Producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion grew up in a musi… Read Full Bio ↴Producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion grew up in a musical family: his father was director of the Yale concert and marching bands, his mother sang in jazz bands, and his siblings, Randy (a conductor/arranger in L.A.) and Laurie (a violinist), were both avid music students. Young Jon didn't deal with instruction or practice well, but his natural affinity for improvisation and melody more than made up for his impatience. Unwilling to conform to the conventional school system, Brion attended special education class at Hamden High School in New Haven, CT, and the day he turned 17, he left school for good. Moving to Boston in 1987, the young musician formed many bonds that he would keep long into his professional career, including producer Mike Denneen (owner of Q Division, Boston's premier studio and record label) and 'Til Tuesday vocalist Aimee Mann. Also while there, Brion tuned his improvisational musical abilities: "I used to watch TV with an unplugged electric guitar, on the couch, and commercials would come on and I'd try to play along. It was one of the prime things I concerned myself with for several years, getting to the point where if I heard it, I could play it. Then I started working on getting my brain to do multiple things at once. And having my hands translate them." This proficiency led to increasingly frequent studio work on the West Coast, eventually resulting in his move to L.A. While in California, he and Jellyfish guitarist Jason Falkner formed the Grays, an underground superstar group which released the 1994 album Ro Sham Bo, before quickly fading as the other members (Falkner, Dan McCarroll, and Buddy Judge) went on to individual musical success. Throughout the '90s, Brion found himself increasingly in demand in the studio, producing and collaborating on albums by Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright, David Byrne, and the Eels and soundtracks including the Grammy-nominated Magnolia.
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.

Same Mistakes
Jon Brion Lyrics

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I got tired, I killed it through and through
I don't wanna make the same mistakes
The same mistakes with you

I didn't lie, but I withheld the truth
I don't wanna make the same mistakes
The same mistakes with you

The line is thin between a selfish act
And things you do to keep yourself intact
I could name a few

I did a lot that I could not undo

I don't wanna make the same mistakes
The same mistakes with you

Overall Meaning

The song Same Mistakes by Jon Brion talks about learning from one's past mistakes and not repeating them. The singer admits to having made mistakes in the past, which resulted in the demise of a previous relationship. However, he now wants to make sure that he does not repeat those same mistakes with a new partner. He acknowledges that he may have been selfish in the past by not being honest with his previous partner, but he wants to avoid making the same mistake again. He knows that he cannot undo what he has done in the past, but he is committed to not making the same mistakes with his new partner.

The lyrics of the song also suggest that the singer has grown and matured since the end of his previous relationship. He is now more self-aware, and he knows that he needs to work hard to maintain a healthy and honest relationship. He understands that keeping the line between selfishness and self-preservation is thin, but he is willing to take the risk. The song tells a tale of someone who has learned from their mistakes and is now more cautious in their approach to love.

Line by Line Meaning

I got tired, I killed it through and through
I lost interest and put an end to it completely

I don't wanna make the same mistakes
I don't want to repeat previous errors

The same mistakes with you
I don't want to make the identical errors with you

I didn't lie, but I withheld the truth
I didn't speak a falsehood, but I didn't divulge the whole truth

The line is thin between a selfish act
Selfish and self-preserving actions are similar and easily confused

And things you do to keep yourself intact
Actions you perform to keep yourself stable

I could name a few
I could list some examples

I did a lot that I could not undo
I made numerous irreversible mistakes

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: JON BRION

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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