Jandek plays a very strange and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, often using an open and unconventional chord structure. Jandek's music is unique, but his lyrics closely mirror the country blues and folk traditions of Eastern Texas.
Barely a handful of people claim to have contacted Jandek, whose steadfastness in anonymity is legendary. Without any conventional attempts at promotion, he releases albums through his own record label Corwood Industries, which is addressed at a Houston post office box. Fans can write to Corwood for a typewritten catalogue and order Jandek’s albums, usually at inexpensive prices. Jandek’s work has been available on vinyl and on compact discs. Many of his albums feature pictures of the same young man (seen above) at various ages; in light of Jandek's live performances it is almost entirely certain that the person featured on the album covers is Jandek himself.
Jandek’s first album, Ready for the House (1978), was first accredited to a band called “The Units” but it was obviously a solo work. Jandek presumably plays acoustic guitar and has recorded much of his work apparently unaccompanied (assuming that the person singing is also the person playing guitar). However many other songs feature female vocals and/or different male vocalists. Others feature bass guitar, electric guitar and/or drums, presumably played by collaborators. No proper credits list has ever appeared on an album, but song titles have included "Nancy Sings" and "John Plays Drums".
Some of Jandek’s allure stems from his small but devoted fan base which has included Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, Kurt Cobain, Indian Jewelry, and K Records founder Calvin Johnson.
The mystery of Jandek's identity was partially resolved in October 2004 when Jandek performed live in Scotland, at the Instal 04 music festival in Glasgow. This was Jandek's first known live appearance and performed with Richard Youngs (bass) and Alex Neilson (drums). The man on stage was obviously the same man who appears on the album covers. Corwood stipulated that the performance was not publicized in advance. Since then, "The Representative of Corwood Industries" (as Jandek sometimes insists on being called) has played a lot of concerts and recorded all of them for future releases. The last years have seen an even higher release frequency, even for Jandek.
For more information, you may go here:
www.tisue.net/jandek
www.jandekoncorwood.com
The Other Side
Jandek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Bout a little girl
She broke my heart
When I was five
I've got so old now
Where's the other half of my heart
I just can't find it, the other side
I'm gonna tell you a story
She broke my heart
When I was five
I've got so old now
Where's the other half of my heart
I just can't find it, the other side [3x]
The lyrics to Jandek's "The Other Side" tell a poignant story of a broken heart. The singer begins by stating that he's going to tell a story about a little girl who broke his heart when he was five years old. This could imply that the singer has been carrying this heartbreak with him for his entire life. The repetition of the opening lines at the end of the song underscores this idea, emphasizing that this heartbreak has been a defining experience for the singer.
The lines "I've got so old now / Where's the other half of my heart / I just can't find it, the other side" carry a palpable sense of longing and loss. The singer seems to be searching for something, perhaps a lost love or a sense of completion. The repeated refrain "the other side" could refer to any number of things: the other half of his heart, the other side of a relationship, or even the other side of life itself. The ambiguity of these lyrics invites listeners to project their own experiences and feelings onto the song, making it a deeply personal and relatable lament.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm gotta tell you a story
I want to share my experience with you and inform you about what has been going on with me.
'Bout a little girl
The story is about a young girl, who is a significant character in my past.
She broke my heart
This girl caused me emotional pain and trauma that I still carry.
When I was five
The incident happened when I was only five years old, but the memory still haunts me today.
I've got so old now
As I have grown older, the memory of this pain has not diminished.
Where's the other half of my heart
I feel like a part of me was lost as a result of this experience and I am still searching for that missing piece.
I just can't find it, the other side
Despite my efforts, I have yet to find whatever is missing from my life and I may never fully recover from this experience.
I'm gonna tell you a story
I want to reiterate the importance of sharing my experiences and how they have impacted me.
'Bout a little girl
Once again, this story is about a young girl who has had a significant impact on my life.
She broke my heart
This girl has caused me immense emotional pain that I may never fully recover from.
When I was five
This experience happened when I was only a child, but it has stayed with me all these years.
I've got so old now
Even though many years have passed, I am still plagued by the memories of this experience.
Where's the other half of my heart
I am still missing something and I may never find it, but I will continue searching and trying to heal from this pain.
I just can't find it, the other side
No matter what I do or how hard I try, I may never fully recover from this experience or find the missing piece of my heart.
Lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: GREGORY J MACAINSH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ceef
one of my favorites, especially for the David Tibet anecdote of being in the audience as the show began... it was an unannounced performance, so someone called out, "Hey, this guy's doing a Jandek impression!" Then he said, "Holy shit... that is Jandek!"
Beetoe
I distinctly remember David Tibet that night shouting a few times This is Jandek, this is Jandek!