Jewel is the daughter of Nedra Carroll, an artist and personal manager, and Atz Kilcher, an elementary school music teacher, folk singer and social worker. Her mother of Irish descent and her father is of Swiss-German origin. She is the cousin of actress Q'Orianka Kilcher. She spent most of her young life in Homer, Alaska, United States, living with her father. The home she grew up in did not have indoor plumbing; it had a simple outhouse instead. She and her father sometimes earned a living by singing in bars and taverns. It was from these experiences she learned to yodel, a quality demonstrated in many of her songs. Her father was a Mormon, but they stopped attending the church shortly before she turned eight. Yule Kilcher, her grandfather, was a state senator involved in drafting Alaska's constitution for its admission into a state from a territory in 1959.
During high school, Jewel was known to spell her name "Jule" or "Juel," but she attributes this to simply playing with her name.
Jewel learned to play the guitar while at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, United States where she majored in operatic voice. She started writing songs at the age of seventeen.
For a time, she was poverty-stricken and lived in her van while traveling about the country doing street performances and small gigs. She gained some recognition by singing at the Innerchange Coffeehouse and Java Joe's in San Diego, California, United States. Her friend Steve Poltz's band, The Rugburns, played at the same venues. Jewel later collaborated with Poltz on some of her songs, including "You Were Meant For Me" (He also appeared in the second, best-known, video for this song). The Rugburns opened for Jewel on her Tiny Lights tour in 1997. Poltz appeared in Jewel's band on the Spirit World Tour 1999 playing guitar.
In 1993, Michael Balzary (better known by the stage name – Flea) of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers met Jewel after he saw her perform at a local cafe. He went back to her van where she was living, where she sang a few of her songs to him. He described her singing voice as being "beautiful" and "breathtaking".
Jewel was discovered by Inga Vainshtein in August 1993, when a musician from a local San Diego band, Rust, whom Vainshtein was managing at the time, called to tell her about a girl surfer who sang at a local coffee shop on Thursdays. Vainshtein drove to Innerchange coffee shop with a rep from Atlantic Records, and after the show they called Danny Goldberg, the head of Atlantic Records west coast operations, and asked him to pay for Jewel's demo. Vainshtein eventually became Jewel's manager, and was instrumental in creating a major bidding war, which led to Jewel's deal with Atlantic Records. She cut her debut album, Pieces of You, when she was nineteen and it was released in 1995. Jewel recorded "Pieces of You" in a studio on Neil Young's ranch, and was backed by his band, The Stray Gators, who played on Neil Young's "Harvest" and "Harvest Moon" albums. Part of the album was cut live at the Innerchange Coffeehouse in San Diego where she had risen to local fame. The album stayed on the Billboard 200 for an impressive two years, reaching number four at its peak. The album spawned the Top 10 hits "You Were Meant for Me", "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "Foolish Games". The album was a huge success and eventually sold over 12 million copies in the United States. alone, more than all of her subsequent albums put together.
Due to her successes, she was chosen to sing the American national anthem at the opening of the Super Bowl in January 1998 in San Diego. She was introduced as "San Diego's own Jewel!" However, she was criticized for lip-syncing the anthem to a pre-recording. This was especially noticeable due to her missing her cue and not mouthing the first words.
In November 1998, Jewel released her second album, Spirit. The album peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 4 million copies in the United States. The songs "Hands" and "Down So Long" hit the Top 10. Other singles followed, a new version of "Jupiter (Swallow The Moon)", "What's Simple Is True", the theme song to her upcoming movie, and the charity single "Life Uncommon".
A year later, In November 1999, Jewel released Joy: A Holiday Collection. The album sold over a million copies and peaked at #32 on the Billboard 200. She released a cover of "Joy to the World" from the album.
In November 2001, the album This Way was released. The album peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 and sold over 1 million copies in the United States, standing as her most critically acclaimed album to date. Jewel hit the Top 10 with the song "Standing Still" and the Top 40 with the song "Break Me". Other singles released were "This Way" and "Serve The Ego", the latter giving Jewel her first number one club hit.
