While paying the rent with these jobs, the prodigious musician nurtured his most fertile creative outlet since 2009: Eytan & the Embassy. Joined by a four-piece live band, Oren has earned comparisons to Ben Folds for his dexterous use of the piano, and Mark Ronson for his love of brass. Word of mouth about his buoyant live shows has also won him slots on the Summerfest and Isle of Wight lineups, plus gigs opening for the Old 97s and the Hold Steady. And in October 2010, Eytan & the Embassy embarked on its first-ever tour, opening for OK Go. Never one to slack, Oren subsequently created the Musician’s Energy Conservation Alliance (joinmeca.org), a charity that helps facilitate green touring practices.
A gifted student, Oren was reared by his journalist dad and landscape-architect mom on an aural diet of Bob Dylan and The Beatles. He started taking piano lessons at age 6 and spent his formative years in Westchester, NY, before heading to Columbia University. There, he majored in music. “My parents have always been almost too supportive,” he says. “My grandmother was like, ‘Don’t get him a guitar on his birthday! One day he’ll be hanging out in bars with people who do drugs and smoke.’ And I do.”
Radiohead, in particular, proved a potent influence. “I went from being obsessive about Springsteen to kind of flipping into Radiohead. I probably saw Radiohead 10 times in college,” he says. “That was definitely the band that got me excited about playing.” He joined mostly guitar-centric indie-rock bands, such as The Diamond Club (with future OK Go member Andy Ross), and the pop-punk band Fuzzy Suzy—“a good band for what it was,” he quips, “only what it was, was not good.”
Then in 2008, Oren rediscovered soul, which lent heart to his work. “Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ had the biggest impact on me. I listened to it over and over,” he says. “It was such a huge creative leap from his earlier songs and so powerful on both a personal and cultural level. He was also such an amazing songwriter, entertainer, activist, and businessman. I would like to be that type of guy.”
He’s off to an enticing start. Everything Changes, featuring appearances from OK Go’s Ross and members of Locksley, is collection of piano-and-horn-driven pop songs that focus on the sunny side of bummers. The Strokes-turned-Elton John banger “No Reason to Cry” begins as a consolation until exploding into a dance song. Meanwhile, the minor-keyed “Good Morning Marilyn” muses on interfaith dating while finding a blissful mean between the late-Beatles sound and ’90s guitar pop. Oren’s lead single, the percussive “Everything Changes” boasts sunny vocals from old friend Nicole Atkins and is, he says tellingly, “about having the guts to reinvent yourself.”
Indeed, ever the music omnivore, Oren has already been plotting to switch up his sound by tinkering with a Chinese violin called an erhu. The plan: to write pop songs using the old-timey instrument. No, he’s not masochistic—just ambitious. “I’m always thinking about what hasn’t been done, what might be interesting on a larger level than a chord change,” Oren says. “My favorite artists—Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Radiohead—all share one common theme: They constantly experiment, take risks, evolve.”
Juliet
Eytan and the Embassy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can bat your eyes love but you'll never get them to disarm
Shut them out don't listen to their sound at all
Juliet, come on
Juliet, come on
I am on your side, oh...
Had to see what you left behind
When you saw him last you'd kicked him out
cnd seeing him now just makes you curse your doubt
Don't you know you're so much better off without
Juliet, come on
Juliet, come on
I am on your side, oh...
Years spent on dead-end situations
Countless hesitations, waiting for the real thing to come
Juliet, come on
Juliet, come on
I am on your side, oh...
The lyrics to Eytan and the Embassy's song "Juliet" speak to the experience of someone who is facing opposition and negativity from others, but still chooses to persevere. The opening lines suggest that there are people who want to harm the singer, but they refuse to let it affect them. They are advised to shut out the negativity, not let it influence their actions or thoughts. The repeated refrain of "Juliet, come on" can be seen as an encouragement for the singer, urging them to keep going despite the challenges they face.
The second verse suggests that Juliet, the singer, has returned to something or someone she had previously abandoned. This person she had kicked out, seeing them now makes her regret her past doubt and indecision. However, she is reminded that she is better off without them. This can be interpreted as a message about self-worth and the importance of moving on from toxic relationships.
The lyrics then touch on the theme of wasted time and missed opportunities. The chorus again emphasizes the support and allegiance the singer has for Juliet, expressing it with the line "I am on your side."
Overall, "Juliet" seems to be a song about resilience in the face of adversity, finding strength after leaving unhealthy situations, and the importance of staying true to oneself.
Line by Line Meaning
Some people out there only want to do you more harm
There are individuals who have ill intentions towards you and wish to cause you further harm
You can bat your eyes love but you'll never get them to disarm
Even if you try to charm or deceive them, they will never give up their harmful intentions
Shut them out don't listen to their sound at all
Ignore their words and actions completely, block them out of your life entirely
Juliet, come on
Encouraging Juliet to take action, urging her to be brave
I am on your side, oh...
Assuring Juliet that the artist is supporting and standing by her
You had to go back
You felt the need to revisit the past
Had to see what you left behind
You wanted to understand what you had abandoned
When you saw him last you'd kicked him out
During your previous encounter, you had rejected and pushed him away
And seeing him now just makes you curse your doubt
Witnessing him in the present only intensifies your regret and self-doubt
Don't you know you're so much better off without
Realize that you are significantly happier and in a better situation without him
Years spent on dead-end situations
You've wasted many years on futile and unfulfilling circumstances
Countless hesitations, waiting for the real thing to come
You've experienced numerous moments of indecision, waiting for a genuine and meaningful connection to appear
Juliet, come on
Continuing to encourage Juliet to take action and make a change
I am on your side, oh...
Reiterating the singer's support and loyalty towards Juliet
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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