Jill Tracy states that some of her biggest childhood influences were film score composers such as Bernard Herrmann, and classic suspense tales, including Alfred Hitchcock and Fritz Lang films, Ray Bradbury stories, and Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone.
She is listed in San Francisco Magazine’s Top 100 Creative Forces in the Bay Area.
1999's Diabolical Streak is the first studio album featuring her back up ensemble The Malcontent Orchestra. “Evil Night Together” from Diabolical Streak was awarded the SIBL international Grand Prize for songwriting. The album was listed among the "Top 10 Neo-Cabaret albums of all time" in Shift magazine. “The Fine Art of Poisoning,” from Diabolical Streak became an animated short film in 2003, a collaboration with Bay Area animator Bill Domonkos. The film has won over 30 film festival awards and continues to screen internationally.
Jill Tracy and The Malcontent Orchestra’s original score to F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent vampire classic Nosferatu debuted live at San Francisco’s Foreign Cinema in 1999 and toured Northern California theatres during Halloween season for five consecutive years. This led to the 2002 CD release Into the Land of Phantoms.
Her latest (and fourth) album, The Bittersweet Constrain (2008), explores a heavier, cinematic sonic edge with the addition of instruments such as the sarod, harmonium, and seldom-seen Chapman Stick. The recording also features percussionist Randy Odell, horn player Ralph Carney (Tom Waits/B52's), cellist Erica Mulkey (Rasputina/Unwoman), and violinist Tony Cross (Tarentel).
Produced by Alex Nahas (John Vanderslice/Zoe Keating/LaughingStock), The Bittersweet Constrain has been described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "devastatingly beautiful."
Domonkos served as art director/graphic designer for The Bittersweet Constrain. The CD packaging features Jill Tracy portraiture by Bay Area surrealist photographer Michael Garlington, known for his dreamy macabre imagery shot on vintage film stock.
I Can't Shake It
Jill Tracy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No snake oil, no gris gris
There’s no magic potion, no afterglow
No backstage exit
To some secret show
And I’m screaming at these four walls
Shivering from the thought
That I just can’t shake it baby
Because the words intoxicate me
I won’t surrender from this state I’m in
Held guilty of magnificent sin
Because I just can’t shake it baby
No sanctuary, no antidote
No saving grace, no Holy Ghost
There’s no diamond powder, no parlour trick
No bloodletting, this one cuts to the quick
And I’m screaming at these four walls
Shivering from it all
And I just can’t shake it baby
Because the words intoxicate me
I won’t surrender from this state I’m in
Held guilty of magnificent sin
No I just won’t let it freeze beneath my fingertips
No I just won’t let it disappear inside of my head
I’m drowning in these words nobody’s ever heard
Sinking so fast, I’m never coming back
And I just can’t shake it baby
Cause there’s no cure today
No I just won’t let it freeze beneath my fingertips
No I just won’t let it disappear inside of my head
I’m drowning in these words nobody’s ever heard
Gathering clouds, I’m never coming down
But I could be good, if you just let me
This big white light shining down
On me
The song "I Can't Shake It" by Jill Tracy is a song about being consumed by words and unable to escape them. The lyrics suggest that there is no cure, no escape, and no easy solution to this malady. The singer describes feeling trapped and unable to escape the words that intoxicate her, which she describes as a "magnificent sin."
She also sings about the desperation she feels and the lack of any antidote or saving grace. The central theme of the song is the overwhelming power of words and how they can be both a blessing and a curse. The singer longs to be free of this burden but seems to accept that it is a part of who she is.
The line "I just won't let it freeze beneath my fingertips" suggests that she wants to hold onto the words and continue to be affected by them. The line "I could be good, if you just let me, this big white light shining down on me" may suggest that the singer is seeking some kind of redemption or salvation, but it is not clear.
Overall, the song is a haunting and mesmerizing ode to the power of words and the ways in which they can be both beautiful and dangerous.
Line by Line Meaning
No medicine for this malady
There is no cure or treatment for my affliction
No snake oil, no gris gris
No quack or useless remedy or cure can solve my problem
There's no magic potion, no afterglow
There is no magical or miraculous way to feel better or recover
No backstage exit, to some secret show
There is no hidden or mysterious way to escape this situation
And I’m screaming at these four walls, shivering from the thought
I am so anguished and terrified that I am shouting and trembling alone in my room
That I just can’t shake it baby,
I cannot rid myself of this problem, no matter how hard I try
Because the words intoxicate me
The words of my problem enrapture me and I can't overcome them
I won’t surrender from this state I’m in
I refuse to give up or stop fighting despite how difficult the situation is
Held guilty of magnificent sin
I feel like I bear responsibility or shame for this terrible condition I am in
No sanctuary, no antidote
There is no place of safety or cure outside of this reality
No saving grace, no Holy Ghost
I cannot rely on any kind of external intervention or divine assistance
There’s no diamond powder, no parlour trick
Nothing can conceal or ameliorate this problem with glittering or phony solutions
No bloodletting, this one cuts to the quick
This issue is so painful and deep that even serious medical treatments won't help
No I just won’t let it freeze beneath my fingertips
I refuse to become numb or indifferent to my situation
No I just won’t let it disappear inside of my head
I won't forget or ignore my problem no matter how much I want to escape
I’m drowning in these words nobody’s ever heard
I'm suffocating from an intensely personal and unrecognized problem
Sinking so fast, I’m never coming back
I'm sinking so deeply into this issue that I know I may never return
Cause there’s no cure today
I see no solution or relief from my problem at the present moment
Gathering clouds, I’m never coming down
My situation is so dire that I cannot see any way it could improve
But I could be good, if you just let me
If someone would give me a chance or help me, I could recover from this situation
This big white light shining down on me
I am aware of a hopeful or uplifting intervention or experience that gives me strength
Contributed by Joshua N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@MrApasserby
Actualy the Holly Ghost is the One Who is inspiring your brilliant music, Jill Tracy! It's far beyond the popculture, it's on the level of the great European Classics. Respect!
@Naooomiiii_
One luv