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)
Nowhere To Run
Jon Oliva's Pain Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are you tired of trying
How do you feel about gods
Do you think they were lying
How do you feel about peace
And the wars we keep fighting
In a world divided
Not much time here left to go
Nowhere to run, nowhere to run
They just keep denying
We know they’re all lying
Soon it will show, soon it will show
How do you feel about war
And the thousands left dying
Can you see through their eyes
Politicians conniving
Terrorism, disease and the suicide bombings
No one’s disarming
They know something we don’t know
Not much time here left to go
Nowhere to run, nowhere to run
They just keep denying
We know they’re all lying
Soon it will show, soon it will show
What’s left for me to say
We are all headed for judgement day
They know something we don’t know
Not much time here left to go
Nowhere to run, nowhere to run
They just keep denying
We know they’re all lying
Soon it will show, soon it will show
The lyrics to Jon Oliva's Pain's song "Nowhere to Run" are very thought-provoking and critical of the world today. The song starts by asking the listener how they feel about life and questioning their beliefs in gods, peace, and war. It highlights the division in the world and the constant fighting that occurs. The chorus brings attention to the fact that there are those who know something that the rest of us don't, but there's not much time left before it shows. This is a warning sign to the listener that there are those who are lying and denying the truth.
The second verse touches on current issues such as terrorism, disease, suicide bombings, and politicians who are conniving. It paints a very bleak picture of the world we live in, with thousands dying in wars and no end in sight. There is no hope of disarmament, and it seems like there is no way to escape from the chaos that surrounds us. The lyrics urge the listener to see through the eyes of those who are suffering and to understand the gravity of the situation.
The song ends on a somber note, with the realization that we are all headed for judgment day. The lyrics are very powerful and convey a message that demands attention. It is a call for us to take a stand and fight for what is right, in whatever way we can.
Line by Line Meaning
How do you feel about life
What are your thoughts and emotions towards life?
Are you tired of trying
Are you exhausted from putting in effort and not seeing results?
How do you feel about gods
What are your beliefs and opinions about divine beings?
Do you think they were lying
Do you believe that the gods may have deceived or lied to humanity?
How do you feel about peace
What are your attitudes and feelings towards peacefulness?
And the wars we keep fighting
And the violent conflicts that persist despite efforts for peace?
In a world divided
In a world that is split or separated in various ways.
They know something we don't know
There are individuals or groups that possess knowledge or information that we do not.
Not much time here left to go
There is not a lot of time remaining for humanity on Earth.
Nowhere to run, nowhere to run
There is no escape or place to hide from what is to come.
They just keep denying
The individuals or groups with knowledge or information are consistently denying it to the public.
We know they're all lying
We are aware that those who possess knowledge are not being truthful.
Soon it will show, soon it will show
The truth of the situation will eventually become apparent or be revealed.
How do you feel about war
What are your thoughts and emotions towards violent conflict?
And the thousands left dying
And the countless lives lost as a result of warfare?
Can you see through their eyes
Can one understand the perspectives and intentions of those responsible for war and violence?
Politicians conniving
Political figures who are scheming and manipulative.
Terrorism, disease and the suicide bombings
The acts of terror, illness, and destruction that plague our world.
No one's disarming
No one is giving up their weapons and choosing peace over violence.
What's left for me to say
There is little else for me to express on this matter.
We are all headed for judgement day
We will all eventually face some form of judgement for our actions or lack thereof.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SavatageIsMyReligion
amazing!!!! hail to jon oliva!!!
vanderley augusto
TOTALMENTE SAVATAGE (fase gutter ballet e streets).
Jessy
this song very awesome
Nhanny Heil
Might not have Savatag but Jhon Olive's Pain is kinda close!!!!!!
freebfree65
Nice!
severin martl
only 1045 clicks. Awesome band awesome song. Whats wrong with the world. Everybody listens to shit like brutal death gory metal where you can´t even figure out the instruments. Hail to the classical ways
martoniko1
@beidlschneider it is simple there is not good management and marketing of Jon Oliva. Good music is not enough...
Aχιλλέας Λάλος
True
americanspirit85
this is true.
Monica Niemann
Yes it is... and maybe evenen more actually today...