Recently, Brion experimented Hip-Hop style as producer on Kanye West last album, "Late Registration". The result is brilliant, with real-life instruments mashed up with heavy beats. To complete this mutation, Kanye West did a live recording of his record at the mythic Abbey Road Studio, Jon Brion being the missing link between Hip Hop and The Beatles pop music.
In addition to his prolific studio work, he also has held a long-term position as "the house band" Friday nights at the high-profile Hollywood nightclub Largo. At his live shows, the crowd can expect anything from guest appearances by Aimee Mann, Michael Stipe, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, or Grant Lee Phillips, and Brion is infamous for making up songs on the spot (often from titles shouted from the audience). He also is beloved for his quirky cover versions of songs by Cheap Trick, the Beatles, and Cole Porter, proudly likening his on-stage antics to "spraying musical Raid on the classics, until each dying song flips on its back and wiggles its little musical legs in surrender." Whatever music he was involved in, his eclectic touch undeniably shaped the sound of many progressive alternative musicians throughout the '90s.
Ruin My Day
Jon Brion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Thought you should call me but then after all we were lovers
I don't wait by the phone like I used to
I don't hope for kind words you might say
You don't prey on my mind like you used to
But you can still ruin my day
You can still ruin my day
Oh as if you forget that it's me you regret you rejected
I don't easily forgive like I used to
And I seldom get carried away
No you don't have the pull that you used to
But you can still ruin my day
Oh you can still ruin my day
Love, it was nothing
It hardly hurt a bit
Sounds good to me but unfortunately I remember it
Now I don't lose my place like I used to
I'm not moved by your ? display
No you can't draw me in like you used to
But you can still ruin my day
You can still ruin my day
You can still ruin my day
You can still ruin my day
I said you can still ruin my day
The lyrics of Jon Brion's song "Ruin My Day" tell the story of a past lover who is trying to reconnect with the singer after some time has passed. The singer reflects on how that person once had a hold on them and how things have changed since then. While they no longer wait by the phone for calls or hope for kind words, and they no longer lose their place or get carried away, this person can still have the power to ruin their day. The singer acknowledges that they seldom get carried away and don't fall for the person's displays as they used to. However, the emotional pull is still there, and they struggle to shake off the hold the person once had on them.
The song captures the sentiments and emotions of anyone who has ever been in a situation where they thought they had moved on from a past love but is still vulnerable to their impact. The lyrics suggest that while the grip of the past love may have lessened over time, any sign of interest or regret from the past love still has the power to impact the present. Jon Brion's "Ruin My Day" is a poignant reminder of how all-consuming love can be and how the emotions associated with a past relationship do not always fade easily.
Line by Line Meaning
I know it's today so I guess you could say one recovers
I acknowledge that it's the present and therefore healing takes place
Thought you should call me but then after all we were lovers
I initially anticipated a phone call from you owing to our romantic history
I don't wait by the phone like I used to
I no longer anticipate communications from you in the same manner as previously
I don't hope for kind words you might say
I have no expectations of receiving desirable responses from you
You don't prey on my mind like you used to
You no longer consume my thoughts like you did before
But you can still ruin my day
However, you still possess the power to negatively influence my current mood
You're telling me now you regret how we never connected
You're informing me at present that you regret our failure to establish a connection
Oh as if you forget that it's me you regret you rejected
Oh, acting as though you've forgotten that it's me who you regret declining
I don't easily forgive like I used to
I'm unwilling to forgive as readily as I once did
And I seldom get carried away
I'm infrequently inclined to indulge in excessive emotional reactions
No you don't have the pull that you used to
The attraction I once had towards you no longer holds its former weight
But you can still ruin my day
Although weakened, you still have the ability to negatively impact my current state
Love, it was nothing
In retrospect, our romantic entanglement bears no significance
It hardly hurt a bit
In fact, it did not inflict much emotional pain on either party
Sounds good to me but unfortunately I remember it
The notion of our insignificance seems plausible, but regrettably, I cannot forget the experience
Now I don't lose my place like I used to
I no longer become disoriented like previously
I'm not moved by your display
Your actions and behavior no longer provoke me
No you can't draw me in like you used to
Your charm and attraction no longer elicit the same response
But you can still ruin my day
However, you still have the power to spoil my current state of mind
You can still ruin my day
I explicitly state again that you can impact my emotional state negatively
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JON BRION, JEFF MCGREGOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pierre S
I know it's today so I guess you could say one recovers
It's odd you should call me but then after all we were lovers
I don't wait by the phone like I used to
I don't hope for kind words you might say
You don't prey on my mind like you used to
But you can still ruin my day
You can still ruin my day
You're telling me now you regret how we never connected
Oh as if you forget that it's me you regret you rejected
I don't easily forgive like I used to
And I seldom get carried away
No you don't have the pull that you used to
But you can still ruin my day
Oh you can still ruin my day
Love, it was nothing
It hardly hurt a bit
Sounds good to me but unfortunately I remember it
Now I don't lose my place like I used to
I'm not moved by your artful display
No you can't draw me in like you used to
But you can still ruin my day
You can still ruin my day
You can still ruin my day
The Breaks Inc.
Every now and then you come across a song you never heard before, and you hate yourself for not discovering it earlier in your life. This is one of those songs. Outstanding. I saw a video with Jon talking about Elliott, and this song was in the background. Someone in the comments was nice enough to identify it. Brilliant.
T Lightning
3:10 the way everything takes off in this moment is amazing, its like when ur @ the park and u see the leaves get swirled up like a tornado hahaha. jon brion kills shit
Jess Hart
Saw him open for Harvey Danger a decade back. Even with a wicked cold he was just amazing, playing all the instruments and looping them before launching into vox and lead guitar, slaying the audience.
Pierre S
I know it's today so I guess you could say one recovers
It's odd you should call me but then after all we were lovers
I don't wait by the phone like I used to
I don't hope for kind words you might say
You don't prey on my mind like you used to
But you can still ruin my day
You can still ruin my day
You're telling me now you regret how we never connected
Oh as if you forget that it's me you regret you rejected
I don't easily forgive like I used to
And I seldom get carried away
No you don't have the pull that you used to
But you can still ruin my day
Oh you can still ruin my day
Love, it was nothing
It hardly hurt a bit
Sounds good to me but unfortunately I remember it
Now I don't lose my place like I used to
I'm not moved by your artful display
No you can't draw me in like you used to
But you can still ruin my day
You can still ruin my day
You can still ruin my day
D P
Pedro SP thanks for the lyrics
Todd Michael Johnson
Best song on the album.
bitukukuasukgremany3
My ex-wife said I couldn't see my daughter on Fathers Day and always ruins my visits..she has voices in her head for sure..
Sam O'd
If he and Elliott kept their alliance going I believe they'd have been better than John and Paul
SithSpit Danikan
I sing this song to the sneezes i need to belt out that never make it through.
theZeek
Damn near perfect.