Lekman recorded and released much of his material privately from 2000 to 2003 on CD-R. Because one of his songs during this time was entitled "Rocky Dennis' Farewell Song to the Blind Girl", Lekman was mistakenly referred to as Rocky Dennis for a while (the song was actually written from the perspective of the main character of the 1985 film Mask). Lekman says that it was a "mistake": "someone thought that was my real name cause I had a song about him, and then radio picked up on it, and I never had a chance to change it". He put the confusion to rest with his Rocky Dennis in Heaven EP (2004).
His self-released 7" vinyl EP Maple Leaves caused a big stir in 2003, mainly due to sound files circulating on file sharing networks. When the same EP was released on CD by the Swedish independent label Service Records in the autumn, he was already a well-known name. The songs Maple Leaves and Black Cab were heavily played on Swedish national radio. He soon signed a contract with the American label Secretly Canadian for releases outside of Sweden. Heavy touring and his debut album soon followed.
His first album When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog was released in 2004, and consisted of recordings made between 2000 and 2004 (some tracks had been previously released independently by Lekman). The album attracted attention among the alternative music press in both Europe and the US. The song You Are The Light was a successful radio hit, and a video received some rotation in the Nordic MTV and ZTV. In Sweden the album reached #6 in the national chart. Lekman was nominated for three Swedish Grammies, three P3 Guld and three Manifest awards, as well as dubbed album of the year by Nöjesguiden.
A concert film shot from Lekman's sold-out show with José González at Göteborg's concert hall in December 2003 was broadcast by Swedish national television two times in 2005. In June 2005, a compilation CD of Jens' first three EPs, with extra tracks, was released as Oh You're So Silent Jens. Lekman also had a track on Secretly Canadian's SC100 compilation, released in April 2007.
His latest album, Night Falls Over Kortedala, was released in October 2007, and appeared on many lists for the best albums of said year.
Live performances by Lekman differs in style. Sometimes he performs alone with only a guitar and a CD player, or doing a capella versions of his songs. Other times, he is accompanied by a choir and string quartet, and he was recently seen on tour with a full band (including horns etc) consisting of all women musicians, dressed in white 60s dresses.
Official: [http://www.jenslekman.com]
Fan-site/Forum: [http://www.mapleleaves.se]
No Time for Breaking Up
Jens Lekman Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This is no time for breaking up
This is no time
No time for breaking up
This is no time for breaking up
This is no time for breaking up
This is no time for breaking up
I knew this day was gonna come
I've been keeping it inside for so long
Let's bare in mind
How many people kill themself
When the new years clocks strikes twelve
Honey spare me from hell
Cause this is no time for breaking up
This is no time for breaking up
This is no time for breaking up
This is no time for breaking up
I knew this day was gonna come
I've been keeping it inside for so long
Let's bare in mind
How many people kill themself
When the new years clocks strikes twelve
Honey spare me from hell
Oh lover wont you spare me from hell
Oh lover wont you spare me from hell
Oh lover wont you spare me from hell
Cause this is no time for breaking up
Jens Lekman's "No Time for Breaking Up" seems to be a plea to a lover to stay together, even if things may not be perfect. The repetition of "This is no time for breaking up" serves as a reminder that there are bigger, more important things to worry about in the world, and that it's important to stick together during these times.
The lyric "Let's bear in mind how many people kill themselves when the new year's clocks strikes twelve" is a haunting reference to the high suicide rates around the holidays. It serves as a reminder that we need to be there for each other, especially during difficult times.
The line "Honey spare me from hell" could be interpreted as the singer not wanting to deal with the pain and fallout that would come from a breakup, especially during a difficult time. He's asking his lover to help him avoid those negative feelings.
Overall, the song seems to be about the importance of sticking together during tough times and being there for each other, even when things may not be perfect. It's a reminder that love can be a source of strength and comfort during dark times.
Line by Line Meaning
This is no time for breaking up
It's not the right moment to end our relationship
This is no time for breaking up
We can't afford to break up right now
This is no time
We have to focus on something else besides breaking up
No time for breaking up
We have too much going on to add a breakup to our plate
I knew this day was gonna come
I was aware that our relationship might end
I've been keeping it inside for so long
I've been holding onto my feelings about our relationship for a long time
Let's bare in mind
Let's remember
How many people kill themselves
How many people take their own lives
When the new years clocks strikes twelve
On New Year's Eve when the clock strikes midnight
Honey spare me from hell
Please save me from heartache and pain
Cause this is no time for breaking up
Because we can't break up right now
Oh lover won't you spare me from hell
My love please don't hurt me
Oh lover won't you spare me from hell
Let's not break up and cause each other pain
Oh lover won't you spare me from hell
Our love can't end in heartache and pain
Cause this is no time for breaking up
Because we can't handle a breakup right now
Contributed by Liliana H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Scott Wickberg
What are your favorite tracks? I'd love to know. Post em here!
Gabble Ratchet
The Opposite Of Hallelujah is on another level.
Scott Wickberg
@Jos. War my exact sentiments, but you vocalized it much better
Jos. War
Has to be the stuff from "oh you're so silent Jens," it was expertly curated by the guys at Secretly Canadian. it's really a shame these samples cannot be cleared but Im grateful to have the original versions here. so thank you for this. the re-recorded versions are okay but a lot of the magic is gone. The original Maple Leaves is a master class in use of samples to create a pop song. He said it was his version of The Avalanches but it's much better. its Since I Left You perfected. The new version of Black Cab isn't as sad and drunk as the original version, in which I imagine Jens was taking a sad and drunk cab ride - which he captured perfectly. I was almost personally offended it lost its minor ending and those glorious bells chiming-he's getting home so late the Sunday morning bells have begun ringing.
Ben Lester
Gotta be Maple Leaves (7”) as it’s one of the greatest songs of all time - but Rocky Dennis’ Farewell Song is a close second
A L B
Black Cab is the finest thing Jens has ever done. Such a wonderful song.
DY Lives
It's worth noting that, there are 2 versions of both Maple Leaves and Black Cab with minor, but VERY significant changes.
Man, is Jens Lekman painfully underrated.
Sveriges Fantastiska Indiescen
Remember listing to these song sooooo much. Know all words in all of them expect the song inside which is new to me. Still have not heard better songs in my life. This is sooo good and so much heart ❤️
Michael M
Bless you for this! I haven't listened to Pretty Shoes for about a decade...!
Esme Rylan
Very happy to see this, especially since Oh You're So Silent Jens isn't available officially on any streaming services (and the playlists on YT are all missing something). This is the most comprehensive collection of Lekman's early work I've seen, and an important historical document.