After dropping out of college, Leah began pursuing a record deal as a solo artist while working at a restaurant, all the while honing her act in the clubs of Sand Diego and Los Angeles. She was able to pass along a demo to some RCA record execs who dined at her restaurant, signing Andreone exactly 24 hours later, after witnessing a live performance.
Her first release, 1996's alterna-pop Veiled was a major hit in France (along with it's single, "It's Alright, It's OK"), which led to an appearance with the inaugural Lilith Fair Tour.
Hooking up with heavy rock producer Bob Marlette for her next album, 1998's Alchemy, naturally led to a heavier and more varied sound, including cameos by Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and Marilyn Manson/Two/David Lee Roth guitarist John Lowery.
In 2006, Leah released her first Indie EP of demos called "Unlabeled-The Demos" which includes 7 songs. The songs on the EP will be on her record but no longer in demo form. These demos are Leah's way of "thinking out loud" before she commits to production. They are a brief peak into the creative process and what really happens before the produced version of a record comes out.
It's Alright
Leah Andreone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And she says that
"Life's a waste"
It doesn't have to be that way
Dad threw away her mom
Her mom gave up his name
Crucified by their words
She stares into the sun
Self-inflicted pain
She sees that they're blind
Why does she take all the blame?
The rhyme has changed
Compulsion rules
Mary's little lambs
Are now raised by wolves
A voyeur with wings
Flashes a cure
She knows forbidden things
They have a lovely lure
It's alright, it's okay
Welcome to this life
Killin' time
Just watchin' the grass grow
It's alright, it's okay
Welcome to this life
Don't worry, sweet baby
'cause it's over before you know
Persecuted, she's not normal
I envy her strange ways
Seven deadly sins
Seize the hour seize the day
Her ideas need expression
Her wounds never bleed
Her beauty lives in my eyes
Too bad, she can't see
She doesn't try
I watch her spirits die
But giving up the ghost
Would feel so good
A voyeur with wings
Flashes a cure
She knows forbidden things
They have a lovely lure
It's alright, it's okay
Welcome to this life
Killin' time
Just watchin' the grass grow
It's alright it's okay
Welcome to this life
Don't worry sweet baby
'cause it's over
It's alright, it's okay
Welcome to this life
Killin' time
Just watchin' the grass grow
It's alright, it's okay
Welcome to this life
Don't worry sweet baby
'cause it's over
Crumbling Camelot
Idle teardrops
Cloudy diamonds
Freebase fun house
Expecting to fly
But she's just standing still
Every time she gets it up
She just can't close the deal
So she gives herself another way out
Walks her dog for the 50th time and files her nails
Till they bleed and she cries now
She doesn't have to try
The song "It's Alright, It's Ok" by Leah Andreone is an evocative reflection on the struggles of life and the difficulties faced by individuals who feel persecuted and misunderstood. The opening lines encapsulate the tone and theme of the song with the image of a broken doll, and the words of a deeply unhappy and disillusioned individual who feels that life holds no hope or possibility. Andreone goes on to paint a vivid picture of the complex web of emotions that this individual experiences - including feelings of abandonment and rejection by family members, as well as profound guilt, shame, self-injury and a sense of being persecuted.
Despite these powerful feelings of despair, Andreone offers a glimmer of hope in the refrain, which repeatedly reassures the listener that "it's alright, it's okay" and that even though life is difficult and often seems unbearable, there is a way through. She also paints a complex portrait of the ways in which this individual's personality has developed in response to her experiences - including a fascination with forbidden knowledge and an affinity for "strange ways," which both inspire admiration as well as a sense of distance or confusion. Ultimately, Andreone suggests that even though life can be hard and full of struggle, it is still beautiful and worth celebrating.
Overall, "It's Alright, It's Ok" is a powerful anthem of hope and healing, which manages to capture the complex emotions of human experience in a way that is both perceptive and deeply moving.
Line by Line Meaning
Broken doll, baby
Leah Andreone is feeling broken and vulnerable, like a broken doll.
And she says that "Life's a waste"
She is disillusioned with life and feels it's all useless.
It doesn't have to be that way
She realizes that life doesn't have to be a waste and there's more to it than meets the eye.
Dad threw away her mom
Leah is sharing her painful past where her dad left her mom.
Her mom gave up his name
Her mom took her dad's name when they got married and then gave it up after the divorce.
Crucified by their words
The hurtful words of her parents have left a deep impact on her.
Nailed by shame
The shame she feels is like nails being driven into her spirit.
She stares into the sun
Leah is hurting herself by staring at the sun, possibly to feel some sort of pain or release.
Self-inflicted pain
She's inflicting pain on herself as a way of coping with her emotions.
She sees that they're blind
Despite her pain, she can see things more clearly than her parents who blinded by their own flaws.
Why does she take all the blame?
She wonders why she always takes the blame for everything that goes wrong.
The rhyme has changed
Things in her life have changed and don't make sense anymore.
Compulsion rules
Her compulsions and addictions have taken over her life.
Mary's little lambs
People who were once innocent and naive like Mary's little lambs.
Are now raised by wolves
But now, they are raised by wolves, meaning they've become hardened and cynical.
A voyeur with wings
She feels like someone is always watching her and tempting her with something she shouldn't have.
Flashes a cure
This thing that tempts her promises to soothe her pain or provide a solution to her problems.
She knows forbidden things
Leah is aware of the things she shouldn't be doing but is drawn to them.
They have a lovely lure
Despite being forbidden, these things have a beautiful and tempting quality to them.
It's alright, it's okay
Welcome to this life
Killin' time
Just watchin' the grass grow
Leah is sarcastically saying it's fine to waste away time in this meaningless life, just watching the grass grow.
Don't worry, sweet baby
'cause it's over before you know
She believes that life is short and before we know it, it's over.
Persecuted, she's not normal
Leah feels persecuted and different from others.
I envy her strange ways
Someone admires the uniqueness and strangeness of Leah's personality.
Seven deadly sins
Seize the hour seize the day
Leah is implying that these sins have control of her life and that she has to live in the moment.
Her ideas need expression
Leah has a lot of ideas that she wants to express and share with the world.
Her wounds never bleed
She's been hurt so badly that now, she doesn't even feel the pain anymore.
Her beauty lives in my eyes
Too bad, she can't see
Leah is beautiful, but she's not able to see that for herself.
She doesn't try
I watch her spirits die
But giving up the ghost
Would feel so good
Leah has stopped trying to change her circumstances and is slowly losing her will to live. She admits that ending it would be a relief, though.
Crumbling Camelot
Idle teardrops
Cloudy diamonds
Freebase fun house
Leah is describing her life as an illusion that's slowly crumbling, with teardrops and everything that was once valuable is now worthless, like a diamond that's turned cloudy. She compares it to an addictive and dangerous drug.
Expecting to fly
But she's just standing still
Every time she gets it up
She just can't close the deal
Leah has high expectations for herself, but she's not able to deliver on them, leaving herself stuck and stagnant.
So she gives herself another way out
Walks her dog for the 50th time and files her nails
Till they bleed and she cries now
She doesn't have to try
To cope with her emotions, Leah distracts herself by doing the same things over and over again till it hurts her physically, now she doesn't even have to try to feel pain or cry.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LEAH ANDREONE, LEAH G. ANDREONE, RICK NEIGHER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind