“There’s a Michael Jackson influence,” confesses the producer/composer/musician with a gentle chuckle, about the third Jakalope album. “I made a conscious effort to look into the type of stuff I enjoy, so there’s a very heavy Jackson-factor in there, as well as a bit of a Donna Summer-thing going on.”
It’s one of the tastier ironies of Ogilvie’s catalogue that the pulsating influence of Donna Summer’s disco-synth svengali Giorgio Moroder is already felt in some of the more outré work he’s done in the past – albeit shrouded in night terrors – but it’s also no surprise.
“Moroder’s stuff was very influential in everybody’s world,” he says, “but especially for me, with Moroder being the first to do a lot of electronic stuff. I always had a very weak spot for that, and loved to be able to emulate that in any way. In the past with Jakalope I was trying to really stick to an industrial rock vein, but I’m trying to let it flow a little more with this album, and applying those influences.”
If Jakalope’s first two albums established a bubblegum meets sheet-metal blueprint for the enterprise, Things That Go Jump In The Night is a graduation into something a little more substantial, and a little less brazen in its effort to make itself heard. As Ogilvie notes, he’s letting the music “flow”, which means that Things That Go Jump In The Night has to some extent designed itself, taking Ogilvie and his cohorts to a slinkier place than Jakalope has occupied before. There’s at least one very good reason for the neon-lit and smoke-infused feel of the new material, or, as Ogilvie has it, “the lush, multi-dimensional sound.”
“These songs are really written with a lot more attention to the character of Chrystal’s voice,” he explains. “It’s a lot more mature, I think. That’s one of the things for me – the writing, performance and style has a whole new level of maturity, where before it was simple pop songs with simple vocals.”
Chrystal Leigh is Ogilvie’s newest muse, now that Katie B. has amicably moved on from her two-album collaboration with Jakalope. Ogilvie came across Leigh when he was petitioning friends and colleagues to find him the new voice. The Vancouverite aced her audition.
“I was blown away by her personality, her voice, and the fact that she’s a piano player,” recounts Ogilvie, before dishing, “I was dying to have someone to collaborate with, who actually is a musician and not just a singer.”
The results of their partnership? It’s anointed Jakalope with a Nancy-and-Lee or Serge-and-Jane vibe; adult, knowing, and altogether smoother than the boisterous dance moves of It Dreams and Born 4. Ogilvie had Leigh inaugurate the new Jakalope with a reverent cover of Julee Cruise’s “Falling”, which turned out every inch as celestial and haunting as the original. But it’s the Ogilvie/Leigh compositions that ultimately convince, be it “Magnolia” where an uplifting tempo juxtaposes the haunting lyrics, the boom box and B-movie organ laced “Cupcake”, which suggests a goth Gwen Stefani, or the gorgeous “Last Song Tonight”, which gives Ogilvie the chance to exercise his inner-John Barry with a tense string part emerging from a platter of schizoid, Aphex Twin percussive signals and rubbery bass. Throughout these tracks, Leigh establishes herself, unequivocally, as the new voice. “I’ve always been drawn towards Dave’s work and it’s nice to finally collaborate with someone I respect and inspires me. If there’s one thing Jakalope was missing was a chemistry between music and vocals and I’m excited to be that new voice.” Says Leigh. Jakalope has consequently taken an exponential leap forward, giving Ogilvie what he always wanted – an equality between its male and female principles.
“Look at my discography and there’s a lot of women I worked with,” he says. “And I always loved seeing passionate female performers, and it’s really something I think we’ve been lacking.”
“Joni Mitchell was one of my early influences,” Ogilvie continues, no doubt much to the surprise of any aging rivet-heads who grew up with Too Dark Park in constant rotation, “with just the power of what she was saying – it spoke to me very deeply. Seeing someone like Shirley Manson, from her onset to what she became, I just always loved to be able to see how someone with such a small demeanor in person can have such control of an audience. I just really, really enjoy that…”
Which brings us to Chrystal.
“The big thing I’ve always stressed,” he concludes, “is that when people see someone on stage, they want to be that person. You don’t want the person on stage to be part of the crowd, and Chrystal definitely stands out and is not part of the crowd. I’m so excited to be involved with that. She’s someone who takes the reins in her hands and is like, ‘Let me take control…’”
Creeper
Jakalope Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby
Follow my lead
I've a confession to make
It's always been this way
Oh I'm playing you for a fool
You fell for every broken rule
It's been a long time coming
And I'm coming for you
While I
Silently I scream
Inside I
Barely breathe
Silently I scream
Reflection overzone
It'll never be the same
Restless and jaded, I
Still
Still I've changed
Do you feel
Naive
Did you make me believe
Were you
Decieved
Oh you fell right on your knees
Oh I'm playing you for a fool
You fell for every broken rule
I'm doing what I owe to you
It's been a long time coming
And I'm coming for you
While I
Silently I scream
Inside I
Barely breathe
Silently I scream
Reflection overzone
It'll never be the same
Restless and jaded, but
Still
Still I
I've changed
You've got it going on
No way I'll let you stay
You've got it goin on
I don't want to see your face
It's taken all this time
Before
I realized that I
Should go
Because I told you so I
Could let it go
Without a fight
It might not be right
Reflection overzone
It'll never be the same
Restless and jaded, but
Still
Still I
I've changed
You've got it going on
No way I'll let you stay
You've got it goin
I don't want to see your face [x3]
The song "Creeper" by Jakalope is about a person who is confessing to their partner that they have been playing them for a fool. The lyrics suggest that the person has been deceptive and using their partner's naivete and belief in them to manipulate and take advantage of them. The song speaks of a change in the person's outlook and behavior, but this change is accompanied by a sense of restlessness and jadedness. The chorus, "While I silently scream, inside I barely breathe," reflects the inner turmoil of the singer as they consider how to move forward.
The verses of the song contain a tone of bitterness and betrayal, as the singer reflects on how their partner fell for their manipulation and how they are now coming for them. However, the chorus suggests that the singer is also struggling with their own emotions and conscience. They have changed, but they are still struggling with the fallout from their actions. The bridge of the song speaks to the idea of reflection and how things can never be the same again.
Line by Line Meaning
Come to me
The singer invites the listener to approach them.
Baby
An endearing term to address the listener.
Follow my lead
The singer takes control of the situation and asks the listener to trust them.
I've a confession to make
The singer wants to reveal a secret to the listener.
It's always been this way
The singer implies that certain things have been going on for a while.
Oh I'm playing you for a fool
The singer is deceiving the listener, treating them as a gullible person.
You fell for every broken rule
The singer has broken certain implied or explicit rules and the listener has been fooled into accepting them.
I'm doing what I owe to you
The singer feels that they have a duty to repay the listener in some way.
It's been a long time coming
The singer has been waiting for this moment for a while.
And I'm coming for you
The singer is determined to seek the listener out or take revenge.
While I
At the same time
Silently I scream
The singer is screaming internally, or expressing their emotions with intensity.
Inside I
Internally
Barely breathe
The singer is struggling to cope with the situation, and might be feeling suffocated.
Reflection overzone
The singer has thought long and hard about certain aspects of themselves or their life.
It'll never be the same
Certain things have changed, and there's no going back to how things were.
Restless and jaded, I
The singer feels disillusioned and unsatisfied with their life or their relationship with the listener.
Still
Despite everything
Still I've changed
The singer has undergone some kind of personal transformation, but might still hold onto old feelings or behaviors.
Do you feel
Are you experiencing
Naive
Innocent, or inexperienced in certain matters.
Did you make me believe
The listener might have convinced the singer of something they now realize is false or harmful.
Were you
Did you
Deceived
Tricked or misled.
Oh you fell right on your knees
The listener might have been humiliated or forced to submit to the singer's will.
You've got it going on
The listener is someone the singer finds attractive or interesting.
No way I'll let you stay
The singer is determined to remove the listener from their life or situation.
I don't want to see your face
The singer does not want to continue interacting with the listener or be reminded of them.
It's taken all this time
The singer has needed a long time to make certain decisions.
Before
Earlier before this moment.
I realized that I
The singer has come to a realization about themselves or their life.
Should go
That they need to leave, or end things with the listener.
Because I told you so I
The singer might have given the listener certain instructions or demands, and are now following through with them.
Could let it go
The singer might be trying to move on from something hurtful or negative that has happened between them and the listener.
Without a fight
The singer might choose to leave the situation without making a scene, or they might refer to the listener as being unchallenging.
It might not be right
The singer is aware that their actions, feelings or decisions might cause harm or be problematic.
Contributed by Aaron C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.