After exploring the flute (elementary school) and the tuba (junior high), Jenny finally stepped up to the guitar at the age of fourteen.
She graduated from State University of New York at Purchase with a degree in studio composition.
Her album Batten the Hatches was self-released in 2005. In 2006, a song from that album, Fuck Was I, appeared in the second season premiere of Showtime's Weeds, resulting in Batten the Hatches being re-released on April 10, 2007 with new artwork and an extra track, Drinking Song on the Canadian indie label Nettwerk. "Fuck Was I" was also released on the soundtrack album Weeds: Music from the Original Series, Vol. 2.
In addition to her solo career, she is in the band The Robot Explosion, a side project with fellow musicians and friends Bess Rogers, Andrew Futral, and Saul Simon-MacWilliams. She also takes part in an online podcast through MySpace with Bess Rogers and Andrew Futral, titled 'Once More With Feeling' (named after the musical episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer).
Youngs released her second album, Transmitter Failure, on May 26, 2009. Youngs' third album An Unwavering Band of Light, was released on February 7, 2012.
She recently toured with Regina Spektor (whose phone message also appears on Voice on Tape) and has opened a few shows for Amanda Palmer.
Youngs covered Have You Forgotten by Mark Kozelek for American Laundromat Records' upcoming charity CD Sing Me To Sleep - Indie Lullabies due out in Spring 2010. Tanya Donelly, Dean & Britta, Say Hi, Julie Peel, Stars, The Real Tuesday Weld, and others are contributing to the project which helps children with cancer and rare blood disorders.
Voice On Tape
Jenny Owen Youngs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you know, it's a funny world where machines could replace people.
Whoever that was, tell Jenny that Regina called her.
And P-S I can't believe what you did.
All the evidence points in one direction
Says I don't need you physically around
I've got your voice on tape
I don't want anything else
I don't want anyone else
Thing that I had but I dropped
All that I had but I dropped
I want you back and forth
I want you up and down
I want you inside out
I was hoping you could keep me company for the ride home, but it's okay if you're sleeping.
I've got your voice on tape
I've got your words in me
I don't want anything else
I don't want anyone else
And you say that I don't have this down
I've been practicing out loud
I just wanted to call to say hi, and um,
I think I might bring Marissa and Tracy up to Tapica
I want you back and forth
I want you up and down
I want you back and forth
(I've got your voice on tape)
I want you up and down
(I've got your words in me)
I want you back and forth
(Thing that I had but I dropped)
I don't want anyone
I don't need anyone else
(All that I had but I dropped)
I've got your voice on tape
I've got your words in me
I've got your voice on tape
(I've got your words in me)
I've got your words in me
(I've got your voice on tape)
I've got your voice on tape
(I've got your words in me)
I've got your words in me
(I've got your voice on tape
I don't want anything else
I don't need anyone else)
All the evidence points in one direction
Says I don't need you physically around
The song Voice On Tape by Jenny Owen Youngs is a melancholic and nostalgic piece about the longing for a past love. The opening lines of the song touch upon the technology-driven world where a machine's voice can replace that of a human. This sets the tone for the song and conveys the underlying theme of the emptiness and longing for a human connection even when a person is not physically present. The next few lines are a message from Regina for Jenny, which draws attention to the fact that the message is from another person and not the person she wants to hear from.
The refrain of the song, "I've got your voice on tape, I've got your words in me, I don't want anything else, I don't want anyone else," captures the essence of the longing and nostalgia that the song is about. Jenny talks about wanting her past love back and wanting them back and forth, up and down, and inside out. The lines "I was hoping you could keep me company for the ride home, but it's okay if you're sleeping," further emphasize the loneliness that Jenny feels, and how the presence of the past love would make her feel less lonely.
In conclusion, Voice On Tape is a beautifully crafted song that captures the human need for connection and the longing for a past love. The repetition of the refrain, "I've got your voice on tape, I've got your words in me," conveys the idea of preserving memories and the impact that the past love has had on Jenny's life.
Line by Line Meaning
All the evidence points in one direction
Despite the physical distance, I have proof of your presence through the voice on tape.
Says I don't need you physically around
Your physical presence is not necessary when I have your voice recorded.
I've got your voice on tape
I have captured the sound of your voice on a recording.
I've got your words in me
The content of your speech is now part of me, figuratively speaking.
I don't want anything else
All I need is the memory of your voice captured on tape.
I don't want anyone else
No one else can compare to the meaningfulness your recorded voice has for me.
Thing that I had but I dropped
I had something valuable, but I lost it.
I want you back and forth
I want the sound of your voice in all its tonal changes and variations.
I want you up and down
I want to hear your voice in its highest and lowest ranges.
I want you inside out
I want to hear the depth and complexity of your emotions through your voice.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JENNIFER OWEN YOUNGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind