Baker's stark and soulful music is said to evoke names like Bon Iver, Daughter, and Natalie Prass. Her first album, Sprained Ankle, was released in 2015, followed by the 2017 release of Turn Out The Lights. Her third album, Little Oblivions, was released in 2021.
Baker honed her music skills while playing in her high school band, Forrister, with whom she continued to perform while attending college. After writing a batch of songs that didn't seem to fit the group's more rock-oriented vibe, Baker headed to Matthew E. White's Spacebomb Studios in Richmond, Virginia to begin recording what would eventually become her solo debut, 2015's Sprained Ankle. Originally released by Smith 7 in 2014, it was reissued by 6131 Records in 2015, it reached number 23 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and led to an invitation to join the Matador Records roster. With a more expansive sound and equally intimate lyrics, the self-produced follow-up, 2017's Turn Out the Lights, was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis. It landed on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 78.
She then joined fellow indie singer/songwriters Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus in the trio Boygenius. Together they issued their eponymous EP in late 2018, also on Matador. Bridgers and Dacus appear on the track, "Favor," from Baker's third solo set, 2021's Little Oblivions that was self-produced and recorded in Memphis.
In 2023, boygenius announced their reformation and their upcoming debut album, โthe record,โ which Baker and the band wrote and co-produced.
HeatWave
Julien Baker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Burst to fire engulfed in flames
Breathing exhaust, a heatwave mirage
Nothing to lose 'til everything's really gone
It's worse than death, than life compressed
To fill a page in the Sunday paper
I had the shuddering thought
"This was gonna make me late for work"
Biting a chain, free like a lame
Oh, can you be healed?
Scratch my knees on the gravel
Say it's all part of the deal
Covered in scars a canyon deep
It's not like what I thought it'd be
The gruesome beauty of your face in everyone I meet
I was on a long spiral down
Before I make it to the ground
I'll wrap Orion's belt around my neck
And kick the chair out
On a long spiral down
Before I make it to the ground
I'll wrap Orion's belt around my neck
And kick the chair out
And I'll kick the chair out
Kick the chair out
The lyrics of Julien Baker's song Heatwave describe the feeling of being consumed by a destructive force. The first stanza describes the image of an engine bursting into flames and the heat that emanates. This metaphor represents someone that is struggling to keep it together and the moment when they finally break down. The line "Nothing to lose 'til everything's really gone" hints at the idea that sometimes people don't realize how bad things are until they hit rock bottom. The allusion to death and life being compressed shows how the overwhelming nature of these kinds of situations can make someone feel like they don't have a way out, where every option is equally terrible. The lyrics also suggest that sometimes, people are so caught up in their own problems that they don't even think about practical things, such as being late for work.
The second stanza describes the physical and emotional pain that someone in this situation is experiencing. The image of biting a chain and being lame conveys the idea of feeling trapped and overwhelmed, with no possibility of escape. The metaphor of scratches on the knees exemplifies the extreme physical and emotional pain that someone might be feeling. The line "It's not like what I thought it'd be" suggests that whatever the cause of the pain, it was unexpected, and the singer is still trying to come to terms with it. Moreover, the mention of the "gruesome beauty" of someone's face is a nod to the universal nature of pain, that it is something that everyone goes through at some point in their lives.
In conclusion, Heatwave is a song about someone on the brink of self-destruction, consumed by overwhelming pain and struggling to cope. It expresses the feeling of being so lost in one's own problems that everything outside becomes a blur, and that there is no way out. However, it also hints at the latent hope that is always present, in the form of unexpected beauty that can be found even in the midst of pain.
Line by Line Meaning
Shell of an engine, unexplained
My mind and body feel empty like the hollow shell of an engine without an explanation
Burst to fire engulfed in flames
My stress and anxiety built up to an uncontrollable explosion of emotions
Breathing exhaust, a heatwave mirage
I'm suffocating from the exhaustion of trying to keep up appearances, as if being trapped in a hot mirage
Nothing to lose 'til everything's really gone
I didn't feel like I was losing anything until I realized I had lost everything important to me
It's worse than death, than life compressed
The feeling of hopelessness and despair is more suffocating than death itself or the pressure of daily life
To fill a page in the Sunday paper
I feel like I'm insignificant and just another tragic story to fill space in the news
I had the shuddering thought 'This was gonna make me late for work'
Even in my darkest moments, my mind is still consumed with the mundane tasks of everyday life
Biting a chain, free like a lame
I feel trapped, like I'm biting a chain, but also helpless and free like a lame animal
Oh, can you be healed?
I'm pleading for help and questioning if it's possible to be healed from this pain
Scratch my knees on the gravel
I'm hurting myself physically to try and distract from the emotional pain
Say it's all part of the deal
I'm trying to convince myself that this suffering is just a part of life
Covered in scars a canyon deep
The emotional wounds I carry are so deep they feel like a never-ending canyon
It's not like what I thought it'd be
My life turned out completely different than I imagined it would
The gruesome beauty of your face in everyone I meet
I'm haunted by reminders of someone I loved who is no longer around, even in the faces of strangers
I was on a long spiral down
I was slowly descending into this dark place for a long time
Before I make it to the ground
I want to end my suffering before I hit rock bottom
I'll wrap Orion's belt around my neck
I'm envisioning taking my own life, symbolized by the constellation Orion's belt
And kick the chair out
I'll use a chair to hang myself, ending my pain
And I'll kick the chair out
I'm determined to end my suffering and will take the action to do so
Lyrics ยฉ Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Julien Baker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sparrow2456
Shell of an engine, unexplained
Burst to fire engulfed in flames
Breathing exhaust, a heatwave mirage
Nothing to lose 'til everything's really gone
It's worse than death, than life compressed
To fill a page in the Sunday paper
I had the shuddering thought
"This was gonna make me late for work"
Biting a chain, free like a lame
Oh, can you be healed?
Scratch my knees on the gravel
Say it's all part of the deal
Covered in scars a canyon deep
It's not like what I thought it'd be
The gruesome beauty of your face in everyone I meet
I was on a long spiral down
Before I make it to the ground
I'll wrap Orion's belt around my neck
And kick the chair out
On a long spiral down
Before I make it to the ground
I'll wrap Orion's belt around my neck
And kick the chair out
And I'll kick the chair out
Kick the chair out
@user-im5hd5in8y
โกW111CACCโก
WE HAVE NEXT VIRUS
ใใชใใฎๆญใไฝใใพใใใใ
ใMVใCHILL DUB ใใใ ใซใฉใชใฑ ใฉใใใ
ๆดๆฐ็ถใใพใใ
ๆโค๏ธ LOVE
"WILLCACC"
ๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆ
@user-im5hd5in8y
โกW111CACCโก
WE HAVE NEXT VIRUS
ใใชใใฎๆญใไฝใใพใใใใ
ใMVใCHILL DUB ใใใ ใซใฉใชใฑ ใฉใใใ
ๆดๆฐ็ถใใพใใ
ๆโค๏ธ LOVE
"WILLCACC"
ๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆ
@user-im5hd5in8y
โกW111CACCโก
WE HAVE NEXT VIRUS
ใใชใใฎๆญใไฝใใพใใใใ
ใMVใCHILL DUB ใใใ ใซใฉใชใฑ ใฉใใใ
ๆดๆฐ็ถใใพใใ
ๆโค๏ธ LOVE
"WILLCACC"
ๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆ
@user-im5hd5in8y
โกW111CACCโก
WE HAVE NEXT VIRUS
ใใชใใฎๆญใไฝใใพใใใใ
ใMVใCHILL DUB ใใใ ใซใฉใชใฑ ใฉใใใ
ๆดๆฐ็ถใใพใใ
ๆโค๏ธ LOVE
"WILLCACC"
ๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆ
@user-im5hd5in8y
โกW111CACCโก
WE HAVE NEXT VIRUS
ใใชใใฎๆญใไฝใใพใใใใ
ใMVใCHILL DUB ใใใ ใซใฉใชใฑ ใฉใใใ
ๆดๆฐ็ถใใพใใ
ๆโค๏ธ LOVE
"WILLCACC"
ๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆๆ
@aletheia_lethe47
Sprained Ankle and Turn Out The Lights: Depression but with loop pedal
Little Oblivions: Depression but with drums
@deathtodeathmetal
Tom Breihan writing for Stereogum: 'I canโt say thatย Little Oblivionsย isย betterย than Julien Bakerโs last two albums; I donโt even really know what that would mean. I can, however, say that the album, for the few weeks that Iโve been living with it, has been a comfort and a light. And I can say that Julien Baker is now my favorite post-rock band'.
@nosferat-ew
awesome quote, thanks for sharing
@lostforever773
Julien Baker is a band?
@deathtodeathmetal
@Tatcheck her Twitter for context.
@lostforever773
@Kevin Morris why, she's not a band
@Revealingstorm.
I can't tell if that quote is insightful or really stupid. Guess I'll read the review so I'll have context
@liaarakal2130
SHE NEVER MISSES
@aidan9004
stunning incredible show-stopping brilliant
@arthurvandenberg1999
So true