In 2003, Jewel released the album 0304. She writes in the liner notes, "I wanted to make a record that was a modern interpretation of big band music. A record that was lyric driven, like Cole Porter, that also had a lot of swing. And a lot of it is thanks to Lester, because when I told him I wanted to make a record that combined dance, urban, and folk music, he didn't look at me like I was crazy." While some fans considered 0304 an innovative album that held to the tradition of her previous albums, others felt that it was too much of a departure from the style of her previous albums. Following the limited success of "Serve the Ego", Jewel moved to a more pop-oriented sound with the release of the single "Intuition". The song, which strays from her usual folk style with simple guitar instrumentation, starts off with a French accordion and experiments with pop beats using synthesizers. The song was successful, reaching #5 on the Billboard Adult Top 40. However, a number of Jewel's fans criticized her for abandoning her traditional folk style in exchange for a new pop sound. Accusations of "selling out" for personal gain, among other things, were made. Despite the different sound style, the song is lyrically similar to her previous work. It has a number of references to culture, including mentioning celebrities such as pop star Jennifer Lopez, model Kate Moss, magazines, film culture and commercialism.
On May 2, 2006, Jewel released her sixth album, Goodbye Alice In Wonderland. The album received mixed reviews, but still managed to debut at #8 on the Billboard Albums Chart. The album sold 82,000 copies in its first week out. The lead single "Again and Again" has had moderate success on Adult Top 40 Radio, peaking at #16. The second single, "Good Day", was released to radio in late June but failed to gain any traction on the radio airplay charts. Later, a video for "Stephenville, TX", her next single, has been seen on Yahoo! Launch.
As of December 2006, the album barely sold 270,000 copies. It is notable in that it is the only Jewel album not to achieve Gold certification, even though it has been hailed as arguably one of her best albums. As one music critic, Timothy Duggan, notes: "This album showcases Jewel's unique talent as a lyricist, alongside a definite growth in her musicianship. It is what 'Pieces of You' might have been had Jewel had the musical knowledge then that she has now. A very satisfying work, all in all". Rolling Stone however, called the album "overdone and undercooked" with a rating of 2 stars out of 5.
In early February 2007, Jewel recorded a duet with Jason Michael Carroll, "No Good in Goodbye (With Jewel)", that was featured on Carroll's debut CD, "Waitin' in the Country". She also made a promotional appearance on the T in Boston for the Verizon Yellow Pages, playing songs on a moving subway car and then doing an hour-long acoustic concert in South Station for a large crowd of adoring fans. In an interview with the Boston Globe, Jewel confirmed that she is no longer affiliated with a record label, confirming rumors that Atlantic Records failed to renew her contract after the lackluster sales of her then-latest album. She also hinted that she would like to do a country album next. She is working with John Rich of Big & Rich fame. He says that she is "probably one of the greatest American singer-songwriters we have had". He also said that "every label in Nashville" is talking to her now.
In November 2007, Jewel was signed to Valory Records, a newly formed division of the independent Big Machine Records label. Her first country album, Perfectly Clear, is currently scheduled for release on June 3, 2008; its lead single, Stronger Woman was released to country radio on January 17, 2008, and has entered the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. As of the April 26, 2008 country charts, the single was #13 on the charts, which is its peak position thus far.
She will tour with Brad Paisley, Chuck Wicks, and Julianne Hough on Paisley's 2008 tour.
Official site: www.jeweljk.com
2. Jewel is also japanese heavy metal band. Activity (1984-1989, 2000-2001).
3. Jewel is also a raw black metal band from Canada.
Her Pleasure Is My Pain
Jewel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Angry fists
She lies on her bed her head buried in her pillow
And she stares at the moon
He speaks to her all the words she's heard too many times before
And pretty soon she just let's his voice fade away
And she thinks
This was a gradual steel frost
That started with cold feet
And ended with numb hearts
This was once satisfying sex but now no longer is
It was once filled with the possibilities of new china or old stone
But now it's exagerated and waterlogged no longer what these
Hands had
Intended and still I cry in my sleep
He always said I was too sensitive
But I say
(chorus)
At least I never meant to make him cry
At least I never meant to make him hurt that way
Nooo I never meant to make him cry
Never meant to make him hurt that way
Yes it's true, I'm too senstive
But he takes pleasure in my pain
Yes it's true, I'm too senstive
But he takes pleasure in my pain
And the unheard hours they fly by
She goes to the window
She puts on a nightgown and brushes her hair
He's already asleep
By the time she
Goes and lays herself back down.
She thinks
My god, what am I doing hear?
