Remember when music was fun but clever? When Jonezetta frontman Robert Chis… Read Full Bio ↴Remember when music was fun but clever? When Jonezetta frontman Robert Chisolm shouts out, "Wake Up!" during Burn It Down, its an exhortation as much to the musical masses as the audience in front of him. Isolation breeds artistry, and like The Smiths or The Cure, the Jonezetta story begins with creative people bursting through the seams of an otherwise stuffy environment.

Clinton, Mississippi is a very tiny town. If you're a young boy, you either play sports, go hunting, or both. We come from small families within a sheltered town and our parents made it obvious that we were to go to school for twelve years and then to go for four more years, Chisolm deadpans. The idea of not going to college and trying to pursue music was never a reasonable one in our heads.

Jonezetta began as a lark. Even their name was birthed off the cuff. It was designed to combine two words that dont go together but sound cool (like Radiohead, Coldplay, or Starsailor) but as Chisolm admits, all of the good words were taken. It wasn't until they took a long hard listen at the demos they were creating purely for their own amusement that Jonezetta realized how incredibly special their band could be. When we met [co-manager] Ryan Rado and the guys in the band As Cities Burn, they really gave us hope that pursuing music simply because its something we love is not a bad thing, says Chisolm, who credits the pair with bringing Jonezetta to Tooth & Nail's attention.

Cue a bidding war that involved several major labels and one of the biggest deals for a new artist in The Nails history. Jonezetta has quickly amassed a slew of believers in the music industry and across the rock and pop underground. And the mainstream is next.

Like the rich blues embedded in the soil around them, Jonezettas Tooth & Nail debut is full of mood and atmosphere, with hooks that slice through the fog the way song titles like Hot Machete would suggest. And from here, with a coveted slot on the 2006 Tooth & Nail tour ahead of them, Jonezettas goals remain as modest as ever. "We want to be the first band to sell a billion records", laughs Chisolm. "We want to play every continent in the world. And then, we want to meet Prince."

"People take themselves too seriously. Music today has become such a downer," he adds thoughtfully. "We encourage kids to enjoy themselves."

Valentine
Jonezetta Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I see there is something going on here
It tells in your voice
I know there's something really wrong here
Love is not a choice

Is it enough?
So hard to recognize bad habits when they arrive
The seasons don't feel the same

I no longer even know your name

I didn't want this for you
Never wanted this for you
I didn't want this for you
It just happened this way

I swear I heard it getting louder and much more clear
Oh no, it isn't how I planned it
I could never resist it
Is that enough?

Is that enough?
I didn't want this for you
Never wanted this for you
I didn't want this for you

It just happened this way.

Overall Meaning

In Jonezetta's Valentine, the lyrics convey a sense of conflict and distress in regards to a relationship. The singer acknowledges that something is not right, and can detect it in their partner's voice. They recognize that love is not always a choice, but the situation has become so difficult that it's hard to recognize bad habits when they arise. The seasons no longer feel the same, and the singer can no longer even recognize their partner's name. This suggests that the relationship has changed so much that it's not the same as it used to be, leaving the singer feeling powerless.

The second verse suggests that the singer has heard the warning signs getting louder and clearer, but they never planned for this to happen. Despite their best intentions, they couldn't resist what was happening. This implies that the relationship took a turn for the worse despite their efforts to avoid it. The chorus repeats that the singer never wanted this for their partner, but it just happened that way. This suggests that they don't blame their partner for what has happened, but instead see it as something out of their control.

Overall, the song Valentine is a poignant exploration of the struggles that can arise in a relationship. It highlights the ways in which love can be complicated and difficult, and how even the best of intentions can sometimes lead to unfortunate outcomes.

Line by Line Meaning

I see there is something going on here
There are clear signs that something is happening

It tells in your voice
I can hear it in the way you speak

I know there's something really wrong here
I am aware that there is a serious issue here

Love is not a choice
Love is not something that can be controlled

Is it enough?
Is what is happening satisfactory?

So hard to recognize bad habits when they arrive
It can be difficult to identify negative patterns when they first appear

The seasons don't feel the same
Things have changed dramatically

I no longer even know your name
I feel like I don't even recognize you anymore

I didn't want this for you
I didn't want this situation to happen to you

Never wanted this for you
This is not something I wished for you

It just happened this way
This is the way it turned out, despite my wishes