On another continent, some 9000 miles from the United States, is a corner of the earth where there is no Internet, no electricity, no telephone. From wherever you stand, you see red dirt and sky, well-adapted wildlife, rock piles next to dirt roads that seem to go on and on forever. Desolate but not empty, the Australian outback offers people the chance to revel in the open space and solitary oneness this striking terrain provides. Had you traveled that same path years ago, you may have passed Jennifer Knapp along the way, a Grammy nominated, Dove Award winning artist, who was happy to let go of all the success she had to live a very different kind of life traveling to the most remote corners of Australia, looking to reclaim a part of herself she felt she lost in all the excitement of her accomplishments.
And then one day she decided to come back.
Before you start with any Eddie and the Cruisers comparisons, please note that Jennifer didn’t fake her own demise. She just decided to take a break, though at the time, she wasn’t sure she’d ever return. Considering Jennifer has over sold over 1 million records, spent years successfully playing to sold out audiences and had a considerable fan base, the choice wasn’t an easy one but definitely necessary. “I didn’t play, I didn’t write, my guitars collected dust for 5 years. I completely had to divorce myself from the whole thing because I never really took ownership of what music meant for me as an individual. I needed to figure that out, so I really left the music business with the idea that I may not ever do it again.”
At first, Jennifer set out to go to all the cities she had toured in, but never had a chance to visit. Growing up in a tiny town in Kansas, the trips across the US and Europe were exciting. This led to a jaunt to Australia, where she decided to stay. Walking away from her career wasn’t easy, as Jennifer was riding high on the wave of success. Having cultivated an audience within the Christian music spectrum, Jennifer’s first 3 albums were all critical and commercial successes. She won her first Dove Award in 1999 for Best New Artist, scored 2 Grammy nods and another Dove nomination in 2003. She opened for Jars of Clay, spent some time on the Lilith tour and continued to grow her audience, who clamored for more of her folk-rock message of spirituality and love. People magazine touted Jennifer as an “uncommonly literate songwriter,” but just as she was at the top of her game she…let go.
After seven years spent traveling, mastering the Playstation and spending time working at an antique store (and actually loving that she dreaded going to work in the morning like a “normal” person), Jennifer began to re-visit what made her happiest. “I had to go through a mourning process of walking away and convincing myself that it didn’t matter if I played music anymore. But it was hard, and the whole time I was gone, it was like I had a shadow following me. I began to return to it in my own private time, getting out my guitar, starting to play and falling in love with music again without any expectations. I just wanted to play because it meant something to me.”
Struggling with being a normal person with an abnormal occupation, Jennifer finally made peace with what she did best. “I was really enjoying the music I was playing at home. Half the record was written in Australia and as I played it, friends were responding to it. It fanned the flame. There are sad parts of working in the industry that made me feel disconnected, but I realized I was just afraid and was hiding. It seemed a shame that I could share my songs with people and I wasn’t doing it. I hadn’t worked in 7 years and there were fans on the Internet holding vigils for me to play again. It took me a long time to understand that connection and now it’s a passion of mine. In a true sense it’s a gift – you give it because you don’t want it back, and you want it to bless the person receiving it. What an amazing opportunity for me to have.”
Returning to Nashville, Jennifer holed up in the studio to begin recording the aptly named Letting Go, her fourth studio album. With Producer Paul Moak, best known as his work as a studio musician for artists such as Mat Kearney, Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith, at the helm, Jennifer had no intention of resting on past laurels. With Paul, they put together a whole new band of hungry young musicians and got to work. With the exception of longtime bass player Tony Lucido, the guys in the studio were musicians Jennifer had never even met before, who brought an energy she was craving. “All risk and high reward” is how she explains her new band with which she had an instant camaraderie.
While Jennifer made her initial mark in the Christian market, her time away made her realize that while she would never turn her back on that belief, she didn’t want to exclude any one else, either. As with past releases, she had gotten used to the focus on her song writing, that it was viewed as somewhat unusual for the Christian music industry. However Jennifer was always celebrated for her honesty and human approach to the divine, and she looks at Letting Go as a continuation of pushing those limits. “It was a struggle, because I was used to writing lyrics one way. I had to break that yolk to write a record that was honest about how I feel about life. It is the voice of people that I am concerned in preserving here, our right to express our deepest souls without the fear of condemnation. It’s my hope that the music feels legitimate and meaningful for whoever hears it. I wanted this record to reflect that.”
The result is the astonishing straightforwardness of Letting Go, an album of stripped back folk and country tinged rock that is as intimate as it is expansive. The musical warmth of Letting Go spreads throughout the record. From the wry opening words (“careful what you say, careful who might hear…”) of “Dive In” to the lyrical play of “Want For Nothing” and the evocative rocker “Inside,” Letting Go observes the world around it with captivating perception.
