At some point I went to college in Philadelphia, did some music there (I was in an a cappella group called Off the Beat – yes, I know it’s a terrible name – and a killing rock band called Thriphtway named after a grocery store), and started writing songs in earnest while majoring in music composition (even took a class in Debussy and Bartok with George Crumb – only modern music dorks will know who that is). One song from a little production deal I had with Ruff House Records (think Digable Planets) in Philly wound up on my first album, Careen.
I moved to Los Angeles ‘cuz I didn’t really know where else you could make a living as a musician, and soon found myself working as a composer’s assistant and writing my songs in off hours. Made my first album during these off hours, and started playing shows and being a musician for real, kinda late by most people’s standards.
I’ve done a bunch of music industry stuff that people generally like to enumerate in their bios – far be it from me to break tradition. I won the Overall Grand Prize for the USA Songwriting Competition, I was a finalist in the International Songwriting Competition, got 2nd prize in the Just Plain Folks awards, & I’ve been one of Music Connection’s top 100 unsigned artists a couple years running. Lots of my songs have been on TV and in movies, some quality, some not so quality (you decide which is which) – Arrested Development, Office Space, Ghost Ship, Road Rules, Real World, Sleepover, The Hills, What About Brian, lots more. I ran down the aisles at the Oscars singing with Ellen. The Diamond Wink tour took me all over Europe opening for Alanis Morisette, and I’ve supported Jamie Cullum & Glenn Tillbrook (Squeeze) touring here in the U.S. Oh, and I opened for the Stones (yup, the Rolling ones) on the road with Tim Burgess in the UK, and I’ve played at lots of music festivals (SXSW, CMJ, V Festival in England). This year I sang on the Oscars, which was a riot. I also write score for video games and TV shows and produce other artists as well (Sara Bareilles’ Careful Confessions and Naimee Coleman’s new stuff, of late).
So I just came out with my Tall Buildings, my 4th full length album. Linus of Hollywood (The Charlatans, Puff Daddy, OPM) produced it, Dave Trumfio (Wilco, OK Go, Rilo Kiley) mixed it, and my usual band of lunatics played it – Adam Marcello on drums, Carson Cohen on bass, and Steve Mazur on guitar. Come see us play music – you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, it’s a riot."
Gabriel Mann's "My Little Box" was a part of "Ghost Ship"'s Soundtrack.
OK Alone
Gabriel Mann Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When things were looking good
You said goodbye in glitter
I guess I knew you would
Be the kind with hearts on her I's
You're the junior prom queen in disguise
You can go, now that I know
That I will be OK alone
I took you out to dinner
Romance and candlelight
Two pills and bottled water
Suppress your appetite
It's the way your telephones ring
When I'm sharing an epiphany
You should go, now that I know
That I will be OK alone
You made me feel
Like I was someone
You loved for real
But now I find that you're
Handing out your
Candy valentines
All over town
What a sweet letdown
You made me feel
Like I was someone
You loved for real
But now I find that you're
Handing out your
Candy valentines
All over town
A repeat letdown
So I tore up your letter
I lit a cigarette
No reason to remember
So easy to forget
All the times you straightened my hair
Now I stay home watching Millionaire
All day, I think I can say
That I will be OK alone
You made me feel
Like I was someone
You loved for real
But now I find that you're
Handing out your
Candy valentines
All over town
Well, I will be OK alone
In Gabriel Mann's song OK Alone, the artist sings about coming to terms with a breakup and realizing that they will be okay on their own. The opening lines "I opened up your letter, when things were looking good, you said goodbye in glitter, I guess I knew you would" indicate that the breakup came as a surprise to the artist, who felt that things were going well. The line "you're the junior prom queen in disguise" suggests that the ex-partner was perhaps overly concerned with image and fitting in, which may have contributed to the breakup.
The second verse includes the lyrics "It's the way your telephones ring, when I'm sharing an epiphany, you should go, now that I know, that I will be OK alone." This indicates that the ex-partner was perhaps not supportive or interested in the artist's life and dreams, further highlighting the incompatibility that led to the breakup. The chorus repeats the line "You made me feel like I was someone you loved for real, but now I find that you're handing out your candy valentines all over town," emphasizing the sense of betrayal felt by the artist.
The final verse describes the artist moving on from the breakup and tearing up the ex-partner's letter. The line "all day, I think I can say, that I will be OK alone" shows the artist's acceptance and realization that they do not need their ex to be happy. Overall, the song explores the themes of compatibility, self-worth, and moving on from past relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I opened up your letter
I read the message you sent me
When things were looking good
At a time when everything was fine between us
You said goodbye in glitter
Your farewell message was elaborate and attention-grabbing
I guess I knew you would
I had a feeling you were going to leave me
Be the kind with hearts on her I's
You're the type of person who is overly romantic and overly dramatic
You're the junior prom queen in disguise
You seem like a lovely person, but you hide your true intentions
You can go, now that I know
You are free to go because I understand your true nature
That I will be OK alone
I'm confident that I can be happy without you
I took you out to dinner
I went on a romantic date with you
Romance and candlelight
I set the mood to make the evening special
Two pills and bottled water
You took medicine to suppress your appetite for the evening
Suppress your appetite
You intentionally consumed something to reduce your desire to eat
It's the way your telephones ring
The sound of your phone gives away your true thoughts
When I'm sharing an epiphany
When I'm expressing my thoughts and ideas
You should go, now that I know
You are welcome to leave now that I'm aware of how you truly feel
That I will be OK alone
I'm sure that I'll be just fine without you
You made me feel
You gave me the impression
Like I was someone
That I was important
You loved for real
That you truly cared for me
But now I find that you're
But now I realize that you are
Handing out your
Giving away your
Candy valentines
Affectionate gestures
All over town
To everyone around us
What a sweet letdown
It's disappointing, but still has a positive aspect to it
A repeat letdown
A similar but still disappointing situation
So I tore up your letter
I destroyed the message you sent me
I lit a cigarette
I took a moment for myself
No reason to remember
There's no need to dwell on what happened
So easy to forget
It's simple and effortless to move on now
All the times you straightened my hair
All the ways you made me look and feel good
Now I stay home watching Millionaire
Now I'm content staying at home and being comfortable in my space
All day, I think I can say
I can confidently state that all day long
That I will be OK alone
I know that I'll be just fine by myself
Well, I will be OK alone
I'm certain that I'll be happy and content on my own
Contributed by Lincoln B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.