his father, though they appear to have become more amicable in the last few years. "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbAQXTwE6r8 Dinner At Eight]]" in particular is about a dinner he had with his father and a disagreement they had while on a shoot for Rolling Stone magazine.
** "Do I Disappoint You" is not actually addressed to his father (we think) but has the same sort of theme, although the song is ultimately about ''firing back'' and defending your own frailties.

* {{Adorkable}}: Oh, boy, is he. He's an avid opera and literature fan and has even written his own opera entirely in French, and has a tendency to run his hand through his hair during live performances, rendering it more and more foofy as the show progresses, but it just makes him look even more adorable.
* AllGaysArePromiscuous: Before settling down with his long-term boyfriend, Rufus certainly embraced this image.

** "[[Music/LouReed Hallelujah]]" was this for a while, but after hearing Music/JustinTimberlake cover it at the Hope For Haiti event Rufus announced that he'd be shelving it for a bit.

** "Hallelujah" was this for a while, but after hearing Music/JustinTimberlake cover it at the Hope For Haiti event Rufus announced that he'd be shelving it for a bit.

** "Tulsa" is a good-humored TakeThat to Music/BrandonFlowers, lead singer of Music/TheKillers. Flowers loved the song.

** "Tulsa" is a good-humored TakeThat to Music/BrandonFlowers, former lead singer of Music/TheKillers. Flowers loved the song.

** He also set 3 of Shakespeare's sonnets (10, 20, and 43) to music on his album ''All Days are Nights: Songs for Lulu''.

* TheCameo: sister Music/MarthaWainwright, Music/MelissaAufDerMar, and Music/GwenStefani (as the waitress) all show up in the video for "April Fools."

* CreatorBreakdown: Rufus recorded ''All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu'' while his mother was dying of cancer. His previous albums, known for lush full orchestrations, are not anywhere near as depressing as this. All it is is Rufus singing with piano, nothing more.
** Likewise, he struggled with a drug addiction in the early 2000s, and even [[TemporaryBlindness temporarily lost his sight]] before he checked himself into rehab.

* FauxSymbolism: Pretty much the entirety of the video "Going to a Town", done very intentionally.

* BrotherSisterTeam: Often performs with younger sister / musician MarthaWainwright. [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling "Little Sister"]] refers to their musical SiblingRivalry as children. "Martha" discusses growing up / growing out of this.
--> [[TearJerker Neither of us is really that much older than each other anymore. [...]There's not much time for us to really be that angry at each other anymore.]]

* GodIsLoveSongs: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] with "Gay Messiah."
* HasTwoDaddies: "Montauk" addressed to his daughter Viva[[note]]whose mother is Lorca Cohen, Music/LeonardCohen's daughter[[/note]] talks about how one day she will visit "your dad" (presumably Rufus himself) and "your other dad" (presumably Jorn).

** "Martha" - about his younger sister MarthaWainwright and [[TearJerker and their aging.]]

** The famous [[ThePhantomOfTheOpera Phantom of the Opera]] theme is used in "Between My Legs."

* ShoutOutToShakespeare: "Memphis Skyline" has the line
-->Then came hallelujah sounding like [[Theatre/{{Hamlet}} Ophelia]], for me in my room living, turn back and you will stay, under the Memphis Skyline
** This is especially poignant because Music/JeffBuckley, who the song is dedicated to, drowned in the Wolf River.
** He also set 3 of Shakespeare's sonnets (10, 20, and 43) to music on his album ''All Days are Nights: Songs for Lulu''.
** The song "Damned Ladies" features the line, "[[Theatre/{{Othello}} Desdemona]], do not go to sleep."

* TakeThat: "California" is three-and-a-half minutes of this directed at said state. And yet some people [[CompletelyMissingThePoint still manage to miss the point]] and think he's ''praising'' the state.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Pretty much the entirety of the video "Going to a Town", done very intentionally.

