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.
Love Is A Garden
Jewel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thinking about us maybe
Taking a break was a good thing
'Cause we were just children
Following a feeling
Not knowing love could wither away
But common strangers we could not see
Just tired of fighting tired of hanging on
[Chorus]
But now that you're gone I can see
That love is a garden if you let it go
It fades away before you know
And love is a garden it needs help to grow
Ours is starving but there's still hope
Come on, baby, and I'll feed ya on kisses
Come on, baby, let's make up for what we've been missing
Come on, baby, baby, come home
Living with each other
Soon we discovered just how tryin' it could be
You'd stay out all night and you'd say I was uptight
And soon we were only fighting
But looking back from this side now
It's hard to imagine wonder how
I thought it was you who was always wrong
[Chorus]
Well, tough job, broke car, mean boss,
And our moms all squeeze like weeds they get in the way
Now you're gone and I'm here,
I'm missing you dear,
We took a break what a mistake
What we needed to do was just make some room for me and you.
Cause I can see
[Chorus]
Let's throw away our old cell phones
Let's just stay in bed
Let's just stay home
Come on baby, baby come home
I'm sitting here lately
Thinking about us maybe
taking a break was a bad thing
In Jewel's song Love Is A Garden, the singer reflects on a past romantic relationship that had faded away due to neglect. She explains that they were young and naive, blindly following their feelings without realizing that love needed to be nurtured like a garden to thrive. They had taken a break from each other, but looking back, they had grown apart and were tired of fighting. However, now that they have separated, she has come to the realization that love is a garden that needs help to grow. She acknowledges that their love had starved, but there is still hope to rekindle their relationship by feeding it with kisses and making up for lost time.
The metaphor of love as a garden is a powerful one. The song captures the idea that not only is love something that needs nurturing, but that it requires ongoing attention to thrive. The line "ours is starving but there's still hope" suggests that even when love feels neglected, there is always room for it to grow again.
The song isn't just a reflection on a past relationship, but it's also a call to action to make room for each other and to prioritize the relationship. Jewel emphasizes the idea that it's important to make room for each other in their lives, to avoid getting sidetracked by daily distractions and demands on their time. The lines "let's throw away our old cell phones, let's just stay in bed, let's just stay home" suggest that Jewel is urging her partner to prioritize their relationship and spend quality time together.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm sitting here lately
Reflecting on our relationship
Thinking about us maybe
Contemplating the state of our love
Taking a break was a good thing
Realizing that stepping back was necessary
'Cause we were just children
Acknowledging our youthful naivete
Following a feeling
Acting on impulse, ignoring consequences
Not knowing love could wither away
Being unaware of the fragility of love
But looking back it passed so softly
Reflecting on how time has flown by unnoticed
But common strangers we could not see
Our relationship became unfamiliar to us
Just tired of fighting tired of hanging on
Exhausted from constant arguing and trying to hold on
But now that you're gone I can see
Recognizing the value of love after losing it
That love is a garden if you let it go
Love needs attention and care to thrive
It fades away before you know
Love can diminish without warning
And love is a garden it needs help to grow
Love requires effort from both parties to develop
Ours is starving but there's still hope
Our relationship is suffering but can still be salvaged
Come on, baby, and I'll feed ya on kisses
Making amends through affection and care
Come on, baby, let's make up for what we've been missing
Reuniting and making up for lost time
Come on, baby, baby, come home
Urging our partner to return and reignite our love
Living with each other
Discovering the realities of cohabiting
Soon we discovered just how trying it could be
Realizing the difficulties of being together
You'd stay out all night and you'd say I was uptight
Conflicts arising from differences in behavior
And soon we were only fighting
Our relationship devolving into constant argument
But looking back from this side now
Retrospectively analyzing our past
It's hard to imagine wonder how
Wondering how we let our love fall apart
I thought it was you who was always wrong
Blaming our partner for our relationship's problems
Well, tough job, broke car, mean boss,
External stressors adding to our relationship troubles
And our moms all squeeze like weeds they get in the way
Family interfering in our relationship
Now you're gone and I'm here,
Feeling the absence of our partner
I'm missing you dear,
Yearning for our partner's return
We took a break what a mistake
Realizing the error in taking a break
What we needed to do was just make some room for me and you.
Taking space to work on our relationship
Let's throw away our old cell phones
Disconnecting from distractions and focusing on our love
Let's just stay in bed
Savoring each other's company in intimacy
Let's just stay home
Taking a break from the outside world to focus on us
Come on baby, baby come home
Urging our partner to return and rebuild our love
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: JEWEL KILCHER, SHAYE SMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind