“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…’”
Throw It Away
Jakalope Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A crowded room hiding from you
Pulling shadows off the floor
Hoping that you find me
You can't even find yourself
And I can't even find the key
To get in and out of this mess
How can I throw it away?
How can I walk away?
Where do I go from here now?
Foundation rocked temptation
You've given me a reason
Haunting you taunt my time
I think of you, I sigh
I think of this, I cry
I think of nothing
And I'm fine
This is going to be
A long goodbye
How can I throw it away?
How can I walk away?
Rematch starting over
Seeing it up closer
For sure it's not the right thing
But I believe it's somthing
How can I throw it away?
About timing
Is it mine yet?
I'm still finding
We're not there yet
How can I throw it away?
(Taking down my own strength)
How can I walk away?
(It's been a life time making it the right time)
Rematch starting over
Seeing it up closer
For sure it's not the right thing
But I believe it's somthing
How can I throw it away?
The singer in Jakalope's "Throw It Away" is grappling with a difficult decision: whether or not to leave someone they love. The opening lines suggest that the singer is in a crowded room in an effort to avoid the person they're considering leaving. They're hiding from them, pulling shadows off the floor, and hoping that the person will find them. Meanwhile, the singer is also struggling to find themselves, to understand their own feelings and motivations. The decision to leave is not an easy one, as evidenced by the repeated refrain questioning how to throw it away, how to walk away.
As the song progresses, the singer reflects on their relationship and the reasons they're considering leaving. There was a foundation, but it's been rocked by temptation. The person they love has given them a reason to leave, but they remain haunted by thoughts of them. The singer imagines the upcoming separation as a "long goodbye," indicating that this was not a decision made lightly.
The final verse sees the singer continuing to struggle with the decision, wondering if it's the right one. They question whether the timing is right, and whether they're still finding their way. Despite these doubts, the singer ultimately believes that leaving is something, even if it's not the right thing.
Overall, "Throw It Away" is a powerful exploration of the struggle to leave someone you love, and the questions and doubts that come with such a difficult decision.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm where I didn't want to be
I'm in a crowded room, trying to hide from you but failing miserably
A crowded room hiding from you
I'm surrounded by people, but I feel alone because I can't escape from you
Pulling shadows off the floor
I'm trying to find a way out of this dark place
Hoping that you find me
I want you to find me so that we can face our problems together
You can't even find yourself
You're lost and confused, so how can you help me?
And I can't even find the key
I'm looking for a way out of this situation, but it seems impossible
To get in and out of this mess
I'm stuck in this difficult situation, and I don't know how to escape it
Why you, why don't I?
Why do we have to go through this painful experience? Why can't we be happy?
How can I throw it away?
How can I let go of this pain and start anew?
How can I walk away?
How can I leave behind the memories and move on?
Where do I go from here now?
I'm lost and don't know what to do next
Foundation rocked temptation
The foundation of our relationship is being tested
You've given me a reason
You've given me something to believe in
Haunting you taunt my time
I can't stop thinking about you, and it's consuming all my time
I think of you, I sigh
Thinking of you makes me sad
I think of this, I cry
Thinking about our relationship makes me emotional
I think of nothing
Sometimes, it feels better to just think about nothing
And I'm fine
Sometimes, being alone is better than being in a bad relationship
This is going to be
Our breakup is going to be difficult and painful
A long goodbye
We have to take the time to say goodbye to each other
Rematch starting over
We have to start our lives without each other
Seeing it up closer
Our problems are becoming more clear now that we've parted ways
For sure it's not the right thing
Our breakup was the right choice, even though it hurts
But I believe it's something
I believe that someday, we'll both find happiness again
About timing
Our relationship was doomed from the start because of bad timing
Is it mine yet?
Is it time for me to move on and find someone new?
I'm still finding
I'm still searching for answers and meaning in my life
We're not there yet
We still have a long way to go before we can move on from each other
(Taking down my own strength)
I'm acknowledging my own vulnerability and weakness
(It's been a lifetime making it the right time)
It's taken a long time to realize that we need to go our separate ways
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind