Initially the project consisted entirely of solo recordings by Oliva, but after several months of work he was joined in 2004 by former members of Circle II Circle to form a band. After hearing the results of their earliest studio sessions together he then decided to repeat the solo work from scratch with the band, releasing their first album 'Tage Mahal on the SPV label early that year. Originally slated to be released on the same label in May 2006, JOP subsequently signed to AFM Records for the release of the follow-up entitled Maniacal Renderings, which was released in September 4th 2006. Oliva credits his late brother Criss (with whom he had founded Savatage) as co-writing some of the work on this latest album (particularly the track "The Answer"), after finding some working tapes they had recorded together immediately before Criss' death in a road accident in 1993.
Jon Oliva's Pain hit the road fequently, visiting mostly Europe. 2006 saw some appearances at the larger European festivals. In april 2007, Jon Oliva was reunited with Chris Caffery onstage at the Pestpop festival in Belgium. This festival featured three Savatage related bands: Jon Oliva's Pain, Circle II Circle and Chris Caffery.
October 2007 saw Jon Oliva's Pain headlining ProgPower Europe, among the played songs was Chance, which was never performed with Jon on lead vocals before.
In 2008 JOP released Global Warning, which received excellent reviews from all over the globe. The album includes an ode to the bands past sound engineer Greg Marchak (O to G.) The band is currently preparing the fourth JOP album and will be hitting some of the annual summer festivals in Europe.
The music and themes bear comparison with the likes of Alice Cooper, focussing as they do on elements of obsession, pain, confusion and insanity. Oliva himself cites The Beatles, Queen and The Who amongst his and hence the band's influences.
JOP always play a bunch of classic Savatage songs onstage. Typical Savatage songs that are played are Sirens, Hall Of The Mountain King, Gutter Ballet and a lot of songs from the Streets album.
Lineup:
Jon Oliva (vocals, keyboards)
John Zahner (keyboards)
Matt LaPorte (guitars)
Kevin Rothney (bass)
Christopher Kinder (drums)
Tom McDyne (guitars)
Former Members:
Jerry Outlaw (guitars)
Shane French (guitars)
Lies
Jon Oliva's Pain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The story, it constantly strays.
Oh yeah
Just falsehoods and alibis,
You can't even look in my eyes.
Oh no
All I ever hear from you...
Lies, tell me lies, always lies
All I ever hear from you...
All I ever hear from you...
You want to keep control,
Tear me down, make me old.
Hold me still in your chains,
Cause me sorrow, cause me pain.
Learned all the tricks of the trade,
Always changing the rules of the game.
Oh no
A master of disguise,
The mask that you hide behind.
Oh no
Lies, tell me lies, always lies,
All I ever hear from you...
Lies, tell me lies, always lies
All I ever hear from you...
All I ever hear from you...
You want to keep control,
Tear me down, make me old.
Hold me still in your chains,
Cause me sorrow, cause me pain.
Tell me why you gotta treat me this way,
I'm the puppet and you're pulling the strings.
Keep me hidden like a jack-in-the-box,
Find a weakness and pick your spot.
You hold the key at it's starting to turn,
What a lesson I finally learned.
What your doing is no surprise,
I can see it in you eyes, yeah.
Why do you always keep me down,
Disrespect me and kicked me around.
When I die your gonna dance on my grave,
At least for now I'll be saved.
Safe from all you vicious lies,
Safe from false tears you've cry,
Safe from all the games you played,
Some things never change.
The lyrics to Jon Oliva's Pain's song, Lies, are about someone who is constantly being lied to by another person. The lead singer, Jon Oliva, is expressing how he feels about being deceived through the recurrent use of the word "lies" and the contrast between "truth" and "falsehoods." Oliva describes the person who is lying to him as being someone who has "learned all the tricks of the trade" and is "a master of disguise." He talks about how this person is always changing the rules of the game and is constantly hiding behind a mask. Oliva feels that this person is keeping him down, disrespecting him, and causing him pain.
In the chorus, Oliva repeats the phrase "Lies, tell me lies, always lies, all I ever hear from you," showing how frustrated he is with the constant deception. The verse "Hold me still in your chains, cause me sorrow, cause me pain" reveals the sense of helplessness that Oliva feels, like he is trapped in a cycle of deceit that he cannot escape from.
Overall, the song is a powerful commentary on the destructive nature of lies and their impact on human relationships. It shows how lying can lead to a loss of trust, feelings of betrayal, and emotional pain for those who are being misled.
Line by Line Meaning
There's no truth in what you say,
You don't speak the truth when you talk to me.
The story, it constantly strays.
You never stick to one story, always changing it.
Just falsehoods and alibis,
All you ever tell me are lies and excuses.
You can't even look in my eyes.
You're unable to face me when you lie.
Lies, tell me lies, always lies,
All you do is lie to me constantly.
All I ever hear from you...
No matter what you say, it's never the truth.
You want to keep control,
You're trying to control me.
Tear me down, make me old.
You're making me feel bad about myself.
Hold me still in your chains,
You're keeping me captive.
Cause me sorrow, cause me pain.
You're deliberately hurting me.
Learned all the tricks of the trade,
You've mastered the art of deception.
Always changing the rules of the game.
You're constantly altering your tactics.
A master of disguise,
You're an expert at portraying a false identity.
The mask that you hide behind.
You're concealing your true self.
Tell me why you gotta treat me this way,
Why do you have to manipulate and hurt me?
I'm the puppet and you're pulling the strings.
You have complete control over me.
Keep me hidden like a jack-in-the-box,
You keep me in the dark, always a surprise.
Find a weakness and pick your spot.
You exploit my vulnerabilities and use them against me.
You hold the key at it's starting to turn,
You have the power, and you're beginning to use it.
What a lesson I finally learned.
I've finally realized the truth about you.
What your doing is no surprise,
Your behavior is not unexpected.
I can see it in you eyes, yeah.
Your eyes reveal your true intentions.
Why do you always keep me down,
Why do you always try to bring me down?
Disrespect me and kicked me around.
You treat me poorly and abuse me.
When I die your gonna dance on my grave,
You won't stop hurting me even after I die.
At least for now I'll be saved.
At least for now, I'll be free from your lies and cruelty.
Safe from all you vicious lies,
I'll be safe from all the harm you've caused me.
Safe from false tears you've cry,
I'll be safe from your insincere apologies.
Safe from all the games you played,
I'll be safe from all the manipulation and deceit.
Some things never change.
I know you'll never stop lying and hurting others.
Contributed by Jackson G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.