* TheCameo: sister Music/MarthaWainwright, Music/MelissaAufDerMar, and [[NoDoubt Gwen Stefani]] (as the waitress) all show up in the video for "April Fools."

Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a SingerSongwriter known for his lush, theatrical BaroquePop.

Rufus Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a SingerSongwriter known for his lush, theatrical BaroquePop.

** "I Don't Know What It Is" references "is there anyone else who thinks ThreesCompany" with "knock on the door, take a step that is new."

* ShoutOutToShakespeare - "Memphis Skyline" has the line

* TakeThat: "California" is three and a half minutes of this directed at said state. And yet some people [[CompletelyMissingThePoint still manage to miss the point]] and think he's praising the state.

* TheCameo: sister Music/MarthaWainwright, Music/MelissaAufDerMar, and [[NoDoubt Gwen Stefani]] (as the waitress) all show up in the video for "April Fools."
* TheSomethingSong: “Greek Song,” "The Money Song"

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: Pretty much the entirety of the video "Going To A Town", done very intentionally.

* {{Adorkable}} - Oh boy, is he. He's an avid opera and literature fan and has even written his own opera entirely in French, and has a tendency to run his hand through his hair during live performances, rendering it more and more foofy as the show progresses, but it just makes him look even more adorable.
* AllGaysArePromiscuous - Before settling down with his long-term boyfriend, Rufus certainly embraced this image.

* BetweenMyLegs - Has a song with this very title.
* BigOMG - "Between My Legs" starts with a woman screaming "Oh my God!" presumably because she saw something lewd.

* BrotherSisterTeam - Often performs with younger sister / musician MarthaWainwright. [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling "Little Sister"]] refers to their musical SiblingRivalry as children. "Martha" discusses growing up / growing out of this.

* CampGay – He even recreated Creator/JudyGarland's April 23, 1961 concert (which is ''Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall'') and performed a couple of numbers ''in Judy drag.''

* CanadaEh
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning – His cover of Music/LeonardCohen's "Everybody Knows" changes...well, suddenly it sounds like its set amidst a casino underworld that's about to crumble and is having one last revel in its own shallowness and debauchery. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J26UlYXPi7o Worth a listen]]

* CreatorBreakdown – Rufus recorded ''All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu'' while his mother was dying of cancer. His previous albums, known for lush full orchestrations, are not anywhere near as depressing as this. All it is is Rufus singing with piano, nothing more.

* CrucifiedHeroShot - In the video for "Going To A Town" Rufus' character assumes this pose.

* FakeOutFadeOut - "Rebel Prince". [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCEDBDj2dWc He still manages to fool people in concert.]]
* GratuitousFrench - "Rebel Prince" has the first verse repeated in French halfway through the song, and Rufus lived in Montreal for much of his youth.

* GodIsLoveSongs - [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] with "Gay Messiah."

* HeavyMithril - "Between My Legs," written as a "fantasy about being able to save your object of desire when the apocalypse comes, and bring him to some sort of hidden paradise."
* HotConsort - The title character of "The Consort".
* IncrediblyLongNote - "Vibrate" has one that lasts for ''19'' seconds in at least one live performance.
* InTheBlood - His musical talent, since he's the son of two very talented musicians and his sister Music/MarthaWainwright is successful in her own career.
* IWantSong - "Want", from ''Want One'', [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin obviously]], and a recurring theme in his works. And according to Rufus, ''Release The Stars'' is an I Want ''Album''.
* KaleidoscopeEyes - Enter his name into any image search and try to pin his eye color down. Go ahead, try it.
* {{Keet}} - He's a bit more mellow than most, but watch any interview he's in and watch how much he moves during it. It gets to the point that people unfamiliar with him think he's drunk.
* LastChorusSlowDown – He loves this trope.
* LeavingYouToFindMyself - "Leaving For Paris No. 2", which was originally written as part of the backstory of Satine in ''Theatre/MoulinRouge''.
* LonelyPianoPiece - He even has a ''whole album'' of them (''All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu'').
* MeaningfulName - Rufus (Latin for "red") tended to wear a lot of red early in his career.