To say that Jennifer Knapp has come full circle would be a fair assessment. Beside the record release, Knapp has been asked to play on the re-vamped Lilith Fair tour, the first one in 10 years. Since Jennifer played on the last one in ’99, being asked to play the re-launch is very special, a reminder of why Jennifer came back to her musical roots. “There is a strong sense of community that has been in the back of my mind throughout this whole process. I want my core audience to find something familiar, but refreshed, on Letting Go. At the same time, I am so happy to throw off any cloak that has been put upon me that would make any music lover hesitate to listen to my music. I am so excited to bring all different types of people to my party. I’ve written this for them.”
Sometimes, you have to let go of everything to be able to come back.
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Biography taken from: http://www.jenniferknapp.com/about
http://www.jenniferknapp.com
Whole Again
Jennifer Knapp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Those childish games of hide and seek seem a million miles away.
Am I lost in some illusion. or am I what you thought I'd be.
Now it seems I've found myself in need to be forgiven. Is there still room upon that knee?
If I give my Life if I lay it down, can you turn this Life around
can I be made clean by this offering of my soul. Can I be made whole again?
Have I labored all for nothing. Trying to make it on my own.
Fear to reach out to the hand of one who understands me say I'd rather be here all alone.
As if I had no hope at all, I guess truth becomes you I have seen it all in motion that
Pride comes before the fall. Can I offer up this simple prayer. Pray it finds a simple ear.
A scratch in your infinite time. Not withstanding my fallings not withstanding my crime!
Jennifer Knapp's song Whole Again depicts a deep longing for forgiveness and redemption. The first lines of the song, "Daddy daddy do you miss me. The way I crawled upon your knee" immediately conjure up images of a lost child seeking the comfort of a parent. The lyrics suggest that the singer, who is now an adult, is reflecting on her past and feeling remorseful for the mistakes and sins she has committed. She questions whether her life has been wasted in trying to make it on her own, and fears reaching out for help from someone who can understand her.
The chorus of the song expresses the singer's yearning to be forgiven and made whole again. She asks if her life can be turned around if she lays it down, and wonders if her soul can be made clean through an offering. The song suggests that the singer is willing to do whatever it takes to find redemption and be reconciled with her past. The final lines of the song speak to a belief in the power of prayer and the hope that forgiveness and redemption are just within reach.
Overall, the lyrics of Whole Again paint a picture of someone who is struggling to find meaning and purpose in their life, and who is searching for a way to be forgiven for their past mistakes. It is a powerful and emotional song that speaks to the human experience of longing for redemption and reconciliation.
Line by Line Meaning
Daddy daddy do you miss me. The way I crawled upon your knee.
Addressing her father, the singer questions if she is still desired like she once was a young child, jumping on his lap for games of hide and seek.
Those childish games of hide and seek seem a million miles away.
The singer reflects on how distant her childhood appears and the simple times of playing and bonding with her father.
Am I lost in some illusion. or am I what you thought I'd be.
The singer ponders if she has strayed from her father's expectations or if she is simply imagining her shortcomings.
Now it seems I've found myself in need to be forgiven. Is there still room upon that knee?
Realizing her faults, the artist seeks her father's forgiveness and wonders if he is willing to comfort her once again.
If I give my Life if I lay it down, can you turn this Life around. can I be made clean by this offering of my soul. Can I be made whole again?
The artist questions if sacrifice and repentance can bring back her sense of self and ultimately heal her soul.
Have I labored all for nothing. Trying to make it on my own.
The singer questions if all her efforts to succeed independently are in vain.
Fear to reach out to the hand of one who understands me say I'd rather be here all alone.
Despite longing for familiarity and understanding, the singer is hesitant to rely on others and rather isolate herself.
It's all my fault I sit and wallow in seclusion.
The artist places blame on herself for her current state of wallowing in loneliness and isolation.
As if I had no hope at all, I guess truth becomes you I have seen it all in motion that Pride comes before the fall.
Feeling hopeless and at fault, the artist acknowledges her prideful actions and the consequences of her actions.
Can I offer up this simple prayer. Pray it finds a simple ear. A scratch in your infinite time. Not withstanding my fallings not withstanding my crime!
The artist humbly asks for her father's understanding and forgiveness, hopeful that her plea will not fall on deaf ears despite her mistakes.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: JENNIFER LYNN KNAPP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MoMoMyPup10
Brilliantly talented artist. No doubt about it. A lyrical genius.
Joe D'Ambrosia
My signed copy of Kansas is one of my most valued possessions. The album helped me through very difficult times and continues to bring comfort and renewal.
Oliver Charles
I loved "Dust in the Wind".
dinarachel7
So glad to find her. Wow. I've been looking for this album, I used to have it and would replay it so much. Luv it!
amberlie
Me too
am gidroz
annointed before her. time
am gidroz
dinarachel7
yep she i annointed
MoMoMyPup10
Me too. To both of you.
a friend2frd
+dinarachel7 I also used to play this CD over and over. Got me through a hard time.
Bee Bee
This was my favorite song when I was younger, played the album soooo much~