My bones have grown tired of his hunger, of his gray eyes
And I feel if I were to stay one more night here I'd die or explode
Or worse yet just fade away
There have been days so dark that I felt like august
And that I soon too would turn to fall
He always said I was too sensitive that if I cared so much
The world could kill me that way
I wonder if he's only half alive or if he's simply always been this
Inarticulate
'Cause I say
And she get's out of bed and looks at her feet as though they
Were the wings for her freedom
She gets up and goes to the door
It's a moment in which anything can happen
Instead she gets out some clothing
Puts it in a bag and leaves him sleeping
While she heads for the door
The lyrics of the song “Her Pleasure Is My Pain” by Jewel tell a story of a dysfunctional relationship in which the female protagonist has been enduring for far too long. The song starts off with a man standing in the doorway with his angry fists while the woman lies on her bed, her head buried in her pillow, staring at the moon. The man speaks to her, saying all the things she's heard countless times before, but she just lets his voice fade away, realizing that the relationship has taken a toll on her.
Jewel then sings of a gradual steel frost that started with cold feet and ended with numb hearts. What once was satisfying sex is now no longer fulfilling. The possibilities of new china or old stone that the couple had anticipated have now become exaggerated and waterlogged. The woman cries in her sleep, and although the man always claimed that she was too sensitive, she never meant to make him cry or hurt him that way. Yet, he takes pleasure in her pain as the cycle of dysfunction continues.
The unheard hours fly by, and the woman contemplates her life. She realizes that her bones have grown tired of his hunger and gray eyes. She fears that if she were to stay one more night, she would die, explode, or fade away. There have been days so dark that she felt like August and that she soon would turn to fall. She wonders if he's only half alive or if he's always been inarticulate. And in the end, she gets out of bed, looks at her feet as though they were the wings for her freedom, packs a bag, and leaves him sleeping while she heads for the door.
Overall, the song delivers a powerful message of a toxic relationship that has taken its toll on the woman, making her feel trapped and helpless. The lyrics capture the emotions felt by many who have been in a similar situation, and the melody delivers the message with hauntingly beautiful vocals, making it a memorable piece of music.
Line by Line Meaning
A man stands in the doorway like a small child
The man appears vulnerable and weak like a young child standing in the doorway.
Angry fists
The man is angry and may have raised his fists in a threatening manner.
She lies on her bed her head buried in her pillow
She is laying down with her face pressed against a pillow and appears to be upset or crying.
And she stares at the moon
She is looking at the moon while contemplating her thoughts and emotions.
He speaks to her all the words she's heard too many times before
He is repeating words or phrases he has said before that have lost their meaning or effect.
And pretty soon she just let's his voice fade away
She stops paying attention or listening to the man and lets his voice become background noise.
This was a gradual steel frost
Their relationship has gradually grown cold and distant over time.
That started with cold feet
The gradual decline of their relationship began with a sense of discomfort or anxiety.
And ended with numb hearts
Their relationship has become emotionless and passionless.
It was once satisfying sex but now no longer is
Their physical intimacy was once satisfying, but now it no longer brings them pleasure.
It was once filled with the possibilities of new china or old stone
Their relationship was once filled with the potential for new and exciting experiences.
But now it's exagerated and waterlogged no longer what these Hands had Intended and still I cry in my sleep
Their relationship has become overblown, distorted, and not what they had intended or hoped for, causing her to cry in her sleep.
He always said I was too sensitive
The man has criticized her for being too sensitive or emotional.
At least I never meant to make him cry
She may have caused the man pain, but it was never her intention to make him cry.
And the unheard hours they fly by
The time passes quickly while she is alone with her thoughts and emotions.
My god, what am I doing hear?
She questions herself and her decision to stay in the relationship.
My bones have grown tired of his hunger, of his gray eyes
She is tired of the man's constant desire and his piercing, emotionless gaze.
And I feel if I were to stay one more night here I'd die or explode Or worse yet just fade away
She feels that if she stays any longer, she will not be able to handle the emotional strain and may lose herself.
He always said I was too sensitive that if I cared so much The world could kill me that way
The man has criticized her for caring too much and for being vulnerable to emotional pain.
And she get's out of bed and looks at her feet as though they Were the wings for her freedom She gets up and goes to the door
She stands up and prepares to leave the man, feeling as though her feet are the key to her freedom.
It's a moment in which anything can happen Instead she gets out some clothing Puts it in a bag and leaves him sleeping While she heads for the door
She hesitates for a moment but ultimately decides to leave the man while he is sleeping, indicating the end of their relationship.
Yes it's true, I'm too senstive But he takes pleasure in my pain
She admits to being sensitive but blames the man for taking pleasure in her emotional pain.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Jewel Kilcher
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind