In My Tribe. Merchant joined 10,000 Maniacs at the age of 17 and became the band's driving artistic force. After a pair of successful independent releases, they signed to Elektra in 1985 and briefly became one of the most popular acts in alternative rock, shooting into the Top 40 with 1987's In My Tribe and charting even higher with their follow-up effort, Blind Man's Zoo. Merchant's desire to launch a solo career increased alongside the band's growing reputation, however, and by the time the group sat down to record 1992's Our Time in Eden, she gave her bandmates two years' notice. Following the release of MTV Unplugged in 1994, she publicly announced she was leaving the group's ranks.
OpheliaMerchant made her solo debut with 1995's Tigerlily, a self-produced album that debuted at number 13 and scored a Top Ten single with "Carnival." Two additional singles, "Wonder" and "Jealousy," also cracked the Top 40, prompting Tigerlily to sell over five million copies in the U.S. alone. It was followed in 1998 by Ophelia, another platinum-selling effort that was supported by Merchant's inclusion in the second Lilith Fair tour. Live in Concert, recorded at New York's Neil Simon Theatre, appeared a year later. A prominent social activist, Merchant also drew notice by campaigning in the name of such hot-button issues as animal rights, domestic violence, and homelessness.
MotherlandMerchant launched a folk tour in 2000, with members of progressive folk band the Horse Flies joining her on the road. She then returned to her solo career with Motherland. Two years later, Merchant left Elektra's roster and formed her own independent label, Myth America, in order to issue House Carpenter's Daughter, a collection of traditional and contemporary folk music inspired by the 2000 tour. A long period of silence followed, during which a pair of greatest-hits releases -- the 10,000 Maniacs collection Campfire Songs and Merchant's own Retrospective: 1995-2005 -- kept fans relatively sated. As the decade drew to a close, though, Merchant signed with Nonesuch Records and began making plans for a new album, which eventually arrived in the form of the ambitious, double-disc neo-children's album, 2010's Leave Your Sleep. Merchant returned to straight-ahead pop music with a self-titled album in May 2014.
Jealousy
Natalie Merchant Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ooh, jealousy
Is she fine, so well bred
The perfect girl, a social deb
Is she the sort, you've always thought
Could make you what you're not?
Ooh, jealousy
Is she bright, so well read
Are there novels by her bed?
Is she the sort that you've always said
Could satisfy your head?
Ooh, jealousy
La-la-la-la-la, la
Ooh, jealousy
La-la-la-la, la
Ooh, my jealousy
Does she talk the way I do?
Is her voice reminding you
Of the promises, the little white lies too
Sometimes, tell me, while she's touching you
Just by mistake, accidentally, do you say my name?
In the song Jealousy, Natalie Merchant sings about being consumed by jealousy over her partner’s potential fascination with another woman. The song begins with the repetition of “Ooh, jealousy” indicating the intensity of the emotion. Next, she asks if the other woman is refined and polished, someone from high society who could transform her partner into someone he is not. She wonders if the other woman is intellectually stimulating and if her partner has read the same books as her. Merchant gives voice to the insecurity that plagues people sometimes, especially in the context of relationships. She reflects on the possibility of the other woman making her appear inadequate or replaceable.
Merchant then delves deeper into her insecurities by asking if the other woman has a voice similar to hers and reminds her partner of their shared beautiful moments. She wonders if her partner finds the other woman so captivating that he occasionally calls out her name by mistake when he is with her. While the song is about jealousy and insecurity, it is also about the power of imagination and how it can spiral out of control if not kept in check. The lyrics convey the idea that jealousy can lead to feelings of worthlessness and insecurity that can ultimately destroy even the strongest of relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh, jealousy
The overwhelming feeling of envy and insecurity
Ooh, jealousy
The repeated, intense emotion
Is she fine, so well bred
Wondering if the other woman is physically and socially superior
The perfect girl, a social deb
The ideal female who is polished and poised
Is she the sort, you've always thought
Could make you what you're not?
Wanting to be someone else by being with someone seemingly better
Is she bright, so well read
Questioning if the other woman is intelligent and well-read
Are there novels by her bed?
Wondering if she is well-educated and intellectual
Is she the sort that you've always said
Could satisfy your head?
Thinking if the other woman can fulfill intellectual and emotional needs
Does she talk the way I do?
Comparing the conversations with the other woman
Is her voice reminding you
Of the promises, the little white lies too?
Associating the other woman's voice with broken promises and lies
Sometimes, tell me, while she's touching you
Just by mistake, accidentally, do you say my name?
Suspecting if the ex-lover utters her name while being affectionate with the other woman
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: Natalie Merchant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind