Gary Jules attended The Bishop's School in La Jolla, California. Some of his early projects/bands were The Ivory Knights, Our Town Pansies, Woodenfish and The Origin.
Jules started off his solo recording career with the debut Greetings from the Side. Originally released by A & M, this album slipped through the cracks due to neglect on the label's part, and Jules was dropped. In 2001, together with friend Michael Andrews, Gary Jules recorded Trading Snakeoil For Wolftickets. It was from this album that the remake of Tears for Fears' Mad World was subsequently used by Michael Andrews for Donnie Darko.
In December 2003, two years after Donnie Darko was released, Mad World finally reached the charts and became the Christmas Number One in the UK. In early 2004, the song surfaced in the US and Canada.
His most recent album, simply titled Gary Jules was released in 2006. The song Falling Awake from this album was recently used in the season 3 episode Six Days: Part Two of Grey's Anatomy.
Jules' Andrews' arrangement of "Mad World", was recently used in a trailer for the Gears of War for the XBOX 360, it was also used in a few episodes of CSI, Without a Trace, in some episodes of Dead Like Me, in an episode of Jericho, and an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Official Site: http://www.garyjules.com/
Andalucia
Gary Jules Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are stranded at the border between you and me
And the static on the radio
Is preaching to the children of infinity
We stay up late to speak in tongues
And redefine the boundaries of sanity
Swaying to the sound of "Sister Ray"
But we never knew how vulnerable we were
Andalucia I know you've been around
You're crazy girl
Andalucia your hands are on the wheel
But you're slipping
The greener grass we traded
For the mysteries of skinny hips and confidence
And the literary casualties were cool
Because souls are hewn from vowels and consonants
Stabbed in the eyes by the spectacle of "Up the Beach"
And we never knew how vulnerable we were
No we never knew that
Things get battered
Things get shaken
Things get tattered
And things forsaken
Things get spent
And things get spoken
Things get bent
And things get broken
Andalucia I know you've been around
You're crazy girl
Andalucia I know you've been around
You're crazy girl
Andalucia your hands are on the wheel
But you're slipping, you're slipping
Andalucia I know you've been around
You're crazy girl.
In Gary Jules's song "Andalucia," the lyrics describe a relationship that has been damaged and strained. The imagery of rattlesnakes and fireflies stranded at the border represents the distance between the two people involved. They are not able to communicate effectively (the static on the radio is preaching to the children of infinity) and they stay up late to try to make things work, but they can't seem to resolve their issues. They are lost in their own world, redefining what is sane and what is not, and are completely unaware of how fragile their situation really is.
The greener grass they traded for the mysteries of skinny hips and confidence represents the idea that they thought they could find something better, but in reality, they were just fooling themselves. They both have literary casualties (or emotional scars) from their efforts to make things work, but ultimately, they were unable to do so. The repetition of "things" in the last stanza emphasizes that relationships can be fragile and easily broken. The song title, "Andalucia," is symbolic of the feelings of the singer - the passion and intensity of the region reflects the intensity of the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
The rattlesnakes and fireflies
The things that we once enjoyed together are now separated and stranded between us like the distance between the rattlesnakes and fireflies.
Are stranded at the border between you and me
There is a border that separates us and our once common interests are lost between this boundary.
And the static on the radio
The white noise on the radio represents the confusion and misunderstanding in our relationship.
Is preaching to the children of infinity
The message on the radio is reflecting the endlessness of the issues in our relationship and its impact on our future generations.
We stay up late to speak in tongues
We try hard to communicate and understand each other's perspective, even staying up late to do so.
And redefine the boundaries of sanity
We are struggling to make sense of our relationship and are challenging our own mental boundaries in the process.
Swaying to the sound of 'Sister Ray'
We find comfort in music, especially in 'Sister Ray', which is perhaps a reminder of happier times.
But we never knew how vulnerable we were
In retrospect, we realize that we were fragile and not as strong as we thought we were.
The greener grass we traded
We gave up what we had for something we thought was better, but it was only temporary.
For the mysteries of skinny hips and confidence
We were lured by the illusion of physical beauty and self-assurance.
And the literary casualties were cool
We aspired to be the 'cool' kids who were well-read and well-educated but failed to realize the emotional toll that such an obsession was taking on us.
Because souls are hewn from vowels and consonants
We are reminded that words are powerful, they can either build or destroy us.
Stabbed in the eyes by the spectacle of 'Up the Beach'
We were blinded and hurt by the things we have seen, especially 'Up the Beach' which perhaps represents our failures and shortcomings.
And we never knew how vulnerable we were
We failed to acknowledge the fragility of our relationship and ourselves.
Things get battered
Everything, including our relationship, gets worn out and beaten by the passage of time.
Things get shaken
Unexpected events in life shake and rattle our perspectives and emotions.
Things get tattered
Things, including our relationship, become old and fragile, gradually slipping away from our grasp.
And things forsaken
We abandon the things that once mattered but are now lost or forgotten.
Things get spent
Everything has a limit, and eventually, we run out of our resources, including our emotional and mental strength.
And things get spoken
We talk and communicate, but often fail to listen to each other's needs and concerns.
Things get bent
We adapt or distort ourselves to fit a certain mold or expectation, compromising our true nature.
And things get broken
Our relationship is shattered beyond repair, along with our trust and hope towards each other.
Andalucia I know you've been around
Andalucia has witnessed everything, including the rise and fall of our relationship.
You're crazy girl
Andalucia is a symbol of the wild, unpredictable nature of life and reminds us of how crazy and unexpected life can be.
Andalucia your hands are on the wheel
Andalucia is controlling the direction of our lives, and we seem to be merely passengers of our fate.
But you're slipping, you're slipping
We are losing control and slipping towards our inevitable path of destruction.
Contributed by Kaelyn I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.