Lisa Germano is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer and arranger from M… Read Full Bio ↴Lisa Germano is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, writer and arranger from Mishawaka, Indiana.

After years playing violin as a session musician with the likes of John Mellencamp, Indigo Girls and Bob Dylan, Germano embarked on a solo career in 1991 with the understated but occasionally brilliant On The Way Down From The Moon Palace on her own label, which led to a deal with Capitol, who released her second album. Although Happiness was a massive step up in terms of confidence and songwriting, troubles at the label led to her buying back the rights. In 1994 4AD released a re-sequenced and remixed version of Happiness with a new sleeve and a few different tracks (including a gloomy version of the formerly scintillating ‘... Dresses’).

She turned out to be not just a great musician (she plays most of the instruments: piano, guitar, percussion and tape effects, as well as her trademark violin) and a wittily melancholy if kooky songwriter (‘I Love A Snot’, indeed), but a phenomenal arranger whose innovation and breadth of expression is comparable to PJ Harvey at her tape-mangling best.

As her style developed, so the music’s potential commercial appeal increased without compromising its uniqueness. Bright kaleidoscopes during an otherwise dark time in 4AD’s history, the following three albums, Geek The Girl, Excerpts From A Love Circus and Slide all won critical acclaim, but sadly failed to reach the wide audience they deserved; Germano was dropped in 1998, and announced her retirement from the music business.

(In 1997, she also released a collaboration with Giant Sand and future members of Calexico under the name OP8 Featuring The Ilk Of Lisa Germano).

Retirement didn’t suit her, and she was soon out on tour again, sessioning for David Bowie and Neil Finn, before, in 2003, releasing the self-funded Lullaby For Liquid Pig on ArtistDIRECT imprint Ineffable. A return to the woozy, after-the-carnival soundworld of ...Love Circus, the album was made with help from collaborators Finn, Johnny Marr and Wendy Melvoin.

Label-less again after Ineffable dissolved, Swans mainstay and longtime Germano fan Michael Gira snapped her up for his Young God label, which in 2007 released In The Maybe World, a stripped-down but ultimately hopeful reflection on mortality inspired by the death of, well, a cat, but also the imagined death of her Father. Young God subsequently reissued Liquid Pig with an extra CD of live recordings and demos, whose between-song banter highlighted Germano’s unique and cat-slanted take on life and death.

In September 2009 the album Magic Neighbor was released, again on Young God Records.

She also works with Maynard James Keenan's Puscifer
Official site: www.lisagermano.com

LOVESICK
Lisa Germano Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You're not my Yoko Ono
You said those words to me
You say some hurtful things now
None cut so deeply

Those visions of beauty
Those visions haunt me
Illusions of hope

And they drive me crazy

You're not my Yoko Ono
You said those words to me
You have too many problems
Always in therapy

Lovesick

You are a constant patient
You stop me being mean
Give me some inspiration
Is that why you hit me

Lovesick
Lovesick

Those visions of beauty
Those visions haunt me
But I like them
I'll keep them
I'll just go crazy

You're not my Yoko Ono
You said those words to me
You say some hurtful things now
None cut so deeply

Lovesick

Lovesick
Lovesick

Overall Meaning

In Lisa Germano's song "Lovesick," she tells a story of a difficult relationship where the male partner in the relationship is struggling with mental issues and frequently puts down the woman. The woman is constantly feeling lovesick and confused as to why she is still in love with him. The man, at one point, tells her, "You're not my Yoko Ono," which is a reference to John Lennon's wife, Yoko Ono, who was often blamed for the breakup of The Beatles. This statement is hurtful to Lisa as it means she is not the inspirational and creative force in his life, but is actually a burden on him.

Lisa goes on to describe that she is haunted by visions of beauty and illusions of hope which drives her crazy. She is in love with the man but cannot seem to let go, despite the hurtful things he says to her. Towards the end of the song, Lisa questions whether her partner hits her because she gives him inspiration. The lyrics "You stop me being mean, Give me some inspiration, Is that why you hit me" infer a toxic and abusive relationship without detailing any sort of violence but leave the listener with a lot to ponder.

Overall, the song is a unique and raw representation of a difficult and painful relationship. The themes of mental health, emotional abuse, and self-doubt hit hard and are relatable for many who have been in abusive relationships or had to deal with mental health issues in their lives.

Line by Line Meaning

You're not my Yoko Ono
You're different from Yoko Ono, who was blamed for breaking up the Beatles. You're a unique person.

You said those words to me
You made that clear to me.

You say some hurtful things now
You hurt me with what you say.

None cut so deeply
No one hurts me as deeply as you.

Those visions of beauty
Beautiful memories and imagination occupy your mind.

Those visions haunt me
This beauty is haunting you day and night.

Illusions of hope
Imaginary hope is driving you crazy.

And they drive me crazy
These illusions and delusions are making you insane.

You have too many problems
You're facing many emotional and psychological issues.

Always in therapy
You always seek professional help for your mental health.

You are a constant patient
You're always undergoing treatments that require you to have regular appointments.