** "Martha": about his younger sister MarthaWainwright and [[TearJerker and their aging.]]
** "Natasha": about his friend, actress Creator/NatashaLyonne.
** "Rashida": probably about Creator/RashidaJones.
** "Barbara": about a French singer.
* PrecociousCrush - "The Art Teacher" is told from the point of view of a woman who fell in love with the titular teacher.
* RebelPrince - The subject of his song of the same name, who he wants to come and spirit him away.
* RefrainFromAssuming - "Greek Song" is sometimes referred to as "You Turn Me On" after the phrase repeated seven times in the first verse.
* ShoutOut - ''Lots.''

** "Dinner At Eight" has the line "I'm gonna take you down with one little stone" referencing Literature/TheBible and David and Goliath in particular.

* SignatureSong - "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk". "Gay Messiah" is probably another of his best known songs.

* TakeThat - "California" is three and a half minutes of this directed at said state. And yet some people [[CompletelyMissingThePoint still manage to miss the point]] and think he's praising the state.

* ThereIsOnlyOneBed - The video for "April Fools" opens with Rufus waking up in a bed with the opera heroines. It's definitely not intended to be sexual.
* TheCameo - sister Music/MarthaWainwright, Music/MelissaAufDerMar, and [[NoDoubt Gwen Stefani]] (as the waitress) all show up in the video for "April Fools."
* TheSomethingSong – “Greek Song,” "The Money Song"
* UnholyMatrimony - Suggested by the lyrics of "The Consort", where they plan to "wreak havoc on the throne" and do terrible things to their enemies.
* VocalEvolution - 21-year-old Rufus' voice, as heard on his demo tape, is much higher and more nasally than how he sounded even on his debut album released only three years later. In his own words, "like a little old man."
* WellDoneSonGuy - Rufus has some well publicized issues with his father, though they appear to have become more amicable in the last few years. "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbAQXTwE6r8 Dinner At Eight]]" in particular is about a dinner he had with his father and a disagreement they had while on a shoot for Rolling Stone magazine.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic - Pretty much the entirety of the video "Going To A Town", done very intentionally.

Wainwright came from a musical family; his parents (Kate [=McGarrigle=] & Loudon Wainwright III) were folk singers. His sister, Martha Wainwright, and half sister Lucy Wainwright Roche, are also musicians. He is openly gay, which is reflected in his music. His voice is very hard to describe. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiKMqz2MhWE See for yourself.]]

He came from a musical family. His parents (Kate [=McGarrigle=] & Loudon Wainwright III) were folk singers. His sister, Martha Wainwright, and half sister Lucy Wainwright Roche, are also musicians. He is openly gay, which is reflected in his music. His voice is very hard to describe. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiKMqz2MhWE See for yourself.]]

-->''I think that any gay person in the world, would be seduced at one point, by a certain kind of camp. For certain people it's kind of a saving grace.''
-->'''Rufus,''' on {{Camp}}.

Rufus Wainwright is known for his lush, theatrical BaroquePop. He came from a musical family. His parents (Kate [=McGarrigle=] & Loudon Wainwright III) were folk singers. His sister, Martha Wainwright, and half sister Lucy Wainwright Roche, are also musicians. He is openly gay, which is reflected in his music. His voice is very hard to describe. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiKMqz2MhWE See for yourself.]]

* ADateWithRosiePalms: "One Man Guy"
** Which becomes even funnier (or disturbing) when you remember the song was actually written by ''his father'' Loudon.

-->"I wasn't a huge gay marriage supporter before I met Jorn because I love the whole old-school promiscuous OscarWilde freak show of what 'being gay' once was. But since meeting Jorn that all changed."

** "Rashida": probably about Rashida Jones.

** "Tulsa" is a good-humored TakeThat to BrandonFlowers, former lead singer of TheKillers. Flowers loved the song.