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)
Look At The World
Jon Oliva's Pain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are we really doing all we can do
Wasted lives, no jobs, no money, just scars
Ever think we would take it all this far
Look at the world coming down around you
Look at the world see it's gone to far
You got Jesus watching from above
Look at the world Christ what a scene
Got us living on dope and gasoline
Got us believing all he twisted lies
Time to wake up...time to realize
The lyrics to Jon Oliva's Pain's song "Look At The World" reflect on the state of the world at present. With the world falling down around us, the question arises whether we are doing all we can do. With wasted lives, no jobs, no money, and scars, it seems unclear if we could have imagined taking it this far. It highlights the fact that we have gone too far in causing destruction to this world.
The lyrics of the song prompt the listener to look at the world coming down around them to realize how far it has gone. They have lost control of their functioning, and it's a message to wake up and realize the importance of it. The song emphasizes the role of Jesus in watching from above, following the change that can't wait. It paints a compelling picture of living on dope and gasoline, believing twisted lies, and the urgent need to realize that it's time to wake up.
Line by Line Meaning
Just look at the world...falling down around you
The world is in a state of chaos, and the evidence is all around us.
Are we really doing all we can do
As a society, we need to ask ourselves if we are doing enough to address the issues causing the chaos.
Wasted lives, no jobs, no money, just scars
The world's problems have led to the suffering of many individuals who are jobless, broke, and scarred from their experiences.
Ever think we would take it all this far
The state of affairs is worse than we ever could have imagined.
Look at the world coming down around you
The world is collapsing, and we need to pay attention before it's too late.
Look at the world see it's gone to far
The world has reached a point of no return, and we must act now to change our course.
You got Jesus watching from above
Some people rely on faith to guide them in times of crisis.
If you think a change can't wait, that's a lie
Change is needed urgently, and we must work to implement it now.
Look at the world Christ what a scene
The world is a disaster, and it's shocking to witness.
Got us living on dope and gasoline
Many people are dependent on drugs or struggling because of fuel prices.
Got us believing all he twisted lies
Society has fallen prey to lies and misinformation from those in power.
Time to wake up...time to realize
People need to recognize the current state of the world and take action.
Contributed by Christopher W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.