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
Wondering
Jandek Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're so hard to believe
I hardly believe you
That you could be there so hard to believe
You got me wondering
Cause I can't believe you hardly
But I can, I can believe you hardly
The lyrics of Jandek's song "Wondering" are open to interpretation as with many of his songs. In this particular song, the singer seems to be expressing his gratitude towards someone for bringing light or positivity into his life, but he finds it hard to believe or accept that this person could actually be there for him. He acknowledges that he is wondering about this person's true intentions, and he is torn between believing and not believing in them.
It's possible that the singer has experienced disappointment or betrayal from people in his past, which has made him skeptical of others' intentions. He seems to be struggling with trusting someone new in his life, as the line "so hard to believe, you got me wondering" suggests. Overall, the lyrics leave the listener with a sense of uncertainty and tension, as the singer navigates his emotions and struggles to find trust and acceptance.
Overall, Jandek's song "Wondering" is a short but meaningful expression of the complexities of human relationships and trust. The cryptic nature of the lyrics leaves the meaning up to interpretation, but the emotion behind the words is palpable and relatable to many listeners.
Line by Line Meaning
I thank you for your light
I express my gratitude for the positive influence you have had on my life
You're so hard to believe
It's difficult to accept and trust your existence or actions
I hardly believe you
I struggle with believing that you are truthful or genuine
That you could be there so hard to believe
It's almost impossible to comprehend that you are physically present in my life
You got me wondering
Your actions or words have caused me to question and ponder your intentions or identity
Cause I can't believe you hardly
I have difficulty accepting that you are not entirely truthful or genuine
But I can, I can believe you hardly
Despite my doubts and hesitations, I am still able to trust and have faith in you to some degree
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JAMES CLEVELAND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
vacuumnoise
Jandek just gets better and better.
Ren Jay
Love it. No hooks or riffs just a wave rolling towards the shore. You don't know what it is or why it is, it just is. That's a good painting. You can look at it every other day and it means something different every day. This is what needs to be understood. There is no formula or equation just pure expression. This tells us what we already know or if not what we need to know.
Huno You
absolutely
Chevy_in_quicksand
There are amazing incidental harmonies and chord changes all over this
Eric Ayers
unbelievable human being
bjwwilcera
he looks young for someone in his late 60's.
DarkeningSkies1
I think it is pretty clear he is a Space Vampire... 😉
Eclanage
this is awesome. thanks for posting.
zilberblitz
for me there was gira but when i discovered jandek that became history.great accompiament here but without the main man it would be nothing like as compelling.
Panda Nurse
are there any official recordings of this line up available?